UPCOMING: Tues., Dec. 21 - at San Diego State, Cox Arena
(12,414), 7:05 p.m.
Thur., Dec. 23 -- Denver, Titan Gym (4,000), 7:05 p.m.
THE QUICK SCENARIO: Fullerton is 3-2 using a roster of
nine healthy players. The Titans should get an upgrade this week with
the eligibility of letterman guard Ralphy Holmes and Western Kentucky
transfer forward Jamaal Brown. The 3-2 start is the best since the 1998-99
team opened up 5-1. There are 18 players in the program, but only half
of them were able to see action through the first five games and only
eight got into the Dec. 10 win at Eastern Washington. The game vs. Denver
is only the second home contest of the season.
TELEVISION: The San Diego State game will be televised
in San Diego on Channel 4.
“RADIO”: All games can be heard live on the
internet on computers with sound cards. Listeners may access the CSF Athletics
home page at www.titansports.org and follow the links. Justin Alderson
is the announcer at San Diego State while Todd Reeves and Troy Bardy will
call the game vs. Denver. San Diego State airs its games on 1090 AM.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
No. Name Ht. Yr. ppg rpg Quick Notes
F 24 Hardy Asprilla * 6-5 Sr. 8.4 8.6 Began season with career bests of
13 then 14 rebounds
F 15 Ralphy Holmes* 6-4 Sr. -- -- First-team All-Big West Conference in
2002-03, averaging 17.4 ppg & 6.2 rpg
F 32 Jamaal Brown 6-7 Jr. -- -- Transfer from Western Kentucky’s
NCAA Tourney team of 2002-03
G 3 Bobby Brown * 6-1 So. 18.8 2.8 Posted career best with 30 points in
43 minutes at EWU; BWC co-PofW
G 14 Jermaine Harper 6-3 Jr. 15.0 4.6 24 points including game-winning
trey in OT win at Eastern Washington OFF THE BENCH:
F 2 Yaphett King * 6-4 Sr. 11.6 6.0 His 9 points in final 7:00 held off
Colgate; led team with 8 boards at EWU
C 42 Derek Quinet 6-9 So. 6.0 2.8 Went 5-for-5 from the floor vs. Hope
International
G 23 Vershan Cottrell 6-2 Jr. 2.4 0.6 Transfer from Ohlone College who
led state of Washington in scoring as prep
G 22 John Clemmons 6-0 Jr. 3.6 1.4 January transfer from El Camino College
who didn’t play last year
F 21 Danny Lambert 6-6 Jr. 0.0 3.0 Transfer from Irvine Valley College
made long-awaited Titan debut in Denver
F 5 Justin Burns 6-6 So. 6.4 2.8 Transfer from Cypress Community College;
father “Spider” played at UNLV INJURED:
F 12 Drew Awad 6-3 Sr. 1.7 1.0 Transfer from Fresno CC; leukemia survivor
sidelined by foot injury
C 43 Lloyd Walls 6-9 Sr. -- -- Transfer from Wright State sidelined after
multiple concussions
*letters earned
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs are 5-3 going into
a Dec. 18 game at Loyola Marymount. They have lost their last two games
to Cal and Saint Mary’s after winning five in a row. The leading
scorers are Marcus Slaughter at 19.5 ppg and Brandon Heath at 17.0 ppg.
ABOUT DENVER: The Pioneers are 4-3 going into a Dec.
18 game at Eastern Washington. They routed the Titans, 79-57, on Dec.
4 in Denver. Most recently they lost at home to Stanford, 56-52. Center
Yemi Nicholson (14.1 ppg) and guard Erik Benzel (13.0) lead an attack
that has four players in double figures in scoring. They are shooting
40 percent as a team from behind the 3-point line.
SERIES HISTORIES: The Titans have beaten their former
Pacific Coast Athletic Association colleagues four times in a row in games
played between the 1994-95 and 1999-2000 seasons. The Aztecs lead the
all-time series, 19-10, which includes wins in the first 10 meetings.
In the only previous meeting in Cox Arena, Fullerton won, 72-66, at Jan.
5, 2000. Fullerton and Denver have only played the one game (Dec. 4).
B. BROWN HONORED: Sophomore point guard Bobby Brown shared
the Big West Conference player of the week award last week with Cal Poly’s
Nick Enzweiler. It’s the second time in his career Brown has been
singled out. He had a career-high 30 points in the win at Eastern Washington,
adding 6 rebounds and one assist -- on the game-winning basket by Jermaine
Harper. Enzweiler scored 22 points off the bench in the Mustangs’
win over Santa Clara, their first of the season. He made all six 3-point
field goal attempts.
DOUBLE FIGURES: Prior to the performance against Hope,
the last time the Titans had six players in double figures was Feb. 4,
1999, in an 88-78 home win over Utah State (Cunningham 23, Caldwell 12,
Jarrett 12, Murphy 12, Fischer 11, Harmon 10).
MINI-CONFERENCE: Cal State Fullerton, Denver and Eastern
Washington are playing what amounts to a 5-game “mini-conference”
schedule in December with Denver playing a same-season home-and-home series
with both the Titans and the Eagles. Denver plays at EWU on Dec. 18 and
at Fullerton on Dec. 23. Currently, Denver is 2-0, CSF is 1-1 and EWU
is 0-2 in those games.
PERIMETER ORIENTED: The perimeter trio of Bobby Brown
(30), Jermaine Harper (24) and Yaphett King (12) scored all but 4 of the
Titans’ 70 points in the win at Eastern Washington. Justin Burns
was the only interior player to score a field goal and that came on an
out-of-bounds play. Derek Quinet and Versha Cottrell each added one free
throw.
FLYING HIGH: With two wins this year on trips requiring
air travel, the Titans have almost as many “airplane” victories
this season as in the past seven seasons COMBINED. Fullerton is 5-51 since
winning at BYU and Montana in the first two road games of the 1996-97
season (0-5 in 1996-97 after the first two road games; 1-6 in 1997-98;
0-8 in 1998-99; 0-7 in 1999-2000; 1-6 in 2000-01; 0-6 in 2001-02; 1-6
in 2002-03 and 0-5 in 2003-04; 2-2 so far in 2004-05).
NEW OVERTIME STRING STARTING?: Fullerton snapped a 5-game
losing streak in games that ran more than 40 minutes with its win in Cheney,
Washington. The Titans WON five OT games in a row in the 2002-03 season
before losing in that fashion in the season finale and the swan song for
Coach Donny Daniels. Bob Burton was 0-4 last season including one double
overtime defeat.
SWEET HOME: Fullerton was 8-6 in Titan Gym last year
for its first winning season at home since 1998-99. The Nov. 27 win over
Hope came in the first of only three non-conference home games -- Dec.
23 vs. Denver and Jan. 8 vs. UC Davis.
TITAN GYM GOES HOLLYWOOD: ABC's Top Ten Nielsen TV show
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Titan Gym on Dec. 8 to tape a tribute
to Rodney Anderson, the former Titan basketball player, whose family received
the full treatment from the show between Dec. 4 and 14. The taping featured
the retirement of his jersey No. 4 and will be included in an episode
scheduled to be aired either Jan. 30 or Feb. 13. Anderson was shot in
a mistaken identity gang shooting near his Los Angeles home on Mar. 2,
2002, and is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He is scheduled to graduate
in June with a degree in human services.
HUGE RECRUITING CLASS: The Titans signed probably their
largest class of November recruits -- both in height and numbers -- ever.
These six newcomers will join the program for next season (comments by
Asst. Coach Andy Newman):
Jerrel Lake, 6-7, Jr., F, Los Angeles, CA -- Westchester High School --
“very athletic... runs well and jumps out of the gym... plays very
hard and will rebound everything...
needs to gain strength... very good slashing to the basket.”
Brian Marks, 6-9, Sr., C, Las Vegas, NV -- Palo Verde High School --
“big bodied post player who really knows how to use his body inside...
back-to-the-basket player who can score inside and will rebound well...
has a tremendous upside.”
Chris Minardo, 6-9, Fr., F, Chino Hills, CA -- Citrus College --
“skilled power forward who has perimeter skills.. can really shoot
it out to the 3-point line and is very athletic...
rebounds well and attacks the rim very aggressively.. very good passer..
he is like a 6-foot-9 perimeter player.”
Manny Montano, 6-10, Soph., F, Vista, CA -- Palomar College --
“shot blocker with great timing and a great feel for the game defensively...
runs like a deer and can really score inside and out... shoots the ball
out to about 17 feet.. needs some weight and strength but has great potential...
rebounds very well.”
Gerard Moret, 6-4, Sr., G, Los Angeles, CA -- Westchester High School
--
“very tough competitor... comes from a great program and really
knows how to win... will be a great defender and he will bring toughness
to the perimeter... capable shooter but much better at penetration.”
Gary Nunez, 6-8, Soph., F, Bronx, NY -- Ventura College --
“big, strong and very skilled post player who can really score with
his back to the basket...
he is a superb passer and his toughness inside will be much welcomed."
