ARCATA — For the seventh consecutive season the Lumberjacks host the DeBeni Holiday Classic, a four-team tournament that traditionally sends the squads into their brief winter break. The event begins Friday with Chico State matching up with Notre Dame de Namur at 5:30 p.m., followed by Humboldt State vs. Academy of Art at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday's games flip-flop opponents, Chico State going against Academy of Art at 5:30 p.m. and the Jacks facing Notre Dame de Namur in the feature game at 7:30 p.m.
On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action from Lumberjack Arena and HSU Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco goes on the road with the Jacks. …Audio is also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics.
Live Stats
All Lumberjack basketball home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/.
Head-to-Head
Academy of Art makes its first trip to Arcata in the brief program's history. The Lumberjacks and Urban Knights square off for the first time. …HSU leads the all-time series with Notre Dame de Namur, 33-10. Two years ago the Jacks defeated the Argonauts, 79-56 at the DeBeni Holiday Classic.
Projected Starters
G - #12 Ernie Spada, 5-11, 175, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
G - #22 Zac Tiedeman, 6-1, 180, Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif.
F - #21 Kyle Baxter, 6-9, 200, So., Sacramento, Calif.
F - #24 Kevin Atkins, 6-6, 220, Sr., Long Beach, Calif.
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, 260, Jr., Portland, Ore.
Lumberjack Links
Following are links to more information on the Lumberjack basketball program.
Complete Roster
Schedule
2009-10 Statistics
Lumberjack Notes
Last year marked the first loss the Jacks had suffered in their own classic, an 85-76 decision to Western Oregon. Prior to that meeting HSU had won its first 11 games in the event. …HSU is coming off a topsy-turvy loss to Sonoma State on Saturday. After leading by 14 points in the first half, the Jacks fell to the Seawolves, 65-50. …Seasonal illness continues to make its way through the Jacks' lineup, most recently keeping David Howard and Keith Davis away from practice and Saturday's game. Teammate Will Petty had just returned following his own bout of illness. …Humboldt State leads the CCAA in two statistical team categories – 3-point field goals made per game (7.8) and turnover margin (+3.33). Individually, Keith Davis tops the league in 3-point shooting percentage (.600), Zac Tiedeman is third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5) and Brian Morris ranks second in offensive rebounding (3.0 per game). …Opponents have found the Jacks' defense rather porous, and are shooting more than 47 percent from the field on average. That number ranks last among the 12 CCAA schools. …
Opponent Notes
Continuing its process of qualifying for NCAA Division II status, Academy of Art has struggled to an 0-6 start to the season. The Urban Knights are led by junior guard Phillip Daniel, who is averaging 11.6 points per game. Also providing offensive support is 6-7 forward Jonathan Burnett, who averages 8.0 points per game. …Opponents are out-rebounding AAU by 12 boards per game, and out-scoring the Urban Knights by an average of 15 points per game. …Last Saturday's outing was a competetive one for AAU, one that went to the wire before the Knights narrowly missed out on their first win. Simpson University prevailed, 73-71. …Notre Dame de Namur previously competed in the DeBeni Holiday Classic in 2006, dropping narrow games to Western Oregon and HSU. The Argonauts are 1-6 at outset of the 2009-10 season, and are coming a 59-37 loss to San Francisco State sustained last weekend. …Sophomore guard Bennie Murray has been NDNU's go-to player, averaging 18.1 points per game. His output represents nearly a third of the team's average of 60 points per game. Murray also tops the team in rebounding with 7.3 boards per game.
Wood's Words
"We tried to go away from what we've had the most success with, and that's pressing and pushing the ball up the floor. That was my mistake as a coach. We're not yet a team that can grind out a win" … "I don't know a lot about our opponents, but I do know that our players are under a lot of pressure this week. They're stressing over final exams and we've had some sickness. By Friday they should have most of that behind them." … "I'm very greatful to Larry (DeBeni) for sponsoring this tournament the past few years. It's given us a chance to have some home games before the break and put on a quality event for our local supporters."
