Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Season Versus West Virginia State
11/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 5, 2006
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd men's basketball team plays host to West Virginia State this Monday night in exhibition action at the Henderson Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Marshall, who returns four starters and seven letterwinners from the 2005-06 team, plays its only exhibition game of the season Monday. The Herd opens its regular season on Saturday, November 11 at 4 p.m. against UNC-Greensboro in the Henderson Center. MU finished 12-16 overall last season and 5-9 in its inaugural season in Conference USA.
Monday's game against the Yellow Jackets marks the 100th year of Marshall basketball. Marshall began its basketball program against the Charleston Taw Club on December 14, 1906.
Head coach Ron Jirsa, in his fourth year, has put together the 2006-07 team with Conference USA in mind - fast, athletic players that can play a multitude of positions in a frenzied style of play. It could be argued that this year's team is one of the more talented teams the Thundering Herd has suited up in some time, with C-USA All-Freshman team member Markel Humphrey (Ellenwood, Ga.) and senior point guard Chris Ross (San Antonio, Texas) leading the way. With experienced four-year guard Tre Whitted (Wilmington, N.C.), senior forward Travis Aikens (Orlando, Fla.), and junior guard Mark Dorris (Cincinnati, Ohio) also returning, the Herd has a group of players that saw a fair-share of action in 2005-06. In fact, Humphrey, Ross, Whitted, and Dorris played in all 28 games last season, and Aikens played in 26. Ross started in 28, and Whitted started in 27.
Aikens is the Herd's leading scorer returning from 2005-06, when he averaged 8.6 points per game. Ross finished last season fifth in the league in assists (5.4) and steals (1.9).
There will also be four newcomers making their debut on the Henderson Center floor Monday night - sophomore guard Darryl Merthie (Orlando, Fla.) and junior guard Chris Williams (Compton, Calif.), freshman forward Tyler Wilkerson (Lexington, Ky.), and freshman center Robbie Jackson (Aberdeen, Md.).
West Virginia State returns three starters from last year's WVIAC Championship team, which finished 27-7 overall. Junior guard Ted Scott is the team's leading returning scorer - he averaged 15.3 points per game in 2005-06.
Marshall has played WVSU one time during the regular season, and that came on December 7, 1999, when the Herd beat the Yellow Jackets, 82-46, in the Henderson Center.
The game will be broadcast live locally on WRVC 930-AM, with Luke Beech and Woody Woodrum on the call. Student radio station WMUL-FM will also have the game locally in Huntington on 88.1 FM and on the World Wide Web at www.marshall.edu/wmul.
