Washington State University Athletics
Cougars Open Pac-12 Season at Home Friday
December 30, 2015 | Men's Basketball
WSU OPENS PAC-12 PLAY WITH THREE-GAME HOMESTAND: Washington State University men's basketball (8-4) opens up Pac-12 Conference play with three-straight games at home beginning with USC (11-2), Friday, Jan. 1 at 6 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.
• Next up WSU will host No. 25/RV UCLA at Beasley Coliseum, Sunday, Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m., followed by a home game with Washington, Saturday, Jan. 9 at noon.
• Friday's game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks as JB Long (play-by-play) and Dan Dickau (color analyst) have the call.
• First-year voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow will have the call on the Washington State IMG Radio Network...please see the list of affiliates on page one of today's notes.
• Live updates can be found on Twitter by following @WSUMensHoops, the official Twitter account of Washington State men's basketball.
COUGARS VERSUS TROJANS:
• Friday marks the 118th all-time meeting between Washington State and USC as the Trojans hold a 69-48 advantage in the series.
• Washington State won the lone meeting last season, 70-66, at Los Angeles, while USC won the only meeting in 2013-14, 79-68, at Pullman.
• The Cougars have won just one of their last four home games against USC with their last home win coming March 9, 2013.
• WSU leads the series 31-24 at home, including a 1-1 tie in Cougar home games at Spokane.
• This season marks the first time since the 2009-10 season that the Cougars and Trojans will play each other in the month of January and is the earliest meeting since they met Dec. 31, 2010.
• Both games between WSU and USC will take place in the month of January as they meet again Jan. 28 at Los Angeles.
WASHINGTON STATE IN PAC-12 OPENERS:
• WSU is 16-31 all-time in conference openers beginning with the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968-69
• It is 0-4 in Pac-12 openers after the league expanded prior to the 2011-12 season.
• The Cougars are 14-13 in Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12 conference openers at home, 12-9 when opening at home in Pullman (WSU is 2-4 in Spokane home conference openers).
• Washington State is looking to snap its streak of seven-straight conference opening losses, as it hasn't won a league opener since the 2007-08 season.
• WSU has lost its last five conference openers when opening the season at home, as its last home win came Dec. 31, 2004 at Spokane Arena against Stanford.
• The last time WSU won a conference opener at home with the game being played in Pullman was Jan. 5, 1995 against then-No. 17 California.
WSU BIGS PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS:
• Through games as of Dec. 29, Washington State ranked 14th in the nation with 6.0 blocked shots per game.
• On top of that, big men and juniors Josh Hawkinson and Valentine ranked in the top-30 in the nation in six different categories.
• Hawkinson is fourth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game, sixth in double-doubles, 15th in rebounds per game and 26th in field goal percentage.
• Izundu is ninth in the nation in blocks per game and 10th for total blocks.
COUGARS ADJUST TO NEW LINEUPS:
• Washington State welcomed seven newcomers to the court this season, including Houston-transfer, Valentine Izundu, who redshirted last season.
• Of the newcomers, five are transfers and two are true freshmen.
• Four different newcomers have combined for 21 starts this season led by junior Charles Callison (11)...Izundu has six starts, junior Conor Clifford has three and freshman Viont'e Daniels started one game.
• This season, Washington State has used the same starting lineup for more than two games in a row just once, its last three outings of nonconference play.
VETERANS STEP UP:
• The Cougars have been led this season by captains and juniors, Josh Hawkinson and Ike Iroegbu.
• Hawkinson leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.5 and 10.5 boards a game, while Iroegbu has 13.5 ppg game and leads with 4.1 assists per game.
• Combined the forward and guard are shooting .569 (128-for-225) from the field and are accounting for 38 percent of the Cougar's points this season.
• Only twice this season has neither Iroegbu nor Hawkinson led WSU in scoring, and just once neither of them led the Cougars in rebounding.
WINNING EARLY:
• WSU's 8-4 start in its first 12 games of the season is its best start since also going 8-4 in its first 12 games to start the 2012-13 season.
BLOCK PARTY:
• Through 12 games the Cougars have blocked 72 shots, averaging 6.0. blocks per game.
• Although just 12 games in, as of games on Dec. 28, WSU was 14th in the nation as a team, and fourth in the Pac-12 in blocks per game.
• Heading up the block party is junior transfer Valentine Izundu who is averaging 3.08 blocks per game which is ranked ninth in the nation and second in the Pac-12.
• The school team record for blocked shots in a season is 155 set in 2007 (34 games)...right now the Cougars are on pace to finish with 186 blocked shots in a 31-game season.
• The individual school record for blocks average in a season is 3.0 set by James Donaldson in 1978...he had a school-record 82 blocks that season.
• To put that in perspective, if Izundu can continue to average 3.18 blocks per game and plays 31 games, he'd finish with 95 blocked shots, which is 13 more than the record.
• Izundu had a career-high 6 blocked shots in the Nov. 20 meeting with Idaho State...the school record for blocks in a game is 10, also set by Donaldson, Dec. 6, 1977.
NEW STARS STEP UP:
• While junior Josh Hawkinson has played a pretty steady role of leading man this year, each game has brought a different best supporting performance by a Cougar.
• Hawkinson's classmate and roommate, Ike Iroegbu kept stride with Hawkinson in WSU's victory over New Mexico Dec. 25, notching a double-double of his own with 17 points and 11 assists.
• In the low-scoring affair against Northern Iowa, Dec. 23, sophomore Derrien King stepped up for the second time in four games, tying his career high with 10 points going 4-for-10 from the field.
• Iroegbu was the only other player than Hawkinson to reach double figures, tying the team high with 16 points while adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists as WSU fell to No. 3/2 Oklahoma, Dec. 22.
• In WSU's Dec. 18 game against Texas State, Iroegbu out-scored his pal by 1 point, finishing with 18 points...he added 6 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 7-for-11 from the field.
• King had his breakout performance when he scored 9 points in 6 first-half minutes against UTEP, Dec. 13, going on to finish with 10 points.
• Callison was just 3 assists shy of a double-double when he had 7 assists and 10 points at Idaho on Dec. 10.
• Junior Charles Callison had put up 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting one game prior against Portland State, Dec. 6
• With Hawkinson struggling from the field against No. 13 Gonzaga to finish with just 4 points, junior veterans Que Johnson and Ike Iroegbu put up 18 and 17 points, respectively on a combined 15-for-31 shooting (.483).
• Against Texas Southern, Nov. 28, Iroegbu went 7-for-9 from the field for 19 points, while senior Junior Longrus was a bucket shy of his first career double-double with a career-high 10 rebounds, 8 points, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots.
• With Hawkinson out with an injury, 7-foot-center, and redshirt junior, Conor Clifford stepped up for 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting and 5 rebounds, to lead the Cougars in scoring against Cal State Los Angeles, Nov. 24.
• Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu captured Cougar hearts when he blocked 6 shots against Idaho State, Nov. 20, combined with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field while adding 7 boards...Iroegbu starred in that game as well with 21 points and 7 assists.
• It was freshman Viont'e Daniels' big night on opening day as he went 5-for-5 from 3-point range to finish with 15 points...he added 4 rebounds, 2 assist and 2 steals.
LEADER OF THE PAC:
• Washington State has two individual in four of the top-spots in the Pac-12 rankings.
• Junior Josh Hawkinson leads the conference in rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game and double-doubles...he is also sixth in field goal percentage, seventh in free throw percentage and 14th in blocks per game.
• His classmate, Ike Iroegbu, leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage...he's eighth in assists per game, 14th in field goal percentage, 14th in assist/turnover ratio and 18th in scoring.
• Junior Charles Callison ranks sixth in steals per game, seventh in assist/turnover ratio and 15th for assists per game.
• Junior Valentine Izundu ranks second in blocks per game.
ABOUT THE 2015-16 COUGARS:
• WSU head coach Ernie Kent is in his second season after leading the Cougars to their most Pac-12 wins since 2011-12 with a 7-11 league mark in 2014-15.
• The Cougars returned three starters in junior guard Ike Iroegbu, his classmate, forward, Josh Hawkinson and sophomore guard Ny Redding.
• WSU lost leading scorer DaVonté Lacy to graduation, but Hawkinson returns as the leading scorer and rebounder after averaging 14.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game a year ago.
• Hawkinson made his mark on WSU history as he led the nation with 8.7 defensive rebounds per game and was fourth in the NCAA with 20 double-doubles.
• He broke WSU single season records for double-doubles as well as rebounds, marks that had stood for 48 and 51 years, respectively.
• Heading into the season he needed just 156 rebounds to break into WSU's career top-20 and is on pace to set a WSU career rebounding record held by Steve Puidokas (1974-77) with 992.
• Also returning for the Cougars are senior Brett Boese and redshirt junior Que Johnson.
• Boese had his best output of his career last season as a junior, averaging 4.3 points per game, while shooting .361 from beyond the 3-point arc.
• Johnson put up 6.1 points a game, while shooting the highest mark from the charity stripe with a .854 clip.
• Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu made his game debut for the Cougars this season after sitting out the 2014-15 season due to NCAA rules after transferring from Houston.
• Izundu averaged 2.0 points and 1.1 blocks in just 8.0 minutes per game at Houston as a freshman in 2012-13.
• Joining the Cougars are four junior college transfers and two true freshmen.
• Juniors Conor Clifford, Charles Callison and Renard Suggs and sophomore Derrien King make up the group of transfers.
• A 7-foot-center, Clifford was named the Southern California (SoCal) and Orange Empire Conference MVPs at Saddleback College last season.
• A 6-foot-point guard, Callison was named the Foothill Conference's MVP, as well as the 2014 Press-Enterprise Area College Men's Athlete of the Year following his sophomore Year at San Bernardino Valley College.
• A 6-2 guard, Suggs led Gillette College to JUCO Nationals last season, averaging 13.5 points per game.
• King, a 6-6 guard, averaged 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and shot .417 from the field at Santa Monica College last season.
• Guard Viont'e Daniels and forward Robert Franks make up the freshman class.
• The Washington 4A State Player of the Year, Daniels averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a senior at Federal Way High School.
• Franks was named an Associated Press All-State honorable mention honoree at Vancouver's Evergreen High School last season.
ERNIE KENT ENTERS SECOND SEASON WITH THE COUGARS:
• Veteran head coach and former Fox Sports and Pac-12 Networks basketball analyst was named the 18th head coach in WSU men's basketball history, March 31, 2014.
• Kent came to Pullman with a 325-254 (.561) mark as a head coach, having spent six seasons at the helm for Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif., and 13 at Oregon.
• In his 13 years at Oregon, Kent compiled a 235-174 (.575) record and a 109-125 (.466) conference mark.
• His 109 conference wins rank 17th most in Pac-12 history (including Pacific-8 and Pacific-10 Conferences).
• While at Oregon, Kent led the Ducks to seven postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournament Appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008) as well as a Pac-10 regular-season (2002) and two conference tournament (2003, 2007) titles.
• Kent's first season with the Cougars wasn't much different than his first with the Ducks, as he led Oregon to a 13-14 overall record and 8-10 league mark as Oregon finished sixth in the then-Pacific-10 Conference...he led WSU to a 13-18 overall record and 7-11 league mark.
VIONT'E DANIELS' BIG DEBUT:
• The new season brought seven new faces to the court for the Cougars, as all seven saw action in the season opener against Northern Arizona, Nov. 13.
• Although none of the newcomers started, freshman Viont'e Daniels played the second-most minutes on the team with 23 and tied the game high with 15 points.
• The 6-2 guard was a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range, becoming the first freshman to do so.
• A freshman was perfect from 3-point range when making 3 or more eight other times in WSU history, but none of those freshmen made more than 4 3-pointers.
• The last time a freshman was perfect from 3-point range when making 3 or more was Feb. 9, 2012 when DaVonté Lacy went 3-for-3 at Oregon State.
• He started against Idaho State, Nov. 20.
COUGARS MAKE BODY CHANGES PRIOR TO SEASON:
• WSU men's basketball student-athletes made changes to their bodies prior to the 2015-16 season to be fitter, faster and stronger, with the help of strength coach, Scott Thom.
• Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu gained 20 lbs and increased his standing vertical jump by 4.5 inches to 35.5 inches.
• Redshirt junior Conor Clifford lost 30 lbs. and increased his standing vertical jump 3.5 inches to 25 inches.
• Sophomore Derrien King gained 20 lbs. and increased his standing vertical jump 3 inches to 28 inches.
• Junior Renard Suggs gained 15 lbs. and increased his standing vertical jump 3.7 inches to 34.7 inches.
• Freshman Viont'e Daniels gained 15 lbs. and has a 40.5 inch vertical approach jump.
• Junior Charles Callison gained 10 lbs., and has a 42.5 inch vertical approach jump.
• Freshman Robert Franks lost 15 lbs to 240 and vertical jump is up 2.8 inches to 23 inches.
• Junior Josh Hawkinson increased his vertical approach jump by 2 inches, jumping 38.5 inches with a two-step approach.
• As a team WSU increased standing vertical jump to 26.5 inches and broad jump 27 inches.
• As a team squatted 320 more lbs., deadlifted 444 more lbs., did 50 more pull-ups and benched 135 more lbs.
HAWKINSON NAMED TO KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR WATCH LIST:
• Junior Josh Hawkinson has been named to the 20-member 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award watch list.
• Hawkinson is one of four Pac-12 student-athletes to be named to the list, as he's joined by Kaleb Tarczewski of Arizona, Josh Scott of Colorado and Jakob Poeltl of Utah.
• Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its second year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball.
• A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates and by mid-February, the list will be narrowed down to just 10.
• In March, five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee and the winner of the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday, April 8, 2016.
COUGARS SIGN TWO FOR 2016-17 SEASON:
• Milan Acquaah (6-2, 195, Guard, Pasadena, Calif. - Cathedral HS) and Jeff Pollard (6-8, 235, forward, Bountiful, Utah - Impact Academy-Nev.) signed NLIs to join the WSU men's basketball team next season.
• Acquaah is beginning his second season at Cathedral HS after spending one and a half years at Pasadena's La Salle HS and a semester at Chino Hills HS.
• As a junior at Cathedral HS, Acquaah averaged 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists and earned open division first team all-CIF honors as a junior, as well as Cal-Hi Sports All-State Junior First Team accolades.
• Pollard enters his first season at Impact Academy at Las Vegas in 2015-16, after graduating from Bountiful HS in 2015.
• At BHS he led his teams to back-to-back State championships as a junior (2013-14) and senior (2014-15) and led the Braves with 22 points and 5 steals in the 66-54 victory over Kearns HS in the title game his senior year as he averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game during the season.
LAST OUTING:
• WSU finished out action at the 2015 Diamond Head Classic with an 82-59 victory over New Mexico, Friday, Dec. 25 at Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Junior Josh Hawkinson had his ninth double-double of the season, 29th of his career and his seventh-straight as he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
• He played just 7 minutes due to foul trouble in the first half and scored 15 points and grabbed 8 boards in the second half alone.
• Junior Ike Iroegbu had his second career double-double and first of the season with 17 points and 11 assists…he was 7-for-9 from the field.
• Redshirt junior Valentine Izundu tied his career high with 10 points…he scored 9 of his points in the first half.
• All five starters scored in double-figures, marking the second time this season that five Cougars scored in double figures (at Idaho, Dec. 10)…redshirt junior Que Johnson added 14 points and junior Charles Callison had 10 points.
• Freshman Robert Franks made his first 3-pointer of his career playing just 1 minute.
• WSU's 23-point win marks its second-biggest win of the season.
• The Cougars shot .550 from 3-point range…at 11-for-20, it marked the Cougars' best 3-point shooting game in both shots made and percentage.
• As a team, WSU tallied 27 assists, shattering the old season-high of 20 and marking the most since dishing out 27 assists against UC Riverside, Nov. 19, 2005.
• The Cougars out-scored UNM 36-15 in the final 14:52, after their lead was 46-44.
• The 59 points allowed by WSU is the second-lowest total given up this season.
• Washington State also forced 18 turnovers…tied for the most forced this season.
• WSU picked up its first regular season tournament Christmas-day win, dating back to the 1970-71 season.
• WSU has never made a trip to Hawaii without winning at least one game, is now 12-9 in the state.
