University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Basketball Hosts Belhaven In Exhibition Opener
11/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Basketball Hosts Belhaven In Exhibition Opener HATTIESBURG, Miss.
The exhibition will be the first game action for Eustachy and company, who opened preseason practice on October 16. Eustachy, the 2000 National Coach of the Year and 2001 National Coach of the Year Runnerup, is the 18th head basketball coach in school history and begins his 14th season as a head coach on the Division I level with a career record of 260-145. He takes over a team that finished 13-15 overall last season and had a 6-10 record in Conference USA games.
Southern Miss features seven returning letterwinners and five incoming signees on the 15-man roster. Included among the returning starters are four players with nine or more starts last season, three-year starter Dante Stiggers, fellow senior David Haywood, juniors Jason Forte and Jasper Johnson, and sophomore Jarekus Singleton. Johnson returns as the leading scorer after posting a 12.7-points-per-game average last season, while also grabbing a 5.7 rebounds per game, the most among returning players.
Belhaven enters the game after posting a 9-20 overall record last season and had a 4-14 mark in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play. Under the direction of fourth-year Head Coach Dale Hatcher, the Blazers return four of the top five scorers from last season's squad. Senior forward/center Chris Smith is the team's returning leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Kirt Arceneaux also returns after averaging 9.8 points per game last season.
The Golden Eagles and the Blazers have officially met once before on Dec. 7, 1965, a game that saw Southern Miss take the win 100-77.
The game will only be broadcast locally on WXRR-FM Rock 104 (104.5) in Hattiesburg, the flagship station of the Southern Miss/ISP Sports Network. The Southern Miss broadcast team of the Voice of the Golden Eagles John Cox and color analyst Lance Pittman will call the action from Saturday's broadcast, which begins at 6:30 p.m., with the Golden Eagle Courtside Show.
Following Saturday's game, Southern Miss stays at home for the second exhibition game of the year, hosting West Alabama on Nov. 11. Belhaven opens its regular season two days earlier, taking on Wesley College at home on Nov. 9.
Season tickets remain available for the 2004-05 campaign. For more information or to place order for season tickets, call the Southern Miss Ticket Office, located in the Ferlise Center at 601-266-5418 or 1-800-844-TICK.
