Stan Plewe/Utah Tech Athletics

Men's Basketball 11/11/2010 10:35:18 PM John Potter, Assistant Sports Information

Men's Basketball Visits Disney for Tip-Off Classic

Three games in three days awaits DSC at Anaheim Convention Center

DSC RED STORM GAME NOTES - DISNEY CLASSIC

THIS WEEK: Dixie State College of Utah competes in the 2010 Disney Division-II West Coast Tip-Off Classic from the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The Red Storm will face the University of Alaska-Anchorage, the University of California – San Diego and Lewis University in the three-day event beginning Thursday, November 12.

RADIO: Live coverage from Anaheim will be heard on KXDS 91.3FM with the “Voice of Red Storm Athletics” John Potter. The Intermountain Sports Medicine Pregame Show begins 15 minutes before scheduled tip time.

ONLINE AUDIO: Online audio for DSC's games during the Disney Classic will be available on Classical 91.3FM's website (Dixie.edu/classical91) and Network1Sports.com's Dixie State radio page. Links for the Network1Sports feed are available on DixieAthletics.com.

ONLINE VIDEO: Sunday's game vs. Lewis will be streamed live by IBN Sports. The cost for the feed is $4.95 for all four Sunday games. Find the link for IBN at DixieAthletics.com on the homepage calendar.

LIVE STATS: The California Collegiate Athletic Association, the classic's host conference, will provide live stats for every game during the tournament. Visit DixieAthletics.com for links to the CCAA page with live stat access.

ALL-TIME SERIES:
Alaska-Anchorage: First Meeting
UC San Diego: First Meeting
Lewis: First Meeting

DSC PROBABLE STARTERS (2009-10 stats):
G – Jeremiah Barnes (Compton, CA/Los Altos), 6-1, 185, Sr. (8.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.4, apg, .469 FG, .250 3FG, .694 FT)
G – Donovan Plunkett (Oroville, CA/Las Plumas), 5-11, 165, Sr. (14.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, .478 FG, .441 3FG, .860 FG)
F – Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie), 6-6, 185, Sr. (16.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, .525 FG, .452 3FG, .825 FT)
F – Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney), 6-5, 220, Jr. (17.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg, .601 FG, .645 FT at Spokane CC)
C – Everton Araujo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Torquato Caleiro), 6-7, 235, Sr. (1.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, .303 FG, .556 FT)

THE OPPONENTS: Alaska-Anchorage had their NCAA Tournament bubble burst with a No. 9 West Region ranking after ending the season with a 17-10 record. The Seawolves return six players including two All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference performers – guard Brandon Walker (1st-team) and forward Casey Robinson. UAA received one first-place vote in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and have been slotted to finish fourth in the 10-team conference … UC San Diego looks to build from an 8-17 record and California Collegiate Athletic Association ninth-place finish. The Tritons, from La Jolla, CA, have two players back from their starting rotation – senior guard Casey Ryan (6.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and junior post Christian Hatch (8.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg). Coaches inside the CCAA have selected UCSD to finish 11th in a preseason poll … Lewis University, out of Romeoville, Illinois, may have finished below .500 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference last season, but the Flyers ended the overall campaign with a solid 17-12 record. Returning to the squad in All-GLVC honorable mention Chris McClellan, a point guard who averaged 14 ppg last year. The Flyers already have a marquee win on their resume defeating DePaul University in exhibition play.

2009-2010 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Red Storm had four goals entering the season – win 20 games, win the Pacific West Conference, earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament and never lose at home. All four goals were fulfilled on March 6 when Dixie State defeated Hawaii Pacific to notch win number 20, clinch a share of the Pac West title, punch a ticket to the dance and complete an undefeated 12-0 mark inside the Burns Arena. Additionally, head coach Jon Judkins posted his 350th career-coaching win when DSC defeated Cal State, Dominguez Hills on December 12. The magical season would end in the First Round of the NCAA Division-II Tournament as eventual national champion, Cal Poly Pomona, bested the No. 5-seed Storm 71-62. Junior forward Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) was a 1st Team All-Pac West selection while junior guard Donovan Plunkett (Oroville, CA/Las Plumas) made the 2nd Team and senior forward Andy Palmer (St. George. UT/Pine View) was an honorable mention.

2010-2011 PREVIEW: Dixie State returns two All-PWC starters and seven others who contributed key moments to last year's championship trip. Tom Whitehead (St. George, UT/Dixie) and Donovan Plunkett (Oroville, CA/Las Plumas) will be joined in the starting five by a pair of familiar faces – guard Jeremiah Barnes (Compton, CA/Los Altos) and center Everton Araujo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Torquato Caleiro). Barnes was the first man off the bench and provided an undeniable spark of energy. Araujo got valuable time on the floor in his first year out of Snow College. The fifth starter will be newcomer Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) (17.4 ppg, 6.8 ppg), a junior college transfer from Cheney, WA. Also returning for his senior season is guard/forward John Berger (Medford, OR/North Medford). All of the other returners are sophomores – three guards: McKay Massey (Payson, UT/Payson), Kacen Smith (Saint George, UT/Dixie) & Landon Clegg (Cedar Hills, UT/Lone Peak); forward Derek Owen (St George, UT/Dixie). Massey is a sharp-shooting threat while Smith is still recovering from a knee injury that limited him to only six games last year. Clegg and Owen are both returning to DSC off their LDS two-year missions. In 2008, Clegg was the Pac West Freshman of the Year averaging nearly seven points a game. Owen is a hometown alumnus of Dixie High School.

WHO'S NEW?: This year, the Red Storm welcomes four newcomers to the 13-man roster – three junior college transfers and one changing sports. Griffon Jones (Cheney, WA/Cheney) gets the starting nod at the power forward spot. He was the East Division MVP of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges for Spokane CC. He averaged over 17 points per game and pulled down nearly seven rebounds. Another new presence in the paint will be Solomon Jensen (Centerville, UT/Viewmont), a transfer from Salt Lake Community College. The 6-8 forward/center played in 27 games for the Bruins last season averaging seven points a game. At the guard spot is Maurice Cole (Norwalk, CA/Santa Fe) from Norwalk, CA. Last season he garnered all-conference recognition at Rio Hondo College, the same school former point guard Adam Ross (Torrance. CA/North Torrance ) attended before playing at DSC. Cole is expected be the backup point guard behind Barnes. Brett Adams (Sandy, UT/Alta) decided three years in a Dixie State baseball uniform was not enough. The school's only baseball All-American (3rd Team in 2010) has traded in spikes for sneakers and will use his fifth year of athletic eligibility to play hoops. The leader in almost every statistical category on the diamond, most don't realize Adams was an all-state player for Alta High School.

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