OPENING TIP
Little Rock opens its 80th season of basketball Saturday, November 11, facing Ouachita Baptist at the Jack Stephens Center. The Trojans and Tigers tip at 3 p.m. with The Point 94.1 returning as the radio home of Little Rock basketball for the 2017-18 season.
LOOKING GOOD FOR 80
When Little Rock tips off Saturday against Ouachita Baptist, it will mark the beginning of the 80th season in Trojan basketball history. Over the years, Little Rock has posted a 40-39 (.506) in its season openers and has won its first game in each of the last three seasons. Little Rock's longest season-opener win streak is eight, winning its first game every year from 1988 to 1995. Additionally, the Trojans have notched a 36-2 (.947) record in home openers since making the move to Division I in 1978-79, including last season's 97-65 victory over Central Baptist. Little Rock's only losses over that span came to Oklahoma State (1999) and North Florida (2013).
SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR
While separated by just 59 miles, the campuses of Little Rock and Ouachita Baptist may as well be worlds apart when it comes to basketball. Despite meeting almost yearly from 1945 to 1968, Saturday's game marks the first time in nearly 50 years the two teams have met on the hardwood. Ouachita Baptist has dominated the series, holding a 23-2 lead over the Trojans, including winning the last 14 games against the Trojans. The last meeting between the two occurred during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, resulting in an 86-80 victory for Ouachita Baptist in the 1967-68 season.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
2016-17: 14-14 overall, 11-11 Great American Conference (T-5th)
Head Coach: Dennis Nutt (TCU, 1986). Eight season at OBU (95-74), 12th season overall (167-70)
Key Players:
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#23 Isaiah Harper (So., F): 8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 51.6 FG%, 38.5 3PT%, 78.2 FT%, 24 ast., 21 stl.
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#10 Mahlon Martin (Jr., G): 6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 41.8 FG%, 36.3 3PT%, 80.8 FT%, 41 ast., 15 stl.
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#11 Jordan Corbitt (Sr., G): 5.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 43.8 FG%, 40.7 3PT%, 71.7 FT%, 76 ast., 24 stl.
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#4 Aitor Lopez-Breton (Sr., F): 5.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 57.5 FG%, 37.5 3PT%, 62.2 FT%, 28 ast., 11 blk.
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#2 Jontavis Willis (Sr., G): 4.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 35.8 FG%, 28.8 3PT%, 57.9 FT%, 20 ast., 18 stl.
BACK IN THE JACK
Since 2005, Little Rock has called the Jack Stephens Center home, and the venue has helped the Trojans become one of the Sun Belt's toughest home teams. Little Rock has posted a 120-59 record (.670) at the Jack, since the doors opened in 2005, including a 53-18 mark (.746) against non-conference foes. The Trojans have posted a winning home record every year at the Jack Stephens Center, winning 10 or more home games on five occasions.
VETERANS PACE TROJANS IN EXHIBITION WIN
Little Rock's veterans stepped up in a major way as the Trojans wore down Southwest Baptist 84-68 in an exhibition win on Friday, November 3. The returning trio of
Andre Jones,
Oliver Black and
Ben Marcus combined for 61 of Little Rock's 84 points on the night, led by 25 from Jones. Black notched a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds to complement three blocks, while Marcus registered 18 points and seven rebounds, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
FLANIGAN AT THE HELM
Little Rock native
Wes Flanigan returns for his seventh season on the Trojan sideline and his second as head coach after leading Little Rock to a 15-17 record in his first season. Flanigan has been a key component of the Trojans' success over the past few seasons, serving as associate head coach previously and was a member of the staff on the memorable 2015-16 NCAA tournament team. Flanigan's staff remains largely in check with associate head coach
Kwanza Johnson and assistants
Mitch Cole and
Solomon Bozeman back on the Trojan bench.
A FEW FAMILIAR FACES...
There won't be many familiar faces on the court Saturday afternoon as Flanigan returns just 27.4 percent of its minutes and 24.2 percent of its points from 2016-17. Junior
Deondre Burns is Little Rocks top returning scorer, averaging 7.0 points per game last season, complemented by 1.5 rebounds and a .452 field goal percentage. Redshirt junior
Oliver Black posted 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 55.1 percent from the floor while sophomore
Andre Jones looks to build on his 3.5 points and 1.6 rebound average from 2016-17.
WELCOME TO THE ROCK
Fans coming to Saturday's season opener will want to pick up a roster to get introduced to a large number of newcomers on the court at the Jack. Little Rock welcomes 11 newcomers in 2016-17, tied with Pitt for the most of any Division I school. That group includes two graduate transfers (
Khari Harley and
Wadly Mompremier from Ohio), a Division I transfer (
Rayjon Tucker from Florida Gulf Coast), four JUCO transfers (
Camron Reedus,
Cezanne Carson,
K.J. Gilmore and
Anthony Black) and four freshmen (
Cameron Corcoran,
Jaizec Lottie,
Damir Hadzic and
Kris Bankston).
THEIR CITY. THEIR TEAM.
The Trojans have made an assertive effort to be known as Little Rocks Team, and that focus is apparent by looking at the Trojan roster. Six Trojans hail from the state of Arkansas, including five who played their high school ball in the city of Little Rock (
Kris Bankston - J.A. Fair H.S.;
Anthony Black - Hall H.S.;
Andre Jones - Malvern H.S.;
Ryan Pippins - Parkview H.S.;
Brandon Brady - Pulaski Academy). The other native Arkansan is
Ben Marcus, a native of Pine Bluff who played at Watson Chapel H.S.
TROJANS PICKED 10TH IN PRESEASON POLL
Little Rock enters 2017-18 knowing it will have its work cut out for it as the Trojans were picked 10th in the preseason Sun Belt Conference poll. The Trojans, who finished 15-17 and 6-12 in league play in 2016-17, garnered 37 points, sitting two ahead of 11th-place Appalachian State and six behind ninth-place South Alabama. UT Arlington was tabbed as the favorite to win the Sun Belt, picking up nine first place votes and 128 total points, with Georgia State (116 pts.), Troy (115 pts.), Georgia Southern (114 pts.) and Louisiana (113 pts.) separated by just three points in the number two through five position.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
As the 2017-18 campaign gets underway, an impressive program milestone sits in the not-too-distant horizon for
Wes Flanigan's squad. Entering its 80th season, Little Rock has compiled an overall program record of 989-1,002 (.497), sitting just 11 wins shy of reaching 1,000 victories. The Trojans have accumulated 35 winning seasons in program history and have won 20 or more games 11 times, highlighted by the memorable 30-win campaign in 2016-17.
TROJANS AGAINST THE GAC
Little Rock's program history against the Great American Conference isn't one the Trojans are necessarily proud of, posting a 40-72 (.357) all-time record against current members of the GAC. However, that record may not tell the whole story as Little Rock has only faced seven GAC schools since 1975, winning all seven during that span. The largest win-loss discrepancy among the schools is against Ouachita Baptist, Saturday's opponent, as Little Rock is just 2-23 all-time against the Tigers.
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FLANIGAN SIGNS THREE DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
While the 2017-18 season is on the verge of getting underway, head coach
Wes Flanigan is already getting shoring up his program for the future, signing three during the fall early signing period. Little Rock signed a junior college transfer in Melkizedek Moreaux, a 6-6, 210-lb. native of Hamburg, Germany who is currently playing at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska. Flanigan also added a pair of high school signees in Kalin Bennett and Traylynn Spencer, a pair of versatile players that can play multiple positions. Bennett (6-10, 255) knows the program well, playing at Little Rock Christian Academy while Spencer (6-8, 175) is one of the Dallas-Fort Worth area's top defenders, playing at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
TIGER TWO-PACK
Little Rock will see plenty of stripes at the start of the 2017-18 season as its first two games are against teams with Tigers as their mascot. Following Saturday's season opener against the Tigers from Ouachita Baptist, Little Rock makes the trek eastward on I-40 into Tennessee, squaring off against the Memphis Tigers. The game against Memphis tips at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14 at the FedEx Forum.
#LittleRocksTeam
