THE SETTING
The UMKC men’s basketball team will open the 2009-10 season on Saturday night when it hosts Truman State at the Swinney Recreation Center.  The game between the Kangaroos and Bulldogs will tip-off at 7:05 p.m. and be broadcast live on Metro Sports. 

ON THE AIR
Radio: 810 AM WHB (Steven Davis - p-b-p; Steven St. John - color)
Television: Metro Sports (Neil Harwell - p-b-p; Doug Elstun - color)
Web: Roo Vision (www.UMKCKangaroos.com)
Live Stats:  www.UMKCKangaroos.com

LAST TIME OUT
The ‘Roos rolled to 75-39 exhibition victory over Bethel College on Nov. 6.  UMKC had three players reach double digits and a total of six players finish with at least eight points in the contest.  Juniors Jay Couisnard and Spencer Johnson paced the squad, as Couisnard finished with 16 points and five boards, while Johnson tallied a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

THE COACHES
Head Coach Matt Brown is in his third season with the UMKC men’s basketball program, where he has compiled an 18-45 overall record and has coached three players to all-Summit League recognition.  Former forward Dane Brumagin was a second team all-league honoree and Reggie Hamilton was an all-newcomer team selection in 2007-08, while Brumagin earned an honorable mention all-league nod in 2008-09.  Last season, Brown guided the ‘Roos to a pair of wins over Missouri Valley Conference foes Wichita State and Bradley.  It was just the third time in school history for the team to beat two MVC teams in the same season.
    Jack Schrader is in his 15th season as the head coach at Truman State, where he has compiled a 153-233 overall record.     

SCOUTING TRUMAN STATE
The Bulldogs finished the 2008-09 season with a 5-22 overall record and a 1-19 mark in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.  This season, TSU returns three starters and a total of seven letterwinners to the mix.  Forward Ethan Freeman is the squad’s top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game a season ago.

TRUMAN STATE GAME NOTES
•  Saturday’s game will count as an exhibition game for Truman State.  The game, however, will be UMKC’s regular season opener.
• The Bulldogs opened its exhibition season with a 96-33 loss at Missouri on Nov. 6.  Center Vesko Filchev paced the squad with eight points in the contest.
• Truman State was picked to finish 11th by both the media and coaches in the MIAA Preseason Polls. 

THE SERIES
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting in the all-time series between UMKC and Truman State.

QUICK HITTERS
• UMKC returns 53 percent of its scoring (1067 of 2008), 69 percent (690 of 1007) of its rebounds,  49 percent (168-340) of its assists, 52 percent of its steals (109-208) and 55 percent of its blocks (30-55) from last season.
• The team’s returnees finished with a .407 (388-954) field goal percentage and a .283 (75-265) three-point field goal percentage in 2008-09.

UMKC IN REGULAR SEASON OPENERS
The Kangaroos are 6-16 in regular season openers during the Division I era.  The ‘Roos have dropped their last two openers, falling at Kansas in 2007-08 and against North Dakota (61-56) last season.  In regular season openers in Kansas City, UMKC has posted a 5-6 record.

A DAZZLING DEBUT
Junior Jay Couisnard led a balanced scoring attack in the exhibition win over Bethel College.  The Evansville transfer scored the first nine points of the game, all of which came on three-pointers, and finished with a game-high 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

DOWN & DIRTY
Junior Spencer Johnson continued on with his blue collar play, as the forward tallied a double-double with 14 points and 14 boards in the win over Bethel College.  Eight of his 14 rebounds came on the offensive glass and the Illinois native made an efficient 5-of-9 shot attempts in the contest.

FRESHMEN STRONG IN COLLEGIATE DEBUTS
UMKC got eight points apiece from freshmen Alex Bazzell and Fred Chatmon in the exhibition opener.  Bazzell made a pair of long balls in the contest, while Chatmon went 4-of-5 from the floor with a pair of dunks.  The third freshman - Kirk Korver - finished with three points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of play.

RETURNING ‘ROOS
UMKC returns three starters and seven letterwinners from the 2008-09 squad.  Juniors Bakari Lewis and Spencer Johnson are the top two returning scorers after averaging 10.8 and 10.7 points, respectively.  Sophomore LaTreze Mushatt, meanwhile, is back after averaging 9.1 points per game as a freshman.
    Trey McKinney-Jones, Dustin Dibble, Daniel Brady also return in 2009-10 after seeing extensive playing time during their first season in Blue and Gold.  McKinney-Jones appeared in all 31 games, where he averaged 3.6 points, while Dibble saw action in 30 game with a 3.6 points per game average.  Sophomore Patrick Inyard also returns for his second season as a walk-on.

TEAM CAPTAINS
The Kangaroos have a trio of captains for the 2009-10 season.  Juniors Spencer Johnson and Jay Couisnard and sophomore LaTreze Mushatt will don the captain titles this season.  Couisnard assumes the leadership role despite not having played a single minute in UMKC Blue and Gold.

YOUNG SQUAD
UMKC’s roster of 15 players includes five freshmen, five sophomores and five juniors.  The freshmen are Alex Bazzell, Fred Chatmon, Kirk Korver, Max Rockmann and Aaron Young.  The sophomores are Dustin Dibble, Michael Gholston, Jr., Patrick Inyard, Trey McKinney-Jones and LaTreze Mushatt.
    Gholston, Jr. is in his first year at UMKC after attending State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo., last season.

HOME SWEET SWINNEY
The Kangaroos will play a total of 14 home games during the regular season with five games being contested on campus at Swinney Recreation Center.  It will be the most home games at SRC since the pre-Division I era.

FIVE STATE TITLES
UMKC’s roster of 15 players includes three players who won state titles during high school.  Jay Couisnard led Westbury Christian High School in Houston to a pair of Texas state titles, Patrick Inyard guided Highland Park High School to two Kansas 5A crowns and LaTreze Mushatt guided Saginaw’s Arthur Hill High School to a Michigan state championship in 2006.

A LOOK AT THE FINER DETAILS
With a young squad in 2008-09, UMKC wasn’t able to get over the hump and win close contests.  The squad posted a 5-11 mark in games decided by seven points or less and 2-6 in games decided by six points or fewer.

THEY’RE SOPHS, BUT LIKE UPPERCLASSMEN
In the roster they are listed as sophomores, but LaTreze Mushatt, Trey McKinney-Jones and Dustin Dibble saw more action than your typical freshmen in 2008-09.  Mushatt and McKinney-Jones played in all 31 games for the ‘Roos with the duo making 25 and 13 starts, respectively.  Dibble, meanwhile, earned the starting nod in 12 games as a newcomer a season ago.

RAINING THREES
UMKC has made at least one three-point basket in 276 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to Jan. 22, 2000.

SPENCE BACK AS TEAM VET
Junior Spencer Johnson returns to the UMKC line-up after being one of the team’s most consistent players in 2008-09.  The forward, who started 30-of-31 games, reached double figures in 14 contests and had seven games with 10 or more rebounds.  For the year, Johnson averaged 10.7 points and 6.6 rebounds, while pulling down a total of 205 boards.  The figure was the eighth most in a single season in school history.

TREZ LOOKS TO BUILD ON FRESHMAN SEASON
The Kangaroos will look for sophomore LaTreze Mushatt to build on what was a solid freshman season.  The 6-5 forward reached double figures in 14 games on the year and finished with a UMKC freshman record 169 rebounds.  The ‘Roos will look for more of a leadership role out of the Michigan native this season, as he was tabbed as one of the team’s three captains.

EVANSVILLE TRANSFER
Junior Jay Couisnard will be a welcomed addition to the UMKC front court this season after sitting out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA Division I transfer regulations.  The Houston, Texas, native will provide the ‘Roos with an strong, athletic player at the forward position with a knack for being a defensive stopper.
    Prior to transferring to UMKC, Couisnard played in 61 games with 34 starts in two seasons at the University of Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

BK BACK TO LEAD THE GUARDS
After becoming eligible at the start of the second semester in 2008-09, guard Bakari Lewis proved to be a valuable addition to the UMKC roster.  The Cleveland native, who is the team’s top returning scorer at 10.8 points per game, will now have the opportunity to compete in his first full season at the Division I level.  In addition to his scoring capabilities (10 games in double figures; two 23-point games), Lewis is the team’s top returning assist man with 51 in 2008-09.

FORMER SHOCKER RETURNS HOME
Former Wichita State player and Kansas City, Mo., native Reggie Chamberlain transferred to UMKC in the offseason.  The 6-0 guard, who averaged 3.4 points per game for the Shockers, will have to sit out the 2009-10 season due to NCAA Division I transfer regulations. 

ROCKMANN OUT UNTIL SECOND SEMESTER
Freshman forward Max Rockmann will be out of action until the second semester for the ‘Roos due to NCAA rules and regulations regarding amateurism.  The Germany native came to UMKC after playing for the Alba Berlin 2 team last season.

YEP, IT’S THE SAME KORVER
The name sound familiar?  It should, as UMKC freshman Kirk Korver is the fourth son of Kevin and Laine to suit up the sneakers to play Division I basketball.  Oldest brother Kyle was an all-America selection at Creighton, where he played from 1999-2003, and is currently a member of the NBA’s Utah Jazz.  Klayton played at Drake from 2003-08, where he was one of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history, and Kaleb is currently a junior on the Creighton basketball team.  Basketball is in the blood for the Korver family as mother, Laine, once scored 74 points in a single game in high school.

FOUR MISSOURIANS JOIN THE MIX IN THE BACK COURT
The ‘Roos added a quartet of Missouri natives to the back court, although one of the players - Reggie Chamberlain - will sit out the season due to NCAA transfer regulations.  Raytown native Michael Gholston, Jr. and St. Charles native Alex Bazzell with both be competing for time at the guard position.  Gholston, Jr. transferred to UMKC after leading his region in three-point field goals last season at State Fair Community College, while Bazzell makes the move across the state after being the Gateway Conference Player of the Year at St. Charles West High School.  The fourth guard - Kansas City native Aaron Young - joined the team as a walk-on from Lincoln Prep.

GERMAN FORWARD JOINS SQUAD
The Kangaroos went international when they signed German forward Max Rockmann in July.  The 6-6 Berlin native joined the squad after playing for the Alba Berlin 2 squad, which is a feeder team for the Alba Berlin 1 professional team, one of the top pro teams in Germany.  Rockmann averaged 10.2 points for the team, while playing under former North Carolina guard Henrik Rodl, who helped the Tar Heels to the 1993 NCAA National Championship.
   
PRESEASON POLL RUNDOWN
The ‘Roos were picked to finish in ninth place in The Summit League Preseason Poll in a vote of the league’s coaches, SIDs and media members.  Oakland was tabbed as the preseason favorite after receiving 34 first place votes and 520 points; UMKC finished with 141 points.
    Blue Ribbon picked the ‘Roos to finish eighth in its publication, while the squad was also tabbed as the ninth place team in Athlon’s, Lindy’s and The Sporting News.

TWO STRAIGHT OVER THE MWC
The Kangaroos went a perfect 2-0 against the Missouri Valley Conference in 2008-09, as the squad won at Wichita State and in a neutral site game over Bradley.  It marked just the third time in UMKC history that the squad defeated more than one MVC school in the same season.

ON THE TUBE
The ‘Roos will have at least 14 games televised on Metro Sports during the 2009-10 season.  In addition, UMKC’s games at North Dakota (Fox College Sports) and at Nebraska (Fox Sports Midwest) will also be televised.

FOLLOW UMKC VIA ROO VISION
Fans can follow the UMKC men’s basketball team as all home games are streamed live online via ROO Vision at UMKCKangaroos.com.  Live stats Live statistics are also available at the web site under the Multimedia tab or on the men’s basketball schedule page.

UMKC SCHEDULE NOTES
• The ‘Roos will face five squads that qualified for post season play in 2008-09 in Missouri, Nebraska (NIT), Wichita State (CBI), North Dakota State (NCAA) and Oakland (CIT).  Missouri had the most successful season in advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight.
• UMKC will play a total of 15 home games with six being contested on campus at the Swinney Recreation Center.  The remaining nine home dates will be played at historic Municipal Auditorium.
• The squad will play games in 11 different states in 2009-10.
• The ‘Roos will play two fellow Division I institutions from the state of Missouri.  UMKC will play at Saint Louis on Dec. 22 before playing at Missouri on Dec. 30.  The meeting with the Billikens is the first in the series since 1999, while the meeting against the Tigers is just the third game in school history.

NEW FACES ON THE BENCH
Coach Brown brought in two new faces to join his staff during the offseason.  Stephen Brough joined the program as an assistant coach after spending the past six seasons at Baylor University as the Director of Basketball Operations.  Former Southwestern College head coach Doug Hall, meanwhile, was hired as UMKC’s Director of Basketball Operations.