University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball Year in Review
4/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 7, 2015
Armelin Named C-USA Player of the Week
· Southern Miss senior guard Chip Armelin was named Conference USA's Player of the Week on Jan. 5.
· Armelin averaged 25.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in games against LSU and Louisiana Tech. He also connected on 63.3% (19-of-30) from the floor, 64.3% (9-of-14) from three and 100.0% (4-of-4).
· Armelin began the week at LSU, scoring a career-high 28 points, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds and two steals. The Sulpher, La., native also set career-highs by going 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from three.
· He followed that up by scoring 23 points against Louisiana Tech.
Armelin Named Howell Trophy Finalist
· Southern Miss senior guard Chip Armelin was named one of three finalists for the Bailey Howell Trophy, awarded each year to the top men's collegiate basketball player in Mississippi.
· It is the fifth straight year that a Golden Eagle has been named a finalist, as Armelin joins Gary Flowers (2011), Neil Watson (2012 & 2014) and Dwayne Davis (2013) on that list.
Shocker on Senior Day
· On February 28, Southern Miss came back from a 24-point second half deficit to defeat UTEP, 63-60.
· It was the largest comeback in school history, topping a 21-point comeback at Cincinnati in 1989.
· Over the final 11 minutes, the Golden Eagles outscored UTEP, 35-8.
· Southern Miss trailed 52-28 with 11:39 to play.
· In fact, Southern Miss still trailed 55-38 with 6:51 to play and 58-45 with 4:35 remaining.
· Over the first 24 minutes, the Golden Eagles shot just 23.3% (7-of-30) from the field. However, over the final 16 minutes, Southern Miss connected on 63.6% (14-of-22), including its final seven shots.
A Tale of Two Halves
· In the first half this year, Southern Miss routinely started off slow. However, the Golden Eagles, more often than not, picked up their game in the second half.
· Below is a chart showing the difference for Southern Miss in the first and second halves this year.
Triple Threat
· Chip Armelin (15.8), Matt Bingaya (13.8) and Norville Carey (10.8) combined to average 40.4 points per game for Southern Miss.
· Combined, the trio scored 65.0% of the teams 60.1 points per game, tops of any trio in Conference USA.
· It also tied the eighth largest percentage of any trio in the country.
· Iona's A.J. English, David Laury and Schadrac Casimir led the country, scoring 67.1% of their team's points.
· Below were the top trios by percentage in the country.
Dynamic Duo
· The duo of Chip Armelin and Matt Bingaya proved to be one of the top twosomes in Conference USA this season.
· Together, Armelin (15.8) and Bingaya (13.8) combined to average 29.6 points per game, approximately 49.3% of the team's points per game average.
· Armelin and Bingaya ranked as the fifth-best scoring duo in C-USA this year. Below are the top five scoring combinations in Conference USA.
Home Sweet Home
· Over the last three-plus years, Southern Miss has taken care of business on its home court.
· The Golden Eagles are 52-9 since 2011 in Reed Green Coliseum, a winning percentage of .852.
· Since 2011, Southern Miss 26-7 (.788) in home conference games.
Southern Miss One Of Least Experienced Teams in Division I
· For the third straight year, Southern Miss was one of the least experienced teams in Division I. The Golden Eagles had just eight years of Division I experience on the roster, led by senior Chip Armelin with three years.
· However, two of those years came at Minnesota.
· Below is a list of schools with the fewest years of Division I experience.
Shuffling the Starters
· Head coach Doc Sadler used 10 different starting lineups in this year.
· Chip Armelin was the only Golden Eagle to start all 29 contests.
· Below is a breakdown of the different lineups used and the record of each lineup:
Price to Sit Out Due To Transfer Rules
· Khari Price joins the Golden Eagles after spending the last two seasons at Dayton.
· Due to the NCAA Transfer Rules, the Slidell, La., native will have to sit out the 2014-15 season. He will have two years to play.
· Last year, Price averaged 22.4 minutes, 6.2 points and 1.8 assists, while connecting on 88.3-percent of his free throws (53-of-60).
· He also finished 11th in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal percentage, hitting on 39.0-percent (46-of-118) from behind the arc.
· As a freshman, he earned Dayton's Best Defender Award.
Non-Conference Success
· Since the inception of Conference USA, Southern Miss has had the best record against non-conference opponents among current C-USA teams.
· In the past 20 years, the Golden Eagles are 182-90 (.669) in non-conference games.
· In fact, Southern Miss has won 41 of its last 43 non-conference home games.
Wins vs. Losses
· In its nine victories this year, Southern Miss has dominated the stat sheet, especially in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and rebounding.
· However, in its 20 losses, the Golden Eagles struggled in all three categories.
· Below is a breakdown of Southern Miss and its opponents' field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and rebounding in their wins and losses.
Consecutive Games With A Three
· Southern Miss has connected on at least one three-pointer in the last 171 games. It is the second longest three-point streak in school history.
· The Golden Eagles last went without a trey on March 10, 2010 against Tulane in the Conference USA Tournament.
· UNLV currently holds the nation's longest streak at 941 consecutive games.
· Southern Miss' longest streak with a three-pointer is 188 games, from March 15, 1990 until January 25, 1997.
· UNLV (941) and Vanderbilt (931) are the only two schools to have made at least one three-pointer in every game since the NCAA adopted the three-point line prior to the 1986-87 season.
Most Familiar Foes
· The Golden Eagles faced three of their top-10 most common opponents in the 2014-15 season.
· Below is a look at Southern Miss' most familiar foes in school history (2014-15 opponents are italicized).
Longest Win Streaks vs. One Opponent
· Southern Miss has extended four of its top 13 longest winning streaks in school history.
· The Golden Eagles' defeated Spring Hill on Dec. 13 to extend their school record 19-game winning streak against the Badgers.
· Southern Miss knocked off Troy on Nov. 25 to defeat them for the 13th straight time, the second longest winning streak in school history.
· Southern Miss also beat William Carey (Nov. 14) and North Texas (Jan. 24) to extend winning streaks to nine games.
· Below is a list of the top 13 winning streaks against Division I opponents all-time (2014-15 opponents are italicized).
Southern Miss Signs JuCo Standout
· Southern Miss signed junior college guard Lorenzo Bonam to a grant-in-aid for the 2015-16 season.
· Bonam averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals in 35 games this year at Gillette College. He connected on 60.3% from the field, 31.0% from three and 75.0% from the free throw line.
· Bonam's performance was named Third Team NJCAA All-American
· Last year, Bonham led the Pronghorns to a 29-4 record. He played in all 31 games, starting in 30 of them. He was an All-Region selection as well as all- Region IX Tournament, leading the Pronghorns to a runner-up finish.
· He averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes per game. Bonham was named the NJCAA Division I Player of the Week following his performances against Northwest College and Sheridan College, averaging 24.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Southern Miss Season Leaders
2014-15 Southern Miss Men's Basketball Year in Review. The Golden Eagles had some exciting victories, including a last-second victory against Troy, overtime at North Texas and the largest comeback in school history versus UTEP.
"Obviously, if you look at the season as only wins and losses, it's definitely not where we would have liked to finish. But, when you look at the total picture, and you see what these kids were up against and what obstacles that they faced, I was very pleased with them. They gave terrific effort and there wasn't any quit in them. At the end of the season, were were playing our best basketball. I think that's what every team should be judged on. Saying that, outside of the wins and losses, I was happy with them."
- Southern Miss head coach Doc Sadler on the the 2014-15 season
Southern Miss Celebrated 97th Season of Basketball
· Southern Miss finished its 97th season of basketball in 2014-15.
· The Golden Eagles have an all-time record of 1,213-1,023 (.542), which includes 144-172 (.456) in Conference USA action.
· Southern Miss also has a 297-363 (.450) mark all-time in conference play.
· USM has made 14 postseason appearances, including NCAA (3), NIT (10) and CBI (1).
Southern Miss in Conference USA
· Southern Miss is in its 20th season in Conference USA.
· The Golden Eagles hold an all-time record of 144-172 (.456).
· The 143 wins are the third-most all-time in C-USA behind Memphis (215) and UAB (183).
Armelin Tearing Up Conference USA
· Senior guard Chip Armelin played the best basketball of his career during Conference USA play.
· The senior averaged 18.1 points, which led the league in conference play, while adding 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals over that stretch.
· He also connecting on 47.3% from the floor and 37.0% from three.
· In fact, in the Sulpher, La., native is also leading the league in conference games in minutes played (38.4), while placing third in three-pointers made per game (2.4).
· He had his best game of the year on Jan. 24, scoring a career-high 30 points and pulling down seven rebounds while helping Southern Miss erase a 14-point second half deficit at North Texas in a 75-71 overtime victory that snapped a nine-game losing streak.
Armelin Joins Select Company
· Southern Miss senior guard Chip Armelin is having one of the best seasons in recent memory.
· Armelin is averaging 15.8 points per game, up from 4.8 last year and an increase of 11.2 points.
· The increase is the third largest in school history.
· In fact, he is just one of five players all-time to increase their points per game by at least 10.0 points in consecutive seasons.
| 1st Year | PPG | 2nd Year | PPG | Difference | |
| Darrin Chancellor | 1987-88 | 1.8 | 1988-89 | 20.6 | +18.8 |
| Don Curry | 1958-59 | 6.3 | 1959-60 | 18.2 | +11.9 |
| Chip Armelin | 2013-14 | 4.8 | 2014-15 | 15.8 | +11.0 |
| Bernard Haslett | 1991-92 | 8.5 | 1992-93 | 18.9 | +10.4 |
| Derrek Hamilton | 1984-85 | 2.8 | 1985-86 | 13.0 | +10.2 |
Armelin Named C-USA Player of the Week
· Southern Miss senior guard Chip Armelin was named Conference USA's Player of the Week on Jan. 5.
· Armelin averaged 25.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in games against LSU and Louisiana Tech. He also connected on 63.3% (19-of-30) from the floor, 64.3% (9-of-14) from three and 100.0% (4-of-4).
· Armelin began the week at LSU, scoring a career-high 28 points, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds and two steals. The Sulpher, La., native also set career-highs by going 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from three.
· He followed that up by scoring 23 points against Louisiana Tech.
Armelin Named Howell Trophy Finalist
· Southern Miss senior guard Chip Armelin was named one of three finalists for the Bailey Howell Trophy, awarded each year to the top men's collegiate basketball player in Mississippi.
· It is the fifth straight year that a Golden Eagle has been named a finalist, as Armelin joins Gary Flowers (2011), Neil Watson (2012 & 2014) and Dwayne Davis (2013) on that list.
Shocker on Senior Day
· On February 28, Southern Miss came back from a 24-point second half deficit to defeat UTEP, 63-60.
· It was the largest comeback in school history, topping a 21-point comeback at Cincinnati in 1989.
· Over the final 11 minutes, the Golden Eagles outscored UTEP, 35-8.
· Southern Miss trailed 52-28 with 11:39 to play.
· In fact, Southern Miss still trailed 55-38 with 6:51 to play and 58-45 with 4:35 remaining.
· Over the first 24 minutes, the Golden Eagles shot just 23.3% (7-of-30) from the field. However, over the final 16 minutes, Southern Miss connected on 63.6% (14-of-22), including its final seven shots.
A Tale of Two Halves
· In the first half this year, Southern Miss routinely started off slow. However, the Golden Eagles, more often than not, picked up their game in the second half.
· Below is a chart showing the difference for Southern Miss in the first and second halves this year.
| FG% | Opp FG% | 3FG% | Opp 3FG% | FT% | Opp FT% | RPG | Opp RPG | |
| 1st Half | .411 | .465 | .340 | .386 | .583 | .668 | 14.3 | 17.3 |
| 2nd Half | .449 | .447 | .319 | .325 | .659 | .712 | 15.1 | 16.5 |
Triple Threat
· Chip Armelin (15.8), Matt Bingaya (13.8) and Norville Carey (10.8) combined to average 40.4 points per game for Southern Miss.
· Combined, the trio scored 65.0% of the teams 60.1 points per game, tops of any trio in Conference USA.
· It also tied the eighth largest percentage of any trio in the country.
· Iona's A.J. English, David Laury and Schadrac Casimir led the country, scoring 67.1% of their team's points.
· Below were the top trios by percentage in the country.
| 1. | A.J. English (20.1)/David Laury (19.8)/Schadrac Casimir (14.5) | Iona | .671 |
| 2. | Jeff Short (19.1)/Rashid Gaston (15.5)/D'Shon Taylor (13.0) | Norfolk State | .665 |
| 3. | Janari Joesaar (16.9)/Shaquille Boga (12.6)/Shaquille Hines (12.2) | UT-Pan American | .663 |
| 4. | Terran Petteway (18.2)/Shavon Shields (15.4)/Walter Pitchford (7.2) | Nebraska | .661 |
| 5. | Chasson Randle (19.6)/Anthony Brown (14.8)/Stefan Nastic (13.4) | Stanford | .660 |
| 6. | James Daniel (16.7)/James Carlton (15.9)/James Miller (11.5) | Howard | .659 |
| 7. | Matt Mobley (17.2)/Faronte Drakeford (12.9)/Khalen Cumberlander (9.9) | Central Connecticut State | .654 |
| 8. | Chip Armelin (15.8)/Matt Bingaya (13.8)/Norville Carey (10.8) | Southern Miss | .650 |
| Hanlan Olivier (19.5)/Aaron Brown (14.8)/Patrick Heckman (8.4) | Boston College | .650 | |
| 10. | Anthony Livingston (15.9)/Cameron Golden (13.7)/Sean Gardner (12.0) | Arkansas State | .646 |
Dynamic Duo
· The duo of Chip Armelin and Matt Bingaya proved to be one of the top twosomes in Conference USA this season.
· Together, Armelin (15.8) and Bingaya (13.8) combined to average 29.6 points per game, approximately 49.3% of the team's points per game average.
· Armelin and Bingaya ranked as the fifth-best scoring duo in C-USA this year. Below are the top five scoring combinations in Conference USA.
| 1. | Jeromie Hill (16.0)/Keon Lewis (15.4) | UTSA | 31.4 |
| 2. | T.J. Price (17.1)/George Fant (13.8) | Western Kentucky | 30.9 |
| 3. | Dennis Mavin (17.2)/Adrian Diaz (13.0) | FIU | 30.2 |
| 4. | Seth Gearhart (15.3)/Marcus Jackson (14.5) | Rice | 29.8 |
| 5. | Chip Armelin (15.8)/Matt Bingaya (13.8) | Southern Miss | 29.6 |
| Raheem Appleby (14.9)/Alex Hamilton (14.7) | Louisiana Tech | 29.6 |
Home Sweet Home
· Over the last three-plus years, Southern Miss has taken care of business on its home court.
· The Golden Eagles are 52-9 since 2011 in Reed Green Coliseum, a winning percentage of .852.
· Since 2011, Southern Miss 26-7 (.788) in home conference games.
Southern Miss One Of Least Experienced Teams in Division I
· For the third straight year, Southern Miss was one of the least experienced teams in Division I. The Golden Eagles had just eight years of Division I experience on the roster, led by senior Chip Armelin with three years.
· However, two of those years came at Minnesota.
· Below is a list of schools with the fewest years of Division I experience.
| 1. | Tennessee State | 4 |
| 2. | USF | 6 |
| 3. | UAB | 7 |
| 4. | Southern Miss | 8 |
| Illinois State | 8 | |
| Troy | 8 |
Shuffling the Starters
· Head coach Doc Sadler used 10 different starting lineups in this year.
· Chip Armelin was the only Golden Eagle to start all 29 contests.
· Below is a breakdown of the different lineups used and the record of each lineup:
| Eason | Bingaya | Millinghaus | Suarez | Armelin | 4-1 |
| Carey | Bingaya | Blevins | Holland | Armelin | 3-6 |
| Eason | Bingaya | Hayes | Suarez | Armelin | 1-4 |
| Eason | Carey | Bingaya | Suarez | Armelin | 1-3 |
| O'Donnell | Bingaya | Blevins | Holland | Armelin | 0-1 |
| Carey | O'Donnell | Blevins | Holland | Armelin | 0-1 |
| Eason | Carey | Blevins | Suarez | Armelin | 0-1 |
| Eason | Bingaya | Blevins | Suarez | Armelin | 0-1 |
| Eason | Carey | Millinghaus | Suarez | Armelin | 0-1 |
| Eason | Bingaya | Anglin | Suarez | Armelin | 0-1 |
Price to Sit Out Due To Transfer Rules
· Khari Price joins the Golden Eagles after spending the last two seasons at Dayton.
· Due to the NCAA Transfer Rules, the Slidell, La., native will have to sit out the 2014-15 season. He will have two years to play.
· Last year, Price averaged 22.4 minutes, 6.2 points and 1.8 assists, while connecting on 88.3-percent of his free throws (53-of-60).
· He also finished 11th in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal percentage, hitting on 39.0-percent (46-of-118) from behind the arc.
· As a freshman, he earned Dayton's Best Defender Award.
Non-Conference Success
· Since the inception of Conference USA, Southern Miss has had the best record against non-conference opponents among current C-USA teams.
· In the past 20 years, the Golden Eagles are 182-90 (.669) in non-conference games.
· In fact, Southern Miss has won 41 of its last 43 non-conference home games.
Wins vs. Losses
· In its nine victories this year, Southern Miss has dominated the stat sheet, especially in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and rebounding.
· However, in its 20 losses, the Golden Eagles struggled in all three categories.
· Below is a breakdown of Southern Miss and its opponents' field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and rebounding in their wins and losses.
| FG% | Opp FG% | 3FG% | Opp FG% | FT% | Opp FT% | RPG | Opp RPG | |
| Wins | .465 | .413 | .352 | .307 | .670 | .599 | 33.3 | 35.0 |
| Losses | .412 | .476 | .320 | .382 | .599 | .723 | 28.2 | 33.8 |
Consecutive Games With A Three
· Southern Miss has connected on at least one three-pointer in the last 171 games. It is the second longest three-point streak in school history.
· The Golden Eagles last went without a trey on March 10, 2010 against Tulane in the Conference USA Tournament.
· UNLV currently holds the nation's longest streak at 941 consecutive games.
· Southern Miss' longest streak with a three-pointer is 188 games, from March 15, 1990 until January 25, 1997.
· UNLV (941) and Vanderbilt (931) are the only two schools to have made at least one three-pointer in every game since the NCAA adopted the three-point line prior to the 1986-87 season.
Most Familiar Foes
· The Golden Eagles faced three of their top-10 most common opponents in the 2014-15 season.
· Below is a look at Southern Miss' most familiar foes in school history (2014-15 opponents are italicized).
| 1. | Memphis | 91 | 24-67 |
| 2. | Tulane | 77 | 37-40 |
| 3. | Louisiana Tech | 76 | 42-34 |
| 4. | Louisiana-Lafayette | 68 | 39-29 |
| Spring Hill | 68 | 51-17 | |
| 6. | Centenary | 60 | 30-30 |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 60 | 40-20 | |
| 8. | Northwestern State | 55 | 28-27 |
| 9. | Delta State | 48 | 28-20 |
| 10. | UAB | 44 | 17-27 |
Longest Win Streaks vs. One Opponent
· Southern Miss has extended four of its top 13 longest winning streaks in school history.
· The Golden Eagles' defeated Spring Hill on Dec. 13 to extend their school record 19-game winning streak against the Badgers.
· Southern Miss knocked off Troy on Nov. 25 to defeat them for the 13th straight time, the second longest winning streak in school history.
· Southern Miss also beat William Carey (Nov. 14) and North Texas (Jan. 24) to extend winning streaks to nine games.
· Below is a list of the top 13 winning streaks against Division I opponents all-time (2014-15 opponents are italicized).
| 1. | 19 | Spring Hill | Feb. 8 1966 - present |
| 2. | 13 | Troy | Jan. 21, 1950 - present |
| 3. | 11 | East Carolina | Feb. 17, 2009 - present |
| 11 | Alcorn State | Dec. 15, 1992 - present | |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | Jan. 11, 1990 - Feb. 5, 1994 | |
| 11 | Mississippi College | Jan. 23, 1946 - present | |
| 11 | Samford | Feb. 9, 1925 - Feb. 4, 1965 | |
| 8. | 9 | William Carey | Dec. 22, 2003 - present |
| 9 | North Texas | Jan. 24, 1984 - present |
Southern Miss Signs JuCo Standout
· Southern Miss signed junior college guard Lorenzo Bonam to a grant-in-aid for the 2015-16 season.
· Bonam averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals in 35 games this year at Gillette College. He connected on 60.3% from the field, 31.0% from three and 75.0% from the free throw line.
· Bonam's performance was named Third Team NJCAA All-American
· Last year, Bonham led the Pronghorns to a 29-4 record. He played in all 31 games, starting in 30 of them. He was an All-Region selection as well as all- Region IX Tournament, leading the Pronghorns to a runner-up finish.
· He averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 28.4 minutes per game. Bonham was named the NJCAA Division I Player of the Week following his performances against Northwest College and Sheridan College, averaging 24.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Southern Miss Season Leaders
| Scoring | Chip Armelin | 15.8 |
| Rebounding | Matt Bingaya | 5.9 |
| Assists | Matt Bingaya | 2.1 |
| Steals | Matt Bingaya | 1.3 |
| Blocks | Norville Carey | 25 |
| Field Goals | Chip Armelin | 170 |
| Field Goals Attempted | Chip Armelin | 364 |
| Field Goal Percentage | Norville Carey | .546 |
| 3-Point Field Goals | Chip Armelin | 61 |
| 3-Point Field Goals Attempted | Chip Armelin | 169 |
| 3-Point Field Goal Percentage | Chip Armelin | .361 |
| Free Throws | Matt Bingaya | 90 |
| Free Throw Attempted | Matt Bingaya | 132 |
| Free Throw Percentage | Matt Bingaya | .682 |
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballPostgame Press Conference - Southern Miss vs. James Madison (Sun Belt Tournament)
Friday, March 06
Full Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Old Dominion
Saturday, February 21
Full Game Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Troy
Sunday, February 15
Full Highlights - Southern Miss vs. South Alabama
Friday, February 13