Nov. 3, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The 2000-01 basketball season at Western Kentucky University kicks off this weekend, as both the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers play their first exhibition games of the season.
Fourth-year head coach Steve Small and his Lady Toppers, led by All-America forward ShaRae Mansfield, will take on the Nashville All-Stars Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2 p.m. (CST) in E.A. Diddle Arena. The Nashville All-Stars are 0-1 on their NCAA Division I college tour, bowing 78-60 to Arkansas State Thursday night in Jonesboro, Ark. The All-Stars are comprised primarily of players from colleges in the Nashville area, with three Middle Tennessee graduates and three Tennessee State products dotting their roster.
"We have a young group of players who are getting better and better every day," Small said. "They are catching on to what it takes to be successful. But, we need games like the one on Sunday to see where we're at as a unit. We need this game on Sunday to watch film and see what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong."
The Lady Toppers will take on the Premier All-Stars the following Saturday (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. at Diddle Arena in their final exhibition tune-up of the season. Western opens the 2000-01 docket Friday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. against Pepperdine at the Hawaiian Regent Classic in Honolulu. After the three-game tourney in Hawaii, the Lady Toppers will welcome WNIT qualifier Evansville to Diddle Arena for their home opener on Friday, Nov. 24.
Coach Dennis Felton's Hilltoppers, the pick of the Sun Belt Conference coaches to win the league's East Division, open exhibition play Monday, Nov. 6, hosting the California Southeast All-Stars at 7 p.m. in Diddle Arena. The All-Stars are 0-2 in the college exhibition season after dropping a 98-82 decision at Kentucky last night. The Wildcats trailed 48-42 at the half before rallying in the final 20 minutes to post the victory. The night before (Wednesday), the All-Stars lost by a 95-87 count at Louisville (after trailing by a single point at the intermission).
"We've reached the point where we need to play someone to really see what kind of progress we've made in practice," Felton said. "I've been pleased with the effort and intensity of our practices and we've come a long way in a short time, especially our new people.
"This All-Stars team is kind of scary," he added. "They've played two of the best teams in one of the best college basketball states in the nation and played them very, very well. And, they've shot the ball well, especially from three-point distance. This is certainly a strong exhibition opponent. We will have to play good basketball. And, win or lose, we'll get a rigid test that will help us a great deal as we prepare to open the season in a couple of weeks."
The California Southeast All-Stars play at Xavier in Cincinnati Friday, and at the University of Cincinnati Saturday before coming to Bowling Green. Three of the 11 teams on their exhibition schedule are also on the Toppers' 2000-2001 slate -- Louisville, Vanderbilt and Murray State. On the list of prominent former college athletes playing for the All-Stars are former Michigan standout Rumeal Robinson and Virginia sharpshooter Curtis Staples, the NCAA record holder for three-point shooting. The Hilltoppers complete preseason exhibition action the following Sunday (Nov. 12) when Atomeromu, a Hungarian club team, visits Diddle Arena for a 2 p.m. date with the Toppers.
Western formally opens the 2000-01 campaign on the road at Evansville Saturday, Nov. 18, taking on the Purple Aces in a 7:35 p.m. tilt. The Toppers then enjoy a three-game homestand, hosting Union (Ky.) College in their home opener (Tuesday, Nov. 21) before taking on Tennessee State (Saturday, Nov. 25) and Vanderbilt (Tuesday, Nov. 28), all in Diddle Arena. The Vanderbilt tilt will be the Hilltoppers' first as a part of the Area Bank Classic (formerly the Bowling Green Bank Classic), long a part of the Lady Topper schedule and now expanded to include men's and women's games. That contest is also set to be televised live on Fox Sports Net.
