Games: Fri., Nov. 22, Grand Valley State Lakers at Indianapolis, 7 pm, Nicoson Hall (4,000), Indianapolis, Indiana.
Tue., Nov. 26, Southwest Baptist [MO] Bearcats at Indianapolis, 7 pm EST, Nicoson Hall, Indianapolis.
Radio: WICR-FM 88.7, Brandon Cook and T.J. Hall.
Coach Todd Sturgeon: (DePauw 88), 77-59 (.566), sixth year. Sturgeon guided the Greyhounds to a 15-12 mark, their fifth straight Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament berth, and the Seattle Pacific Tip-Off Tournament championship last season.
He led his 1999-2000 Hounds to an 18-10 record and a fourth-place finish in the GLVC. The 18-10 ledger is the Hounds third-best NCAA II record in 24 years. His 1998-99 Hounds posted a 17-10 slate, winning 14 of their last 18.
Sturgeon, the first coach since Angus Nicoson in 1947-51 to post winning campaigns in his first three seasons, is fourth on the U of I all-time list with his .566 winning percentage.
Outlook: Sophomore guard David Logan (Indianapolis/North Central) earned honorable mention All-GLVC honors in 2001-02 after averaging 12.7 points per game. He earned GLVC Player of the Week and All-Seattle Pacific Tip-Off Tournament honors after scoring 19 points in his debut (the most by a U of I freshman in his debut since 1987). Logan scored a game-high 22 points in an exhibition game at Indiana State on November 4.
Logan will combine with sophomore guard Cory Bennett (New Castle) to give the Hounds a formidable backcourt. Bennett averaged 5.1 points and 2.0 assists last season, finishing fifth in the GLVC in three-point accuracy (.452).
Forward Eric Rhodes (Indianapolis/North Central) is the lone senior on the Greyhound roster. The defensive stopper averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds last season.
Junior forward Derrick Miller (Indianapolis/Warren Central) joins Logan as a returning starter from last seasons 15-12 squad. The two-year letterman averaged 3.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a year ago. He finished second on the Hounds in rebounding in 2001-02.
Junior center Jason Wright (Martinsville) is a transfer from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois. The 265-pound strongman made his presence felt at Indiana State with a game-high six rebounds in 13 minutes.
Junior forward Doug Dybzinski (Hebron/Boone Grove) averaged 6.1 points and 2.5 rebounds as a part-time starter last season. The two-year letterman paced the Greyhounds with .560 shooting from the field a year ago. He scored 11 points at Indiana State on 5-9 from the field.
Junior swingman Mickey McGill (Rossville) may miss the entire 2002-03 campaign after undergoing knee surgery for an ACL tear on November 14. McGill was seventh in the GLVC in three-point accuracy last season (.436), averaging 4.4 points per game.
Junior college transfers Ryan Hixson (Sunman/Vincennes JC), Ryan Petty (New Castle/Danville JC), and Rodney Rollins (Harvey, IL/Triton JC) will contribute immediately in the frontcourt. The 64 Rollins earned all-conference and all-region honors at Triton.
Freshman sharpshooter Jared Reeves (Brownsburg) and fellow rookie Darien Logan (Indianapolis/North Central) provide depth in the backcourt.
Indianapolis was picked fifth in the 11-team Great Lakes Valley Conference in the coaches preseason poll.
New assistants: Former two-time NCAA II Player of the Year Stan Gouard and ex-Purdue three-year starter Alan Eldridge will make their debut as Greyhound assistant coaches against Grand Valley State.
Gouard was an assistant coach at GLVC rival Southern Indiana in 2001-02, helping them to a 22-8 record.
As a player, Gouard led USI to an 82-12 record in three years from 1993-96, including the 1995 NCAA II title.
The two-time NABC Player of the Year was the NCAA II Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player in 1994 and the CBS/Chevrolet MVP in the national championship game.
Eldridge came to U of I from Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi, where he was an assistant coach for both the mens and womens programs. He helped lead ICC to the NJCAA tournament for the first time.
As a player, Eldridge was a four-year letter winner for coach Gene Keady. Eldridge led the Boilers to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Sweet Sixteen. He also helped Purdue win the 1996 Big Ten title.
