Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will hold its 2014-15 home opener on Wednesday afternoon, when the Pirates square off against American at the HU Convocation Center at 2 p.m.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (1-4) fell 82-74 Monday evening at Appalachian State to close out a five-game road swing to open the season. Three Pirates scored in double figures, led by junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.), who scored 20 points on 4-for-9 shooting from behind the arc and an 8-for-8 effort from the free throw line. Junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) added 13 points and five assists, while guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) had 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
The Series: The Pirates and American are tied at 1-1 all-time, with the Pirates winning the last meeting 72-65 at the HU Convocation Center on Dec. 18, 2013. The year before that, the Eagles defeated Hampton 74-72 in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 7, 2012.
 
The Opponent: American was selected to win the Patriot League this season, a year after the Eagles won the conference despite being ranked ninth in the preseason league poll. In addition, senior guard Darius "Pee Wee" Gardner, who was the MVP of last year's conference tournament, was a Preseason All-Patriot League selection. The Eagles went 20-13 last season, and they are entering their second season under head coach Mike Brennan. Senior guard John Schoof leads the team in scoring with 12.6 points a game, while junior guard Jesse Reed is averaging 11.6 points a contest.
 
Pirates Against the Patriot League: The Pirates are 2-4 against teams currently in the Patriot League, going 1-1 against American, 1-0 against Boston University, and 0-3 against Holy Cross. Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates have never faced Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola (Md.), or Navy.
 
Pirates at Home: During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 36-25 overall in the Convocation Center, and the Pirates were 9-3 at home last season. Overall, the Pirates have won their last four home games, and Hampton won its last two non-conference home games, defeating Winthrop 101-95 in double overtime and Radford 87-60 last season.
 
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: Powers was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, while Darden 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 Monday's game at Appalachian State, Joyner 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 765 career points after Monday's contest at Appalachian State, leaving him just 235 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 second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game after pouring in a season-high 20 points Monday night at Appalachian State.
 
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 10.6 points per game are third 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: Chievous 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 and he has scored in double figures in all five games following his 11-point performance Monday at Appalachian 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.