Exam Break Over, Men’s Basketball Travels To Marist For Matinee Matchup

Saturday, December 22

Poughkeepsie, NY

1:00 pm

Brown University

Marist

Photo by: David Silverman Photography

Exam Break Over, Men’s Basketball Travels To Marist For Matinee Matchup

12/21/2018 8:38:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Brown Basketball Notes vs. Marist

Providence, R.I. - The Bears will come out of hibernation following a 14-day break for final exams on Saturday, December 22, traveling to Poughkeepsie, NY to face Marist. Brown (7-4) hasn't played since a 71-69 win over Stony Brook on December 8. All the action tips-off at 1:00 pm at the McCann Center with broadcast on ESPN+ and WPRV AM-790.

The Bears:  Brown (7-4) has been idle for the last 14 days for final exams and is coming off a 71-69 win over Stony Brook on 12/8/18.Tamenang Choh '21 posted a double-double against the Seawolves with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Desmond Cambridge '21 (16), Obi Okolie '19 (14) and Zach Hunsaker '20 (10) each scored in double figures.

About the Red Foxes:  Marist evened its record at 5-5 with a 58-49 win at New Hampshire, completing a run of eight straight games away from home. The Red Foxes, who have played just one home game, have also earned wins over Columbia (82-76), Dartmouth (76-58), LIU-Brooklyn (70-53) and Stetson (79-75), with losses to Army (73-69), Lehigh (78-72), Stephen F. Austin (64-60), Buffalo (76-49) and Colgate (82-66).

Brown vs. Marist Series Record: The Bears and Red Foxes have met four times, dating back to 1991, with the series tied, 2-2. Brown defeated the Red Foxes, 90-69 last year (12/22/17) behind Desmond Cambridge's career high 33 points.
The two teams met at the Hall of Fame Shootout in Uncasville, CT on 12/22/15, with the Red Foxes outlasting the Bears, 84-83, in double overtime. The two teams first met on 12/7/91 at the Marist Tournament in Poughkeepsie, NY, with the Bears earning an 82-79 win.

Bear Facts:Brown has been on a rebounding tear, out-rebounding Butler, 35-33, and Stony Brook, 46-31...Sophomore Tamenang Choh leads the Ivy League in rebounding (8.9 per game), ranks fourth in blocked shots (1.3) and ninth in assists (3.0 per game)… Sophomore Desmond Cambridge blocked five shots vs. Stony Brook and leads the Ivies with 1.9 blocked shots per game…Brown leads the Ivy League in FG defense (.394), 3-point FG defense (.270), rebounding (39.4 per game) and blocked shots (5.0 per game).

Obi Okolie – Veteran Scorer Returns:  Bears' senior guard Obi Okolie (Ajax, Ontario) scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in Brown's win over Stony Brook.  He found his stroke vs. Butler with 11 points, knocking down a career high three treys on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Okolie had seven rebounds vs. UMass Lowell and scored in double figures vs. Sacred Heart (11 points) and Army (10 points). He had six rebounds vs. Rhode Island and his four assists vs. Bryant led the Bears. Okolie opened the season with 17 points and six rebounds vs. LIU-Brooklyn.  Okolie 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 fifth in the Ivy League in shooting percentage (.567).  He scored nine points vs. Butler on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Howard had 13 points vs. Navy on 5-of-9 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds and blocking a career high three shots. He tossed in 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds vs. Bryant and added eight points and five rebounds vs. Rhode Island.  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 and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Brandon Anderson – Ivy League's Third Leading Returning Scorer:  Junior guard Brandon Anderson (Mahwah, NJ) ranks seventh in the Ivy League with 3.4 assists per game and fourth in the league with 1.7 steals per game. He matched his career high with seven assists vs. Navy while adding 10 points. Anderson opened the season by scoring 17 points and handing out four assists vs. LIU-Brooklyn. He 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. Anderson 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:    819
Anderson's Career Assists:   194

Hunsaker In The Backcourt:Complementing Anderson in the backcourt is junior guard and two-year captain Zach Hunsaker (North Salt Lake City, UT), who scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists vs. Stony Brook.  He 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 tossed in 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.

Choh – Ivy League's Leading Rebounder:  Sophomore forward Tamenang Choh (Lowell, MA) leads the Ivy League in rebounding (8.9 per game) and ranks fourth in blocked shots (1.3 per game). He dominated Stony Brook with a double-double - 20 points and 12 rebounds.  Choh pulled down a game high 10 rebounds vs. Butler while adding eight points and three assists. He scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out four assists and made a career high three steals vs. Navy.  Choh posted a double-double performance with 12 points and a career high 13 rebounds vs. Rhode Island. He blocked a career high five shots vs. Bryant, while scoring 12 points against the Bulldogs. Choh 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). He scored a team high 13 points vs. Salve Regina and 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.

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 for 2018-19.  The Ivy League leader in blocked shots (1.9 per game), Cambridge scored 16 points and blocked a career high five shots vs. Stony Brook. Cambridge exploded for a season high 29 points vs. Navy, connecting on 12-of-18 field goals, including 5-of-11 treys, while pulling down seven rebounds. His 15 points vs. Butler led the Bears. 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 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, 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.

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 guard 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).

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

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.  Sullivan had three points and three rebounds vs. Stony Brook. He knocked down a trey and had two assists vs. Navy and scored four points vs. NJIT and a season high 11 points vs. UMass Lowell. Last year, he helped the Bears topple UMass Lowell with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-3 treys. He is the third Sullivan brother to play for Brown, following in the footsteps of brothers Peter '11 and Matt '13.

DeWolf Inside:  Sophomore forward Matt DeWolf (Barrington, RI) has earned a starting role and is averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. DeWolf pulled down six rebounds vs. Butler and four rebounds vs. Stony Brook. 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.

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 a 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 November 13 at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Christian was diagnosed in 2014 with Eosphilic Esophagitis and Malignant Hyperthermia.  Through Team IMPACT's program at Brown, the top recruit will become an official member of the men's basketball team. As a team member, Christian will attend the 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.

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.

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:  After a short break for the Christmas holiday, Brown heads to the West Coast on Saturday, December 29 against San Diego State. Tip-off is 5:00 PST at Viejas Arena in a game broadcast on Fox Sports San Diego.