Feb. 11, 2005
Click here to listen to the women's game beginning at 1:50 pm Saturday
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The Women's Game
The UMES Lady Hawks begin a crucial four-game home stand with a homecoming match-up against the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers Saturday at the Hytche Center. The Lady Hawks, currently tied with FAMU for sixth place in the conference, come in at 8-13 (6-6 MEAC) following road losses at Del State and Howard last weekend. UMES has won six of its last 11 games following a 2-8 start.
The Lady Rattlers had a two-game win streak snapped by first-place Hampton Monday, and enter the game 8-13 overall (6-6 MEAC). The team is led by senior big women Ariel Towns and Quidara Russell, who each average about 12 ppg and seven rpg. UMES beat FAMU 71-68 January 8th in a thrilling overtime contest in Tallahassee.
News and Notes
PG Ashley Chase is averaging 13.4 ppg but 8.8 TO's/gm over the past 5 games...PG Erica Bennett has missed nine of the Lady Hawks' last 13 games (12/20-illness, 1/10-suspension, 1/17,19,26,29,31-ankle, 2/5,7-family matter). Without her, the Lady Hawks are averaging 26.6 turnovers/game (239 total), and with her 21.5 TO's/gm (258 total)...Freshman Kristi Veltkamp has scored in double-figures in nine of her past 13 games (11.0 ppg, 143 pts) after failing to score more than nine points in any of her first eight games (4.3 ppg)...Walk-on Toni Kennedy is leading the Lady Hawks in scoring (10.7 ppg). In her past nine games she has struggled from the field though, shooting 8-12 FG's at N.C. A&T 1/29, but a combined 21-91 FG's (23%) the other 8 games...Octavia Thompson, the Lady Hawks leading returning scorer from `03-'04, left the team due to personal reasons after the December 6th game. The senior was averaging 8.3 ppg in four games played this season.
Bison Blues
The dynamic backcourt duo of Daisha Hicks and Brittany James combined for 32 points as Howard University rolled to an easy 67-41 win over the Lady Hawks Monday at Burr Gymnasium. The loss moved the Lady Hawks back to .500 in MEAC play, while the Lady Bison (11-9 overall, 6-5 MEAC) moved ahead of UMES in the conference standings.
Howard dominated the first half of play, stymieing the Lady Hawks offense in building a 33-12 halftime advantage. After UMES took an early 6-3 lead, the Lady Bison finished the final 16:30 of the half on a 30-6 run, as the Lady Hawks went the final 11:43 without making a field goal. UMES shot 4-24 from the field in the half and turned the ball over 16 times.
The Lady Hawks came out fighting in the second half, opening on a remarkable 15-2 run in the first five minutes to pull back within eight points, 35-27. Howard responded quickly, however, putting the game away for good with a 20-3 run over the next six minutes, giving them a 55-30 advantage. Hicks and James combined for 17 of the 20 points during that spurt. The Lady Bison would lead by as many as 28 and win by 26.
UMES Lady Hawks (8-13, 6-6 MEAC)
2004-'05 Schedule:
Previous Games
Date Game Result
11/10 Wilm. Coll. (Ex) W 90-44
11/19 vs. Lafayette# L 44-60
11/20 at Eastern Michigan# L 52-80
11/23 Towson L 68-73
11/26 at LIU^ L 49-56
11/27 vs. Miami^ L 64-88
11/30 at Winthrop W 62-55
12/4 Delaware State* W 58-56
12/6 Howard* L 70-86
12/20 at Bucknell L 48-60
12/30 at Temple L 53-77
1/8 at Florida A&M* W 71-68 (OT)
1/10 at Beth-Cook.* W 67-55
1/17 at Hampton* L 46-51
1/19 at Norfolk St.* L 46-63
1/24 Morgan State* W 65-51
1/26 Coppin State* L 51-77
1/29 at N.C. A&T* W 85-75 (OT)
1/31 vs. S. Car. St.* W 63-53
2/2 at American W 62-59 (OT)
2/5 at Delaware St.* L 46-60
2/7 at Howard* L 41-67
Upcoming Games:
Date Game Time
2/12 Florida A&M* 2:00 pm
2/14 Beth-Cookman* 5:30 pm
2/19 Norfolk State* 2:00 pm
2/21 Hampton* 5:30 pm
2/26 at Coppin State* 5:30 pm
2/28 at Morgan State* 5:30 pm
3/7-12 MEAC Tourn. TBA
#=Eastern Michigan Eagle Classic
^=LIU Turkey Classic
*denotes MEAC conference game
The Men's Game
The UMES men's basketball team begins a four-game home stand with a homecoming match-up against the defending MEAC Tournament champion Florida A&M Rattlers Saturday at the Hytche Center. The Hawks (2-19, 1-11 MEAC) snapped a 17-game losing skid with a 14-point road win at Howard Monday.
The Rattlers (7-13, 5-7 MEAC) are now in eighth place in the conference following home losses to Norfolk State and Hampton last weekend. Led by point guard Tony Tate, the Rattlers had won four of five before last weekend's games. The team beat the Hawks 93-68 January 8th in Tallahassee.
Scouting the Rattlers
The Florida A&M Rattlers (7-13, 5-7 MEAC) come into Saturday's contest on a two-game losing streak, following home losses to Norfolk State and Hampton last weekend. The team had won four out of five prior to those losses, but now stands in eighth place in the conference.
The Rattlers finished fifth in the MEAC last season, but upset #4 Hampton, #1 South Carolina State, then #2 Coppin State to win the conference tournament. After defeating Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament play-in game, FAMU fell to #1 seed Kentucky, 96-76. Gone from last season's team are leading scorers Terrance Woods (2003-'04 MEAC scoring champion) and Demarcus Wilkins. The Rattlers played a tough non-conference schedule, including losses at Illinois (#1 AP), Michigan State (#13), Oklahoma (#16), Florida and Mississippi State.
Point guard Tony Tate leads FAMU in scoring (14.9 ppg, 4th in MEAC) and in assists (4.0 apg, 1st in MEAC). The Rattlers defeated the Hawks 93-68 Jan. 8th in Tallahassee behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from big man O.J. Sumter.
News and Notes
The Hawks scored 88 points at Howard 2/7 to best their previous season high total by 15 (73 at Baylor 12/22). As a team UMES is averaging 56 ppg through 21 games. UMES is shooting 39% from the field, 60% from the foul line and 29% from three-point range...UMES is allowing 80 ppg to its opponents this season, and has twice given up at least 100 points...The Hawks are 1-12 away from the Hytche Center this season (and 1-7 at home)...The Hawks began the season 1-13 for the 2nd straight year, and 1-12 for the 3rd straight. After going 1-13 last season, the Hawks ran off wins in six of their next nine to improve to 7-16. In `02-'03, the team finished 5-23, and last season 8-21...The Hawks won their first game of the season in their third attempt (12/1 vs. UMBC). Last season, it took the Hawks nine games to record a victory (started 0-8)...The Hawks returned only five players from last season's team that finished 8-21 (6-12 MEAC). Gone from `03-'04 are all three coaches including head coach Thomas Trotter, leading scorer Tee Trotter, leading rebounder Javes Wiggins and leading three-point shooter Aaron Wellington.
Hawk Heaven
Led by career-high outings from Tim Parham and Corey Brown, the Hawks dominated Howard, 88-74 Monday to earn the team's first MEAC victory of the season. UMES never trailed in a game they shot 56% from the floor and bested their previous season high in scoring by 15 points.
Parham, the conference's leading rebounder, scored a career-best 28 points (9-13 FG's, 10-15 FT's) and pulled 15 rebounds in a commanding performance. Brown scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, a half in which the Hawks shot 65% on FG's and scored 53 total points.
UMES led by as many as 14 in the first half, and 35-26 at halftime behind 12 points from Parham and six points on two three-point makes from Aly Samabaly. The Hawks opened the second half on a 18-7 run over the first 8:20 to grab their first 20-point lead of the season, 53-33. Behind the three-point shooting of Reggie Bates (4-7 3's) and Darek Mitchell (3-7 3's), the Bison climbed within 10, 77-67 with 2:34 remaining.
UMES sealed the game from the free-throw line, converting on 11-14 FT attempts down the stretch. The Hawks shot 31-40 from the stripe in the game, paced by Jareem Dowling's 11-12 FT's.
UMES HAWKS AT A GLANCE
Probable Starters
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG
3 Aly Samabaly G 6'3 200 Jr. 2.5 3.1
Season-high 9 pts (3-5 3's) in 34 min at Howard......Has started 14 straight games at PG...Shooting only 17-72 FG's this season (24%), and 12-53 3's (23%)...Transfer from Duquesne, sat out entire `03-04 season...Played at St. Vincent/St. Mary HS in Ohio, where during junior and senior seasons he was a teammate of current NBA guard Lebron James.
5 Corey Brown G 6'0 158 Jr. 10.9 2.1
Career-high 21 pts (16 in 2nd half), 6 assts in 37 min at Howard...2nd of team in scoring, 1st in FT shooting (73%)...Has 33 turnovers in the last 5 games (6.6/gm)...Averaging 4.8 TO's per game...2004 transfer from Mott C.C. (Flint, MI), won a JUCO national championship in `02-'03.
32 Ryan Leak G 6'4 185 Fr. 6.6 1.2
Had 13 pts (4-8 FG's) in 35 min at Howard...Averaging 11.0 ppg the past six games (66 pts)...Career-high 20 pts (11-12 FT's) vs. SC St. 1/31...Has started 13 of past 17 games (0 starts in first 4 gms)...True freshman from Jamaica, NY, averaged 21 ppg for Bayside H.S. his senior season.
33 Jareem Dowling F 6'6 235 Sr. 7.8 5.0
Scored 14 pts (11-12 FT's) at Howard...Struggling past 4 weeks, shooting 17-72 FG's past 10 gms (24%), and 9-45 FG's past 7 (20%, season 29%)...Career-high 22 pts at Baylor 12/22...One of two returning starters from `03-'04 (Tim Parham)...2003 transfer from Cecil C.C. (Cecil, MD).
42 Tim Parham F 6'9 240 Jr. 11.5 8.1
Career-high 28 pts (9-13 FG's), also 15 rebs in 35 min at Howard...Has 9 double-doubles in last 12 games (0 in prior 34 career games)...Averaging 14.7 ppg (191) and 10.2 rpg (133) the past 13 games, after averaging 6.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg the first 8 games...Career-high 19 rebs vs. Coppin 1/26...One of two returning starters from `03-'04 (Jareem Dowling)...2003 transfer from Ellsworth C.C. (Iowa Falls, Ia).
Reserves
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. PPG RPG
15 Louis Brookins F 6'6 215 Fr. 2.8 0.9
Last 13 gms, car-high 11 pts at NSU 1/19, but 16 total pts the other 12...Freshman from Silver Spring, Md., first recruit signed by Larry Lessett.
21 Shondale Robinson F 6'5 208 Jr. 1.9 2.2
0 pts, 3 min at Howard...Career-high 8 pts vs. Coppin 1/26...Already has scored 40 points this season (4 all last season)...Nicknamed "Texas"...Returnee from `03-'04, when he walked onto team in late December.
23 Anthony Davis F 6'3 190 So. 2.8 1.3
0 pts in 11 min at Howard...Career-high 9 pts vs. UMBC 12/1 + at N.C. A&T 1/31...2004 transfer from Bunker Hill C.C. (Boston, MA).
24 Stephen Kallman G 6'1 165 So. 0.3 0.2
Played in 12 games this season, total 21 min, 3 pts, 2 rebs, 3 FG attps...Transfer from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL), did not play there.
30 Tal Cohen F 6'8 230 Fr. 1.4 1.1
Struggled past 10 gms; total 5 pts (0.5 ppg) and 8 rebs (0.8 rpg)...Played in every game this season...Freshman from Hadera, Israel, played on the Israeli Junior National Team while in the Israeli Army for three years.
44 x-Carl Pruitt F 6'7 215 Sr. 10.7 4.6
Academically ineligible to compete...Played 7 games this season, was leading Hawks in scoring...Career-high 20 pts vs. Howard 12/6.
45 x-Jason McKinnon C 6'11 270 Sr. 7.3 4.9
Currently academically ineligible (missed last 5 games)...Played only 13.3 mpg his last 4 games...Career-highs 13 pts, 11 rebs vs. UMBC 12/1 (2nd career double-double)...Returnee from `03-'04, started 9 games.
UMES Hawks (2-19, 1-11 MEAC)
2004-05 Schedule:
Previous Games
Date Game Result
11/13 Eliz City St. (Ex) L 59-74
11/19 at Fresno State L 42-83
11/23 at Virginia Tech L 50-102
12/1 UMBC W 69-62
12/4 Delaware State* L 55-65
12/6 Howard* L 68-88
12/11 Morehead State L 45-62
12/18 at Nicholls State L 66-100
12/21 at TCU L 53-93
12/22 at Baylor L 73-97
12/29 at Portland State L 44-89
1/8 at Florida A&M* L 68-93
1/10 at Beth-Cook.* L 58-61
1/14 Brown L 38-87
1/17 at Hampton* L 54-80
1/19 at Norfolk State* L 56-74
1/24 Morgan State* L 60-80
1/26 Coppin State* L 55-78
1/29 at N.C. A&T* L 59-74
1/31 S. Carolina St.* L 36-67
2/5 at Delaware St.* L 45-71
2/7 at Howard* W 88-74
Upcoming Games
2/12 Florida A&M* 4:00 pm
2/14 Beth-Cookman* 7:30 pm
2/19 Norfolk State* 4:00 pm
2/21 Hampton* 7:30 pm
2/26 at Coppin State* 7:30 pm
2/28 at Morgan State* 7:30 pm
3/7-12 MEAC Tourney TBA
*denotes MEAC conference game
Larry Lessett- Head Coach
Lawrence Lessett, Jr. is in his first year as head coach of the Hawks. While making his debut as a Division I head coach, he brings almost thirty years of coaching experience from the high school level through the professional ranks.
Lessett comes to Princess Anne after working for three years as a global scout for Magic Johnson International Basketball. Prior to that he served as head coach of the Magic City Snowbears of the International Basketball Association, where he coached the team to a franchise record in wins and a playoff appearance in his only season.
No stranger to the college ranks, Lessett has made several collegiate stops in his career, most recently as head basketball coach and athletic director of Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tennessee. He has also served as an assistant coach at Mercer University, De Anza College, Georgia Southwestern College, Georgia College, Santa Barbara City College, Western New Mexico University, Loyola Marymount University and Cal State University Northridge.
Lessett received a Bachelors degree in Physical Education from Cal State Northridge in 1983 and a Masters degree in Phys Ed and Health from Georgia College in 1991.
Assistant Coaches
Meredith Smith- Assistant Coach
Meredith Smith returns to his alma mater to serve as the first assistant men's basketball coach this season. He graduated from UMES, then Maryland State College, in 1975.
Smith became head coach of Southern High School in Baltimore City in 1978, a position he then held for 24 seasons. In that time he compiled a 414-145 record, giving him the second most victories in Baltimore City Public School history. Smith won 25 playoff games, including three Maryland State Championships (MPSSAA), two Maryland Scholastic Association Conference Championships and a Baltimore City Championship in 1999-2000.
In 1993 the Baltimore Sun named Smith their "Coach of the Year." Smith holds a Bachelors degree in Secondary and Physical Education from UMES and a Master's degree from Coppin State University.
Carl Thomas- Assistant Coach
Carl Thomas, a first-year men's assistant coach, joined the UMES program during the first week of January. Thomas comes to the Hawks less than a year removed from playing in the professional ranks.
While Thomas is holding his first coaching position, he has been in collegiate and professional basketball for almost two decades as a player. A former standout at Eastern Michigan University (1987-'91), Thomas spent much of his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association. He holds the career CBA record for the most times called up to the NBA (5).
Thomas played 68 NBA games over three seasons, including stints with the Sacramento Kings (1992), Cleveland Cavaliers (`97 + `98), Golden State Warriors (`98) and Orlando Magic (`98). He averaged 2.9 ppg.
