Men's Basketball

Nov. 24, 1997

Arizona State Travels to New York to Face No. 2 Kansas In Chase NIT

• Arizona State vs. No. 2 Kansas (4-0)
• Wed., Nov. 26
• 8:30 EST/6:30 p.m. MST
• New York City
• KMVP 860 AM/ESPN

Sophomore guard Eddie House. (File Photo)

DEVILS FACE JAYHAWKS IN CHASE NIT: The Arizona State men's basketball team takes on the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 8:30 p.m. EST/6:30 p.m. MST at Madison Square Gardent in the semifinals of the Chase NIT. ASU topped Cincinnati 87-79 on Friday, Nov. 21 and topped Wagner 107-88 on Nov. 19 to advance to New York City. ASU (3-0) is led by senior Jeremy Veal, who averaged 18.7 points per game last year en route to earning All-Pac-10 honors and posted 32 points against Cal State Northridge on Nov. 16 and 25 points and five assists at Cincinnati. The Sun Devils have just eight healthy scholarship players available for the season, as 6-8 sophomore Okeme Oziwo is out for season with injuries suffered in an August car accident. The winner/loser of the KU/ASU game will play the winner/loser of the UConn/Florida State game on Friday, Nov. 28 in the NIT consolation/championship games.

SUN DEVIL QUICK NOTES: Mike Batiste is 23-of-32 (.719) from the floor on the year, while Bobby Lazor is 23-of-34 (.676)...ASU is 4-3 vs. Kansas, last facing the Jayhawks in 1990-91 and beating KU in Tempe 70-68...ASU is 5-8 in its history on ESPN, including winning the Maui Invitational in 1994...the last two times ASU has started the season 3-0, it has advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1990-91 and 1994-95), ASU's only NCAA appearances since 1980-81...this year also marks just the third time in the past 10 seasons ASU has started 3-0. The last time was in 1994-95, when ASU won the Maui Invitational and advanced the Sweet Sixteen and ended the season 24-9. ASU also was 3-0 in 1990-91, when it ended 20-10 overall, and lost to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In 1987-88, ASU started 3-0 but ended the season 13-16...Bobby Lazor has posted three straight 20-point games to start the year...the Cincinnati win ended a 12-game road loss streak for ASU, with its last road win on Feb. 15, 1996 (69-66 at USC)...ASU had two birthdays happening at tip-off (midnight) vs. UC, as Mike Batiste turned 20 on Nov. 21 and Don Newman turned 40 on Nov. 22.

SHOOTING THE BALL: ASU has shot at least 50 percent in its three games this year. It marks the first time ASU has shot at least 50 percent in three straight games since March of 1995...ASU had shot 50 percent just eight times in the past two seasons entering 1997...ASU is shooting 75-of-91 (.824) from the FT line after shooting 66.5 percent last year.

THE FIRST TWO GAMES: Junior Mike Batiste had the best game of his 24-game career with a 36-point, 20-rebound effort in the Nov. 19 win over Wagner in Tempe...Batiste was 13-of-15 from the floor and 10-of-13 from the line...Junior Bobby Lazor added 26 points and was perfect in eight free throw attempts...senior Ahlon Lewis had 13 assists, just one shy of the school record...ASU topped Northridge 97-91 on Nov. 16 in Tempe as Jeremy Veal led the way with a career-high 32 points...it was the third 30-point game of Veal's career...Bobby Lazor posted 22 points and six boards in his Sun Devil debut...Mike Batiste added 14 points, seven boards and six blocks...ASU made 17-of-21 (.810) FTs in the second half.

VEAL IN GOOD COMPANY: Jeremy Veal finished in the league's top five in both scoring (4th/18.7 ppg) and assists (T5th/4.7), becoming only the fourth Pac-10 player to accomplish the feat since 1983. The others are all NBA stars: Damon Stoudamire (1993-94 and 1994-95), Terrell Brandon (1990-91) and Gary Payton (1988-89 and 1989-90).

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: Since the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1984-85, only five Pac-10 teams have reached the Sweet Sixteen. Arizona (1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997), UCLA (1990, 1992, 1995, 1997), California (1993, 1997), Stanford (1997) and Arizona State (1995).

PAC-10 MEDIA POLL: ASU was picked to finish tenth by the Pac-10 Media in a preseason poll. The results, with first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Arizona (22)         6. USC
2. UCLA (5)             7. Oregon State
3. Stanford             8. Oregon
4. Washington           9. Washington State
5. California          10. Arizona State

BAD LUCK: Since 1990, 23 of 24 Pac-10 teams who have won 11 conference games have been selected to the NCAA Tourney. The exception? ASU in 1992-93, when it was 11-7 and tied for third. Also, 27 of 28 teams since 1990 who have posted 18 overall wins and 10 Pac-10 wins have qualified for the NCAA. Again, the odd team out was ASU in 1992-93.

Junior forward Mike Batiste. (File Photo)

BATISTE NOTES: Last season at this time, junior college transfer Mike Batiste was not even on the ASU roster, as the 6-8 forward transferred in December and played in 22 games despite having knee surgery the previous March...posted 12 points, six boards and four blocks in win at UC...had career highs with 36 points and 20 rebounds vs. Wagner on Nov. 19...posted six blocks in opener vs. Northridge...made the Pac-10 All-Newcomer team last year and showed signs of becoming a dominant player...posted 25 points and seven boards against both Stanford and Arizona...posted three 20-point games in 1996-97...turned 20 years old on Nov. 21...an excellent free throw shooter (84 percent in 1997-98).

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING NOTES: Mike Bibby and ASU's Eddie House were the only Pac-10 players to notch at least 50 three-pointers, 50 steals and 100 assists in 1996-97. House posted 59 steals, an ASU freshman record, and also hit 57 three-pointers and dished out 108 assists, the second-best amount for a freshman in ASU history...House already has nine steals and nine assists through three games this year...was 5-of-8 (.625) from the floor with two three-pointers in UC win.

LEAGUE'S BEST SHOOTER???: Jeremy Veal also is the only player in the Pac-10 returning this year who finished in the league's top 10 in both 3-point shooting percentage and FT percentage. Veal finished third in 3-point percentage (.443/58-of-131) and 10th in FT percentage (.774/106-of-137). Others on the list include then-seniors Isaac Fontaine, Brevin Knight and Kenya Wilkins...Veal is shooting 83.3 percent (20-of-24) from the FT line this year...posted 32 points against Cal State Northridge and 25 at Cincinnati...an 80 percent career FT shooter...needs 450 points to become ASU's career leader...ninth on the ASU career scoring list and needs just nine points to pass Larry Armstrong (1959-62) to move into eighth...only the second player in ASU history to notch 1,300 points and 300 assists.

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS: Jeremy Veal earned All-Pac-10 honors, becoming the 13th Sun Devil to earn the honor. The last Sun Devil to accomplish the feat was Mario Bennett in 1995. Veal will have a chance to earn the honor twice in his career, something accomplished by just three other Sun Devils: Mario Bennett (1993-94 and 1994-95), Lafayette "Fat" Lever (1980-81 and 1981-82) and Stevin Smith (1992-93 and 1993-94).

HOUSE ON ALL-FROSH SQUAD: Eddie House made the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team, becoming the seventh Sun Devil to accomplish the feat. Others are: Steve Beck (1983-84), Chris Sandle (1984-85), Jamal Faulkner (1990-91 and also Pac-10 Freshman of the Year), Dwayne Fontana (1990-91), Mario Bennett (1991-92) and Ron Riley (1992-93).

DOUBLE-O: Okeme Oziwo, a 6-8 sophomore who played the 1995-96 season as a true freshman and redshirted last year with stress fractures, will miss the entire 1997-98 season after suffering numerous injuries in a car accident in late August. Oziwo suffered a broken tibia and fibula and several other injuries. He earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 Freshman honors in 1995-96 and had gained 30 pounds since his freshman year in preparation for this year.

GETTING TO KNOW DON NEWMAN: Named ASU's 11th head coach on Sept. 22, 1997...turned 40 on Nov. 22...born in New Orleans...played at LSU and Idaho...has coached at Cal-State Sacramento, Washington State, Moscow High School and Lewiston High School, both of them in Idaho...played for numerous professional teams, including: Seattle Seahawks, Boston Celtics, Montana Golden Nuggets, New York Jets, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton Tiger Cats...coached at Montana by George Karl...went 20-114 at Cal State Sacramento while taking team from Division I to Division II status...CSS traveled to almost half the country (22 states) in his five-year career.

QUICK NOTES: ASU led the league in turnover margin (+5.2) for the fourth time in the past five years...Eddie House earned honorable mention Freshman All-America honors from Basketball Weekly. House also set the ASU freshman record for steals with 59 and became the first ASU freshman to notch 50 steals (59) and 100 assists (108). House started in 22 games and played in all 30...Mike Batiste earned Pac-10 All-Newcomer honors. Batiste joined the team in mid-year and played in 22 games and averaged 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds. He shot 72.2 percent from the free throw line...Eddie House tied a Great Alaska Shootout Tournament record with seven three-pointers vs. Maine on Nov. 30.

MEDIA COVERAGE: KMVP 860 AM is the radio home of Sun Devil basketball. Tom Dillon, Arizona's Sportscaster of the Year 15 years running and the voice of Sun Devil athletics as well as the Arizona Cardinals handles the play-by-play duties. All games are on KMVP 860 AM, except those that conflict with other KMVP programming. Sun Devil games are then moved to KTAR 620 AM. Tim Healey and Gil Tyree handle the play-by-play and color commentary for KTVK-3. KTVK-3 will broadcast 14 Sun Devil games this year.

Arizona State Player Notes

• Has posted three straight 20-point games to start the year.
• Is 22-of-26 (.846) from the free throw line on the year.
• Had 26 points and made all eight FT attempts vs. Wagner on Nov. 19.
• Notched 22 points and six boards in opener vs. Cal State Northridge.
• Sat out last year after transferring from Syracuse and was a member of Syracuse's 1996 NCAA Finalist team.
• Has five sisters and one brother.

• Last year at the Great Alaska Shootout on Thanksgiving weekend, House had three root canals done in the evening after being elbowed in the mouth during an afternoon game. He was on the floor the next day for a noon tip-off vs. Maine, and hit seven three-pointers, matching a Shootout record.
• Was 5-of-8 from field with 12 points at Cincinnati.
• Already has nine steals on the young season.
• A honorable mention freshman All-America last year by Basketball Weekly who set ASU freshman record with 59 steals.
• First Sun Devil to earn league all-frosh honors in four years.
• First ASU freshman to notch 50 steals (59) and 100 assists (108) in the same season.
• Only Pac-10 players to notch 50 three-pointers, 50 steals and 100 assists were House and Mike Bibby.

• Averaging eight assists per game in the first three games.
• Playing over 33 minutes per game compared to just over 16 minutes per game last year.
• Posted 13 assists vs. Wagner, just one shy of the school record.
• First named is pronounced "Allan" and is a native of Houston.
• Played in 20 games in 1996-97 and started in 10.

• One of the best all-around guards in the Pac-10 and the nation.
• Has made 20-of-24 (.833) free throws in 1997-98.
• Has not missed a game in career, a span of 93 games.
• Needs 450 points to become ASU's career scoring leader, passing Ron Riley (1,834 points/1992-96).
• An All-Pac-10 pick in 1996-97 who averaged 18.7 ppg.
• Has 28 20-point games in his career and three 30-point efforts.
• Played in 33 games in rookie year as ASU went to Sweet Sixteen, matching the school freshman record for games.

• Sat out last season to concentrate on academics.
• Great athlete who can play "bigger" than 6-4 listing with his long arms and big hands.
• Averaging just over 11 minutes per game and had nine points in opening win over Cal State Northridge on Nov. 16.

• Averaging 20.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game in first three games.
• Had 36 points and 20 rebounds vs. Wagner on Nov. 21.
• Transferred to ASU in December of 1996 and played in 22 games in 1996-97.
• Averaged 6.7 rebounds per game last year, good enough for tenth in the loop.
• Born Nov. 21, 1977 (turned 20 just last week).

• Suffered numerous injuries in car crash in late August, sidelining him for this year.
• Sat out last year after suffering stress fractures.

• Posted six points in just over five minutes in Chase NIT win at UC on Nov. 21.
• A native of Nassau, Bahamas who shot 80 percent from the free throw line last year (32-of-40).
• Played in all 30 games in 1996-97.

• Powerful guard who can play the point or either wing.
• One of the top junior college recruits in the nation last year.
• Averaged 26.7 points in his final seven junior college games.
• Sat out the first two games of this year.
• Please note the number change from #2 to #42.