Titans Play for First Time at Univ.
of Denver Nov. 30, 2004 – Fullerton, Calif.
UPCOMING:
Sat., Dec. 4 - at Denver, Magness Arena (7,200), 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 - at Eastern Washington, Reese Court (6,000), 7:05 p.m.
Tues., Dec. 21 - at San Diego State, Cox Arena (12,414), 7:05 p.m.
THE QUICK SCENARIO: At 2-1, Fullerton is off to its best
start since the 1998-99 team opened 5-1 and now faces the University of
Denver for the first time in the first half of a same-season home-and-home
series which will bring the Pioneers to Titan Gym on Dec. 23. Denver takes
a 2-1 record into a Dec. 1 game at LMU. The Pioneers routed Eastern Washington,
Fullerton’s next foe, 80-64, on Saturday in Denver. Their only loss
is a 4-point decision at Kansas State. They are led by guard Rodney Billups,
younger brother of the Detroit Pistons’ Chauncey Billups.
ROSTER PICTURE: The Titans have only nine healthy, eligible
players and they are missing three probable starters. Center Lloyd Walls
is sidelined indefinitely due to multiple concussions. Forward Danny Lambert
made the Connecticut trip but has not been cleared medically since undergoing
knee surgery. He should be ready in late December. Letterman guard Ralphy
Holmes and Western Kentucky transfer forward Jamaal Brown will not be
eligible until the Dec. 21 game at San Diego State.
“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. Mel Franks is the
announcer in Denver.
PROBABLE STARTERS: No. Name Ht. Yr. ppg rpg Quick Notes
F 24 Hardy Asprilla * 6-5 Sr. 12.3 12.0 After two career highs in Connecticut,
leads the Big West in rebounding
F 2 Yaphett King * 6-4 Sr. 10.7 5.3 Quiet tourney in Connecticut until
9 points in final 7 minutes
C 42 Derek Quinet 6-9 So. 8.3 2.3 Went 5-for-5 from the floor vs. Hope
International
G 3 Bobby Brown * 6-1 So. 15.7 1.0 Had career-high 13 assists to go with
game-high 21 points vs. Hope
G 14 Jermaine Harper 6-3 Jr. 17.0 4.3 Scored 20 points in Titan debut
vs. Samford; made CT all-tournament team OFF THE BENCH:
G 23 Vershan Cottrell 6-2 Jr. 2.7 1.0 Transfer from Ohlone College who
led state of Washington in scoring as prep
G 22 John Clemmons 6-0 Jr. 3.0 2.0 January transfer from El Camino College
who didn’t play last year
F 5 Justin Burns 6-6 So. 8.3 2.0 Transfer from Cypress Community College;
father “Spider” played at UNLV F 12 Drew Awad 6-3 Sr. 1.7
1.0 Transfer from Fresno City College; leukemia survivor playing with
foot injury INJURED:
C 43 Lloyd Walls 6-9 Sr. -- -- Transfer from Wright State sidelined after
multiple concussions
F 21 Danny Lambert 6-6 Jr. -- -- Transfer from Irvine Valley College who
had to sit out due to knee injury ELIGIBLE AFTER DEC. 18
F 15 Ralphy Holmes* 6-4 Sr. -- -- First-team All-Big West Conference in
2002-03, averaging 17.4 ppg & 6.2 rpg
F 4 Jamaal Brown 6-7 Jr. -- -- Transfer from Western Kentucky’s
NCAA Tourney team of 2002-03
*letters earned
ABOUT THE CONNECTICUT TOURNAMENT: Cal State Fullerton
lost to eventual tournament champion Samford before coming back to beat
Colgate in the consolation game of the 7th Annual Mohegan Sun Classic
on Nov. 19 and 20. The Titans trailed Samford by double digits in the
second half, drew within one point behind Jermaine Harper’s scoring,
but then faded down the stretch. Against Colgate, Bobby Brown’s
18 first-half points pushed the Titans into a double-digit lead and they
held off a surge by Colgate with Yaphett King scoring 7 consecutive points
and 9 of the team’s 11 down the stretch. Hardy Asprilla was the
overall star for the Titans with back-to-back career highs in rebounding
with 13 in the opener and 14 vs. Colgate to go along with a career-high
13 points in the latter game. He made the all-tournament team along with
Harper. Samford’s Jon Mills was the MVP.
HOPE RECAP: Fullerton had its highest point total since
Feb. 27, 1997 (110-98 over Cal Poly) in a 107-73 win over Hope International
in Titan Gym on Saturday night. Six Titans scored in double figures led
by Bobby Brown with 21 points and a career-high 13 assists. Hope made
10 of 23 shots from 3-point range but committed 26 turnovers and the Titans
shot 65.2 percent from the floor, best since a school-record equalling
mark of .682 on Feb. 3, 1990, in a 88-77 home win over Utah State.
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 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, who meet in Cheney, Washington, on Dec.
10, to complete a home-and-home that EWU began in Fullerton last season.
Denver plays at EWU on Dec. 18 and at Fullerton on Dec. 23.
COLORADO RARITY: This will be only the seventh game for
Cal State Fullerton in the state of Colorado. Fullerton went 0-2 on a
trip in 1993, losing at Colorado and at Colorado State on Dec. 21 and
23, respectively. The Titans also lost at Colorado State in 1970-71, 1972-73,
1989-90 and 1993-94. Fullerton beat Colorado State twice, onve in Reno,
Nevada and once in Fullerton.
MORE ON HARDY ASPRILLA: His two-game total of 27 rebounds
in Connecticut puts him in a league with former Titan Pape Sow, the 2003-04
Big West rebounding leader now with the Toronto Raptors. In his three-year
Titan career, Sow totaled as many as 27 rebounds in consecutive games
only three times -- getting 14 and 17 for 31 in the 2002-03 season and
grabbing 18 and 13 (31) and 17 and 11 (28) in pairs of games in the 2003-04
campaign.
PLANE RIDE SEEMED SHORTER: Fullerton flew two hours from
Hartford to Cincinnati and then more than four hours more to Orange County
on Sunday. It was the first flight after a road win for Coach Burton in
six opportunities (losses at NAU, ASU, Idaho, Utah State and UoP last
year) at Fullerton. In the previous six seasons, the Titans won only five
games to which they flew.
SWEET HOME: Fullerton was 8-6 in Titan Gym last year
for its first winning season at home since 1998-99. The Hope contest is
the first of only three non-conference home games -- Dec. 23 vs. Denver
and Jan. 8 vs. UC Davis.
HUGE RECRUITING CLASS: The Titans signed probably their
largest class of November recruits -- both in height and numbers -- ever.
These six newcomers -- all conveniently bunched in the alphabet -- 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.”
