Illinois State Game Notes in PDF Format 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
David Holston had a game high 29 points and five assists, and became the 11th player in Chicago State men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 career points, but CSU fell, 78-70, at IUPUI Saturday night. The Cougars have lost two straight contests after recording back-to-back wins over Northern Michigan and Binghamton. Holston leads Chicago State, averaging 27.0 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per contest. John Cantrell is Chicago State's rebounding catalyst, averaging 6.2 caroms per game. Holton was named Division I Independent Player of the Week on Nov. 21.
LAST TIME OUT: Redbird Comeback Falls Short; ISU Falls 65-59
Illinois State overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to force a 47-47 tie in its third-place game against Kent State with 9:03 left in the game, but the Golden Flashes held on to post a 65-59 victory over the Redbirds Saturday in the Chicago Invitational Challenge at the Sears Centre. The loss dropped ISU's record to 3-2 on the season and marked the 28th defeat in the last 31 games away from Redbird Arena, a span of three seasons.
NEXT UP: REDBIRDS HOST CHICAGO STATE SATURDAY
Illinois State will host in-state foe Illinois-Chicago Sunday inside Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena at 7:05 p.m. After winning their first three games, the Flames dropped three-consecutive decisions at last weekend's Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas). UIC has already played two Missouri Valley Conference foes this season, defeating Bradley (84-75) on Nov. 10, and falling to Wichita State, 72-58 in the Paradise Jam first-round on Nov. 16.
WINDY CITY ON DISPLAY
Three Chicago natives will be on the floor tonight when ISU takes on visiting Chicago State. Tawrence Walton and Hajji Martin represent the Windy City on Chicago State's roster, and the Redbirds' Osiris Eldridge is a Chicago native. Martin attended Morgan Park High School, where ISU assistant coach Paris Parham spent the 2005-06 season as the head coach.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE COUGARS
Tonight's game represents the 20th all-time meeting between Illinois State and Chicago State. The Redbirds own a decisive 18-1 advantage in the all-time series, dating back to the 1926 season. CSU's lone win over ISU came in the 1982-83 campaign (Nov. 30, 1982), when the Cougars recorded a 67-57 win at Horton Field House. The Redbirds have played just one game against Chicago State in the Windy City (Jan. 4, 1939). ISU and CSU last faced off in the 2000-01 campaign, with the Redbirds claiming an 88-46 win at Redbird Arena.
SLACK DOUBLES OVER
Senior Anthony Slack has scored in double figures every game this season. Slack notched 13 points in Friday's game against No. 8 Indiana, and followed it up with 10 points against Kent State Saturday. He is averaging 13.0 points per game, while leading the team in rebounds with 7.8 boards per game.
DOM AT THE CONTROLS
Senior guard Dom Johnson has taken on more of a distribution role this season. Through five games, Johnson leads the Redbirds with a team-best 20 assists, or 4.0 per game. He also only has seven turnovers during that span, while boasting a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
AN EFFICIENT COMBO
Starting senior guards Dom Johnson and Boo Richardson haven't given their opponents much room to capitalize on unforced errors this season. Johnson and Richardson have a combined 3.18 assist/turnover ratio this season. Richards (3.75) and Johnson (2.86) boast the respective second and third-best assist/turnover ratios in the Valley this season through five games. Johnson has committed seven turnovers, while Richardson has turned it over just four times.
SPEAKING OF PROTECTING THE BALL ...
Illinois State has committed 15 or fewer turnovers in four of its five games this season. The Redbirds' highest turnover output this season was against UMSl in the season opener, when ISU committed X6 turnovers.
SLACK ATTACK
Anthony Slack, the league leader in blocked shots, isn't cutting any slack on ISU's opponents early this season. In two of the last three games, Slack has matched his career high with four blocked shots in each game. Slack now has 15 blocks on the season and is averaging three swats per game.
THE STREAK ENDS
Heading into last Saturday's game against Kent State, Levi Dyer had made a triple in 24-consecutive games, dating back to last season. The Golden Flashes held Dyer without a field goal, ending a streak that was the longest since Trey Guidry went 21 straight games with a three-pointer to end the 2002-03 season and open the 2003-04 campaign.
THIRTY SOMETHING
Against UNC-Wilmington (Nov. 18), sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge became the first Redbird to score 30 or more points in a game since current backcourt teammate Dom Johnson tossed in 32 points at Florida State last season. Before Johnson, the last Illinois State player to score 30 points was Trey Guidry, who scored 30 points at Creighton on Jan. 22, 2005.
ROBINSON, HILL AND SMITH SIGN
After verbally committing to Illinois State and first-year head coach Tim Jankovich over the summer, former Redbird guard and current Lincoln College star Bobby Hill, Decatur Eisenhower forward Jeremy Robinson and Chicago Simeon point guard Kenyon Smith made it official Wednesday, signing their respective National Letters of Intent to continue their education and basketball careers at ISU. All three players will begin their eligibility in the 2008-09 campaign.
VANDELLO NAMED SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Junior Mike Vandello was the recipient of the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award at the State Farm Student-Athlete Academic Excellence banquet in Redbird Arena on Oct. 21. Vandello was a member of the AFNI Honor Roll and the Dean's List both semesters last year with identical 4.0 GPAs. He appeared in 27 games during his sophomore season and recorded career-highs of eight points and eight rebounds against Sacramento State. The junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in biological sciences.
HOME SWEET HOME
If Illinois State's won-loss record in recent years translates over to this season, the Redbirds could be in for some early success in the 2007-08 campaign. ISU has a combined 32-13 record at Redbird Arena over the past three seasons. The `Birds have five of their first seven games at home.
ROAD WEARY
In order to compete for the Missouri Valley Conference championship, Illinois State will need to win some games away from Redbird Arena - something the Redbirds haven't done very often in recent campaigns. After back-to-back losses to No. 8 Indiana and Kent State in last weekend's Chicago Invitational Challenge, ISU has dropped 28 of its last 31 games away from Redbird Arena. The Redbirds were 3-10 on the road last season, and broke their previous 16-game road losing streak with a 78-65 win at St. John's on Nov. 25, 2006.
GIVING THANKS -- FOR THE WINS
During its 109-year history Illinois State has compiled a 54-33 (.621) record in the month of November. The Redbirds have played just two games against ISU's six scheduled November opponents this season. Indiana defeated Illinois State in the first-round of the 1988 preseason NIT, and the `Birds tallied an 88-46 win over Chicago State in the 2000-01 season opener at Redbird Arena.
DYER, ELDRIDGE NAB PRESEASON HONORABLE MENTION PLAUDITS
In the 2007-08 MVC Preseason Poll, senior center Levi Dyer (12.1 ppg) and sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge (9.5 ppg) were each named honorable mention All-Valley selections. The league appointed five preseason all-MVC players, and recognized five honorable mention players. Dyer was voted captain of the Valley's "Most Improved Team" last season, and Eldridge earned the league's Freshman of the Year honor.
STARTING ANEW
Despite having just one freshman on the roster, Illinois State will welcome four newcomers to the mix this season, as first-year head coach Tim Jankovich signed junior college transfers Emmanuel Holloway and Brandon Sampay to the program; sophomore transfer Sead Odzic will be eligible in mid-December and freshman guard Alex Rubin was the lone member of ISU's 2007 recruiting class.
JANKOVICH NOT ALONE
Tim Jankovich is part of a Missouri Valley Conference single-season upheaval that has five new head coaches, the most since five new MVC head coaches took over for the 1978-79 season. Jankovich is joined by first-year head coaches Keno Davis (Drake), Marty Simmons (Evansville) Kevin McKenna (Indiana State) and Gregg Marshall (Wichita State).
SITTING IT OUT
Along with Holloway, Sampay, Odzic and Rubin, two other Division I transfers joined the Redbird basketball program during the offseason, as 6-foot-5 Oregon guard Chamberlain Oguchi and six-foot Austin Peay State guard Landon Shipley both transferred to ISU. Each will be forced to sit out the 2007-08 season, and begin their eligibility at Illinois State in the 2008-09 campaign. Both Oguchi and Shipley are currently practicing with the Redbirds.
THE NEW STAFF
Jankovich hired three assistant coaches that boast a combined 40 years of college coaching experience. He hired 18-year state of Illinois coaching veteran Rob Judson, who had spent the past six years as the head coach at Northern Illinois. Prior to his stint with the Huskies, Judson spent the previous 12 years as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois (1989-91), Bradley (1991-96) and his alma mater, Illinois (1996-2001). Anthony Beane, who was an assistant coach under former Redbird head coach Tom Richardson (2000-02) was also hired after a four-year stint at Saint Louis. Jankovich bolstered his Chicago recruiting ties with the hiring of Paris Parham, a well-respected high school coach in Chicago's Public League. Parham, who was ISU sophomore Osiris Eldridge's high school coach at Morgan Park, also boasts 10 years of college coaching experience.
POINT N' SHOOT
Shooting percentage was a key factor for ISU in terms of wins and losses last season. When ISU shot better than its opponent, the `Birds were 14-7. But when they were outshot, the Redbirds were 1-9. ISU has out-shot three of its opponents this season, and is 3-0 in those games. ISU has been outshot by both of its last two opponents (Indiana and Kent State), and has dropped both of those contests.
LEADING THE CLASSES
Last season, Illinois State's junior class (now seniors) was a key figure in the team's statistical success. The Redbirds' contingent of Levi Dyer, Boo Richardson, Anthony Slack, Dom Johnson and Julius Moor scored 1,227 of ISU's 2,068 total points (39.5 points-per-game) and accounted for nearly 60 percent (.593) of its scoring. The five players averaged 14.0 rebounds per game (434 total caroms) and 9.8 assists-per-contest (268 assists), making up 59 percent of the team assist total. In addition, the fivesome shot a combined 42 percent from the floor. This season, Dyer, Richardson, Slack and Johnson have combined for 45 percent of ISU's scoring, 45 percent of its rebounding and 56 percent of the Redbirds' assist total. Moor has appeared in just one game for ISU this season.
A MAC ATTACK
ISU started its attack on the Mid-American Conference Saturday against Kent State. Playing a league member of the MAC is nothing new for Illinois State, especially since the `Birds have faced at least one MAC team during the last nine seasons. The `Birds have had their share of success against the MAC with a 148-105 record (.585). The only current member of the 12-team conference that the Redbirds have never faced is Toledo. ISU will play a total of four MAC teams this season, and three in the next four weeks -- ISU visits Eastern Michigan (Dec. 4), Bowling Green (Dec. 16) and Ball State (Dec. 22) all before the beginning of the 2009 calendar year.
THAT 70's SHOW
In the past four-plus years, Illinois State has limited its foes to 70 points or fewer in 83 of its 122 games (68.0 percent). There is also some significance when the `Birds reach 70 points. Dating back to the 2002-03 season, ISU has held its opponent to 70 points or less 54 times, and the Redbirds have won 39 of those games.
