Sean Lloyd led the Salukis with 19 points and was named to the All-Tournament team

By Tom Weber 

LAS VEGAS, NV – Southern Illinois rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit, finishing the game with a 9-0 run in the final 90 seconds, to beat Duquesne, 74-64, on Saturday at Orleans Arena.

The game featured big runs by both teams, but the Salukis (8-5) were the last men standing. SIU led, 37-30, early in the second half before Duquesne went on a 20-6 run to take a 50-43 advantage with 10:53 remaining.

Southern battled back to tie, 53-53, on a layup by Rudy Stradnieks with 5:43 to go. Sean Lloyd then took the team on his back and scored the next six points for SIU with a pair of driving layups and two free throws to give his team a 61-57 cushion. The closest Duquesne came thereafter was 63-62 on a Tarin Smith 3-pointer. The Salukis made 9-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes and 23-of-27 in the game to secure the victory.

Lloyd, who was named to the Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament team, led SIU with 19 points and seven rebounds and made clutch baskets when his team needed him most. He also held Duquesne’s leading scorer, Mike Lewis II, to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

“I challenged Sean because yesterday we got in the mode where we went in the pity-party again,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “I challenged Sean and met with him one-on-one, and I just said, if you’re going to be the leader of this ball club, be the leader of this ball club. Everybody wants you to be that guy. We rode the horse.”

Both teams were playing their second game in as many days and fatigue set in on both sides during the second half. Perimeter shots were especially hard to come by as the teams combined to make just 6-of-27 from long range. That meant points in the paint were at a premium and SIU had the advantage, 42-26, thanks to Lloyd, plus Kavion Pippen‘s 10 points and Stradnieks’ eight points off the bench.

SIU had 11 assists — six by Aaron Cook — and committed a season-low four turnovers. Meanwhile, the defense held the Dukes (9-4) to 36.5 percent shooting from the field and forced 13 turnovers.

“Not only did we execute on the offensive end, we executed on the defensive end,” Hinson said.

There were plenty of game balls to go around. Tyler Smithpeters started in place of the injured Marcus Bartley and played 37 minutes, scored nine points and had a key blocked shot of Jordan Robinson late in the game to preserve a two-point lead.

“We got the news about Marcus today and we’re just all looking at each other like — what more can we go through?” Hinson said. “The resilience of this ballclub amazes me every time.”

Besides his six assists, Cook added 12 points and ran the team effectively from the point. Armon Fletcher chipped in 12 points and made all five of his free throws.

“The last thing I told them before we came out on the floor today was what my dad used to tell me all the time, when things aren’t going right son, sometimes you have to buck up and bow your neck,” Hinson said. “I told them today was one of those days.”

The Salukis begin conference play on Dec. 28 at Northern Iowa.

By Tom Weber 

LAS VEGAS, NV — Caleb Martin buried his first five shots from 3-point distance and finished with 19 points, as Nevada cruised to an 86-64 win over Southern Illinois on Friday night at Orleans Arena.

The Wolfpack (11-2) used a devastating 25-2 run during the first half to blow open what was a close game in the opening minutes. Martin didn’t start the game but the contest shifted dramatically after he entered, as the 6-foot-7 guard made four treys during the game-changing run.

“Martin was the key for them,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson, who saw his team’s three-game winning streak come to an end. “He was a pro. There’s a reason all these pro scouts were here.”

The Salukis (7-5) made five of their first six shots from the field and led, 14-10, with 14:07 to go in the first half. Kavion Pippen was a factor early, scoring five points for Southern, Sean Lloyd hit a three, and Tyler Smithpeters was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three from the charity stripe.

Those were the highlights before the bottom fell out for Southern. During an eight-minute stretch in which they were out-scored by 23 points, the Salukis missed 10-of-11 shots and committed five turnovers.

Nevada’s advantage in length and athleticism was apparent on both ends of the floor. The Wolfpack shot 57 percent from the field, made 11-of-19 from long distance, out-rebounded SIU, 41-23, and had a 14-point advantage in bench scoring, thanks primarily to Martin.

“I think a lot of (our success) has to do with Caleb Martin has been willing to come off the bench,” said Nevada head coach Eric Musselman. “I thought we shared the ball, did a really good job of playing team basketball. Cody (Martin) was great at distributing the ball. We were phenomenal tonight on the glass.”

Southern had four players score in double figures — Lloyd (12), Pippen (11), Rudy Stradnieks (11) and Aaron Cook (10), but the offense shot just 38 percent from the field, including 4-of-17 from deep.

Nevada’s only apparent weakness was the lack of a true center, and Southern had success throwing it into the post, where both Pippen and Stradnieks were effective. Pippen, however, struggled on defense and fouled out after logging just 14 minutes. He picked up his third foul of the first half when Southern was forced to put him back in to try to stop the bleeding.

“When we put him back in with two (fouls), we said they’re going to run an iso at you, you have to stay down on the ground,” Hinson said. “Sure enough, he rises up and gets the third foul. The fourth foul was the same thing, the fifth the same thing.”

Stradnieks had a career-high and the first double-figure scoring night of his career. He even buried a 3-ball.

“We told him in the timeouts, we told him coming into the game — you’re going to be a priority,” Hinson said. “We’re going to get the ball down to you low and our guys did a good job getting it to him.”

SIU’s four starting guards combined to shoot 8-of-33 from the field, and point guard Marcus Bartley played only 13 minutes before leaving the game with a lower back strain.

Although Southern struggled defensively, it managed to hold former Saluki Jordan Caroline to 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

“We probably know how to guard Jordan better than anybody because we had the luxury having him with us,” Hinson said.

Nevada led by as many as 28, but the Salukis kept the game from getting out of hand in the second half, unlike the team’s 42-point loss to Louisville earlier this season.

“We didn’t do what we did at Louisville,” Hinson said. “Louisville  — we just stopped competing. Tonight, we kept competing and we told them we wanted to get this thing under 20 if we could. The guys kept fighting and kept doing what we asked them to do.”

SIU returns to action tomorrow for the final game of the Las Vegas Invitational when it plays Duquesne at 5:30 p.m. Central. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

By Tom Weber 

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois men’s and women’s basketball teams will compete with three in-state schools for a trophy and bragging rights in a new rivalry series called the Battle for Illinois.

Introduced today by the respective athletic departments for SIU, Bradley, Illinois State and Loyola, the inaugural Battle for Illinois competition begins on New Year’s Eve, when the Illinois State women’s basketball team hosts Bradley.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams for the four universities will accrue points through head-to-head competition. One point will be awarded for each win, and each school can earn up to 12 points. In the event of a tie, the following will determine the Battle for Illinois winner: 1) Head-to-head record of the two or more teams that are tied; 2) overall regular-season record (conference and non-conference); 3) combined tournament wins; 4) average margin of victory (rivalry series games).

“This new rivalry series adds an exciting new dimension to what are already some of the best rivalries in college basketball,” said SIU Director of Athletics Tommy Bell. “Our plan is to bring the hardware home to Carbondale.”

SAN DEIGO, CA –Steve Fisher was at home Thursday and he happened to have the TV on. And noticed his name on the screen.

“I started looking and thought: ‘What is that?’” Fisher said. “I didn’t even know what they were talking about.”

What they were talking about: Fisher is among the first-time eligible coaches on the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ballot. Finalists will be announced at the NBA All-Star Game in February, and the 2018 inductees will be unveiled two months later at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.

Please click on the link below from Mark Zeigler of the San Deigo Union-Tribune

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/aztecs/sd-sp-sdsu-basketball-fisher-hall-20171221-story.html

 

From John Lock

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois football program signed 16 high school seniors to National Letters of Intent on the first day of the new early signing period. All 16 will be true freshmen at SIU in 2018.

Head coach Nick Hill met with the media to discuss each of the signees, the new December signing period being added to the usual February signing date, what he looks for in recruits and more. Below is a transcript.
OPENING STATEMENT

I appreciate everyone being here. This is the first time for this (December signing date). It’s an exciting day any time there’s a national signing day. This is early. I don’t think anyone really knew how it was going to go. Everyone is still feeling it out. We still have some work to do, a couple spots to fill up. We’re always recruiting. We signed a great group of kids that have been with us for a long time. I’m excited that there is an early signing period. We’re committed to them, and they’re committed to us. We might as well have a signing period. It’s a big day for Saluki Football. We get to add some great pieces to the program. I look forward to talking about them. As you know, I love to recruit. Out staff takes it as serious as anybody in the country, and I think we do as well as anybody at evaluating kids and getting them here on campus. We have had a lot of great official visits, and a lot of people go into that. I’m excited about this group. We have 16 players, and I’ll alphabetically go through all of them.

NIC BAKER, QB, ROCHESTER, ILL.

A lot of people around here know about Nic. He’s had as good of a high school career as you can have, especially in the state of Illinois. He’s probably won as many awards as you can win. He’s a winner–he’s 27-1. Both the quarterbacks we’re signing in this group are winners, and that’s the first thing you want in a quarterback. (Baker) has won back-to-back state championships. Everyone knocks him because he’s not as tall, but he can throw the football. He makes plays. He’s a winner. He’s a really, really smart kid. We’re excited about Nic.

BEAU BRANYAN, OL, DECATUR, ILL.

He’s exactly what you want as a high school offensive lineman recruit. He’s about 265 pounds right now. He’s a really good basketball player; we went and watched him practice basketball, and he can dunk the ball. He gets up and down the court well. Once we get him here and put on weight, he will gain 30 pounds and be in that 295-pound range. He’s really athletic and can play tackle. We’re excited about Beau and having his family here. He fits in to what we’re trying to do here.

CHANCE BUSH, CB, APOPKA, FLA.

You know exactly what you’re going to get when you get a kid from Apopka. That’s one of the best high school football programs in the country. Coach (Rick) Darlington does an outstanding job. With my time coaching down there, he’s kind of a legend in Florida, for sure in central Florida, as far as the program and how he runs things. They’re going to be disciplined. Chance is their captain. Anytime you go down, Coach Darlington talked about what a great kid, person and player he is. We knew we wanted to offer him. We offered him in the spring. He came up with his family twice now. He’s been on an official visit, came to games, came on an unofficial visit. He’s just a great kid. I really can’t say enough about him. He’ll come here and be a leader for us and one day be a captain, in my opinion.

JACOB GARRETT, TE, SELLERSBURG, IND.

We take so much stock into getting kids on campus. They might not be the most highly recruited kids; but when they come to camp and impress you in person, there’s not a better evaluation than in-person. Jacob impressed us every time we saw him. We saw him three times this summer in person and felt the same way about him every time. When you watch his highlight film, he plays both sides of the ball in high school, but he’ll start on offense, an H-Back, fullback-type guy like Hans (Carmien). He probably can do more things at the tight end spot than Hans could, but he’s in the same type of mold as Hans, who we’ve had around here for a while.

DAVID GRENIA, WR, ST. LOUIS, MO.

He led the city in receiving yards. We signed two kids–Rico Payton and David–from the same high school. Rico was an early commit that we had been on for a long time. We knew about David, but I went to watch them during one of their high school games, and David really impressed me in person. He plays both sides of the ball. He never came off the field. He’s a big kid. He’s 6-3, 200 pounds right now. He will keep getting bigger. We had some other schools in our conference after him, and we were able to get him. I think the future is really bright for David. He’s one of those bigger receivers that have a lot of success in our conference. He’s big, physical, can run, has great ball skills, smart, all the things we look for. I couldn’t be happier than to sign David.

BRETT GROVES, OL, CARY, ILL.

He’s a big, physical kid. He came to camp. They’re in a different type of offense, so when you watch his highlight video, it’s a lot of run blocking. They almost run a triple-option-type offense. For pass blocking, we had to get him in camp. He really has a big future. He’s as big as any offensive lineman we’ve signed here, not height-wise, but physically ready to play. I wouldn’t say that as a true freshman, but he’s physically where you want him to be size-wise already; now we just have to fine tune him and get him going. We’re signing three high school offensive linemen. That’s a spot where we could probably use to add one more. You’re always want to be building depth in your offensive line. You don’t want to be stuck looking for transfers. You want to build them within our program–redshirt them and build them up. We feel like we have three of them that we can do that with.

TREMAYNE LEE, RB, SPRINGFIELD, ILL.

Tremayne comes from one of the best high school programs in the state in Sacred Heart-Griffin. He’s been committed since before his senior year. He knows how to win, and he’s an explosive kid that we’re excited to add to the running back room.

OLIVER MCDOWELL, LB, EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL.

Just really a playmaker. He committed to us before the season started. If he didn’t lead the St. Louis area in sacks, he was right up there. We know what type of program coach Sunkett has at East St. Louis. We had two players this past year who were seniors, Markese Jackson and Kyron Watson, that come from that program. We know how they play. They play physical. They just are trained to be physical football players when they come from that program. They’re used to winning. Oliver is actually going to be enrolled in classes in the spring and will go through spring ball. He will graduate in December. That says a lot about the kid that Oliver is. He has a great ACT score. He’s graduating early. We’re fired up about Oliver.

BRODY PARKER, TE, BLUE SPRINGS, MO.

He plays quarterback, kind of like Jake Varble. Jake played quarterback his entire high school career but came to camp and worked out as a tight end. He definitely has the size. He’s already 6-6, 230. He could probably be 250 pounds by the time the season starts. He’s a great kid with a great family. We’re fired up he can be one of those big tight ends. He’s a physical kid that has played linebacker, defensive end, quarterback, tight end. He’s an athlete that does a lot of things that really attracted us to him.

RICO PAYTON, CB, ST. LOUIS, MO.

He’s long. He reminds me of Jeremy Chinn. I’m really excited that he’s here. He could have went a lot of different places, but he believes in what we’re doing with this program. He had other FBS offers. He went on FBS official visits, and he chose us. Like I said, he reminds me of Jeremy Chinn. He has that type of feel to him. Jeremy came in and played as a true freshman. (Rico) is long. He’s athletic. When you watch his highlight video, he jumps off at you. He’s a tailback, a receiver, a corner. We saw him live. He’s as good of a recruit as you’re going to get at the cornerback position. He will have a chance to fight and play as a true freshman. We’re losing two seniors (at cornerback). It was similar to the conversations I had with Jeremy when he came here, about that mindset of wanting to play as a true freshman.

AUSTIN REED, QB, ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, FLA.

He’s a great kid. Really, this is his first year starting, which says a lot about him. He could have easily been one of the kids who transfers and changes schools. He was a great teammate, and then he absolutely crushed his senior year. He went to the semifinals in the state of Florida in a big class, and he was the leader of that team. Like I said speaking of quarterbacks, that’s what we wanted to see. Not passing yards or stats, just leading your team to wins. Austin almost had them in big-class state championship in Florida, and we know what kind of football is down there. An awesome family. Coach Van Dam and I have really enjoyed recruiting Austin.

JADEN ROBERTS-THOMAS, WR, CHAMPAIGN, ILL.

He’s like David. We’re signing two high school receivers over 6-3. Jaden is probably pushing 6-5. He’s a big kid. We wanted to address that, getting a couple big kids at the wide receiver spot that we feel like will help us down the road. He came to camp. Same thing–we saw him at two camps, and then he came down to our camp, and that’s when he got the offer because he impressed us in person and what type of person he is. All of these kids, that’s the biggest thing. This is our third recruiting class, and the type of kids we’re signing is great, and Jaden fits right in with them.

MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ, DL, VIERA, FLA.

He was Jaylin Wilson‘s high school teammate. When we were recruiting Jaylin, who played for us as a true freshman and had a couple starts on the defensive line this year, we knew about Miguel for a long time. I’ve talked Jaylin, that he can be as good as anyone we’ve had. He has to keep working, but Miguel is right there with him. Athletically, he’s listed at 223. When I saw him two weeks ago, he was over 230 pounds. He’ll be 250 pounds and play defensive end, and he’s as athletic as anyone as we’ve signed. He will have a chance like the other kids that we’ve been signing–Skinner and Knighton and Berner–add another piece to that room. Last year was a big year for us signing defensive linemen. There’s not as many on here because we have a room full of defensive linemen. Miguel is one of those guys that if we could get him, we had to add him. It says a lot about him, too. He had FBS offers. To sign him on the early signing date is big for us.

JUSTIN STRONG, S, FARVIEW HEIGHTS, ILL.

I feel like I’ve done more home visits at the Strong residence than anyone ever in back-to-back years. He comes from an awesome family. I talked about them a bunch last year. Great mom. Great family. Won a lot of games there at Althoff. His brother (SIU freshman linebacker Bryson Strong) is going to be a great player here, and Justin has that same makeup in terms of work ethic. He’s taller and plays a different position. He had a great high school career. When you watch his film, we’re excited to have Justin. He’ll play safety and has a bright future there.

JACOB TRAXLER, DE, ELDORADO, ILL.

I say this up and down, but the No. 1 thing is what type of people we’re signing. Jacob is an outstanding kid. He’s a three-sport athlete, really a four-sport athlete. He was the Black Diamond Player of the Year. He’s a different size as (Jordan) Berner, but Berner just got honored as a Freshman All-American right out of the same conference. That means a lot to me. When you can sign kids from our own back yard, that means a lot. Justin is from the South 7, and Jacob is in the Black Diamond. He’s as good looking of a recruit, I don’t care where you go to find them, as you’ll see. When he walks into the room, he looks like a man. He’s 6-3, 225 pounds and not an ounce of fat on him. He’s a worker. We’re fired up. He brings a mentality that we need to keep adding to our team. He has a bright future. He’ll come here and work, and you’ll almost forget he’s on your team because he does everything right. He has great grades. He’s appreciative. We’re fired up about him.

JIMMY WORMSLEY, OL CARPERTERSVILLE, ILL.

He’s been committed for a long time. We appreciate that. His sister goes to school here. He’s a four-year starter in 7A high school football in Chicago. He hasn’t missed a start in four-straight years, and they played in the playoffs every year and deep into the playoffs twice. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before, especially on the offensive line, a kid who can come in and play 7A football as a freshman on the offensive line. That’s the toughest spot to do it. He’s tough. He brings a mentality that we can keep on growing on the offensive line in terms of physicality, toughness. That’s probably what you would say the most about Jimmy. He’s a worker; he’s strong; he’s durable; and he brings a mentality that we want.

 

By Tom Weber siusalukis.com  

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois rained down 14 shots from 3-point and scorched the nets to the tune of 61 percent from the field in a 102-64 shredding of North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night in the team’s final non-conference home game. It was the most points scored by a Saluki team since Rich Herrin’s 1998 squad poured in 106 versus Missouri State.

Pretty much everything worked for the Salukis (7-4) in the first half. They scored 58 points, made 9-of-15 from long range, and had 17 assists compared to just two turnovers. It was the fifth-most points scored in a first half in school history.

“This is my 36th year to coach basketball — that’s the most unselfish basketball game I’ve ever been a part of as a coach,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “Those numbers in the first half were phenomenal.”

The Aggies (6-6) led only briefly, 9-8, before the offensive onslaught began. It started with back-to-back treys by Marcus Bartley. For a team that entered the game shooting just 33 percent from the perimeter, it felt like the parting of the Red Sea. The shooting was contagious — six-different players ended up making two or more treys — as Southern easily dissected A&T’s zone defense.

“I’ve been telling you guys this — I think we can shoot the basketball,” Hinson reminded the media at his post-game presser. “We’re not going to shoot that way every night, but take 5-or-6 misses off there and we still shoot 40 percent.”

North Carolina A&T shot 57 percent from the field in the first half but still found itself on the short end of a 58-37 halftime deficit. Ten first-half turnovers led to 14 points for SIU. The Aggies simply had no answer for a Saluki offense that, once it started rolling, became unstoppable. The team’s 24 assists were the most since SIU had 25 at SIUE in 2016.

“We have got a group of young men who can score the basketball and we when share it like that, we have a chance to be special,” Hinson said.

Armon Fletcher led Southern with 20 points, but he was just one cog in a balanced Saluki attack that saw six players reach double figures and all 11 players score at least one bucket. The Salukis have won three-straight since switching to a four-guard starting lineup, and Hinson said roles are becoming more clearly defined. Fletcher and Sean Lloyd (16 points) are the main scoring weapons, Kavion Pippen (11 points) is the inside presence, Bartley (9 points, 5 assists) acts as the table setter, and Aaron Cook (10 points) brings a burst of speed.

“I was unaware of the impact of Marcus coming back would have on our team in rotations and would take us a little while to get through that,” Hinson said. “Not only coaching and strategy-wise, but also ego-wise. Now, everybody has kind of accepted their role and accepted their rotation. I think we’re settling in to what we have.”

The Salukis wore specially designed red, white and blue uniforms on what was Military Appreciation night, and Hinson said, “I can tell you right now, we’re wearing that uniform again.”

The win was a complete team effort. Eight different players had multiple assists.

Southern’s bench was also proficient, scoring a season-high 36 points, led by Jonathan Wiley‘s 14 points. Senior guard Tyler Smithpeters came off the bench to record his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists. Rudy Stradnieks had four points and three assists. Brendon Gooch made a rare appearance and buried a pair of treys. Austin Weiher scored his first bucket of the season.

“I called (Tyler) a rebounding fool,” Hinson joked. “I’ve never seen Tyler want to rebound the basketball more in my life.”

Ten days ago, the Salukis fell at home to SEMO in one of the more disappointing losses of the Hinson era, which enters its sixth season. Hinson said he hopes fans will give this team a second look after tonight’s performance.

“I think our fans left here tonight and I hope they understand what I’ve been saying all along,” he said. “I know it’s one game, but this is the team I thought we could potentially have.”

By John Lock siusalukis.com

Southern Illinois football defensive end was named a first-team FCS Freshman All-American by HERO Sports, the organization announced Monday morning. Knighton, a redshirt freshman, was the runner-up for MVFC Freshman of the Year and finished 11th in the Jerry Rice Award (National Freshman of the Year) voting.

Knighton, a Pierce, Fla., native, set SIU freshman records and led all MVFC freshmen in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (11.0) this season. He became the first SIU player to be a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, and he finished 11th in that voting with two first-place votes. He led SIU in sacks, tackles for loss, tackles for loss yardage and QB hurries. He had 39 tackles (27 solo) and two forced fumbles while starting all 11 games at defensive end.

Knighton is the third SIU player to earn Freshman All-America honors from HERO Sports. Last year, safety Jeremy Chinn was a first-teaam selection and running back D.J. Davis was an honorable mention choice.

By Tom Weber 

CARBONDALE, IL — Southern Illinois hosts North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night in the program’s annual Military Appreciation game. Veterans and active duty military will receive free admission. The Salukis will wear special jerseys to honor America and a group of Wounded Warriors will be recognized at halftime. In addition, Brown Dawg’s Kids Club members receive free admission to the game by wearing their membership pass, and will have the opportunity to form the pregame tunnel for the team prior to the game. Holiday ticket pricing remains in effect with Dawg Pound section seats available for $10.

The game marks the first meeting between the Salukis and the Aggies, and is just the third time in school history SIU has played a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The first meeting took place on Nov. 27, 1988 when SIU lost to South Carolina State, 90-88, at the San Juan Shootout. It happened the day after Southern upset No. 11 ranked Villanova. The only other meeting with a MEAC opponent took place on Nov. 15, 2015 when SIU beat Florida A&M at SIU Arena, 81-51. Anthony Beane led all scorers with 20 points as the Salukis ended the game on a 19-3 run. Barry Hinson is 4-0 lifetime versus MEAC opponents. At Missouri State, he posted a 3-0 mark with wins over Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State and Delaware State.

Head coach Barry Hinson met with the media after Monday’s practice.

What’s the injury status after yesterday’s game?

I have not heard the x-rays on Marcus (Bartley) or Kavion (Pippen). You heard the radio show today — Eric McGill is out for an undetermined amount of time. It is an injury that we are very concerned about. His (left) hand swelled up the size of a grapefruit this morning. We can’t tell much until we get the swelling down, but he’s not going to play for quite some time.

Is it a fractured bone?

We don’t know. I don’t think it’s good news, guys. I’m tired of doing this. I’m tired of coming in here every day telling you injury reports every day. I’m almost numb to it now.

Can you talk about what it means not to have Eric for an undetermined amount of time?

I don’t know what it means, I really don’t. I think you can see on my face and the way I’m answering this question, I’m just numb. I’m to the point — what more can go wrong? What more adversity does this team have to go through? I don’t want our guys to see that. I think what this means is our rotation gets a little tighter. If we have sickness or another injury to a guard, it causes issues. I think we can get through this right now, but that’s the great thing about having a really good bench with lots of depth, you don’t have to worry about those events. Now we do.

I don’t want to paint a picture that all is lost here. You just get to a point where, I’m really crushed because of what it does to these kids. It’s just heartbreaking to see these things go on with our kids. We had three guys walk off the floor last night holding their wrist and their hands. It just gets to the point of — what more? I hurt for those guys. We’ll get over it as a team and we’ll be fine. I just hurt for those guys.

Have you been surprised by how they’ve bought in to the defensive side of the small lineup?

I’m not surprised when they buy in. This group of young men, they really want to do what we ask them to do. I really like these guys. They’re a pleasure to coach every day. This size lineup — I think we’ll be able to do that in the Valley a little bit because most people are like us. Mid-major basketball is kind of the hybrid-spot type deal. Very rarely do you run into a lot of size and athleticism. Last year there were only two teams in the league that were like that — Wichita State and Illinois State. If we get Thik (Bol) back, we’re still going to be able to put size out on the floor.

Can you compare North Carolina A&T to anybody you’ve played already?

I think they’re a faster version probably of Jackson State. I think they like to press. They’re all about getting up and down the floor. This game tomorrow night — if you’re a fan, you’re going to walk in and see a really fast-paced game. I think it’s got a chance to be a very entertaining game. I hope it’s an entertaining game. If you were going to a movie, it would be an action-thriller. I think that’s the type of game we’re looking at tomorrow night.

How do you defend big man Femi Olujobi, who has perimeter skills?

Kavion is going to draw the responsibility early on. It will be Kavion’s responsibility as well as all of ours. I don’t care who you are, at this level of Division I basketball, if you’re averaging a double-double, you’re pretty good. He’s capable of going in and getting 25 or 30 a night and double-figure rebounds. He’s certainly caught our eye.

Is it more a focus of trying to stop him or trying to stop others from going off?

I think it’s a combination of both. Any time you have the target or bullseye of being the best player, certainly you’re going to get everybody’s ire. I think that’s a big deal to us. We’re going to pay attention to him, but you’re right, they’ve got four guys averaging double figures. It’s not like it’s all about him. It’s like Lamar — they had four guys averaging double figures, but we knew (Nick) Garth and (Colton) Weisbrod were the keys, but we knew we also had to guard the other guys.