Men's Basketball Takes On Rhode Island In Ocean State Match-up

Wednesday, November 28

Kingston, RI

7:00 pm

Brown University

Rhode Island

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

Men's Basketball Takes On Rhode Island In Ocean State Match-up

11/27/2018 10:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball

MBB Notes URI 11 28 18

Providence, R.I. - Brown will put its five game winning streak on the line Wednesday evening, November 28, when coach Mike Martin's team visits the University of Rhode Island for a 7:00 pm tip-off at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. The Bears look to extend their 5-2 record against the Rams (2-2), who earned an NCAA Tournament berth a year ago. Listen to all the action on WPRV AM-790, or watch locally on Cox Channel 1004/04 (Yurview) or via ESPN+ online.

The Bears:  Brown (5-2) extended its winning streak to five games after earning an 84-60 win over Bryant behind 19 points by Desmond Cambridge '21.  The five game winning streak is the longest since the 2007-08 season. After playing five straight home games, the Bears will play five of their next six games on the road to close out calendar year 2018.

About the Rams:  URI (2-2) is coming off a 68-58 loss to Stony Brook at the Ryan Center on 11/24/18.  The Rams have earned wins over Bryant (97-63) and Harvard (76-74), while also losing to the College of Charleston (66-55).

The Brown-URI Series Record – 160^th Meeting: Brown and URI have met 159 times, dating back to 1909-1910, with the Rams holding a 106-53 series advantage over the Bears.  URI has won the last six meetings, including an 86-62 win on 11/28/17 at the Ryan Center. Brown last win over Rhode Island came on 11/30/11, a 65-55 decision over the Rams at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

Bear Facts:The Bears lead the Ivy League in 3-point scoring defense (.258), blocked shots (5.3 per game) and steals (8.3 per game)…Brown will be playing its third straight Ocean State opponent in Wednesday's game against URI… Sophomore Tamenang Choh's five blocked shots vs. Bryant were a career high. He ranks second in the Ivy League in rebounding (7.9 per game), third in blocked shots (1.9) and sixth in assists (3.1 per game) …Sophomore Desmond Cambridge ranks second in the Ivy League with 2.1 blocked shots per game and sixth in scoring (15.9 ppg).  He had four blocks vs. LIU-Brooklyn and three vs. Army…Sophomore George Mawanda-Kalema scored a career high 11 points vs. Salve Regina.

Obi Okolie – Veteran Scorer Returns:  Bears' senior forward Obi Okolie (Ajax, Ontario) opened the season with 17 points and six rebounds vs. LIU-Brooklyn. Okolie had seven rebounds vs. UMass Lowell and scored in double figures vs. Sacred Heart (11 points) and Army (10 points). His four assists vs. Bryant led the Bears. He has been a mainstay in the lineup since his freshman season, averaging 9.3 points per game.  Last year, Okolie grabbed 4.0 rebounds per game and scored in double figures nine times, scoring a season high 17 points, while grabbing nine rebounds, against Princeton on the final weekend of the season.

Joshua Howard Inside: Junior forward Joshua Howard (Charlotte, NC) leads the Bears and ranks sixth in the Ivy League in shooting percentage (.595).  He tossed in 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds vs. Bryant. Howard had 11 points and three rebounds in Brown's season opener vs. LIU-Brooklyn and came back by matching his career rebounding high with 11 rebounds vs. NJIT. He netted 11 points vs. Salve Regina on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, while grabbing four rebounds. Howard scored 10 points vs. Sacred Heart and just missed a double-double vs. Army with eight points and 10 rebounds.  He earned 16 starts for the Bears a year ago and averaged 5.9 points per game. Howard averaged 3.2 rebounds per game and helped Brown defeat Quinnipiac with a season high 19 points.

Brandon Anderson – Ivy League's Third Leading Returning Scorer:  Junior guard Brandon Anderson (Mahwah, NJ), who ranks second in the Ivy League with 1.9 steals per game, scored 17 points and handed out four assists in Brown's season opener vs. LIU-Brooklyn. Anderson was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Brown Tip-Off Classic after scoring 12 points vs. UMass Lowell, 10 points vs. Sacred Heart and a game high 16 points vs. Army. He tossed in 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field vs. Bryant and registered 11 points and handed out five assists vs. Salve Regina. Last year, he ranked third in the Ivy League in scoring with 17.3 points per game and was second in the conference with 3.9 assists per game. He connected on 169-of-196 free throws (.862), third best in the Ivy League. His anticipation also helped his overall game, ranking second in the conference with 1.5 steals per game. He tossed in a career high 26 points against Northwestern.
Anderson's Career Points:    798
Anderson's Career Assists:   184

Cambridge- Top 10 Mid Major Prospect To Watch:  One of the most dynamic and explosive players in Brown history, sophomore forward Desmond Cambridge (Nashville, TN) was named a Top-10 Mid-Major Prospect to Watch in 2018-19.  He scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in Brown's win over Bryant. Cambridge was named the MVP of the Brown Tip-Off Classic after scoring 23 points vs. UMass Lowell, 23 points vs. Sacred Heart and 13 points with three blocked shots vs. Army. He was also named the College Sports Madness Ivy League Player of the week for his play in the Tip-Off Tournament. Cambridge opened the season with 13 points and a career high four blocked shots vs. LIU-Brooklyn. Cambridge was the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year after setting a Brown freshman scoring record with 468 points, eclipsing the previous mark of 460 points by Brown's all-time leading scorer Earl Hunt in 2000. A six-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Cambridge, who also earned Second Team All-Ivy honors, ranked third in the Ivy League in overall scoring with 17.3 points per game and second in conference scoring with 18.6 points per game. The only Brown player to start all 27 games, his 2.5 treys per game were fifth in the Ivy League, while his 27 blocked shots ranked sixth. He scored in double figures in 24 of Brown's 27 games and scored 20 or more points eight times, including a career high 33 points against Marist.

Hunsaker In The Backcourt:Complementing Anderson in the backcourt is junior guard and two-year captain Zack Hunsaker (North Salt Lake City, UT), who connected on a key trey in Brown's win over Sacred Heart and netted 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field vs. Army. He netted seven points vs. Bryant and nine points vs. Salve Regina. A savvy player with a great feel for the game, Hunsaker ranked second on the Brown team in treys (46) and assists (46) last year and ranked third on the Brown team with 9.7 points per game. Hunsaker, who connected on a coast-to-coast game winning shot to beat Dartmouth at the buzzer, tossed in a season high 21 points vs. Bryant last year, knocking down 5-of-10 treys.

Newcomers:Coach Martin welcomes four talented newcomers to College Hill, including 6-8 freshman forward Davis Franks (New York, NY), 6-9 freshman forward Jaylan Gainey (Goldsboro, NC), 6-6 freshman forward David Mitchell (Roxbury, MA) and 6-0 freshman guard Thomas Shaughnessy (Needham, MA).

First Career Points:  Four different Brown players scored for the first time in their careers vs. Salve Regina – freshman Thomas Shaughnessy (7), sophomore Jake Shaper (4), freshman Jaylan Gainey (4) and freshman Davis Franks (2).

Sullivan Takes Leadership Role:Senior guard and two-year team captain Chris Sullivan (Wilmette, IL) played in all 27 games a year ago and is effective coming off the bench to provide a defensive presence for the Bears.  He scored four points vs. NJIT and seven points vs. NJIT. Last year, he helped the Bears topple UMass Lowell with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-3 treys.

Choh – Ivy League's Top Rebounder:  Sophomore forward Tamenang Choh(Lowell, MA) ranks second in the Ivy League in rebounding (7.9 per game), third in blocked shots (1.9 per game) and eighth in assists (3.1 per game). Choh blocked a career high five shots vs. Bryant, while scoring 12 points against the Bulldogs. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Brown Tip-Off Classic after scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds vs. Sacred Heart, and coming back with a double-double vs. Army (12 points, 10 rebounds). Choh scored a team high 13 points vs. Salve Regina and pulled down five rebounds. He had a big game vs. LIU-Brooklyn with nine points,  and career highs in rebounds (12), assists (6) and blocked shots (3).  Choh scored a team high 17 points against NJIT. Last year, he came on strong down the stretch in a starting role, scoring a career high 23 points, while grabbing nine rebounds in Brown's final game against Penn.  A relentless rebounder, he led the Bears with 5.4 rebounds per game, 7.0 rebounds in conference play. He was Brown's fifth leading scorer (7.2 ppg) a year ago.

DeWolf Inside:  Sophomore forward Matt DeWolf (Barrington, RI) has earned a starting role and is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game. He hit all three of his shots in scoring six points vs. Bryant. DeWolf had six points and four rebounds vs. Sacred Heart, and six points and six rebounds vs. Army. He had two points and five rebounds in Brown's season opener vs. LIU-Brooklyn and came back with six points vs. NJIT. Last year, his 4.4 rebounds per game were third on the Brown team, including a career high 13 rebounds against Dartmouth. Last year, he posted back-to-back eight rebound performances against Providence and UMass Lowell.

Okolie, Sullivan and Hunsaker Repeat As Brown Basketball Captains:   Brown men's basketball head coach Mike Martin announced that senior Obi Okolie, senior Chris Sullivanand junior Zach Hunsaker have been elected tri-captains of the 2018-19 team for the second straight season.

Fuller Up:  Senior forward Travis Fuller (Encinitas, CA) scored four points against Army in the Brown Tip-Off Classic. Last year, Fuller earned three starts and posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against LIU Brooklyn.  He finished the season with an average of 3.2 rebounds per game.

Christian Berardi Drafted By Brown Basketball Through Team IMPACT:Boston-headquartered national nonprofit Team IMPACT, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing serious and chronic illnesses through the power of team, along with Brown University Men's Basketball, held a special Draft Day celebration for 7-year-old Christian Berardi of North Providence, RI on Tuesday, November 13 at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Christian was diagnosed in 2014 with Eosphilic Esophagitis and Malignant Hyperthermia.  Through Team IMPACT's program at Division I Brown University, the top recruit will become an official member of the Men's Basketball team. As a team member, Christian will attend Bears practices, games, team dinners, events, and more.

Head Coach Mike Martin:Former Brown basketball standout Mike Martin '04, the 31st head men's basketball coach in the program's 111-year history, has changed the direction and culture of the program in six years as head coach of the Bears, with the building blocks in place to develop an Ivy Championship team. He has assembled a young and talented 2018-19 squad that includes Desmond Cambridge, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Martin took over the reins of the program in 2012-13 and was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award as the nation's outstanding first-year head coach after leading the Bears to a turnaround season with a 13-15 overall record, including a fourth-place finish in the Ivy standings with a 7-7 mark after winning four of its last five games. Martin's 2013-14 team posted a 15-14 overall record and hosted Brown's first-ever postseason game, playing Holy Cross in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at the Pizzitola Sports Center. In addition, he guided two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Kuakumensah, the Ivy League's all-time leader in blocked shots. A four-year starter at Brown, Martin was part of the winningest class in Bears' basketball history, posting a 63-45 four-year record from 2000-04. He also helped the Class of 2004 to a school-record 39-17 Ivy League mark during that period -- the best by an Ivy League team, other than Penn and Princeton, since 1970. An Agawam, Mass., native, Martin launched his coaching career at Brown as an assistant coach in 2005-06, and was an assistant coach at Penn from 2006-12.

The Ivy League on ESPN:  Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99. ABC6 Sports anchor Nick Coit will call the play for all Brown home games with Adam Giardino providing the analysis.

Bears On The Air:  Brown's entire schedule, home and away, is being broadcast on WPRV-AM 790 with Scott Cordischi, the voice of Brown basketball and football, calling all the action. Former Brown basketball star Russ Tyler '71(1,133 career points) provides the color analysis. Brown fans can also listen to the broadcast on http://www.790business.com.

Ivy League Tournament: The 2019 Ivy League Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament will be held on the campus of Yale University at the John J. Lee Amphitheater at Payne Whitney Gymnasium March 16 and 17. The League's unique tournament format has enhanced the importance of the regular season as seven of the eight squads had an opportunity to earn a berth into the four-team tournament heading into the final week of the regular season.

Next Game:  The Bears travel to Annapolis, Maryland to battle Navy on Saturday, December 1.  All the action starts at 4:00 pm at Alumni Hall on the campus of the US Naval Academy.