Game Notes

FARGO, N.D. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will wrap up the 2K Classic on Friday and Saturday in Scheels Arena, taking on Alcorn State on Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST, before taking on either North Dakota State or Kennesaw State on Saturday at 5:30 or 8 p.m. EST.
 
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The Series: Hampton has never faced Alcorn State, North Dakota State, or Kennesaw State.
 
The Opponents: Alcorn State is 0-2 after starting the season with losses against Cal and Texas, and the team boasts SWAC Preseason Player of the Year in junior forward LeAntwan Luckett. North Dakota State is coming off of losses to Texas and Iowa to open the season, coming off a 2013-14 season in which the Bison won 26 games and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Kennesaw State opened the season with losses to Syracuse and Cal.
 
Pirates Against the SWAC: The Pirates are 2-0 against teams currently in the SWAC, going 1-0 each against Grambling State and Arkansas Pine Bluff. Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates have never faced Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, or Texas Southern.
 
Pirates Against the Summit League: The Pirates are 1-3 against teams currently in the Summit League, going 0-2 against Oral Roberts and 1-1 against Western Illinois. Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates have never faced Denver, IPFW, IUPUI, North Dakota State, Omaha, South Dakota, or South Dakota State.
 
Pirates Against the Atlantic Sun: The Pirates are 0-3 against teams currently in the Atlantic Sun, going 0-2 against Northern Kentucky and 0-1 against USC Upstate. Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates have never faced Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, North Florida, or Stetson.
 
Pirates on the Road: The Pirates went 8-7 in true road contests last season, including a 6-1 mark in conference play. During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 28-43 overall in true road games away from the Convocation Center. Overall, the Pirates have won seven of their last 11 true road games following Sunday's 65-47 loss at Syracuse.
 
Pirates on Neutral Courts: The Pirates were 1-3 on neutral courts last season, with that win coming against Arkansas Pine Bluff as part of the Corpus Christi Challenge. Friday's contest against Alcorn State will be the Pirates' first neutral-court game of the season.
 
About the 2K Classic: After Friday's contest at Iowa, the Pirates traveled to Syracuse, N.Y. on Sunday to take on the Orange in a game that was televised live on ESPNU. From there, Hampton will head to Fargo, N.D. to take on Alcorn State on Friday and either North Dakota State or Kennesaw State on Saturday. To learn more about the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, visit www.gazellegroup.com.
 
Pirates Taking on the Big Boys: Sunday's game at Syracuse was the second of three contests this season for the Pirates against teams from the so-called "power conferences." After facing the Hawkeyes this past Friday, the Pirates took on ACC foe Syracuse on Sunday, and on Dec. 17, the Pirates will face another Big Ten foe when they hit the road to square off against Illinois.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Pirates, coming off of last season's runner-up finish, were picked to finish second in the MEAC this season, picking up nine first-place votes in the preseason poll voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Defending MEAC champion North Carolina Central was picked to repeat as conference champions.
 
Powers, Darden Earn Preseason MEAC Honors: Junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, while junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) was a Preseason Third Team All-MEAC selection. Powers was third in the MEAC in free throw percentage, fourth in assists and fifth in assist-turnover ratio last season, while Darden was ninth in the conference in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.0 per contest.
 
Joyner Closing in on 100: Coming into the 2014-15 season, Joyner has 82 career wins as a head coach, leaving him 18 shy of 100. If the Pirates match last season's win total, Joyner – in his sixth season at the helm – will reach that mark this season. Only two coaches in Hampton history have won at least 100 games with the school: Malcolm Avery (140 wins, 1987-95) and Hank Ford (228 wins, 1975-87). Joyner is eight wins shy of the all-time program Div. I wins record; Steve Merfeld (1997-2002) won 90 games with the Pirates.
 
Powers Closing in on a Milestone: Powers is sitting on 744 career points after Sunday's contest at Syracuse, leaving him just 256 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for his career. Powers, the 2012-13 MEAC Rookie of the Year, would be the 27th Pirate to ever reach that mark – and the first since Darrion Pellum reached the mark in the 2011-12 season. Powers scored 366 points last season, ranking second on the team with 11.8 points per game, and he ended the 2013-14 season by scoring in double figures in six of his last seven games – including three straight 20-point efforts from Feb. 24-March 6.
 
Darden looking for More: Darden was third on the team in scoring last season, averaging 10.4 points per game, and he ended the season on a high note with a career-high 22 points at Penn State in the first round of the CBI. He averaged 2.0 made 3-pointers per game in 2013-14, ranking ninth in the MEAC. Darden, who shot 32.6 percent (63-for-193) from 3-point range last season, was named Preseason Third Team All-MEAC, and he comes into this season as the Pirates' best option from long distance. He had 10 points in Friday's opener at Iowa.
 
Meikle Getting His Chance: Redshirt junior guard Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) shot just over 48 percent from the floor last season, en route to averaging 5.8 points per game. The rising redshirt junior scored in double figures seven times in 2013-14, tying his career high with 16 points against Winthrop on Dec. 29, 2013. He also showed flashes on defense, blocking 13 shots on the season – including a career-high six at Virginia back on Nov. 26, 2013. He led three Pirates in double figures in Friday's opener at Iowa with 14 points.
 
Pressley Crashing the Glass: Forward Jervon Pressley (Charlotte, N.C.) was second on the team in rebounds last season, despite playing in just 21 games. He averaged 5.1 boards per contest in 2013-14, grabbing a career-high 12 boards at Maryland Eastern Shore on Feb. 24 – while also scoring 12 points for his lone double-double of the season. Pressley also scored in double figures four times last season, including a career-high 16 points at Coppin State on Feb. 1. Pressley grabbed at least one rebound in 20 of the 21 games in which he played last season.
 
New Faces, Plenty of Experience: Two Hampton newcomers already have Div. I experience: guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) has seen significant playing time with Tennessee, and guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) comes to the Pirates after time at Miami (Ohio). Chievous was a career 45.3-percent shooter (24-for-53) with the Volunteers, while Johnson averaged 8.4 points per game as a freshman at Miami (Ohio). In all, five players on this year's roster transferred to Hampton from other Div. I programs: Chievous, Johnson, Breon Key (Old Dominion), Darden (Radford), and Pressley (Towson). Chievous scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in his Hampton debut on Friday at Iowa, before dropping a team-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting on Sunday at Syracuse.
 
For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.