USD-USF Game Notes 
Jan. 11, 2008
GAME #18: The University of San Diego men's basketball team (7-10) opens up West Coast Conference play this Saturday, January 12th, when they host San Francisco (4-11) in a 6:05 p.m. contest at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
SERIES RECORD: This will be the 60th meeting between USD and San Francisco with the Toreros holding a slim 30-29 advantage... The Toreros downed USF in their last meeting, a 77-75 win in the quarterfinals of the WCC Tournament... USF beat the Toreros in both regular-season league games last year (103-100, ot @ USF; 98-88 @ JCP).
TV/RADIO/INTERNET: Saturday's game will be telecast locally by Channel 4 San Diego with Steve Quis (p-by-p) and Jim Brogan (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be broadcast on XX Sports Radio (1090 AM & 105.7 FM) with Andy Masur (p-by-p) and John Kentera (analyst) bringing you all the action. The audio broadcast is also available at www.usdtoreros.com and www. XXSportsRadio.com.
WCC STANDINGS (thru Jan. 10th): Saint Mary's (13-2), Gonzaga (11-4), Santa Clara (8-7), USD (7-10), Pepperdine (6-10), Portland (5-10), San Francisco (4-11), LMU (3-13).
COACH GRIER (1ST YEAR): Coach Bill Grier (Oregon, 1990) is in his first season at the helm of the USD program, and also his first head coaching position at the NCAA Division I level. He brings a record of 7-10 into the USF game. Hired on March 26, 2007, Grier is USD's 11th head coach overall and just the 4th head coach since the Torero program moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1979-80. The 44-year-old Grier spent the past 16 years at Gonzaga, including the last 8 seasons as Mark Few's top assistant. Over the past eight years Gonzaga compiled a 21-52 record; won the WCC regular-season title seven times; the WCC Tournament title seven times; advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times, including three trips to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Overall with Grier as an assistant coach, the Bulldogs combined for an overall record of 381-126; won 11 regular-season WCC titles; won nine WCC Tournament titles (33-7 WCC Tournament record); advanced to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and ten overall, including four Sweet 16 appearances and the 1999 Elite Eight. Bill and his wife, Nicole, have one daughter, Giselle.
TOREROS HEAD INTO WCC PLAY LOOKING TO GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS: The Toreros begin their second season this Saturday with the opening of WCC play... USD suffered an 80-72 setback this past Wednesday at home to the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners... CSUB made 10-of-19 three-pointers for the game and became the first school this season to scored 80 points against the Toreros... The Toreros were without the services of junior guard Brandon Johnson, the team's leading scorer at 17.5 ppg... Johnson is still recovering from a deep thigh contusion he suffered in the team's stunning win over Kentucky... Gyno Pomare posted his 5th double-double with 18 points and a career-best 16 rebounds against CSUB... Notching new personal bests were Rob Jones (18 points, 9 rebounds) and De'Jon Jackson (17 points)... USD turned the ball over 15 times in the 1st half in falling behind 41-35 at intermission... CSUB had four players in double figures.
TORERO TIDBITS: Among all WCC players, Brandon Johnson ranks 3rd in scoring (17.5 ppg), 4th in steals (1.94), 6th in assists (3.25), 2nd in 3-pointers made per game (2.19) and 5th in assist/turnover ratio (+0.96); Gyno Pomare ranks 8th in scoring (14.5), 7th in rebounding (7.4), 3rd in field goal percentage (.561), 4th in offensive rebounds per game (2.94) and 8th in free throw% (.768)... Pomare leads the team with 5 double-doubles this season, the last coming against CSU-Bakersfield (18/16)... The 6-8 junior from Oceanside owns 15 career double "D's"... With 541 career rebounds, Pomare moved into the 5th spot all-time among USD's Division I records (1979-present)... Brandon Johnson currently ranks 3rd all-time for career dishes with 326.
TOREROS AT HOME IN THE JCP: USD is currently 4-4 in games played at the JCP this season... USD has won 3 of its last 5 at home but is coming off a tough 80-72 loss to CSU-Bakersfield... Torero leaders at the JCP include Gyno Pomare (17.8 ppg/8.1 rpg) and Brandon Johnson (15.0 ppg/4.1 apg)... USD is averaging 67.2 ppg while holding opponents to 63.5 ppg... The Toreros are also outrebounding their opponents in games at the JCP - 34.4 to 29.1... Since opening its doors back in November of 2000, the Toreros are a combined 63-41 overall... Last season USD was 9-5 overall at home, but just 2-5 at the JCP in WCC games.
WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Junior guard Brandon Johnson (Houston, TX) was the most recent Torero to garner WCC Player of the Week honors after his career-best 27-point/8 rebound outing in USD's 81-72 road upset over Kentucky on Dec. 29th. Junior center Gyno Pomare (Oceanside, CA) notched the team's first two honors - His first came on Nov. 12th after he totaled 16 points/11 rebounds, and made a key steal and free throw in season-opening road win at Hawaii... His second honor came on Dec. 17th after he averaged 23.5 points per game, including a career-high 25 points against Stephen F. Austin, in losses at Nevada, and home to SFA.
SCOUTING THE USF DONS: The San Francisco Dons (4-11) come to town looking to snap a 6-game losing streak... Eddie Sutton, who took over the program on an interim basis on Dec. 26th, 2007, is 0-3 with USF as he aims for his 800th career victory - now in his 37th year, he currently owns a career record of 798-318 (.715 win%)... He replaced Jessie Evans who is taking a leave of absence for the rest of the season... In USF's last outing on January 5th, the Dons lost in overtime to Holy Cross, 67-63... USF overcame a 33-18 halftime deficit to push the game to OT... Forward Dior Lowhorn led the way with 24 points and 9 rebounds in the loss... The team's four wins have come against East Central, Sacramento State, Utah Valley and Weber State (67-65 on Dec. 8th)... Season leaders include Lowhorn (20.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and guard Manny Quezada (16.2 ppg)... Lowhorn, a 6-7 redshirt sophomore who transferred in from Texas Tech, leads the WCC in scoring.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO: The Jenny Craig Pavilion will be the site for the 2008 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships (Mar. 6-10). San Diego last hosted this event for a three-year run between 2001-03. For the sixth consecutive season, the men's championships will use an 8-team/Play-in format, while the women's championships will use the traditional 1 vs. 8 format with no byes for the fourth straight year. The men's games will begin on March 7th.
UP NEXT: The Toreros head to the Pacific Northwest to face Gonzaga (Jan. 19) and Portland (Jan. 21).
