Nov. 14, 2008
GAME #1: The University of San Diego men's basketball team, under the direction of 2nd-year head coach Bill Grier, get their 2008-09 season underway this coming Saturday, November 15th, with a road contest against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Game time is 2:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500 capacity).
SERIES RECORD: This is the 9th meeting between USD and UNLV with the Runnin' Rebels leading 5-3... UNLV won last year's meeting 66-55 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Nov. 17, 2007... Gyno Pomare led the Toreros in that contest with 23 points and 10 rebounds; UNLV was paced by Wink Adams with 12 points... Last season's matchup was the first between these two schools since 1969... UNLV has won five straight, and is 3-1 in home games.
TV/RADIO/INTERNET: The game is being televised on The Mountain channel (Rich Cellini & Dave Bollwinkel). The radio broadcast will air on XX Sports Radio 1090 AM with Andy Masur (play-by-play) bringing you all the action at 2:30 pm. XX Sports Radio will also have a special pre-game show that Jack Cronin will host beginning at 1:00 p.m., with Masur taking over at 2:15 pm.
COACH GRIER (2ND YEAR): Coach Bill Grier (Oregon, 1990), 45, enters his season season at the helm of the USD program... In his rookie year he guided the Toreros to an overall mark of 22-14 and 3rd place finish in the WCC race at 11-3... He guided the Toreros to three wins and the championship title at the WCC Tournament (hosted by USD) with wins over Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and No. 20 Gonzaga... The Toreros then upset No. 15 UCONN in the NCAA Tournament opener with a 70-69 overtime victory, before falling to Western Kentucky in the second round... His 11 WCC wins were the second most for league wins in a single season in program history... Hired on March 26, 2007, Grier is USD's 11th head coach overall and just the 4th head coach since the Torero program moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80... His 22 wins were also the most by a Torero coach in his first season at USD - previous mark was 16 held by Hank Egan ('84-85) and Jim Brovelli ('73-74). In addition to knocking off Kentucky on the road, 81-72, the Toreros earned three wins over Top-25 teams: #21 Saint Mary's, #20 Gonzaga and #15 Connecticut... Prior to USD Grier spent 16 years at Gonzaga, including the last 8 seasons as Mark Few's top assistant. Bill and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Giselle.
TOREROS IN THE COMMUNITY: Along with raising the 2008 WCC Tournament Championship banner in USD's home opener against Nevada on November 18th, the Toreros are excited to be a part of the first annual San Diego "Tee-Off and Tip-Off" charity event. The two-day event, which culminates with a VIP reception and the USD-Nevada game, includes a dinner and auction at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and a golf tournament with celebrity participation at La Costa Resort. Proceeds from these activities benefit the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund and San Diego-based Father Joe's Village. For further information and opportunities to participate, visit www.TEEandTIP.com. During the month of October the entire USD men's basketball team participated in the Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk and the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes.
UPDATE ON TORERO SUSPENSIONS: Senior center Gyno Pomare (Oceanside, CA), sophomore forward Clinton Houston (Dallas, TX) and sophomore guard Trumaine Johnson (Houston, TX) are currently serving suspensions for unrelated violations of team rules. Today Coach Grier announced the disciplinary timelines for each of these players. In addition to having sat out the Long Beach State scrimmage and CSLA exhibition, Gyno Pomare will serve a one-game suspension (UNLV game) for violation of team rules. Upon serving this suspension he will be reinstated for the Nevada game on November 18th. Clinton Houston will serve a six-game suspension and will be reinstated to play December 1st provided he meets the criteria for reinstatement. His suspension is for a second violation of team rules. Houston continues to practice with the team but will not travel until his suspension has been served. Trumaine Johnson has been suspended indefinitely due to behavior unbecoming of a USD student-athlete. His suspension will be re-evaluated when the team returns from the Paradise Jam Tournament. At that time, if he has taken the necessary steps to improve his behavior and has met certain criteria he will be reinstated; if he doesn't he will be faced with continued suspension or dismissal from the team. "These suspensions are for unrelated incidents," said head coach Bill Grier. "I am extremely disappointed with Gyno, Clinton and Trumaine. As a member of this basketball program and as a student-athlete at USD, there are expected standards of behavior on and off the floor, as well as in the classroom to be upheld. I am hopeful that all three will learn from their mistakes and understand that the decisions they make have a tremendous impact on our team and university."
TOREROS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS UNDER GRIER: If last year's Torero basketball season had been a book written by first year head coach Bill Grier, it most likely would have appeared on the best seller's list. For the upcoming 2008-09 campaign, Grier will have a lot of the same characters (every Torero returns) and plot and subplots to work with (8 non-conference rematches; WCC league competition; and WCC Tournament) as he pens his second work. With all five starters and ten lettermen back from last year's 22-14 team that won the WCC Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA's, second-year head coach Bill Grier is cautiously optimistic for the upcoming season. The Toreros finished last year strong, going 11-3 in league (3rd place) and 14-3 down the stretch. They knocked off San Francisco, Saint Mary's and No. 20 Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament, and then followed up by upsetting 15th-ranked UConn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. In the second round of the NCAA's, USD overcame a 15-point deficit against Western Kentucky to take a 55-54 lead with about 6 minutes to go, but eventually came up short against a very good Hilltoppers' club, 72-63. SENIOR TANDEM OF JOHNSON AND POMARE TO LEAD WAY: For the 2008-09 campaign, the Toreros are picked to finish 3rd this season in the Preseason WCC Head Coaches Poll. San Diego will look to the senior tandem of guard Brandon Johnson (16.9 ppg, 3.5 apg, 77 steals) and forward Gyno Pomare (14.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg) to supply most of the leadership and offensive power. Both players were First Team All-WCC picks a year ago, with Johnson earning MVP honors at the West Coast Conference Tournament. Last year Johnson set a new USD single season scoring record with 590 points, and enters his last year with 1,277 points (9th all-time) and 398 assists (3rd all-time). Pomare wasn't far behind with his 508 points and he enters his final year 7th all-time in scoring (1,296 points) and 3rd in rebounding (680) among USD Division I players. Both players have a chance to leave USD as the program's all-time leading scorer - that spot is currently held by Stan Washington (1,472 points; 1971-74).
TRIO OF RETURNING STARTERS: Junior wing De'Jon Jackson (7.6 ppg), the lone Torero to start all 36 games a year ago, returns to the lineup as the team's most consistent player on a game-by-game basis. It was Jackson who knocked down the game-winning shot against the Connecticut Huskies in overtime with his step-back 18-footer with 1.2 seconds left that gave USD its first ever NCAA Tournament victory. Rounding out the returning starters is the sophomore tandem of forward Rob Jones (9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and guard Trumaine Johnson (5.7 ppg, 2.7 apg). Jones was named to the WCC All-Freshman team and produced some big moments including his 27 point-13 rebound efforts against LMU, and his 16 point-15 rebound game against Pepperdine. Johnson started the last 15 games for USD with the Toreros going 12-3 during that stretch.
SUPPORTING CAST OF RETURNERS & NEWCOMERS: Returning lettermen that will add to USD's depth include senior guard Danny Brown, a true threat from beyond the three-point arc; junior wing Chris Lewis (4.7 ppg; 3.3 rpg); sophomore guard Devin Ginty who spearheaded USD's upset of Kentucky with 18 points (4-4 in threes); and sophomore forward Clinton Houston and center Nathan Lozeau who both bolster USD's inside presence with their rebounding and defense. A trio of new recruits is headed by 6-9 junior forward Roberto Mafra, an All-Conference performer at Southeastern (Iowa) Community College. Mafra is expected to make an immediate impact at both ends of the floor. Sophomore Matt Dorr played a key role at Spokane City College with the team going 30-2 and placing 2nd overall in NWAACC championships. Guard Devonier Braswell (Detroit, MI) will sit out the 2008-09 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury (achilles heel tear) during fall workouts. Walk-ons Nick Price and Ryan Harbour will both compete for playing time off the bench.
TOUGH SCHEDULE ONCE AGAIN: With the belief that a tough non-conference schedule gets you conference-ready, Coach Grier has put together another competitive slate. The Toreros will have rematches against the likes of UNLV, Nevada, Cal State Bakersfield, San Diego State, San Jose State, New Mexico, Boise State and Marshall. USD will also participate in the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands in mid-November where they will open against Valparaiso; play either Wisconsin or Iona in the second round; and possibly have a rematch with the UConn Huskies. In mid-December the Toreros will travel to Portland to take on the Oregon Ducks in the Pape' Jam, and close out the month with a tough game at Mississippi State. The West Coast Conference, which qualified three teams for the 2008 NCAA Tournament (USD, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's), will return to a Thursday/Saturday men's basketball schedule after playing Saturday/Monday the past three seasons. The move to Thursday/Saturday will mark the WCC's debut on ESPN's "Thursday Night Showcase." ESPN is the exclusive national television provider of the West Coast Conference. USD's January 22nd home match-up against Saint Mary's College will be televised on ESPN2 at 6:00 pm. USD's January 31st game at Gonzaga (3 p.m.) will appear on ESPN, and USD's final regular season game against Gonzaga in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 28th, will appear on ESPN2. Additionally, USD will play in its first Bracketbusters game with a February 21st contest at the Jenny Craig Pavilion against an opponent to be determined later. USD's partnership with Channel 4 San Diego will include seven games being televised locally - Nevada (Nov. 18), New Mexico (Dec. 10), Boise State (Dec. 22), Marshall (Jan. 2), Loyola Marymount (Jan. 17), San Francisco (Feb. 7) and Portland (Feb. 26). Three additional road games will also be brought back to the San Diego market on 4SD - San Francisco (Jan. 9), Santa Clara (Jan. 11) and Portland (Jan. 29). The West Coast Conference Tournament, being played at a neutral site for the first time, is scheduled for March 6-9 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: At the WCC Basketball Media Day that was held at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada in mid-October, the Toreros were selected third in the WCC Preseason Head Coaches Poll. The Toreros, who return all five starters from last year's WCC Tournament championship team, received 39 points along with one first place vote. Gonzaga University, with 46 points and 5 first place votes, edged out Saint Mary's College (44 points; 2 first place votes). Rounding out the coaches poll is No. 4 Santa Clara (30 points), No. 5 San Francisco (23 points), No. 6 Portland (19 points), No. 7 Loyola Marymount (12 points) and No. 8 Pepperdine (11 points).
SCOUTING THE UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS: This will be UNLV's season-opener under 5th-year head coach Lon Kruger (91-42; 2007-08 MWC Coach of the Year)... UNLV returns six lettermen and 3 starters from last year's team that finished 27-8 overall and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament... The Runnin' Rebels have been ranked in numerous preseason top-25 polls by a variety of publications and are 26th in the Preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and 27th in the Preseason Associated Press Poll... They have also been picked to win the Moutain West Conference regular-season title by the media... Senior Wink Adams was selected as the Preseason Co-Player of the Year at the MWC Media Day in October... Last year he averaged 16.9 ppg and dished out 107 assists... UNLV has won 15 straight home games and 36 of their last 38... Last year they went 19-2 in the Thomas & Mack Arena... UNLV beat Washburn in their lone exhibition contest, 74-56... Adams led the way with 27 points.
DICK VITALE VISITS TOREROS: Hall of Fame announcer Dick Vitale visited the USD campus on November 13th for a book signing for his latest book, Dick Vitale's 50 Players & Moments in College Basketball: From the Best Seat in the House During My 30 Years at ESPN. Prior to the signing, he was kind enough, along with his wife Lorraine, to stop by for a visit with the men's basketball team at the conclusion of their practice in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. He gave the team a very inspirational pep talk that the USD players will cherish for the rest of their lifetime.
TOREROS DOWN CS LOS ANGELES IN LONE EXHIBITION: Newcomer Robert Mafra (Recife, Brazil) scored 21 points and converted 9-of-10 shots from the field in his Torero debut as San Diego handed Cal State Los Angeles a 71-67 defeat... It was USD's lone exhibition contest of the preseason... Sophomore forward Rob Jones added 14 points and 8 rebounds while making 6-of-9 shots from the field... Senior guard Brandon Johnson was the final Torero in double digits finishing with 11 points (3-5 in threes) and 4 steals... CSLA was paced by Leland Jones with 15 points.
HOME OPENER ON TUESDAY AGAINST NEVADA: Following Saturday's contest at UNLV, the Toreros return for their home opener against the Nevada Wolf Pack... Nevada opens their season at Montana State on Saturday before heading to San Diego... The Wolf Pack are preseason favorites to win the Western Athletic Conference... Head Coach Mark Fox returns 7 lettermen and 2 starters from last year's 21-12 team that tied for first in the WAC... Senior guard Lyndale Burleson is the lone senior on the squad... Sophomore guard Armon Johnson was named the 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year... The game will be broadcast on XX Sports Radio, and also televised on Channel 4 San Diego.
TOREROS HEADING TO PARADISE JAM TOURNAMENT: Following the Nevada game the Toreros will head to the U.S. Virgin Islands where they will participate in a three-day, eight-team tournament. The Toreros will face Valparaiso in their opener on November 1st (4:30 p.m. local site time), followed by either Iona or Wisconsin in the second contest... The four other teams in the bracket include Southern Miss, Miami, La Salle and Connecticut.
SAN DIEGO PARTICPATING IN BRACKETBUSTERS: The Toreros will be part of the seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters event, a two-day men's college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on Feb. 20-21, will feature 13 nationally televised games from the pool of 102 teams. USD is one of 14 teams that appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament. The actual selection of participating teams will take place on February 2, 2009.
WCC TOURNAMENT HEADING TO LAS VEGAS: The Toreros will make a return trip to Las Vegas in March when the play in the WCC Tournament (Mar. 6-9)... This will mark the first time in WCC history that the conference's premier event will be held at a neutral site... The event will be held The Orleans Arena... Tickets are going fast... For more information visit WCCSPORTS.COM or USDTOREROS.COM.
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