Nov. 11, 2009
USD Game Notes 
GAME #1: The University of San Diego men's basketball team, under the direction of 3rd-year head coach Bill Grier, open up their 2009-10 schedule this coming Friday, November 13th, when they host the Stanford Cardinal. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Toreros will take on the University of the Pacific on Monday, Nov. 16th, before heading home to host Point Loma Nazarene on Wednesday, Nov. 18th (7pm). The UOP contest is a return game from last year's ESPNU BracketBuster game that USD won at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on February 21, 2009 by the score of 66-60.
SERIES RECORD: This is just the 5th meeting between USD and Stanford with the Cardinal owning a 3-1 advantage... In the most recent meeting, Stanford defeated USD 77-69 in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament (Mar. 20, 2003) held in Spokane, Washington. The other contests - USD lost at Stanford on Nov. 18, 1997 (87-57), and the year before dropped a tough 72-70 decision on Dec. 14, 1996 in a game played at the San Diego Sports Arena. USD's lone win came in just its second year of Division I basketball (Dec. 27, 1980) when the Toreros knocked off Stanford 79-70 in overtime.
TV/RADIO/INTERNET: Friday's game will be telecast live on Channel 4 San Diego with Steve Quis (play-by-play) and Jim Brogan (color analyst) calling the action. The game will also be broadcast on XX Sports Radio 1090 AM with Andy Masur (play-by-play) bringing you the action; pregame begins at 6:45 pm. The game can also be heard via the internet at www.usdtoreros.com.
WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: In the 2009-10 West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll the Toreros are picked to finish 6th. The following lists the coaches predictions with first place votes in parenthesis - 1. Gonzaga (6), 48 points; 2. Portland (2), 44 points; 3. Saint Mary's, 34 points; 4. San Francisco & Santa Clara, 26 points; 6. San Diego, 21 points; 7. Pepperdine, 13 points; 8. Loyola Marymount, 12 points.
COACH GRIER (2ND YEAR): Coach Bill Grier (Oregon, 1990), 46, is in his third season at the helm of the USD program... He enters the Stanford game with a two-year record of 38-30 (.558)... Last year's 16-16 mark was highlighted by road wins over Oregon and Mississippi State... In his rookie year he guided the Toreros to an overall mark of 22-14 and 3rd place finish in the WCC race at 11-3... He guided the Toreros to three wins and the championship title at the WCC Tournament (hosted by USD) with wins over Pepperdine, Saint Mary's and No. 20 Gonzaga... The Toreros then upset No. 15 UCONN in the NCAA Tournament opener with a 70-69 overtime victory, before falling to Western Kentucky in the second round... His 11 WCC wins were the second most for league wins in a single season in program history... 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... His 22 wins were also the most by a Torero coach in his first season at USD. In addition to knocking off Kentucky on the road, 81-72, the Toreros earned three wins over Top-25 teams: #21 Saint Mary's, #20 Gonzaga and #15 Connecticut... Prior to USD Grier spent 16 years at Gonzaga, including the last 8 seasons as Mark Few's top assistant. Bill and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters, Giselle & Ashley.
2009-10 TORERO PREVIEW - A SOLID MIX OF EXPERIENCE & YOUTH: Third-year head coach Bill Grier and his coaching staff enter the 2009-10 campaign with a sense of excitement as they return nine players from last year's 16-16 ball club, and welcome seven new recruits. With a good mixture of experience and youth, the coaches were impressed with the team's chemistry heading into the season. The squad will have good depth with improved quickness and athleticism. The main focus early on will be in establishing a team identity and figuring out where all the newcomers are going to fit in. USD received good news over the summer when senior guard Brandon Johnson (Houston, TX) was granted an additional year after he suffered a season-ending injury in game eight against SDSU. Johnson heads into his 5th-year with career averages of 13.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game. With 1,385 career points (5th all-time) and 425 assists (2nd all-time), he will make a run at topping both of these school records in 2009-10. With the graduation of Gyno Pomare, a three-time WCC 1st team performer and the school's all-time leading scorer (1,725 points)and Division I rebounder (864), along with Rob Jones (9.5 points/5.5 rebounds) leaving the program, the Toreros will look for the following returners to step up their production at both ends of the floor. Senior wing De'Jon Jackson (Fresno, CA), the team's most consistent performer, averaged 8.9 points a year ago. He solidified the Torero backcourt in the second half of the season by moving to the point, and ranked second on the team in assists (63) and steals (27). The senior class is rounded out by fifth-year forward Chris Lewis (Bedford, TX) who averaged 4.4 points per game, and second-year center Roberto Mafra (Recife, PE, Brazil) who chipped in with 5.0 points per game and 33 blocked shots. USD also returns several players that played significant minutes a year ago. Second-year junior guard Matt Dorr (Spokane, WA) earned 30 starts, seeing action at all three perimeter positions, including point guard when Brandon went down with his season-ending injury. Dorr averaged 6.5 points, converted 40% of his three-point attempts and led the team with 70 assists. Junior guard Devin Ginty (Alta, CA) appeared in all 32 games with 8 starts and averaged 3.7 points while converting just under 80% of his free throws. Junior forward Clinton Houston (Dallas, TX), who played in 21 games with 5 starts, will be counted on heavily to rebound and defend. Two returning walk-ons will compete for playing time - RS-sophomore guard Ryan Harbour (Hinsdale, IL) and RS-freshman guard Mitch Woolpert (San Luis Obispo, CA). The USD coaching staff also welcomes their first "true" recruiting class with seven newcomers. The group includes five freshmen, one JC transfer and one Division I transfer. The freshman class includes 6-1 guard Cameron Miles (Dallas, TX), 6-2 combo guard Patrick McCollum (Tacoma, WA), 6-4 two-guard Jordan Mackie (Los Angeles, CA), 6-5 wing Ken Rancifer (Oakland, CA) and 6-8 post player Chris Manresa (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA). Rafael Crescencio (Sao Paulo, Brazil), a 6-9 post player comes to USD from Arizona Western College in Yuma and will provide much needed depth inside. Chris Gabriel (Cape Town, South Africa), a 6-10 post player has transferred in from New Mexico State and will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Cameron Miles, the younger brother of Utah Jazz guard CJ Miles, is a speedy guard that is adept in transition and the open floor. Patrick McCollum, who can play either guard position, has good scoring instincts along with great court vision and passing skills. Jordan Mackie is a long athletic guard with a great upside who can play above the rim. Ken Rancifer is a strong and athletic wing who can finish in transition and is a good rebounder. Chris Manresa has a good feel for scoring and has improved both his strength and skill over the summer. Rafael Crescencio is a long and skilled post player that will give the team much needed depth inside. Chris Gabriel, who will sit out this season, will help the team on a daily basis in practice with his size and post presence. USD also welcomes to walk-on guards in 6-1 sophomore Paolo Mancasola (Redding, CA; Shasta College) and 6-0 freshman Kyle Erickson (Kingston, WA; North Kitsap HS). Once again the Toreros have put together a challenging schedule that will test them both at home and on the road. USD will face teams from the Pac-10, Big 12, Big East, SEC, Missouri Valley and Mountain West conferences. Non-conference home games include visits from Stanford, SDSU, New Mexico and Mississippi State. Neutral-site road games include Oklahoma, Houston, Southern Illinois and South Florida. USD also plays at the University of the Pacific and Fresno State. Key WCC home dates include Gonzaga on January 16th and Saint Mary's College on February 18th. The 2010 West Coast Conference Championships will be held at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the second straight year from March 5-8.
SCOUTING THE STANFORD CARDINAL: The Stanford Cardinal, under the direction of 2nd-year head coach Johnny Dawkins, return 10 lettermen and 2 starters from last year's 20-14 club... The Cardinal finished 6-12 (9th place) in the always competitive Pac-10 conference... The coaching staff has some WCC flavor as Dick Davey, Associate Head Coach, was a long time coach with the Santa Clara Broncos, and Assistant Coach Rodney Tention played at USF and was head coach at LMU... Stanford won its lone exhibition contest, an 82-61 win over Sonoma State... Sophomore Andrew Zimmermann notched a double-double with 13 points/10 rebounds as five Cardinal reached double figures... Senior Landry Fields led the way with a game-high 15 points... Fields, a 6-2 senior guard, is the team's top returning scorer from last year (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg)... 6-8 junior forward Josh Owens is also a returning starter after he averaged 6.9 ppg... The Cardinal were 5-9 in away games.
JOHNSON GRANTED 5TH-YEAR: Senior guard Brandon Johnson (Houston, TX) and the USD Toreros received good news this past summer when the WCC granted him a medical redshirt 5th-year after he had suffered a season-ending injury late in the first half of USD's game against SDSU last December 6th.. With 2:24 to go in the 1st half, Johnson ruptured the Achilles' tendon in his left heel. It happened when he jumped high in the air to tip away a lobbed pass by SDSU and then scrambled for the loose ball. The fourth-year senior, who finished with averages of 13.5 ppg, 3.6 apg and 1.6 steals, underwent surgery on Dec. 9th. Against SDSU, Johnson scored the game's first five points, and had totaled 10 points before the injury to move into the 5th spot all-time for USD scorers with 1,385 points.
POMARE LEAVES USD AS PROGRAM'S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER: Gyno Pomare, a 3-time First Team All-WCCselection, graduated from USD last year as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,725 points... He also is the program's all-time Division I leading rebounder with 864... Last season he led the Toreros in both scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg)... Just the second Torero men's basketball player to earn three First Team All-WCC honors, Pomare is currently playing professionally in Japan.
GINTY SELECTED TO WCC ALL-ACADEMIC SQUAD: Junior guard Devin Ginty (Alta, CA) was named to the 2009 WCC All-Academic Basketball Team... The third-year performer carries a 3.31 grade-point average as a History major.. Last season he appeared in all 32 games with 8 starts and averaged 3.7 points and 20 minutes of action per game ... In USD's 66-60 win over Pacific on February 21st, Devin scored a season-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
UP NEXT: The Toreros head to Stockton, California to take on the Pacific Tigers on Monday, November 16th, in a 7 pm contest at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
