Game Notes

BOONE, N.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will wrap up its season-opening road swing Monday night, when the Pirates head to the Holmes Convocation Center to take on Appalachian State at 7 p.m.
 
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The Series: This will be the first-ever meeting between Hampton and Appalachian State.
 
The Opponent: Appalachian State is 1-2 so far this season after a 65-63 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Mountaineers went 9-21 last season and 5-11 in conference play, and App State returns four starters for first-year head coach Jim Fox, including Preseason Third Team All-Sun Belt selection Tab Hamilton. App State was picked to finish 11th in the Sun Belt this season. Frank Eaves is averaging a team-high 15.0 points per game so far this season, while Tommy Spagnolo is averaging 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.
 
Pirates Against the Sun Belt: The Pirates are 1-3 against teams currently in the Sun Belt Conference, going 0-1 against Arkansas Little Rock, 0-1 against Arkansas State, 1-0 against Georgia State, and 0-1 against Troy. Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates have never faced Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Monroe, South Alabama, Texas Arlington, or Texas State.
 
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 28-44 overall in true road games away from the Convocation Center. Overall, the Pirates have won seven of their last 12 true road games following Saturday's 74-66 loss at North Dakota State.
 
Pirates Taking on the Big Boys: The Pirates' game at Syracuse on Nov. 16 was the second of three contests this season for the Pirates against teams from the so-called "power conferences." After facing the Hawkeyes on Nov. 14, the Pirates took on ACC foe Syracuse, 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: Following this past weekend, head coach Edward Joyner Jr. has 83 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 seven 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 752 career points after Saturday's contest at North Dakota State, leaving him just 248 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 the Pirates' opener at Iowa, before pouring in 18 points in the Pirates' win over Alcorn State. He is tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game.
 
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 at Iowa with 14 points, and he has scored in double figures three times so far this season. His 11.0 points per game are second on the team.
 
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), Brian Darden (Radford), and Jervon Pressley (Towson). Chievous scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in his Hampton debut at Iowa, before dropping a team-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting on Sunday at Syracuse. Chievous leads the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game so far this season, following a 15-point performance Saturday at North Dakota State.
 
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.