Kent State To Honor 2002 Elite Eight Team Sunday Against South Florida On ESPNU
12/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Complete Notes in .pdf
The Game
Following a challenging two-game road swing to the south, Kent State (7-3) welcomes a return to the M.A.C. Center on Sunday. The Golden Flashes are set to pay tribute to the 2002 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Team as they welcome former Head Coach Stan Heath and his South Florida (5-4) team to Ohio. Heath will be making his first appearance on the sidelines of the M.A.C. Center since he left the school after leading the Golden Flashes to a 30-6 record and a No. 12 ESPN.USA Today Coaches Poll final ranking during that memorable 2001-02 season.
The return home could not come at a better time for the Kent State which averaged just 55.5 points per game on the trip down south. Winners of 13 straight at home, the Golden Flashes look revitalize the offense and end the first two game losing streak for the program since January of last year, a span of 26 games.
Junior guard Carlton Guyton continued to stay hot from the outside in the 65-52 loss at Florida on Thursday. Guyton, who tied for the team lead with 14 points, connected on 4-6 from beyond the arc and is shooting 11-18 (61.1 percent) from three in the last three games. He leads the team and ranks second in the Mid-American Conference with 23 three-pointers. Junior forward Justin Greene also had 14 points as he notched his 12th consecutive double-digit game dating back to last season. Greene is shooting 59.5 percent from the field and has made 11 straight free throws where he is shooting 79.6 percent. A threat on the defensive end as well, Greene leads the team with 15 blocked shots and need just four more to move into 10th place on Kent State's career blocks list.
South Florida is returning to action for the first time since a 50-42 loss at Florida Atlantic on Dec. 4. The Bulls are 0-2 on the road this season. Gus Gilchrist leads the team with 10.7 ppg while Jawanza Poland is averaging 10.4 ppg.
TV / Radio
ESPNU (Jim Barber & Mark Adams)
WNIR 100.1 FM (Ty Linder)
Tickets/Promotions
Get Your Free 2001-02 Team Commemorative Poster at the Door!
General Admission tickets available for $5.00
Hot Dogs and Cokes available for $1.00 each
Call 330-672-2244 for more information
Next Up For Kent State
Kent State takes a nine-day break for finals before returning to action at home on Tuesday, Dec. 21 against Youngstown State.
Quick Flashes
• The Golden Flashes have won 13 straight at home which ties them for the 13th longest active streak in the country as of Dec. 10.
• Kent State has racked up 492 home wins since the M.A.C. Center opened in 1960, including a 150-23 (.867) record since the start of the 1998-99 season (12+ years).
• Kent State is the top rebounding team in the Mid-American Conference averaging 39.4 rebounds a game.
• In the last four games Kent State has held the opposition to just 25.0 percent (17-68) shooting from three.
• The Golden Flashes are 6-2 this season when Justin Greene leads the team in scoring and have won 10 straight when he scores 20 or more.
Kent State-South Florida Series Notes
• South Florida won the only other meeting between the two schools 76-54 last year in Tampa.
• Since the Big East was founded in 1979, South Florida is just second Big East team to visit the M.A.C. Center and first ever to do so in the regular season. West Virginia, which defeated the Golden Flashes in the opening round of the 2004 NIT, is the only other team to play in the M.A.C. Center since the league was formed.
2001-02 Kent State Golden Flashes
Coach: Stan Heath
Record: 30-6
MAC Record: 17-1
MAC Regular Season Champions
MAC Tournament Champions
NCAA Tournament "Elite Eight"
• The 2001-02 Kent State men's basketball team turned in the best season in MAC history, with 30 wins and a 17-1 conference record
• Advanced to the NCAA Tournament "Elite Eight" with wins against three top-25 opponents; No. 20 Oklahoma State (69-61), No. 8 Alabama (71-58) and No. 7 Pittsburgh (78-73).
• It was the first MAC regular season championship in school history.
• The Golden Flashes won a MAC-record 21 consecutive games.
• Kent State was ranked 12th in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
• Trevor Huffman and Andrew Mitchell were named to the All-MAC First Team and Huffman earned his second straight MAC Tournament MVP honor
• Demetric Shaw won his second consecutive MAC Defensive Player of the Year award.
• Stan Heath also won MAC Coach of the Year honors.
Where Are They Now... A Look at What a Few Of The 2001-02 Golden Flashes Are Doing Now
Antonio Gates Tight End, San Diego Chargers
Trevor Huffman Playing in Belgium for Base Oostende
Andrew Mitchell Playing in Sweden for Norrkoping Dolphins
Demetric Shaw Playing in Mexico for Fuerza Regia Monterrey
Anthony Wilkins Played the 2010 season for the Decatur Court Kings in the WBA Exposure League
John Edwards Played the 2009-10 season for the Bakersfield Jam in the NBDL
Nate Gerwig Played the 2009-10 season in Germany
Eric Haut Assistant Coach at TCU
