Rainbow Classic 2007 Page 2

Ohio (6-3)

The Ohio Bobcats, out of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), are off to a solid start to this season after finishing 19-13 last season. Although they are coming off a blowout loss to the #2 ranked Kansas Jayhawks, they have impressive wins against New Mexico State and in College Park over Maryland. Head Coach Tim O’Shea (7th Season) leads a team full of upperclassmen up against a young St. John’s team in the first round. They have some size up front, with big men Jerome Tillman and Leon Williams leading the way. As a team the Bobcats shoot 47% from the floor and 39% from 3 point land. This team is the definition of a prominent mid-major, as they have compiled 59 wins over the last three seasons.

PG – #3 Michael Allen Junior / 6-0 180lbs / 6.0 points, 4.8 assists
SG – #4 Bubba Walther Senior / 6-4 170lbs / 13.3 points, 3.3 assists
SF – #25 Justin Orr Junior / 6-6 205lbs / 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds
PF – #33 Jerome Tillman Junior / 6-6 240lbs / 14.0 points, 7.6 rebounds
C – #5 Leon Williams Senior / 6-8 255lbs / 15.9 points, 10.1 rebounds

Louisiana-Lafayette (2-6, 1-0)

The Ragin’ Cajuns, out of the Sun Belt Conference, own my favorite nickname of any team in the tournament. Unfortunately, the team has not had much success in a few years. They finished 9-21 last season, with an early first round exit in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. The start of this season hasn’t looked much better for the Cajuns as they are off to a sluggish 2-6 start, although they did pick up a victory in their only conference game against Louisiana-Monroe. Their only notable opponent thus far has been Tennessee, who they lost to by 28 on the road. Head Coach Robert Lee (not the Civil War general) plays pretty much his whole roster, as 12 players average at least 10 minutes per game. The Cajuns best player is Sophomore swingman Elijah Millsap. Elijah, the younger brother of Jazz forward Paul Millsap, won the 2007 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year last season.

PG – #12 Willie Lago Sophomore / 6-1 182lbs / 2.8 points, 2.1 assists
SG – #21 David Dees Senior / 6-5 209lbs / 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds
SF – #3 Elijah Millsap Sophomore / 6-6 211lbs / 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds
PF – #23 La’Ryan Gary Sophomore / 6-7 207lbs / 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds
C – #32 Abray Milson Senior / 6-9 240lbs / 2.0 points , 3.1 rebounds

Hawaii (3-4)

As the host of this tournament, the Warriors of Hawaii are automatically a contender to win the whole thing. They have captured 5 of the last 6 Rainbow Classic titles, including a win of the tournament last season with a victory over Creighton in the Championship game. This year the Warriors are off to a modest 3-4 start, with all games thus far being played out of conference. They only lost by 2 to Illinois back on November 17th in Hawaii, and are coming off a 4 point victory against Long Beach State, who won the Big West Tournament last season and earned a NCAA Tourney bid. Bob Nash, in his first season as Head Coach of the Warriors, leads a senior laden team into their first round match-up with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Coach Nash, who served as an assistant of the team for 20 years, now has the unique opportunity to coach his own son. Senior Bobby Nash leads Hawaii in scoring and rebounding this season. The overall size of this team, plus senior leadership and experience, make them the favorite to face off against St. Mary’s in the championship.

PG – #2 Matt Gibson Senior / 6-5 180lbs / 12.0 points, 5.3 assists
SG – #22 Riley Luettgerodt Senior / 6-5 210lbs / 15.0 points, 5.1 rebounds
SF – #33 Bobby Nash Senior / 6-6 200lbs / 17.0 points, 5.7 rebounds
PF – #41 Bill Amis Senior / 6-9 220lbs / 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds
C – #35 Stephen Verwers Senior / 6-11 250lbs / 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds

Tulane (6-3)

Since the exodus of teams to the Big East occurred, Conference USA has lost a ton of credibility. Aside from Memphis, every team seems to be stuck in mediocrity. The Green Wave of Tulane fit that C-USA mold. They finished 17-13 last season, their season ending with a blowout loss to Memphis in the conference tournament. This year the Green Wave, led by 3rd year Head Coach Dave Dickerson, are off to a 6-3 start. Their notable wins are against Auburn and Gardner-Webb (who knocked off Kentucky). They traveled to Syracuse back on December 1st and only lost 73-60. Although his team is small upfront, without a player over 6’7” on their roster, they shoot the ball extremely well. As a team the Wave shoot 45% from the floor, with center Robinson Louisme shooting a ridiculous 72% from the field in his first 9 games.

PG – #1 Kevin Sims Sophomore / 5-10 160lbs / 11.4 points, 4.9 assists
SG – #25 Matt Wheaton Senior / 6-5 190lbs / 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds
SF – #44 Daniel Puckett Junior / 6-7 200lbs / 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds
PF – #21 David Gomez Senior / 6-7 235lbs / 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds
C- #45 Robinson Louisme Junior / 6-7 265lbs / 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds

St. Mary’s (7-1)

Playing in the West Coast Conference, St. Mary’s has been overshadowed on a national stage by the success of Gonzaga. This season, the Gaels made some noise making their way into the Top 25 after victories over Oregon and Seton Hall. After starting 6-0, all games won at home, the team has since went on the road and beat a San Diego State team by 5 points and lost to Southern Illinois by 15 points, dropping them out of the rakings. Head Coach Randy Bennett is in his 7th year at the helm for St. Mary’s. After finishing last season 17-15, Bennett has led the school to 4 straight winning seasons, something that had not been done in almost 50 years. The Gaels have 4 players on their roster from Austrailia, including starting freshman point guard Patrick Mills, who leads the team in scoring and dishing. As a team, St. Mary’s shoots 48% from the field and 34% from downtown. Center Omar Samhan, standing at 6’11”, should be able to dominate the paint against a smaller Tulane team in their first round match-up.

PG – #13 Patrick Mills Freshman / 6-0 175lbs / 15.5 points, 4.4 assists
SG – #24 Todd Golden Senior / 6-3 180lbs / 7.0 points, 2.9 assists
SF – #4 Ian O’Leary Junior / 6-7 220lbs / 8.0 points, 3.4 rebounds
PF – #20 Diamon Simpson Junior / 6-7 230lbs / 12.6 points, 8.9 rebounds
C – #50 Omar Samhan Sophomore / 6-11 265lbs / 13.1 points, 7.6 rebounds

East Tennessee State (4-5)

The Buccaneers are coming off an impressive 06-07 campaign, in which they went 24-10. They finished the year with a loss to Clemson in the NIT. Head Coach Murry Bartow was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year as a result. This year the Bucs are off to a 4-5 start and are coming off a humiliating loss (125-75) at the hands of Big East foe Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. Hopefully the warm, sunny weather of Hawaii suits the Bucs better than the cold, snowy conditions of upstate New York. ETSU is led by Memphis, TN native Courtney Pigram, who won A-Sun Player of the Year last season as a sophomore. Pigram was also named honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press. He is a true playmaker who can shoot the 3, as well as distribute the ball in traffic. The Bucs are a small team, but have the offensive firepower to hang with teams. They average 79 points per game and shoot 49% from the field.

PG – #21 Dequan Twilley Sophomore / 6-1 170lbs / 5.3 points, 2.6 assists
SG – #3 Courtney Pigram Junior / 6-1 195lbs / 16.9 points, 4.1 assists
SF – #42 Kevin Tiggs Junior / 6-4 210lbs / 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds
PF – #23 Mike Smith Sophomore / 6-6 225lbs / 5.3 points, 5.8 rebounds
C – #35 Andrew Reed Senior / 6-8 220lbs / 9.4 points, 5.7 rebounds

Georgia (6-1)

The Bulldogs have had their fair share of off the court problems so far this season. Senior Takais Brown, last season’s leading scorer, was kicked off the team by Head Coach Dennis Felton for violating team policy regarding classroom attendance. The team’s second leading scorer from last year Mike Mercer was also dismissed from the team. Junior guard Billy Humphrey was recently suspended indefinitely following his arrest for possession of a knife on campus. With all the distractions going on off the court, the Bulldogs have still gotten off to a 6-1 start. Their most recent win was a 22 point pounding of Wake Forest at home. The only loss suffered by Georgia was a 68-49 loss at Wisconsin on November 24th. Even without their 2 best players from a season ago, this team believes they are just as good, if not better without them. Senior Sundiata Gaines, who is from Jamaica, Queens, leads the team in scoring, dishing, and rebounding from the guard position. The Bulldogs have big time size up front that could give the Bucs trouble in their opening round game.

PG – #2 Sundiata Gaines Senior / 6-1 205lbs / 13.7 points, 4.7 assists
SG – #31 Billy Humphrey Junior / 6-2 185lbs / 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds
SF – #30 Terrance Woodbury Junior / 6-7 210lbs / 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds
PF – #44 Dave Bliss Senior / 6-10 255lbs / 7.1 points, 4.4 rebounds
C – #45 Rashaad Singleton Junior / 7-0 255lbs / 3.4 points, 4.3 rebounds