Game Notes

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will wrap up the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic on Monday and Tuesday with a pair of games in the Orleans Arena.
 
Schedule of Games: Hampton vs. Nicholls State, Tuesday at 3 p.m. EST; Hampton vs. either Canisius or Louisiana Monroe, Wednesday at 3 or 6 p.m. EST.
 
Last Time Out: The Pirates (4-5) fell 95-53 at Colorado on Saturday evening, despite 16 points from Brian Darden and 15 points from Quinton Chievous. Reginald Johnson, Jr. added eight points and a team-high five rebounds; he also had a team-high two assists and two steals.
 
The Series: Hampton has never faced Nicholls State, Canisius, or Louisiana Monroe.
 
Pirates Against the Southland Conference: Hampton is 1-0 against teams currently in the Southland Conference, having gone 1-0 against New Orleans. The Pirates have never faced Abilene Christian, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, UIW, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, or Texas A&M Corpus Cristi.
 
Pirates Against the MAAC: Hampton is 4-13 against teams currently in the MAAC. The Pirates are 0-4 against Iona, 1-2 against Manhattan, 0-1 against Marist, 1-2 against Monmouth, 0-1 against Niagara, 1-1 against Quinnipiac, 0-1 against Rider, and 1-1 against Saint Peter's. Hampton has never faced Canisius, Fairfield, or Siena.
 
Pirates Against the Sun Belt: Hampton is 3-3 against teams currently in the Sun Belt Conference. The Pirates are 1-1 against Appalachian State; 0-1 against Arkansas Little Rock; 0-1 against Arkansas State; 1-0 against Georgia State; and 1-0 against Troy. The Pirates have never faced Texas State, Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, or Louisiana-Arlington.
 
Pirates on Neutral Courts: The Pirates were 6-2 on neutral courts last season, including four wins in the MEAC Tournament and a win over Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament's First Four. Hampton is 22-13 on neutral courts under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., including an 8-1 mark in 2010-11 – when the Pirates won 24 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Scouting the Colonels: Nicholls State, in its 11th season under head coach J.P. Piper, has lost four straight games after an 85-68 loss at Colorado this past Friday. Junior forward Ja'Dante' Frye leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 17.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest, while senior guard T.J. Carpenter is averaging 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a contest.
 
Scouting the Golden Griffins: Canisius, in its third season under head coach Jim Baron, snapped a three-game skid on Saturday with an 84-68 win over Boston University. Senior guard Malcolm McMillan leads four Golden Griffins in double figures with 18.6 points per game, while junior forward Phil Valenti is averaging 16.3 points per contest. Senior guard Jamal Reynolds is averaging a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game.
 
Scouting the Warhawks: Louisiana Monroe, in its sixth season under head coach Keith Richard, snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday with a 101-76 win over Central Baptist. Senior forward Majok Deng is averaging a team-best 20.4 points to lead four Warhawks in double figures, while also grabbing 7.7 rebounds per contest. Freshman forward Travis Munnings is averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game.
 
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 Reached 100: Entering his seventh season at the helm, Joyner was one win shy of 100 for his career. But when the Pirates defeated American on Nov. 17, he picked up the 100th win of his career as a head coach. The Pirates won 17 games under Joyner last season, and in his six-plus seasons in charge, Hampton has made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2015. At 103-101, 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 Chievous (First Team), 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. Johnson, who was named to the MEAC's All-Tournament Team last season, also returns, as does 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 Nov. 14, dropping a career-high 29 points and grabbing a career-best 23 rebounds at Winthrop. Dating back to last season, Chievous has five double-doubles in his last 10 games. Chievous is second on the team in scoring (16.5 ppg) and he leads the team in rebounding (a MEAC-best 10.5 rpg).
 
Johnson Lit it Up: 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. He poured in 19 points in Hampton's 61-48 win at American, and he dropped a career-high 35 points in a double-overtime win at Northern Arizona. Johnson leads the team in scoring (17.2 ppg, second in the MEAC). Johnson has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games.
 
Darden Looking for More: 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 at Winthrop, and he scored a season-high 22 at Northern Arizona. Darden is third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.9 points per game.
 
Pressley Crashing the Glass: 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. He had his first double-double of the season (11 points, 10 rebounds) against Appalachian State. He also had a career-high six blocks in that game. Pressley grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds at Northern Arizona, and his 5.9 boards per game are second on the team.
 
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.