JONESBORO, Ark. (10/9/12) – The Arkansas State
University men's basketball team will step onto the court for its first
official practice this Friday (Oct. 12) as the Red Wolves begin preparations
for the upcoming 2012-13 season.
The initial scheduled three-hour practice of this
fall for A-State will commence at 5 p.m. (CT) inside the HPESS on the ASU
campus. The Red Wolves are slated to
practice for the next six consecutive days before receiving a day off on
Friday, Oct. 19.
“We're excited to get going although the start of
this season is a little different for us than in the past,” said Arkansas State
fifth-year head coach John Brady. “We were allowed to actually coach our team
on the floor in July for two hours a week so it's not like we just
started. We're further along from a
coaching and teaching standpoint than we've ever been.”
A-State returns six letterwinners from the
2011-12 squad, which finished 14-20 overall and 6-10 in the Sun Belt Conference
(SBC). Moreover, four of the Red Wolves'
five starters are back in senior guard Trey
Finn, senior guard Marcus Hooten,
and junior guard Ed Townsel along
with senior forward Brandon Peterson. Finn, a 2012 Sun Belt Conference All-Tourney
pick, compiled averages of 11. 6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game a season
ago. Hooten averaged a team-high 12.5
points with 2.4 rebounds an outing while Townsel netted 9.0 points and 3.6
caroms a contest. Peterson led ASU in
rebounding average at 7.9 a game and averaged 9.2 points per outing.
The Red Wolves' other two returning letterwinners
are sophomore guard Rakeem Dickerson
(3.3 ppg., 1.3 rpg.) and sophomore forward Darion
Griswold (4.6 ppg., 2.5 rpg.), an ASU football team member. Junior forward Kendrick Washington, a University of Houston transfer who
practiced with the team last season, is expected to play a key role for the
Scarlet and Black and highlights an eight-member group of newcomers.
“From what I've seen so far, I like our team with
the experience we have,” said Brady, the 2009-10 SBC Coach of the Year. “We will have more depth than in seasons past
and the opportunity is there for us to put a quality team on the floor. This is probably the best collection of kids
we've had in terms of leadership and team chemistry.”
ASU will hold 19 scheduled practices leading up
to a pair of home exhibitions in early November against Southern Arkansas (Nov.
1) and Henderson State (Nov. 6) at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro,
Ark. Both outings are set for a 7:05
p.m. (CT) opening tipoff.
The Red Wolves will play a 29-game regular-season
schedule, starting Nov. 10 with a non-conference matchup at Dayton before squaring
off against Arkansas-Monticello on Nov. 13 in a 7:05 p.m. (CT) home-opening
contest. A-State opens its 20-game
conference slate in the state of Florida with matchups versus Florida International
(Nov. 29) and Florida Atlantic (Dec. 1).
Tickets for the 2012-13 A-State men's basketball season
are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling 1-888-ASU-FANS (278-3267)
or by visiting the ASU Central Ticket Office, which is located inside the
southeast corner (lower level of the Red Entrance) of the Convocation
Center. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(CT) Monday thru Friday. Lower level
season tickets must be purchased exclusively through the Red Wolf Club.
For
more information, visit the official A-State Athletics website at www.AStateRedWolves.com.
