HOME OPENER: After opening on the road for the third consecutive season, Seattle University plays the first of 15 home games Saturday afternoon against the University of San Francisco, a fellow Jesuit institution. The game will be broadcast live by 710 ESPN Seattle and on a tape-delay basis by ROOT Sports. The Redhawks have won eight of their last nine home openers, including a dramatic 85-84 victory over Fresno State two years ago when Elgin Baylor Court was christened. These two teams met for the first time in 30 years last season, and Seattle U is looking to avenge that 21-point loss to the Dons.
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Seattle University
Guard: #0 Prince Obasi - 6-2, 205 - Jr.Guard: #1 Allen Tate - 6-5, 205 - Jr.Forward: #2 Aaron Broussard - 6-5, 205 - Sr.Forward: #12 Clarence Trent - 6-6, 225 - So.Forward: #25 Eric Wallace - 6-7, 233 - Sr.University of San Francisco
Guard: #5 Michael Williams - 6-0, 170 - Jr.Guard: #13 Rashad Green - 6-4, 195 - Sr.Guard: #45 Cody Doolin - 6-2, 170 - So.Forward: #22 Perris Blackwell - 6-9, 240 - Jr.Forward: #32 Angelo Caloiaro - 6-8, 225 - Sr.THE PORTLAND STATE GAME: Portland State's Chehales Tapscott hit a shot with 4.9 seconds remaining in regulation to complete the comeback in the Vikings' 66-65 victory over Seattle U Tuesday night at the Stott Center in Portland. The Redhawks were up by as many as 14 points in the second half, but the Vikings slowly chipped away at the lead, eventually scoring the last eight points of the contest to earn the victory. Aaron Broussard led the Redhawks with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field, while Clarence Trent contributed 16 points and Eric Wallace finished with nine points and a team-high seven rebounds. As a team, Seattle U struggled in the shooting department, making only 38.0 percent (27-of-71) of its field goal attempts and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the free throw line.
SCOUTING SAN FRANCISCO: The Dons enter Saturday's game with a 3-1 overall record, dropping its season opener to North Dakota State (73-65) before defeating Northern Arizona (69-50), Louisiana-Lafayette (71-70), and San Jose State in overtime (83-81). After four home games, this will be the first road contest for USF. The Dons are scoring 72.0 points per game and giving up 68.5 points per contest. As a team, San Francisco is shooting 45.8 percent from the field, including 30.4 percent from behind the three-point line, and 64.0 percent from the free throw line. Angelo Caloiaro leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Perris Blackwell is also averaging 13.8 points per game and is shooting 68.8 percent from the field.
SEATTLE U VS. SAN FRANCISCO: This will be the 27th meeting all-time between Seattle University and San Francisco, with the Dons holding a 19-7 series advantage. The first meeting took place in the 1951-52 season in San Francisco, which USF won, 75-62. The next year at the old Seattle Civic Auditorium, it was an 87-76 victory for Seattle U. San Francisco hosted the rematch in 1956-57 and won, 57-52. After losing to USF (60-51) early in the 1957-58 season during the Bluegrass Festival in Louisville, Ky., Seattle U defeated San Francisco in the West Regional semifinal at the Cow Palace on a last-second basket by Elgin Baylor, 69-67. Seattle U swept the season series from USF in 1958-59, the last time the two teams met until Seattle U joined the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1971. During the nine years SU was in the conference, USF won 15 of 18 meetings between the two schools. After a 30-year hiatus, the two schools met again last season at USF's War Memorial Gym, a game won by the Dons, 97-76. USF has won nine straight games over Seattle U, with the last SU victory in the series coming in 1975-76 at the Seattle Arena, 81-70.
THE LEADER OF THE REDHAWKS: Cameron Dollar is in his third year as the head coach of the Seattle University men's basketball team. Last season, the team continued to make its mark on a national level, defeating Oregon State for the second straight year and also earning a win at Virginia. After leading the team to a 17-14 record in 2009-10, he was named Independent Coach of the Year. The squad picked up victories at Utah, at Oregon State, against Fresno State, and against Weber State during Dollar's inaugural year at the helm. He had been an assistant coach at the University of Washington under Lorenzo Romar for seven seasons. As a player, Dollar helped UCLA win the 1995 NCAA Championship at the Kingdome in Seattle.
THE RELUCTANT WARRIOR: Aaron Broussard has developed into one of the leaders of the Seattle U men's basketball team as he enters his final season with the Redhawks. Last season, he led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning All-Independent honors in the process. Broussard was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Irvine subregional of the 2K Sports Classic, scoring 25 points and 26 points in back-to-back games against UC Irvine and Navy. He has scored 980 points so far in his Redhawk career, just 20 points away from becoming the 35th player in Seattle U men's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
BACK ON THE COURT: Two players who had not played a regular season college game since the 2009-10 season made significant contributions in Seattle U's season opener against Portland State Tuesday night. After sitting out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Clarence Trent scored 16 points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out four assists, and earned two steals in 27 minutes of action. In the second half, Trent stopped a Viking 7-0 scoring run with two free throws, a short jumper, and a big dunk to give Seattle U a 58-49 lead. Eric Wallace suffered an injury during preseason workouts last fall, missing the entire season at DePaul before transfering to Seattle U. Tuesday night, he collected nine points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes on the floor for the Redhawks.
NEW FACES: Besides Trent and Wallace, two other newcomers made their first appearances in the Redhawk starting lineup in the season opener. Prince Obasi played 32 minutes, finishing with three points, four rebounds, and four assists at the point guard position. Allen Tate, a versatile athlete on the wing, earned five points, five assists, three assists, and two steals in 24 minutes for the Redhawks. T.J. Diop and Louis Green also saw action in their first games for Seattle U, as each player scored four points for the Redhawks.
SCANNING THE RADIO DIAL: For the third straight season, Seattle U men's basketball games will be aired on 710 ESPN Seattle, with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., providing the play-by-play descriptions of the action from courtside. Saturday's broadcast will begin at 2:45 p.m. with the pregame show, which will include an interview with head coach Cameron Dollar.