Game Preview: Baylor vs. Grambling State, Dec. 19

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

BAYLOR (5-0) vs. GRAMBLING STATE (0-5)
Ferrell Center (10,284) - Waco, Texas
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2000 - 7:00 p.m. CST

THE GAME
Baylor returns home with hopes of extending its perfect 5-0 record when it hosts Grambling State in a Tuesday, Dec. 19, contest in Waco. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is set for 7 p.m. CST. Baylor moved to 5-0 with an 80-50 victory over Cal State Fullerton Saturday, the Bears' first road game of the season. Grambling State is 0-5 on the season, most recently dropping an 86-78 decision to Alabama A&M last Saturday in Huntsville, Ala. The Bears are in the second year of the Dave Bliss era and their 95th year of men's basketball in 2000-2001. Baylor owns an all-time record of 949-1,077 in 94 seasons of basketball.

HEAD COACH DAVE BLISS
Dave Bliss was handed the reigns of Baylor basketball on March 23, 1999, and given the task of rebuilding a program that had finished the 1998-99 season without a Big 12 Conference win. Bliss proceeded to guide the Bears to a 14-15 record in 1999-2000, which was an eight game turnaround from the previous season - the 10th-best turnaround in Division I basketball last year.

Bliss, in his second season at Baylor, is a 26-year coaching veteran and ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in victories with 484. The former head coach at New Mexico, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma owns a career record of 481-286 (.627). He has led teams to 15 postseason tournament appearances, including 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Five times Bliss has been honored as his conference's coach of the year, and he is one of only 23 Division I coaches ever to have taken three different schools to the NCAA Tournament (UNM, SMU, OU).

BLISS vs. GRAMBLING STATE
Dave Bliss-coached teams have never played against Grambling State.

THE GRAMBLING STATE SERIES
Baylor and Grambling State have never met on the hardcourt.

THE GRAMBLING STATE TIGERS
Grambling State (0-5) is led by Larry Wright, an alumnus in his second year as a head coach. Wright owns a 1-35 career record in two seasons at GSU.

GSU NOTES: The Tigers are led by freshman Paul Haynes, who is averaging 15.2 points through five games... Grambling is a Division I program in the Southwest Athletic Conference... The Tigers finished 0-18 in the SWAC in 1999-2000.

THE LAST TIME OUT - CAL STATE FULLERTON
Chad Elsey scored 20 points off the bench and Terry Black had 16 points and seven rebounds Saturday night to lead Baylor to an 80-50 non-conference rout of Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym. Elsey, making his Baylor debut after transferring from SMU and sitting out a year to establish eligibility, scored 16 points in the first half after hitting 4-of-4 3-pointers. Elsey finished with five rebounds, four assists and two steals, without a turnover. The Bears got 13 points from DeMarcus Minor and 10 from Wendell Greenleaf to improve to 5-0. The Titans got 15 points from Josh Fischer but fell to 1-6 after suffering their worst home loss since a 106-74 defeat to New Mexico State on Feb. 2, 1995. The Bears led 47-21 at the half, and held the Titans scoreless through the first 8:38 of the second half. Baylor led by as much as 41, at 62-21, before a Fischer 3-pointer ended the Bears' 15-0 run with 11:22 to play. Fullerton held an early 7-5 lead before the Bears went on a 10-2 run for a 15-9 lead with 11:37 to go in the half. Baylor stretched a 17-14 lead to 33-15, holding Fullerton without a field goal for 7:26. The Titans committed 13 turnovers in the half against the Baylor zone and hit only 8 of 21 shots and 2 of 5 free throw attempts. Baylor hit 6-of-11 3-point tries in the half including 4-for-4 by Elsey, who had 16 points at halftime.

BAYLOR vs. SWAC
The Bears own an all-time record of 15-0 against teams currently in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, including a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff this season. Baylor has never lost vs. SWAC teams, having played seven of the SWAC's 10 teams.

BAYLOR vs. NON-CONFERENCE FOES
Including wins in its first five games, Baylor has compiled a 14-2 record vs. non-conference opponents under head coach Dave Bliss (The Bears recorded a 9-2 non-conference record last season). Additionally, Baylor has won eight straight non-conference home games, dating back to last season.

ELSEY GUNS DOWN FULLERTON IN DEBUT
In his first game played at Baylor, and his first collegiate action in more than a year, junior Chad Elsey came off the bench to score a game-high 20 points and lead the Bears to an 80-50 victory over Cal State Fullerton Saturday. Elsey, a transfer from Southern Methodist who sat out last season and the first semester this year establishing his eligibility, hit 4-of-5 3-point shots and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. He added five rebounds, four assists and two steals without a turnover, in his debut.

THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE LAND
Baylor, which has yet to surrender more than 57 points through four games this season, leads the nation in scoring defense (through games of 12/17/00). The Bears' 50.0 points-against average is currently No.1 among all Division I schools.

BEARS DOMINATE BIG 12 DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
Baylor currently leads the Big 12 Conference in four key defensive categories. In addition to their No. 1 ranking in scoring defense (50.0, also first nationally), the Bears top the conference in field goal percentage defense (32.8%), steals (11.6) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.2%).

DEADLY FROM THE LINE
Baylor has excelled from the free throw line during this young season, boasting the second-best percentage in the conference, 77.5 (69-for-89), from the charity stripe. That figure ranks 17th nationally among Division I schools. The Bears are led by true freshman Matt Sayman (7-for-7), junior Chad Elsey (4-for-4), and senior DeMarcus Minor (second in Big 12 with 92.3%, 24-for-26).

BEST START SINCE...
Baylor's perfect 5-0 record marks its best season start in a decade, since the 1990-91 Bears opened the season 6-0. The 1990-91 squad won six straight before dropping its next two games.

ONLY 4 SCHOOLS BOAST PERFECT HOOP SQUADS
Baylor University is one of only four schools in the nation that has yet to suffer a defeat - by either its men's or women's basketball team. Only four institutions - Alabama, Baylor, Mississippi and Tennessee - boast undefeated squads in both sports (through games of 12/17/00). In addition to the 5-0 record Baylor's men own, the Lady Bears are a perfect 7-0 this season.

A PERFECT RECORD
Baylor is one of 16 Division I schools to boast an undefeated record (through games of 12/17/00).

BEARS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN SCORING MARGIN
Baylor has accumulated a 29.2 scoring margin in five wins this season, and ranks No. 3 nationally in the category (trailing only Alabama [31.0] and Stanford [29.5]). The Bears have posted four wins of 27-plus points on their way to a perfect 5-0 record.

BLACK IS BACK AND LEADING THE BEARS
Senior forward Terry Black has successfully met Bear fans' high expectations through the season's first five games, by posting two double-doubles and leading the Bears to five straight wins to open the 2000-2001 campaign. Black leads the team with an 18.2 scoring average and boasts the Big 12's second-highest rebounding average of 10.0. Black, an athletic playmaker, is in just his second season at Baylor, but is a co-captain and one of two seniors on the team. Black has started every game at Baylor and is a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Black has also been tabbed in preseason publications as the Big 12's "Top Defensive Player" (Preview Sports magazine), "Best Leaper" (The Sporting News), and most "Underrated" (Athlon Sports).

BLACK ATOP THE BIG 12 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Terry Black ranks among the Big 12 Conference leaders in seven major categories, and his is ranked in the top five of four lists. Black is currently ranked in rebounding (2nd, 10.0 rpg), steals (2nd, 2.8 spg), field goal percentage (3rd, 66.7%), scoring (5th, 18.2 ppg), blocks (12th, 1.0 bpg), assists-to-turnovers (14th, 1.33) and assists (15th, 3.2 apg). Black's 2.8 steals-per-game ranks eighth nationally.

THE WORKHORSE
Senior DeMarcus Minor is back to quarterback the Bears in 2000-2001 and through five games is averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 assists. Minor ranks second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (92.3%, 24-of-26) and sixth in assists (5.2 per game). Minor is the only Bear to have scored in double-digits in each of the first five games. The second-year player has started every game during his Baylor career, and last season led the squad with an amazing 38.4 minutes-per-game average en route to being named honorable mention all-Big 12. This season the former transfer, who played at Marquette and Barton County Community College, has been projected a third-team all-Big 12 pick by Athlon's preseason publication.

ROOKIES IMPRESS
True freshmen Logan Kosmalski (6-8 forward) and Matt Sayman (6-3 guard) have made an immediate impact this season. Through five games, all wins, Kosmalski has earned five starts and is averaging 8.2 points in 28.8 minutes per game. Sayman has three starts, and is averaging 5.2 points in 23.4 minutes. Additionally, Kosmalski (Euless [Texas] HS) is averaging 5.4 rebounds and is shooting 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the free throw line. Sayman (The Colony [Texas] HS) is third on the team in 3-point percentage (35.7%) and has tallied 13 assists and seven steals.

GREENLEAF PROVIDING OFFENSE
In four games played, sophomore Wendell Greenleaf ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game. He is ranked 18th in the Big 12 in scoring. His 3.0 3-pointers per-game (12-for-39) leads the Big 12. Greenleaf averaged 4.1 points as a true freshman last season.

OTHORO OUT WITH BROKEN TOE
Sophomore Steven Othoro, who played his finest collegiate game in this season's opening-game win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, has sat out the last four games with a broken toe on his right foot. Othoro injured the toe at the end of the victory over UAPB Nov. 22. In just 16 minutes played vs. the Golden Lions, Othoro posted career highs in points (14), rebounds (8) and blocks (2), and hit 6-of-7 field goals. Othoro is expected to begin practicing this week.

STRESS FRACTURE SIDELINES FLIPPEN
Sophomore John Flippen is sidelined with an injury to his ankle. The 7-foot-2 center was diagnosed with a stress fracture, and is likely to miss several games. Flippen, who played in only two games (12 minutes) this season, is not expected back until January.

A GRUELING 18-DAY STRETCH FOR BEARS
The Bears are in the midst of an 18-day period in which they play seven games ( Dec. 16 at Cal State Fullerton to Jan. 2 vs. Texas Southern). Baylor's record is 1-0 during that stretch.

LOTS OF NEW BRUINS
The 2000-2001 Baylor roster includes six new players: three true freshman (Michael DeGrate, Logan Kosmalski and Matt Sayman), two Division I transfers (R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry), and one junior college transfer (Shon Robinson). Guinn and Henry will sit out the 2000-2001 season to comply with the NCAA transfer policy. Also seeing their first game action in Green and Gold this season are former transfers Greg Davis, Chad Elsey and Andre White. All three sat out last season at Baylor to gain eligibility.

TRANSFERS
The 2000-2001 Bear squad boasts four players who transferred to Baylor from Division I schools, and a fifth who previously played at a DI institution. A sixth transferred from a DIII school. The players are:

    Player      Prev. School    Status    Greg Davis  New Mexico  Junior forward    Chad Elsey  SMU     Junior guard    R.T. Guinn  New Mexico  redshirt    Kevin Henry    New Mexico  redshirt    DeMarcus Minor  Marquette*  Senior guard    Andre White    Hardin-Simmons  Soph. guard

* Minor played as a freshman (1997-98) at Marquette before transferring to Barton County Community College.

RECRUITING CLASS EARNS NATIONAL PRAISE
Baylor's 2001 recruiting class has garnered some early accolades from various publications. The class is made up of three high school players inked in the early signing period, Dandrick Jones, Lawrence Roberts and Kenny Taylor. The Baylor class was rated 25th nationally by Rivals100Hoops.com, and No. 32 in the nation by HoopScoop. Rivals noted, "Roberts, Taylor headline outstanding group for Bliss." The Sporting News, which included transfers R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry (who will be eligible for the 2001-2002 season) when judging the recruits, rated Baylor's class as the third-best in the Big 12. (detailed information on November's early signees included later in notes)

FERRELL CENTER'S 13th YEAR
The Bears are in their 13th season in the beautiful Ferrell Center. The Bears own a 106-77 all-time record in the arena, which opened in November 1988. The Ferrell Center is a golden-domed structure that seats 10,284 for basketball games. In the 2000 offseason, the Ferrell Center underwent various renovations, including: an expanded locker room, completely new offices for the basketball staff, upgraded audio-visual center, refinished playing court, and renovated weight room.

GOBAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.GoBaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the FANSonly Network. FANSonly currently hosts sites for more than 80 schools, including six institutions of the Big 12 Conference.

OVER THE AIR
Bear basketball games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The flagship station is KRZI-AM (1660/1580) in Waco. Selected BU games will be broadcast on Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WBAP News/Talk 820, which covers 80 percent of the nation during night games. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris. Morris is a veteran broadcaster in his sixth season behind the mic at Baylor. Former Baylor basketball standout Pat Nunley is in his 19th season as color analyst for Bear broadcasts.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE NET
The radio broadcast from all Baylor basketball games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

NATION'S LONGEST-STANDING COACHING DUO
Baylor boasts Division I basketball's longest-tenured current coaching tandem. Bear assistant coach Doug Ash has been Dave Bliss' top aide for all 26 years Bliss has been a collegiate head coach. The Bliss and Ash duo began at Indiana University in the early 1970s when both were assistants under Bobby Knight. When Bliss became head coach at Oklahoma in 1975, he took Ash with him. The pair has been together ever since, at SMU, New Mexico, and Baylor.

PRESEASON HONORS
The Bears have been honored by preseason prognosticators, led by senior forward Terry Black. Black was projected a third-team All-Big 12 selection, and the conference's "Most Versatile" player by Lindy's preseason publication. He was also named the Big 12's "Top Defensive Player" by Preview Sports magazine. The Sporting News tabbed Black the "Best Leaper" in the Big 12, and Athlon Sports selected him the most "Underrated" player in the conference. Senior point guard DeMarcus Minor was selected a preseason third-team All-Big 12 player by Athlon Sports.

BIG-12 PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
Baylor's 2000-2001 edition has been projected in preseason polls to finish anywhere from eighth to 11th in the Big 12 Conference. The league's coaches picked the Bears to finish 11th in preseason balloting, as did the conference media. The highest projected finish for Baylor was eighth, by both Preview Sports magazine, and ESPN.com.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, airs weekly throughout Central Texas and other regional outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays while Fox shows it at 1 p.m. each Wednesday.

THE LOBO TRANSFERS
As has been well documented, the Baylor roster includes three former players from the University of New Mexico, where Dave Bliss and his staff previously coached. The players, junior Greg Davis, sophomore R.T. Guinn and senior Kevin Henry, were all recruited by Bliss' UNM staff. Davis, the Bears' current starter at center, is the only former Lobo playing this season after sitting out 1999-2000 at Baylor. Guinn (who was recruited by - but never played for - Bliss at UNM) and Henry are sitting out this season to comply with the NCAA transfer policy. All three players were starters at New Mexico.

BEARS ADD 3 EARLY SIGNEES
Baylor has signed three early signees, all from the state of Texas, to national letters of intent during the early signing period: Dandrick Jones, a guard from Kimball High School in Dallas, Lawrence Roberts, a forward from Lamar High School in Houston, and Kenny Taylor, a guard from Willowridge High School in Sugar Land, Texas.

Jones, a 6-3, 185-pound guard, was an All-District 11-5A selection last year as a junior on a 22-12 Kimball squad that reached the playoffs. He averaged 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 2000. Listed as the 12th best prospect in Texas by TexasHoops, Jones also received High Honorable Mention All-America status in Street & Smith's College Basketball magazine. He was listed among the top seniors nationally by Athlon Sports preseason publication.

Roberts, a 6-8, 220-pound forward, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as a junior at Lamar in 2000. One of the most sought-after forwards in the nation, Roberts is rated the No. 5 prospect in the state of Texas by TexasHoops entering his senior season. Athlon Sports included Roberts on its list of the nation's Top 20 Power Forwards in its preseason publication. He was rated the No. 14 power forward nationally by FastBreak Recruiting.com. Roberts was listed No. 86 on Lindy's magazine's Top 100 Seniors nationally.

The 6-3, 175-pound Taylor averaged 14 points and three assists as a junior for state champion Willowridge last season. Taylor led WHS to a 36-1 record and the Class 5A state title in 2000. TexasHoops rated Taylor the No. 13 prospect in Texas entering his senior season. Taylor was also listed among the High Honorable Mention All-America status in Street & Smith's College Basketball preview and among the nation's top seniors by Athlon Sports magazine.

BAYLOR EARLY SIGNEES

Name            Pos.    Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (High School)Dandrick Jones          G   6-3 185 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Kimball HS)Lawrence Roberts    F   6-8 220 Fr. Houston, Texas (Lamar HS)Kenny Taylor            G   6-3 175 Fr. Sugar Land, Texas (Willowridge HS)

UP NEXT...
Baylor returns home to host Liberty, Thursday, Dec. 21, in its third game in six days. Tipoff at the Ferrell Center is set for 7 p.m. CST.

Game Preview: Baylor vs. Grambling State, Dec. 19

Related News

Related Videos

Promotional Background Photo

Footer