Oct. 18, 2005

The Marshall men's basketball team begins the 2005-06 campaign with an abundance of fresh faces and a transformed a.. itude as the Thundering Herd launches into its new Conference USA affi liation, the sixth conference Marshall has been a part of for men's basketball, and the seventh conference move overall.

The Herd spent the previous eight seasons as a member of the Mid-American Conference, and advanced to the quarterfinal round (top eight in the conference) in fi ve out of the last six years, and in each of the last two seasons, Marshall knocked off the Mid-American Conference regular season champions (Western Michigan in 2003-04, Miami (Ohio) in 2004-05).

Marshall has also had big wins outside of conference play in the last two years - the Herd defeated now-conference rival UAB in 2003-04 in a year the Blazers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, and in 2004-05, Marshall knocked off eventual Elite Eight participant West Virginia in the two teams' annual game at the Charleston Civic Center. Those two wins were also the only wins by a Mid-American Conference school against teams that advanced to that level of the NCAA Tournament in those two years.

The Thundering Herd returns two starters, senior center Mark Patton and junior guard Tre Whitted, and four other le.. erwinners (senior forward/ center LaVar Carter, sophomore guards Joe Miles and Ryan Lamb, and walk-on senior guard Adam Zimmerman) from the 2004-05 season. Head coach Ron Jirsa, in his third season at the helm of Marshall men's basketball, must replace seniors A.W. Hamilton, David Anderson, Enoch Bunch, and Ronny Dawn, and 2004-05 freshmen Casey Wohlleb and Collins Okafor, who both opted to transfer. Despite the lack of the quantity of returnees, 51% of the team's scoring and 83% of its rebounding returns for the 2005-06 campaign.

Marshall, which had experience last season with four seniors but had trouble guarding quicker opponents, gets an infl ux of quick, talented newcomers for the 2005-06 season in hopes of reversing its fortunes from a year ago. Junior college players Chris Ross, Mark Dorris, Travis Aikens, and Jean Francois Bro-Grebe coupled with high school newcomers Markel Humphrey and Mason Wooldridge will be expected to contribute this year.

The fusion of these untested new faces with the veteran returnees will define the success of the Herd's inaugural journey into Conference USA. Jirsa is confi dent in his staff 's recruiting eff orts over the last year, and believes his team will be in the thick of things when the season winds down in March.

"I believe we have taken a giant step forward since last season," said Jirsa. "We've had more players on campus this summer and we've had more basketball activity. I know our coaches have worked overtime since last season ended and it has carried into this season. I sense a growing air of confidence in our team because of that hard work.

"Conference USA has a tremendous reputation. It will be one of the top leagues in the country," continued Jirsa. "And, I believe the Herd will be right in the middle of that race for one of the top positions in the league."

The Backcourt
Marshall's backcourt will be led by 6'1 junior college point guard Chris Ross (San Antonio, Texas), who comes from McLennan Junior College in Texas a.. er averaging 10 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals his sophomore season. In his freshman season at Panola Junior College, also in Texas, he averaged 13 points, 10 assists, and four steals; his assist total was second in the nation at the Division I Junior College level. Ross' quickness and playmaking ability was seen in the Herd's preseason trip to the Bahamas, when he averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in the two games in Nassau, which included a game in which he posted nine assists against no turnovers.

"Chris Ross is extremely quick," said Jirsa. "Our strength coach Jon Sanderson had him as the fastest three-quarter court guy he's ever had. When you talk about a point guard, you talk about Chris Ross."

Occupying another starting spot in the Herd backcourt is junior Tre Whitted (Wilmington, N.C.), who has started in 53-of-57 Thundering Herd games in his two-year career. Last season, he started in 24-of-28 games and averaged 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest, and scored in double-digits in 12 games, including a career-high 20 point eff ort versus UAB on December 4th in the Henderson Center. Whitted is the team's leader both on and off the floor, and will be looked on as the steadying force on the 2005-06 team.

"Not only has Tre worked harder or the hardest this summer in our program, he is the driving motivational force behind our team," said Jirsa. "To do that, he's had to work overtime and take on extra responsibilities to be a leader off the court. It takes a lot of time and energy.

"On the floor, he'll be a wing player. He shot well last year, and he was one of our best players moving without the ball and needs to continue working hard at that."

Sophomore Joe Miles (Forestville, Md.) also figures to be in the mix at the two guard spot and as a backup to Ross at the point. Miles gained a great deal of experience in 2004-05 as a true freshman, playing in all 28 games, starting six, and averaging 21.5 minutes per contest. He averaged 9.6 points per game and shot 35.6% from beyond the arc, making him the ninth leading returning three-point shooter in the new C-USA.He also scored in double-digits in the Herd's first 12 games, the only true freshman in the nation in 2004-05 to accomplish that feat.

In Marshall's two games in Nassau, Miles scored 19 and 13 points, respectively, and led Marshall in scoring in the team's first game.

"Joe showed what he could do early last season," said Jirsa. "His maturity level needs to take over so he can show sustained eff ort over extended minutes. He could give us a real spark on offense."

True freshman Markel Humphrey (Ellenwood, Ga.) is a 6'5 lefty who averaged 19 points per game his junior and senior seasons at Stockbridge (Ga.) High School. Humphrey will contribute at the wing position for Marshall in 2005-06. "Markel is a 6'5 lefty who came in this summer and showed that he's done the off -season work to make it at the college level," said Jirsa. "He is a smooth shooting, taller wing player...a long, lanky basketball player that can play more than one position."

Another sophomore, Mark Dorris (Cincinnati, Ohio), was a late addition to the Thundering Herd roster early in the fall, but, as he showed in Marshall's games in the Bahamas, he will contribute at the two guard position. Dorris came from St. Catharine College in Kentucky, where he played only one season and averaged 13.6 points per contest on a team that fi nished 21-6.

"What stands out about Mark is his quickness, which is certainly what we need," said Jirsa. "He spent a quality year at St. Catharine and he elevates the level of our practices, which will enable him to see some time this fall."

Marshall's other returning uard is sophomore Ryan Lamb (Hiram, Ga.), who will also be competing to back up Ross at the point guard position. Last season, Lamb averaged one point and 0.6 assists per game in limited minutes.

"Ryan seemed a lot more focused this past summer and will be called upon for improved ball handling and defense," said Jirsa.

Senior walk-on Adam Zimmerman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) wraps up the Marshall backcourt. Zimmerman, in his third season with the Thundering Herd, played in 14 games in 2004-05 and averaged 0.3 points and 0.2 rebounds per game.

Frontcourt
Marshall's front court is anchored by 6'9 senior post man Mark Pa.. on (Barboursville, W.Va.), one of the new CUSA's leading returning players. Patton averaged 11.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 2004-05 and has tacked on nearly 40 pounds in the last two off -seasons. The Herd's only West Virginia native posted six double-doubles in 2004-05, and had a career-high 21 points versus Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan and 16 rebounds at Akron. He finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference in rebounding last season, and is the new league's second leading returning entering the 2005-06 campaign.

"He has paid the price this summer," said Jirsa. "Not only has he worked hard in the weight room and played a lot in our gym, but he worked camps and then a.. ended the Pete Newell Big Man Camp, one of the more prestigious camps for big guys. He's doing all of the things that make him our leading returner.

"He's in the upper echelon when it comes to big, shooting forwards in the country. This is a guy with the skills and ability that has proven himself over the last two years. If he continues to progress, he will have that dependable year every team needs from their key player."

Marshall's other returnee in the front court is senior LaVar Carter (Louisville, Ky.), a 6'7 forward who will see extended minutes this season. In 2004-05, Carter averaged 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes of action, and tallied career highs in both points (14) and rebounds (8) in his junior season.

We anticipate him being in the best shape of his career for his final campaign," said Jirsa. "He's taken strides in the right direction, and he needs to take one more in his senior year."

Junior college signee Travis Aikens (Orlando, Fla.) is expected to contribute at the forward position for Marshall this season. The 6'5 product out of Daytona Beach Community College can drive the basket and will also keep defenders honest with an excellent three-point stroke and the ability to score from outside. Aikens averaged 14 points and seven rebounds a game in his final season for Daytona Beach, who made the finals of the Florida Junior College State Championships.

In Nassau, Aikens averaged 17 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, including a 25 point, 11-rebound effort in the Herd's final game.

"I like Travis' toughness and versatility and willingness to help this team win from any position," said Jirsa.

Mason Wooldridge (New Canton, Va.) is another late addition to the Herd roster, joining the team in August. Wooldridge spent eight years at Fork Union Military Academy, where he averaged 10 points and eight rebounds in his final year at Fork Union.

"He's a well-coached player coming from a tremendous prep program," said Jirsa. "We were most impressed by his hard-nosed play while he was at Fork Union and that's what we want from him here."

Marshall's other two post players, Jean Francois Bro Grebe (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) and Jesse Oglesby (Lithonia, Ga.), are coming off of leg injuries and will not play right away for the Thundering Herd.

The 6'9 Bro Grebe is one of the Herd's highly touted recruits from Jirsa's second recruiting class, but will be out until the middle part of the season recovering from ACL surgery. With a 7-foot-6 inch wingspan, Bro Grebe has the ability to be a dominating force in the paint.

"He has the ability to change games with a tremendous wingspan," said Jirsa. "He's a guy who blocks shots, scores at the basket, and plays with tremendous fl air and enthusiasm which is contagious for the rest of our team."

Oglesby redshirted in 2004-05 because of a lower leg injury, and his status for the 2005-06 season is questionable because of a re-aggravation of the same injury. He has had an outstanding off season in the weight room and can contribute if healthy.

"He has showed body and strength improvement over his redshirt year," said Jirsa.

Schedule
The Herd enters its first season in Conference USA playing only 14 conference games, compared to 18 in the Mid-American Conference, and will fi ll the schedule with six home non-conference games, including a showdown with 2005 Atlantic 10 Champion George Washington on January 7th.

Marshall will also play home and-home games in 2005-06 with two nonconference foes, Evansville and Appalachian State. The Herd opens its schedule at Evansville on November 18th and then begins its home slate on November 26th with a home game against the Purple Aces. Appalachian State visits the Henderson Center on December 17th, and Marshall makes a return trip to its former Southern Conference rival in Boone, N.C., on January 4th. MU also travels to Virginia Tech, East Tennessee State, and the Jack-In-The-Box Holiday Tournament at Furman University, where the Herd will take on South Carolina State and either Kennesaw State or the host Paladins. Other non-conference home games are Maryland-Eastern Shore, Youngstown State, and Charleston Southern, which all take place in the month of December.

The Herd's annual game with the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Toyota Capital Classic in Charleston, W.Va., is set for Wednesday, January 25th.

Marshall's inaugural Conference USA schedule includes home-and-home games with UCF, East Carolina, and UAB, and home games against UTEP, Rice, Memphis, and Southern Miss. MU hits the road for conference games at Tulsa, Houston, Tulane, and SMU, and wraps up its season at the 2006 C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. All 12 Conference USA teams are eligible for the tournament, which begins on Wednesday, March 8th, and concludes on Saturday, March 11th.

MU has faced off against eight of the 12 teams in the new conference, and has compiled a record of 9-5 against those teams. Marshall has played East Carolina and Southern Miss more than any of the other C-USA schools, going head-tohead with the Pirates and Golden Eagles four times during the Herd's basketball history (going 3-1 against each school). Marshall's most recent game against a Conference USA school came last year in Huntington, when the Herd dropped a tough 81-78 decision in the Henderson Center to UAB. The Blazers' trip to the Henderson Center was the back end of a home-and-home agreement, with the Herd taking a 68-66 win in Birmingham on December 30th, 2003. Marshall is 1-1 against UAB, 0-1 against Houston, 1-1 against Memphis, and 1-0 against UTEP, and has never faced Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulas, or UCF on the hardwood.

The Herd played the toughest schedule in the Mid-American Conference in 2004-05 and the 41st toughest schedule in the nation, according to RPIRatings.com. More of the same is in store this season, when Marshall takes on eight teams that played in postseason play a year ago.