Northwestern University Athletics
Field Set For 43rd Annual Sierra Providence SunClassic
7/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 3, 2003
The following release was sent out by the Sun Bowl Association earlier this week.
EL PASO, Texas - For the first time since 1997, two teams from BCS conferences will highlight the field for the 2003 Sierra Providence SunClassic Basketball Tournament. This year's tournament will feature Northwestern University of the Big Ten Conference, Mississippi Valley State University of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Rutgers University of the Big East Conference and the University of Texas at El Paso of the Western Athletic Conference.
UTEP will be making its 43rd consecutive appearance in the oldest continuous holiday championship tournament in the nation, while this year will mark Mississippi Valley State and Northwestern's second SunClassic appearance and first-ever appearance for Rutgers.
In its 43rd year, the Sierra Providence SunClassic will be Saturday, Dec. 27, and Sunday, Dec. 28, at the Don Haskins Center. Sierra Providence has been the title sponsor of the tournament since 1991.
Northwestern University returns three starters in 2003-04, which will be head coach Bill Carmody's fourth season at the helm. The Wildcats were hampered by injuries last year and finished 12-17 (3-13 Big Ten). NU's success will be contingent on the play of its three guards. Senior Jitim Young was a third-team All-Big Ten selection a year ago after leading the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg); he also became just the 13th player in Northwestern to achieve 1,000 career points in just three years. Sophomore T.J. Parker -- the younger brother of Tony Parker from the San Antonio Spurs -- averaged 11.4 points per game in his first collegiate season and will certainly remind fans of his older brother with his play. Parker's roommate, sophomore Mohamed Hachad, is also a player to keep an eye on; he started the final 13 games of last season and could be a showstopper. Carmody hopes to welcome back junior Vedran Vukusic to the lineup; after showing glimpses of greatness early in his freshman year, Vukusic has been hampered by shoulder problems and even redshirted last season. In Carmody, Northwestern boasts one of the central figures in the Princeton-style motion offense that is all the rage; prior to his arrival in Evanston, Carmody spent 14 years as an assistant coach for the Tigers (under Pete Carril) and then was their head coach for four years.
Mississippi Valley State University is under the direction of Lafeyette Stribling, who begins his 20th season at the helm of the Delta Devils. MVSU advanced to the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament before bowing out to eventual champion Texas Southern last season. The Delta Devils finished the season with a 15-14 overall mark, but finished second in league play after going 13-5 in the SWAC. Mississippi Valley State returns its leading scorer from 2002-03 in the form of 6-8 junior Attarrius Norwood, who averaged 16.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Norwood, a first team All-SWAC selection last year, is agile for a big man as he connected on 81 of 193 (.420) three-pointers last season. The Delta Devils also return 6-8 senior Willie Neal, who led the SWAC in rebounding last year after averaging 9.1 boards per game. Neal recorded 20 rebounds in a game twice last season. In all, MVSU returns seven upperclassmen and has signed 6-7 freshman Jeffrey Price of Ruleville, Miss. Price earned all-state honors after leading Ruleville Central to the Mississippi Class 2A state championship game this past season.
Rutgers University, under the tutelage of third-year coach Gary Waters, will look to blend seven seasoned returning players with four talented newcomers in 2003-04. Last season, Rutgers was 12-16, 4-12 in the Big East, but earned victories over nationally-ranked foes Syracuse (the eventual national champions) and Notre Dame. The 2002-03 season, which came on he heels of a 18-13 NIT season in year one of the "Waters Era", was a hard-luck year, considering that in its 16 losses, Rutgers held second half leads in 10 of them. Rutgers will feature one of the most versatile players in the Big East in 6-10 senior forward Herve Lamizana, a multi-skilled native of the Ivory Coast of Africa who can play both small forward and power forward. One of the top shot-blockers in Rutgers history and the team's leading returning rebounder, the sinewy Lamizana can also face the basket offensively, hit the three-point shot as well as penetrate to the basket. Lamizana averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. Rutgers also returns talented 6-4 junior guard Ricky Shields. An athletic presence on both ends of the floor, the ever-improving Shields is Rutgers' leading returning scorer at 11.9 points per game. The third returning starter is sturdy 6-8 senior Sean Axani, a tough, physical defender and rebounder, who possesses a nice touch around the basket.
UTEP will be aiming for its 25th SunClassic title. A great deal of optimism surrounds the UTEP basketball program. The Miners, winners of seven Western Athletic Conference championships and the 1966 national title, are on the road back to success. The Miners finished the 2002-2003 season with a 6-24 overall record, but the future looks bright under second-year head coach Billy Gillispie. Last season, the Miners were led by a pair of talented freshmen carrying the bulk of the scoring load. Guard Giovanni St. Amant set school rookie records for points (407), scoring average (13.6 ppg), 20-point games (seven) and free throw percentage (.828). John Tofi provided stability in the post, scoring between 12 and 17 points in 19 of his 27 games. He ranked second on the squad in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). Forward Thomas Gehrke joined the team at midseason from overseas and made an instant impact, averaging 7.6 points and blocking 22 shots in only 15 games. Gehrke, St. Amant and Tofi give Gillispie a good young nucleus to build around in coming years. Recognizing that he needed to add reinforcements to a paper-thin roster, Gillispie reeled in UTEP's best recruiting class in years. The group features four junior college transfers, highlighted by first team All-Americans Filiberto Rivera and Omar Thomas. UTEP's class was rated as high as 13th in the country by some analysts. Also joining the mix will be senior forward Roy Smallwood, who ranks 16th on the Miners' all-time scoring list. Smallwood returns in 2003-04 after missing most of last season with a torn ACL. UTEP's most recent SunClassic title was in 2000, when the Miners defeated Houston. The Miners have played in the championship game 35 times and have posted an all-time tournament record of 64-20.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Four-game, two-night package
$32 (rows 1-34) and $16 (rows 35-39)
Two-game, one-night package (on sale day of event only)
$18 (rows 1-34) and $10 (rows 35-39)
Beginning Dec. 1, tournament tickets will be available at the Sun Bowl Association office at (915-533-4416 or 800-915-BOWL), the UTEP Ticket Center (915-747-5234) and TicketMaster outlets. Tournament tickets can be reserved now by calling the Sun Bowl Association office. Tournament tickets are also included in UTEP season ticket packages.
2003 Sierra Providence SunClassic Quick Hits
* This year's field includes schools from two major conferences - Big East and Big Ten. It is the first time since 1997 that the SunClassic has fielded a pair of BCS conference schools.
* Rutgers is only the second Big East team to ever appear in the SunClassic. Boston College appeared in the 1987 SunClassic.
* Northwestern is making its second appearance; the Wildcats also participated in 1974 under head coach Tex Winter. In all, it is the ninth appearance by a Big Ten school.
* All four head coaches are making their second appearance in SunClassic -- UTEP's Billy Gillispie (UTEP, 2002), MVSU's Lafeyette Stribling (MVSU, 2001), Rutgers' Gary Waters (Kent State, 1999), and Northwestern's Bill Carmody (Princeton, 1996).
* Rutgers head coach Gary Waters led Kent to the 1999 SunClassic Title with a team that went on to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships.
* Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody led Princeton to the 1996 SunClassic Championship.
* Rutgers has beaten seven top 25 teams in the last two years including 2003 wins over Boston College, Georgetown, Notre Dame and National Champion Syracuse.
* Rutgers played in the 2002 National Invitation Tournament.
* Rutgers is led by future NBA prospect Herve Lamanza, who averaged 10.6 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds last season.
* Rutgers' 2003 recruiting class was ranked as one of the top 20 classes in the nation by ESPN.
* Northwestern recorded wins over Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota in 2002-03.
* Northwestern will be led by All-Big Ten selection Jitim Young who averaged 15.4 points a game in conference play last season. Northwestern will also feature sensational sophomore guard T.J. Parker, brother of San Antonio Spur Tony Parker.
* Mississippi Valley State is coming off of a very successful 2003 season finishing second in the Southwest Athletic Conference with a 13-5 conference record.
* The Delta Devils will be led by leading scorer Attarius Norwood, who averaged 16.9 points a game. Coach Lafeyette Stribling returns for his 20th year as head coach of MVSU having led his team to the NCAA tournament three times (1986, 1992, and 1996).
* UTEP's 2003 recruiting class was ranked as high as 13th by some analysts.
* After playing in just six games last season due to a torn ACL, UTEP senior Roy Smallwood has been granted a medical redshirt for the 2003-04 season.
* UTEP's 2003-04 roster features a pair of newcomers who made their mark in the junior college ranks. Filiberto Rivera, a 6-1 junior, was named the NJCAA Player of the Year after leading Seminole Community College to the NJCAA Division I national title, while 6-5 junior Omar Thomas led the NJCAA in scoring last season after averaging 36.1 points per game last season.
