WAC NOTES
LA TECH’S RAHEEM NAMED VERIZON WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Louisiana Tech’s Raheem Appleby has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 16-22. The honor marks the first career WAC Player of the Week for Appleby.
Appleby, a freshman guard from Jacksonville, Ark. (Jacksonville HS), led Louisiana Tech to a pair of WAC road wins last week over Hawai‘i and San Jose State. The two wins mark the first time in LA Tech’s history that the team has swept the UH/SJSU WAC road trip. The win over Hawai‘i also marks the first WAC road win for the Bulldogs since Jan. 23, 2010.
Appleby scored a career-high 28 points in a 74-70 victory at Hawai‘i on 10-of-15 shooting, including a pair of threes and a 6-for-6 performance at the free throw line. He also pulled down three rebounds in the win. Appleby scored 19 points in the 71-67 win at San Jose State, connecting on 7-of-13 shots. He tallied a team-high five rebounds and dished out a team-best four assists against the Spartans.
On the week, Appleby averaged 23.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the field and 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Fresno State sophomore forward Jerry Brown … Hawai‘i senior guard Zane Johnson … Idaho senior forward Djim Bandoumel … Nevada junior guard Malik Story … New Mexico State senior center Hamidu Rahman.
WEEK 11 WAC HIGHLIGHTS
Louisiana Tech and Nevada each went 2-0 last week. Nevada did it at home while LA Tech did it on the road. LA Tech won at Hawai‘i 74-70 before taking a 71-67 victory at San Jose State. Raheem Appleby led the Bulldogs averaging 23.5 points per game while shooting 60.7 percent from the field. Appleby earned his first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor for his performance. Nevada stepped out of WAC play to defeat Nebraska Omaha 81-69 before returning to league play to defeat Fresno State 74-61. Malik Story led the Wolf Pack to the pair of wins, averaging 18.5 points and 4.0 assists per game. Idaho went 1-0 last week with a 57-54 win at home over Utah State. Djim Bandoumel led the Vandals with 16 points and six rebounds in 32 minutes of play against the Aggies. Fresno State, Hawai‘i and New Mexico State each went 1-1 last week, while San Jose State and Utah State went 0-2. SJSU did defeat CSU Bakersfield on Monday night to pick up a victory this week. SJSU’s D.J. Brown scored a career-high 33 points (Brown averaged 6.4 points per game heading into the game). His 33 points set an SJSU record for points by a freshman.
ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTERS MATCHUPS SET TO BE RELEASED JAN. 30
For the 10th year in a row, the WAC has partnered with ESPN and several other top college basketball conferences for ESPN Sears BracketBusters, a weekend men’s basketball event matching potential NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. All eight WAC teams will be a part of this year’s pool of teams. The event will be held February 17-19. The match-ups for Sears BracketBuster Saturday will be determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences about three weeks before the event. The 13 ESPN television pairings will be announced on the ESPNU Sears BracketBusters TV Special on Monday, Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
WAC CONTINUES RISE ON RPI AND ESPN CONFERENCE POWER RANKINGS LIST
After starting the season as low as No. 28 on the conference RPI list, the WAC has surged its way to No. 12 this week (up two spots from last week), according to collegerpi.com. The league also comes in as the 12th-best conference in the nation according to ESPN’s conference power rankings. Nevada currently holds the highest team RPI in the league at No. 74 this week.
WAC TEAMS/PLAYERS AMONG NATIONAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
As of Jan. 22, teams from the WAC rank in the top-25 in four team statistical categories. Individual players rank in the top-25 in five individual stat categories. Idaho holds the highest team mark as it ranks 16th nationally in three-point percentage at 40.1 percent. New Mexico State ranks 19th nationally in rebound margin at 7.1. Individually, Nevada’s Malik Story holds the highest national mark, ranking fourth in three-point field goal percentage at 49.1 percent. New Mexico State’s Wendell McKines ranks eighth nationally with 11 double-doubles.
NMSU’S MCKINES ON HIS WAY TO ELITE 1,000 POINT/1,000 REBOUND CLUB
With 1,236 career points and 970 career rebounds, New Mexico State senior forward Wendell McKines is on his way to the 1,000 points/rebounds club. There is currently only one active player in all of Division I that has at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State - 1,557 points/1,062 rebounds). McKines will become just the 12th player in WAC history to reach the double-milestone.
WAC All-Time 1,000 point/1,000 rebound List
Keith Van Horn, Utah (1993-97), 2,542 points/1,074 reb.
Nick Fazekas, Nevada (2003-07), 2,464 points/1,254 reb.
Bob Elliot, Arizona (1973-77), 2,131 points/1,083 reb.
Michael Harris, Rice (2001-05), 2,014 points/1,111 reb.
Josh Grant, Utah (1988-93), 2,000 points/1,066 reb.
Kenny Thomas, UNM (1996-99), 1,931 points/1,032 reb.
Micahel Cage, SDSU (1980-84), 1,846 points/1,317 reb.
Reginald Slater, UW (1988-92), 1,809 points/1,197 reb.
Al Fleming, Arizona (1973-76), 1,765 points/1,190 reb.
Paul Millsap, LA Tech (2003-06), 1,708 points/1,172 reb.
Mitch Smith, Utah (1985-89), 1,628 points/1,036 reb.
Wendell McKines, NMSU (2007-), 1,236 points/970 reb.
SAN JOSE STATE’S CARTER RECORDS FIRST WAC 20-20 GAME SINCE 2006
San Jose State senior forward Wil Carter scored 21 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in a loss at Hawai‘i on Jan. 7. Carter becomes the first WAC player to score at least 20 points and pull down 20 boards since Louisiana Tech’s Paul Millsap did it in 2006. It also marked the first 20-rebound game by a SJSU player since Chris McNealy did it against Utah in December of 1981. It marks only the eighth 20-rebound performance by a Division I player this season.
UTAH STATE AND HAWAI‘I IMPRESS AT HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS
Utah State went a perfect 3-0 at the Athletes in Action Classic in Logan to win the championship on Dec. 22. The Aggies defeated UT-Arlington 73-69, Saint Peter’s 72-47 and Kent State 81-62 to claim the title. Hawai‘i went 2-1 at the the Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu Dec. 22-25. The Rainbow Warriors dropped a close 65-62 decision to Auburn in its tournament opener before winning its next two games, an 84-82 overtime victory over then No. 14 Xavier and a 75-68 win against Clemson.
SAN JOSE STATE AND NEVADA SET SCHOOL RECORDS WITH 16 THREES IN A SINGLE GAME, RANKS AS FOURTH-BEST SINGLE GAME PERFORMANCE IN THE NATION
San Jose State set single-game school records with 16 three-point baskets made and 40 three-point baskets attempted in the December 29 victory over Coppin State at the Elgin Baylor Classic. The previous records in these categories were 14 made 3-pointers in a 2005 game against Louisiana Tech and 32 3-point tries in a 2011 game versus Boise State. Nevada set a single game school record of their own with 16 made thres and 32 attempts to break the old school record of 15 made threes against Cal State Fullerton in 1999. The 16 made threes ranks as the fourth-best single-game performance in the nation this season.
WAC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS, TICKETS ON SALE NOW
The 2012 WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 7-10 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas and will include all eight WAC teams. All-session tickets for the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament presented by Verizon are available for purchase now. All-session tickets include access to each men’s and women’s tournament game, totaling 14 games in eight sessions. All-session tickets are on sale Friday through the Orleans Arena Box Office. Tickets will also be available for purchase through each WAC school’s ticket office. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets from their institution’s ticket office or online to avoid service fees associated with ticket sales through the Orleans Arena. Single-session tickets, which allow access to the two games listed in the session will be sold only on the day of the respective game, and can only be purchased through the Orleans Arena. Fans who wish to attend only the women’s tournament games may purchase a women’s tournament all-session ticket through the Orleans Arena ticket office.
INDIVIDUAL WAC SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE RANKS NATIONALLY
Utah State’s Preston Medlin hit eight three-point field goals in a win at Idaho State on Nov. 26. The eight threes is the third-most scored in the nation this season. USU’s Kyisean Reed connected on 11-of-12 shots for a 92.3 field goal percentage against Kent State on Dec. 22. Reed’s performance ranks as the fourth-best field goal percentage performance in the nation this season. Fresno State’s Jonathan Wills hit a perfect 13-of-13 free throws in a Nov. 22 game against UTSA. Wills’ night ranks him with the third-best performance nationally this year.
WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Fresno State Bulldogs (9-12, 1-4 WAC)
Fresno State went 1-1 last week ... the team stepped out of conference play to defeat Cal State San Marcos 66-55 before jumping back into league play to take a 74-61 loss at Nevada ... Jerry Brown scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Fresno State rode a strong second half the win over Cal State San Marcos ... Kevin Olekaibe added 14 points for the Bulldogs, who outscored the Cougars 21-4 on second-chance points, and Jonathan Wills (14 points) and Tyler Johnson (10 points) also reached the double-digit mark for the ‘Dogs ... at Nevada, Johnson tied a career-high with a team-best 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds ... Jerry Brown tallied 14 points and nine rebounds and Kevin Olekaibe scored 13 for his 17th double-digit scoring effort of the season against the Wolf Pack ... Fresno State continues its three-game WAC road stretch on Thursday at Louisiana Tech.
Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors (11-8, 3-2 WAC)
Hawai‘i went 1-1 at home last week ... the Rainbow Warriors dropped a 74-70 decision to Louisiana Tech before rebounding to defeat New Mexico State 91-87 ... against LA Tech, the team played without senior captains Zane Johnson and Jeremiah Ostrowski who were both sidelined ... Joston Thomas led UH with 22 points and six rebounds, while Vander Joaquim added 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks before exiting with his fifth foul against the Bulldogs ... UH built a sizeable second-half lead and withstood a furious New Mexico State rally in the closing minutes to pick up a statement win over the Aggies ... Thomas tallied 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high six assists against NMSU ... Joaquim sat out much of the first half, but still finished with his sixth double-double of the season (11 pts, 10 rebs) ... UH now heads to the road for a pair of games beginning with Utah State on Thursday.
Idaho Vandals (10-9, 3-2 WAC)
Idaho trailed for nearly the entire game, but the Vandals took the lead when it counted on a late 3-pointer by Stephen Madison to claim a 57-54 home win over Utah State on Saturday in the team’s only game of the week ... Madison stubbed his toe in the first half and had been 2-of-9 from the field and 0-for-3 from long range, but when junior Kyle Barone found him alone in the corner with 26 seconds left and the Vandals trailing by one, Madison calmly stepped up and drained the triple to give the Vandals their first lead since 12-11 at the 13:52 mark of the first half ... Djim Bandoumel came off the bench and tied a career high with 16 points, 11 of which came after the break ... he grabbed six rebounds – all in the second half and three of which were offensive ... The Vandals host a pair of WAC games next week, starting with San Jose State on Thursday and Hawai`i on Saturday.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (10-10, 2-3 WAC)
Louisiana Tech picked up its first-ever San Jose State/Hawai‘i road trip sweep since joining the WAC this past week ... Freshman guard Raheem Appleby scored a career-high 28 points as Louisiana Tech defeated Hawai‘i 74-70 Thursday night ... the victory ended a 12-game WAC road winless streak for the Bulldogs ... junior guard Brandon Gibson and Appleby scored 19 points each as Louisiana Tech defeated San Jose State 71-67 Saturday night ... the win gave Tech consecutive wins on the road in the WAC for the first time since the 2009-10 season ... The Bulldogs return to action on Thursday night as they take on Fresno State at 6 p.m. CT in Ruston.
Nevada Wolf Pack (16-3, 5-0 WAC)
Nevada went 2-0 last week with an 81-69 victory over Nebraska Omaha and a 74-61 win against Fresno State ... Malik Story scored 20 points as Nevada defeated Nebraska-Omaha for the Wolf Pack’s 12th consecutive victory ... Olek Czyz had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Dario Hunt 14 points and 11 rebounds for Nevada ... Deonte Burton had 18 points and Story 17 as Nevada overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to beat Fresno State Saturday night ... Dario Hunt added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolf Pack, who won their 13th consecutive game ... Nevada trailed 39-38 with 13:37 left in the game before going on a 25-9 run over the next nine minutes ... Hunt’s put-back of a missed free throw by Story put the Wolf Pack ahead 63-48 with 4:28 left ... Nevada heads out on the road this week to face New Mexico State on Thursday and Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
New Mexico State Aggies (14-6, 4-1 WAC)
NM State coasted to a 79-63 win at San Jose State, Jan. 19 ... the Aggies earned their second WAC road win of the year for their sixth straight victory, which is the first time since the 2006-07 season ... the Aggies also started 4-0 in WAC play for the first time since 2006-07 ... Wendell McKines scored a game-high 24 points, while senior center Hamidu Rahman had a season-high 20 points ... Hernst Laroche added 15 points and with his second field goal of the game, Laroche became the 29th member of the 1,000-point club at NM State ... despite a late second-half rally, NM State fell at Hawai’i, 91-87, Jan. 21, which snapped a six-game win streak ... the Aggies suffered their first loss in WAC play with five players in double-figures ... this week, New Mexico State hosts league leader Nevada on Thursday before welcoming Fresno State on Saturday.
San Jose Spartans (7-13, 0-5 WAC)
San Jose State went 0-2 last week but did pick up a 78-70 victory over CSU Bakersfield on Monday night ... the team dropped a 79-63 decision at home against NM State before falling 71-67 to Louisiana Tech ... versus, NM State, Keith Shamburger scored 19 points and forward Wil Carter led all players with nine rebounds to go along with 15 points, but San Jose State could not keep up with the Aggies’ powerful inside game ... against LA Tech, Shamburger had a chance to send the game into overtime, but his short jumper in the lane with five seconds remaining failed to fall and the Spartans lost to Louisiana Tech ... Shamburger was one of three Spartans in double-figure scoring with 16 points ... teammate James Kinney led all players in scoring with 22 points, Carter added 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds ... SJSU plays at Idaho on Thursday and at Utah State Saturday.
Utah State Aggies (10-10, 2-3 WAC)
Utah State went 0-2 last week ... the team dropped a 73-66 decision at future WAC foe Seattle U before taking a 57-54 setback at Idaho ... at SU, Brockeith Pane scored 20 points, but Seattle shot 53.2 percent en route to the win ... Preston Medlin also scored in double-figures for the Aggies with 19 points, while junior forward Kyisean Reed finished with eight points, six rebounds and two blocked shots ... at Idaho, Medlin had 17 points and seven rebounds, but Utah State was out-scored 10-1 down the stretch versus the Vandals ... Danny Berger was the only other Aggie to score in double-figures as he finished with 10 points, while senior forward Morgan Grim had nine points ... USU also got six points and a season-high six rebounds out of Pane, while freshman forward Ben Clifford added six points, six rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots off the bench ... USU hosts Hawai‘i and San Jose State this week.