EASTERN ILLINOIS BASKETBALL 2011-12 EASTERN ILLINOIS MEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA SUPPLEMENT EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHER BASKETBALL WWW.EIUPANTHERS.COM EASTERN ILLINOIS MEN'S BASKETBALL EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS 2012 MEN’S BASKETBALL DAY DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME Sun. Nov. 6 OLIVET NAZARENE (Exh.) LANTZ ARENA 6 pm Fri. Nov. 11 at Indiana State Terre Haute, Ind. 4 pm Wed. Nov. 16 + LOYOLA-CHICAGO LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sun. Nov. 20 at Northern Illinois DeKalb, Ill. 1 pm Wed. Nov. 23 EUREKA COLLEGE LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Nov. 26 at Central Arkansas Conway, Ark. 4 pm Wed. Nov. 30 + MAINE LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Dec. 3 STONY BROOK LANTZ ARENA 2 pm Wed. Dec. 7 OAKLAND CITY COLLEGE LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Dec. 10 at Western Illinois Macomb, Ill. 7 pm Sun. Dec. 18 at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. 5 pm Wed. Dec. 21 at Maine Orono, Maine 6 pm Fri. Dec. 30 * MURRAY STATE LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Wed. Jan. 4 * at SIU Edwardsville Edwardsville, Ill. 7 pm Sat. Jan. 7 at Houston Baptist Houston, Texas 7 pm Thur. Jan. 12 *+ UT MARTIN LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Jan. 14 * at Southeast Missouri Cape Girardeau, Mo. 7:30 pm Thur. Jan. 19 *+ TENNESSEE STATE LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Jan. 21 *+ AUSTIN PEAY LANTZ ARENA 6 pm Thur. Jan. 26 * at Jacksonville State Jacksonville, Ala. 7 pm Sat. Jan. 28 * at Murray State Murray, Ky. 7 pm Mon. Jan. 30 *+ SOUTHEAST MISSOURI LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Thur. Feb. 2 *+ EASTERN KENTUCKY LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Feb. 4 *+ MOREHEAD STATE LANTZ ARENA 6 pm Thur. Feb. 9 * at Tennessee Tech Cookeville, Tenn. 7 pm Sat. Feb. 11 * at UT Martin Martin, Tenn. 6 pm Wed. Feb. 15 *+ SIU EDWARDSVILLE LANTZ ARENA 7 pm Sat. Feb. 18 + SEARS BRACKETBUSTER LANTZ ARENA 6 pm Thur. Feb. 23 * at Morehead State Morehead, Ky. 6:30 pm Sat. Feb. 25 * at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 6 pm Wed.-Sat. Feb. 29-March 3 OVC Tournament @ Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. * Ohio Valley Conference Contests + Game televised on WEIU TV All Times Central & Subject to Change HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPS - PLAYED AT LANTZ ARENA EASTERN ILLINOIS BASKETBALL Location.........................Charleston,.IL.(20,000) Founded.................................................... 1895 press row phone - (217) 581-5135 Enrollment.............................................. 11,607 Nickname............................................Panthers School.Colors......................Blue,.Gray.&.White Affiliation...................................NCAA.Division.I Conference...................................... Ohio.Valley Arena..................................Lantz.Arena.(5,300) President........................... .Dr..William.L..Perry Athletic.Director..........................Barbara.Burke NCAA.Faculty.Representative..... .Dr..Jim.Davis EIU MEN'S BASKETBALL STAFF Head.Coach.....................Mike.Miller.(7th.year) Assistant.Coach..... .Chad.Altadonna.(7th.year) ............................... Barron.Thelmon.(2nd.year) ................................ Geoff.Alexander.(1st.year) Basketball.Trainer........................ Brett.Penning Basketball.Secretary.................Jodie.Osterday Basketball Office Phone............(217).581-7759 Basketball Office Fax................(217).581-7772 Basketball.Email.................. [email protected] MAILING ADDRESS Eastern.Illinois.University 600.Lincoln.Avenue Lantz.Arena LANTZ ARENA LAYOUT Charleston,.IL..61920 to LINCOLN AVENUE FOURTH STREET (and IL Route 16) Basketball.Press.Row...............(217).581-5135 MEDIA ROW PANTHE N R SPORTS INFORMATION STAFF INTERVIEWS PLAYING COURT third.level R 3409.Lantz S EASTE RICH MOSER SANDY KING Associate.Athletic.Director Staff.Photographer.& SPORTS INFO HOME BENCH SCORERS TABLE VISITOR BENCH Media.&.Public.Relations Graphic.Designer OFFICE second.level 2024.Lantz HOME LOCKER VISITOR LOCKER [email protected] [email protected] ROOM ROOM (217).581-7480 (217).581-7761 PARKING WILL CALL WINDOW LOT second.level.-.main.concourse BART RETTBERG GREG NORTH Assistant.Sports Information.Director LAUTZENHEISER Assistant.Sports Eastern.Illinois.basketball.will.once.again.be.broadcast.on. [email protected] Information.Director Hit.Mix.88.9.FM.with.all.games.also.streamed.live.on.the. (217).581-6408 internet. Veteran. announcer. Mike. Bradd. returns. for. his. [email protected] (217).581-7020 24thseason.as.the."Voice.of.EIU.Panther.Basketball".and. RYAN PIERS 28th. season. overall. working. Panther. basketball. He. will. Graduate.Assistant be. joined. again. this. season. by. color. commentator. Jack. New.Media MIKE BRADD Men's.Basketball Ashmore.(right).who.is.also.in.his.24th.season... Play-By-Play [email protected] . (217).581-6408 [email protected] EIU. will. also. broadcast. its. weekly. Panther. Sports. Talk. (217).581-3323 Coaches.Show.on.WEIU.TV.on.Wednesday.at.6.p.m..Rich. Moser.hosts.the.show... PANTHER ATHLETIC MISSION STATEMENT: The.mission.of.the.Eastern.Illinois.University.Department.of.Intercollegiate. Athletics.is.to.provide.an.environment.in.which.student-athletes.complete.their.undergraduate.college.education.and.achieve.athletics. success at the highest possible level. The Department is committed to offering a first-class competitive athletics program at the NCAA Division.I.(FCS).level.that.promotes.the.values.of.Eastern.Illinois.University.mission.. EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHER BASKETBALL WWW.EIUPANTHERS.COM EASTERN ILLINOIS MEN'S BASKETBALL EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH MIKE MILLER . Eastern.Illinois.University.head.coach.Mike.Miller.has.a.history.of.turning.programs.around.and.as.he.enters. his.seventh.season.at.the.helm.of.the.Panthers.program.he.appears.to.have.the.fortunes.of.the.EIU.program.headed. in.the.right.direction. EIU.has.consistently.ranked.among.the.OVC.leaders.in.player.graduation.and.APR. During. Miller's.tenure.at.EIU.the.program.has.graduated.95.percent.of.its.players. The.Panthers.enter.the.2011-12.season.with.a.roster.that.features.All-OVC.candidates.Jeremy.Granger.and. James.Hollowell.along.with.several.highly.regarded.junior.college.transfers.as.the.Panthers.recruiting.class.was. ranked.in.the.top.75.in.the.nation.by.HoopScoop.com. Granger.ranked.among.the.league's.top.player.makers.last. season.leading.the.team.with.14.5.points.per.game.and.ranking.in.the.top.ten.nationally.in.free.throw.percentage. Hollowell.was.an.All-OVC.Newcomer.selection.two.years.ago.and.last.season.led.EIU.in.rebounding. In 2010 the Panthers posted their first winning season since 2001 with a 19-12 mark as the Panthers won eight straight games to close the season before falling to Murray State in the OVC Tournament semifinals. The 19.wins.by.EIU.marked.the.third.highest.win.total.in.the.Division.I.history.of.the.program.while.eight.straight.wins. during.an.undefeated.February.set.the.school.Division.I.record.for.consecutive.wins.. Tyler Laser was a first team All-OVC selection becoming the first EIU player since 2003 to earn that distinction while.James.Hollowell.was.named.to.the.OVC.All-Newcomer.squad..The.Panthers.entered.the.2010-11.season. hopeful.of.repeating.that.success.but.were.hit.by.several.early.season.injuries.including.the.loss.of.Laser.just.ten. games.into.the.season..Junior.Jeremy.Granger.took.over.the.team.leadership.role.earning.second.team.All-District.honors..The.Panthers.played. most.of.the.season.with.a.short-handed.squad.losing.eight.games.by.a.total.of.29.points. Despite.playing.with.a.limited.roster.during.the.course. of.the.season.EIU.was.able.to.pick.up.road.wins.at.Bradley.and.OVC.regular-season.champion.Murray.State..It.was.only.the.third.win.in.program. history.in.Murray,.Ky..The.Panthers.also.knocked.off.OVC.Tournament.Champion.Morehead.State.in.Lantz.Arena.set.a.school.defensive.record. as they limited the Eagles to only 40 points while shutting down NBA first down draft pick Kenneth Faried. Fans could see the fortunes of the program starting to change in 2009 as the Panthers lost in final seconds of the OVC Tournament first round.to.No..3.seed.Austin.Peay.playing.with.only.one.senior.on.the.roster.. Hired in mid-April of 2005 after five years as the associate head coach at Kansas State University, Miller has already produced two Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in his short tenure at EIU. In addition his first full recruiting class in 2006 was rated as the best in the OVC.by.HoopScoop.com.while.also.ranking.in.the.Top.100.recruiting.classes.nationally..The.Panthers.2008.recruiting.class.was.ranked.second. in.the.OVC.by.HoopScoop.com.and.61st.nationally.. Among the seven new faces Miller and his staff were able to bring in among that top class were the school’s first freshman to lead the program in.scoring.in.the.NCAA.Division.I.era.in.Romain.Martin.and.only.the.second.freshman.to.lead.the.team.in.rebounding.as.a.NCAA.Division.I.school. in Ousmane Cisse. Cisse would finish his career as the fourth leading rebounder in EIU history and stands tied for first in career games played at.EIU.. Originally.from.Monmouth,.Illinois,.Miller.has.always.had.ties.to.the.deep.tradition.of.basketball.in.the.State.of.Illinois.and.surrounding.region.. He and his staff (all local products themselves) have emphasized getting the best talent in the area that fits their system. The Panthers have succeeded.in.building.their.roster.with.a.combination.of.All-State.Illinois.products.along.with.top.players.from.the.surrounding.states.of.Indiana,. Iowa.and.Michigan.. During his tenure at Kansas State, Miller helped the team improve from an 11-18 record his first season to a 17-12 mark in 2004-05. That season.the.Wildcats.started.three.sophomores.and.a.“true”.freshman,.and.had.six.wins.over.teams.that.advanced.to.post.season.tournaments.. During that same time frame 10 of 14 seniors who completed their eligibility earned degrees with five players earning Academic All-Big 12 honors.. Miller.also.served.as.one.of.K-State’s.top.recruiters.with.the.Wildcats.having.three.straight.Top.25.recruiting.classes.as.named.by.Hoop. Scoop.magazine..The.2002.class.was.rated.No..1.in.the.nation.. No.stranger.to.building.programs,.Miller.helped.revitalize.the.program.at.Texas.State.University.(formerly.Southwest.Texas.State).during.nine.