UNO vs. San Diego
Fri., Nov. 25, 2011 • 4:30 p.m. CST • Fogelman Arena
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UNO vs. Tulane
Sat., Nov. 26, 2011 • 7 p.m. CST • Fogelman Arena • WGSO 990 AM
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UNO vs. Alcorn State
Sun., Nov. 27, 2011 • 2 p.m. CST • Lakefront Arena • WGSO 990 AM
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NEW ORLEANS – There will be no break for the University of New Orleans men's basketball team over the Thanksgiving weekend as they prepare to face three opponents over three days in the Hoops for Hope Classic.
Winners of their last three contests including a Monday victory over Tennessee Temple in the opener of the multi-team tournament, UNO (3-2) will continue tournament play against San Diego at Fogelman Arena at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
The Privateers will then play Tulane on Saturday at Fogelman at 7 p.m. before heading back to the Lakefront for a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday against Alcorn State.
A total of 10 players on the UNO roster have averaged at least 10 minutes per game and heading into a weekend in which the team will play three contests in less than 72 hours, head coach
Mark Slessinger will look to those fresh legs as the weekend wears on.
Slessinger has no problem relying on his depth as the offensive production has come from many different corners of the floor. A total of eight players have scored in double-digits through five contests with
Antonio Holmes and
Darrell Williams joining the club on Monday.
Of the group,
Lovell Cook has the hottest hand. The product of Warren Easton has reached double-figures in three of the last four contests while connecting on 17 of 35 attempts from the field in the last three games alone.
Cook is the leading scorer on the season with 10.2 points per game with
Antonio Wertz right behind him at 8.6 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds. Other scorers with at least eight points per contest on average are
Generra Varmall and
Albert Peterson with 8.4 and 8.0, respectively.
UNO's first opponent of the weekend is a USD (2-1) squad that had its season-opening two-game winning streak snapped earlier in the week with a loss at home to Montana. The high-powered Torero offense is shooting 45.3 percent for the season and has averaged six made three-pointers per contest.
Freshman Johnny Dee is the leading scorer with 18 points per game. The son of former NFL player Donnie Dee scored 22 points in his first collegiate game against Stephen F. Austin, before pouring in 23 points two days later.
The Privateers and Tulane are long-time rivals with the all-time series knotted at 23 games apiece. The Green Wave enter the weekend 4-0 for the first time since 2001-02 and have lost eight of the last 11 against UNO.
Kendall Timmons has reached double-figures in 46 games during his Tulane career and is the leading scorer for second-year head coach Ed Conroy with 17.5 points per contest. Timmons' totals on the season include a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds in a Tuesday victory at Navy.
ASU (1-2) is the final foe for UNO and has lost their last two games, setbacks against West Virginia and Kent State. The Braves won their season opener against NAIA foe Blue Mountain College.
Marquiz Baker is the focal point for the ASU offense, scoring 18.7 points per game while taking his fair share of the Braves' field goal attempts. Baker is shooting at 34 percent clip from the field.
Following the weekend's tournament, the Privateers will play at their third in-city venue in a span of six days as they venture to 'The Battlefield' to face Dillard for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Thursday. The game is the second half of a doubleheader with the UNO women's basketball team.
2011 Hoops for Hope Classic Schedule
Monday, Nov. 21 (Lakefront Arena)
New Orleans 71-57 Tennessee-Temple
Friday, Nov. 25 (Fogelman Arena)
New Orleans vs San Diego, 4:30 p.m.
Tulane vs. Alcorn State, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 26 (Fogelman Arena)
Alcorn State vs San Diego, 4:30 p.m.
New Orleans vs. Tulane, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 27
New Orleans vs Alcorn State, 2 p.m. (Lakefront Arena)
Tulane vs San Diego, 6 p.m. (New Orleans Arena)
