News and Events
[printer friendly version]posted on 10/8/09
Pumas to Open Season with Midnight Madness
Erica Blythe
Andrew Helmer
Saint Joseph's College head men's and women's basketball coaches Richard Davis and Brandon Turner have announced the first annual Midnight Madness. Marking the first official minute men's and women's teams are allowed to practice, the Pumas will open the 2009-10 campaign at Richard F. Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse October 15th.
Scheduled events for the evening are a three point contest as well as two intrasquad scrimmages. Members of the men's team will also compete in a dunk contest throughout the evening.
Doors will open at 11:30 p.m. CDT on Wednesday the 14th. A free Puma Pound T-shirt will be given to the first 100 students presenting a canned good as well as a SJC student identification card.
The much anticipated women's team returns a young core of players that got significant experience last season. Coach Turner has completed that group with an impressive group of transfers. Depth was an issue for SJC a season ago, who now have a deeper bench and look to be a viable threat in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Britney Cruse (So., Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) and Erica Blythe (So., Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) both average over 10 points a game and will continue to be the team's main distributors of the ball. Transfers Katherine Novak (So., Homer Glenn, Ill./Bradley) and Kimyatta Barksdale (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Moberly CC) will give SJC flexibility to put a taller lineup on the floor, along with last season's leading rebounder Erica Jiles (So., Indianapolis, Ind./Cardinal Ritter).
The men's team is coming off a season where they posted signature victories throughout the season defeating several top ranked teams but could not gain traction in the GLVC Tournament, losing to Northern Kentucky University 69-64 in the first round. SJC allowed just over 70 points per game last season, a statistic they look to improve upon as they move through the 2009-10 campaign.
Two mainstays in the starting lineup, Andrew Helmer (Sr., Highland, Ind./Highland) and Austin Peebles (Sr., Forsyth, Ill./Maroa-Forsyth) help form a team that won 15 games a year ago. Phillip Collins (RSo., Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) was inserted into the starting lineup early in the season and was second on the team in scoring, only behind Peebles with an average over 10 points a game. Jake Hassler's (So., Evansville, Ind./Mater Dei) role will expand this year as he will get an opportunity to be premier post player for the Pumas.
