Game Notes

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will kick off the 2015-16 season on the road on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Eagles of Winthrop at 4 p.m. in the Winthrop Coliseum.
 
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The Series: Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 2-2 all-time against Winthrop. The last time the two teams met, in 2013-14, the Pirates won at home 101-95 in overtime. This will be the third time Hampton and Winthrop have met in Rock Hill, S.C., and Winthrop has won each of the last two meetings.
 
Pirates Against the Big South: Hampton is 14-11 against teams currently in the Big South. The Pirates are 0-1 against Campbell; 1-0 against Charleston Southern; 1-1 against Coastal Carolina; 2-0 against High Point; 2-3 against Liberty; 3-1 against Longwood; 3-3 against Radford; and 2-2 against Winthrop. Hampton has never faced Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, or UNC Asheville.
 
Pirates on the Road: The Pirates were 5-11 on the road last season, despite winning two out of their last three true road contests. In 2014-15, Hampton was 1-7 in true road contests in non-conference play, with that win coming on Dec. 2 of last season at Tennessee State. During Edward Joyner Jr.'s tenure as head coach the Pirates are 35-53 on the road.
 
Scouting the Eagles: Winthrop is entering its fourth season under head coach Pat Kelsey, and the Eagles are coming off a 2014-15 campaign that saw them win 19 games and advance all the way to the championship game of the Big South Tournament. Winthrop was picked to finish third in the Big South this season, and junior guard Keon Johnson, the team's top returning scorer (11.5 ppg in 2014-15) was a Preseason First Team All-Big South selection. Sophomore wing player Xavier Cooks, the team's top returning rebounder (6.1 rpg in 2014-15) was a Preseason Second Team selection.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Pirates, coming off of last season's MEAC Tournament championship, 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. The Eagles won the MEAC regular season title in 2014-15, while Hampton wound up sixth in the standings with an 8-8 mark in league play.
 
Joyner Closing in on 100: Entering his seventh season at the helm, Edward Joyner Jr. is one win shy of 100 for his career, sitting at 99-96 as a head coach. The Pirates won 17 games under Joyner last season, and in his six seasons in charge, Hampton has made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2015. Joyner is already Hampton's all-time winningest Div. I coach, having surpasses Steve Merfield last season.
 
Plenty of Familiar Faces: The Pirates come into 2015-16 off of their fifth-ever MEAC Tournament championship, and many of the players who helped Hampton make that run last season are back for more. There are 10 returners in total for the Pirates this season, led by Preseason All-MEAC honorees Quinton Chievous (First Team), Brian Darden (Second Team), and Jervon Pressley (Third Team) – as well as Dwight Meikle, who led the Pirates in both scoring and rebounding in 2014-15. Reginald Johnson, who was named to the MEAC's All-Tournament Team last season, also returns, as does post player Charles Wilson-Fisher – who contributed big minutes during the MEAC Tournament.
 
Chievous Making His Presence Felt: Quinton Chievous, the Tennessee transfer, made his presence felt for the Pirates last season, especially once the MEAC Tournament started. Chievous had three double-doubles in the last four games of the year, including both NCAA Tournament games. Before that, though, he turned in a bull-in-a-china-shop-esque 23-point, 12-rebound effort in the MEAC Tournament semifinals against Norfolk State. Chievous, who was second in rebounding and third in scoring on the team in 2014-15, was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC heading into the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Johnson Lit it Up: Reginald Johnson, a transfer from Miami (Ohio), was second on the team in scoring last season – despite not playing his first game until Dec. 17 at Illinois. He averaged almost 12 points a game last season, scoring in double figures 14 times in 26 games. His career high of 27 points came at NJIT last season, and Johnson added 21 points in the next game against UMES. Johnson dropped 20 points in the MEAC Tournament championship game against Delaware State, earning MEAC All-Tournament Team honors, and also had 15 points in Hampton's win over Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament's First Four.
 
Darden Looking for More: Brian Darden was fifth on the team in scoring last season, just shy of averaging 10 points a contest (9.8). On top of being second in the MEAC in free throw percentage (.845), Darden was ninth in the conference in 3-pointers per game. The MEAC Tournament's top 3-point shooter had a career-high 23 points at Morgan State back on Feb. 16, going 6-for-7 from behind the arc, and he had 20 points in the championship game of the MEAC Tournament against Delaware State. Darden comes into 2015-16 as a Preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection.
 
Pressley Crashing the Glass: Jervon Pressley was third on the team in rebounding last season, averaging 4.8 boards per contest. He was also seventh in the MEAC in blocks (1.4 bpg). He also averaged 6.1 points per game, scoring in double figures four times. Against Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament's First Four, Pressley provided valuable minutes in pouring in eight points and grabbing four rebounds. His size and presence inside is one reason Pressley was a Preseason Third Team All-MEAC selection.
 
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.