Game Notes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will play their second straight road game to open the 2015-16 season on Tuesday, taking on American at 7:30 p.m. at Bender Arena.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (0-1) opened the 2015-16 season on Saturday with a 102-95 loss to Winthrop, despite a career-high 29 points and 23 rebounds from Quinton Chievous. Lawrence Cooks also had a career-high 22 points.
 
The Series: Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 1-2 all-time against American. The two teams last met last season, when American defeated the Pirates 64-60 at the HU Convocation Center. Hampton has been to Bender Arena just once before, falling 74-72 at American during the 2011-12 season. The Pirates' lone win against American came during the 2012-13 season, when Hampton won 72-65 at the Convocation Center.
 
Pirates Against the Patriot League: Hampton is 2-5 against teams currently in the Patriot League. The Pirates are 1-2 against American; 1-0 against Boston University; and 0-3 against Holy Cross. Hampton has never faced Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola (Md.), or Navy.
 
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 35-54 on the road after Saturday's 102-95 loss at Winthrop.
 
Scouting the Eagles: American (0-1) is entering its third season under head coach Mike Brennan, and the Eagles return two starters and six letterwinners from a squad that won 17 games last season and finished sixth in the Patriot League before advancing to the championship game of the conference tournament. American was picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League this season, while Jesse Reed was a preseason All-Patriot League selection. The team's top returning scorer was held to seven points in Friday's 65-42 loss at Rhode Island.
 
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 99-97 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: 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. He opened the 2015-16 season in style on Saturday, dropping a career-high 29 points and grabbing a career-best 23 rebounds at Winthrop.
 
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, and he had 13 points this past Saturday at Winthrop.
 
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.