Purdue Fort Wayne
DePaul
Men's Hoops Opens 2023-24 Season at DePaul on FS2
11/6/2023 2:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Information
Who: Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (0-0) at DePaul Blue Demons (0-0)
When: Tuesday, November 7 | 9 p.m. ET
Where: Chicago, Ill. | Wintrust Arena
Live Stats: Link
Watch: FS2
Radio: 1380 AM
Game Notes (PDF): Purdue Fort Wayne | DePaul
Series Record: First Meeting
'DONS & ENDS
// The Mastodon roster features multiple players who have called the Chicago area home (Rasheed Bello, Destin Whitaker, Khoi Thurmon and Anthony Roberts).
// The new look 'Dons have 18.4 percent of scoring back from last year and 14.8 percent of minutes played from last season.
// Only two players (Quinton Morton-Robertson and Johnathan DeJurnett) were on the Mastodon roster in 2021-22.
// The 'Dons were ninth in the nation last season in 3-pointers attempted (891). Of those 891 attempts, 80.47 percent of them were taken by student-athletes no longer on the roster (717). The top three being: Jarred Godfrey (210), Bobby Planutis (196) and Deonte Billups (163). Returning players who attempted a 3-pointer last season include: Quintin Morton-Robertson (110), Anthony Roberts (56), Keaton Dukes (4) and Eric Mulder (4). They make up the 19.53 percent of the 891 3-point attempts last season.
// The 'Dons have partnered with Team IMPACT to add Bolton Richardson to the squad in 2023-24. Added to the team at a signing ceremony in July, Bolton will be at games, practices and other team activities.
// The 'Dons have had a winning streak of at-least four games in every season since 2009-10 except for one (2017-18). That is 13-of-14 seasons.
// The 2023-24 roster features student-athletes from Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, Iowa and the Bahamas.
A FEW NOTES ON THE SCHEDULE:
// Nov. 17 and 18 the 'Dons will travel to Phoenix to play in the Arizona Tip-off. The Mastodons' first opponent will be Northern Arizona. A contest with either VMI or South Dakota will follow on Nov. 18. Both games will be played at Desert Diamond Arena. The former home of the Phoenix Coyotes is in Glendale, Arizona. Purdue Fort Wayne, no stranger to name changes, should feel at home at Desert Diamond Arena as it is the fourth name for the venue since it opened in 2003.
// Dec. 6 will see the 'Dons visit Southern Indiana for the first time since 2000 in a battle of former Division II league rivals.
// The Mastodons will close out non-league play on Dec. 20, going to ACC member Pitt for the first-ever meeting with the Panthers.
SOME NOTES ON LAST YEAR... :
// The 'Dons were 15-3 last season when scoring 71 or more points in a game.
// The 'Dons were 13th in the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.6) and 9th in 3-point attempts per game (27.8).
// The 'Dons were 20th in the nation in 3-point defense with teams shooting just 30.2 percent against them from three.
// Graduated from last year's squad are four players who scored over 1,000 career NCAA Division I points: Jarred Godfrey (2,164), Damian Chong Qui (1,581), Bobby Planutis (1,222) and Deonte Billups (1,065).
// Last season the 'Dons were one of only 13 teams in the nation two or more student-athletes with 1,500 career points at the Division I level (Jarred Godfrey and Damian Chong Qui).
// Per KenPom, the 'Dons were second in the nation in experience and third in continuity last season. Their typical starting lineup last season had 26 total seasons on an NCAA Division I roster.
ANTHONY ROBERTS... :
// ... owns over 1,545 career NCAA points. He scored 1,312 with NCAA Division II St. Cloud State in three seasons and 233 with the 'Dons last season
// ... had 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting including four dunks vs. Bluffton on Nov. 27, 2022.
// ... had a Mastodon career-best nine rebounds vs. Green Bay (Jan. 5, 2023).
// ... scored 1,312 points over three seasons at NCAA Division II St. Cloud State. He was an all-league first team selection each of his final two years when he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game.
// ... has two buzzer beater alley oop dunks last season. He beat the first half buzzer off lobs against Bluffton and Southern Indiana.
// ... saw his dunk against Texas A&M-Commerce last season earn the No. 9 ranking on ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 that evening.
ERIC MULDER... :
// ... played in all 32 games as a freshman last season.
// ... shot 65.4 percent (34-of-52) from the floor as a freshman last season.
// ... was second on the team with 37 offensive rebounds last season.
QUINTON MORTON-ROBERTSON.. :
// ... used 2021-22 as season as a redshirt campaign after transferring from Radford.
// ... became the first Mastodon to make eight 3-pointers in a game since the 2015-16 season when he made eight against Manchester (Nov. 14, 2022).
A BIT ON THE TRANSFERS:
// Jalen Jackson was selected to the 2022 IndyStar Indiana Boys All-Stars Team in his senior year of high school. He ended his senior year at Northrop High School as the No. 2 scorer in the state, averaging 27.6 points per game to go along with 9.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Last year at UIC, he played in 30 games and made 14 starts. Jackson scored double-digit points in eight games and made two or more 3-pointers five times. His mother Katie played volleyball and basketball for the 'Dons from 1997-99.
// Maximus Nelson averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and three assists per game as a senior and was a unanimous first team all-conference selection and a first-team all-state pick in high school. Last year at Valparaiso, played in 31 games with 22 starts as a freshman. Over the season, he averaged 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds per game, and was 38-of-111 (34.2 percent) from 3-point distance.
// Rasheed Bello spent two years at NCAA Division II UW-Parkside and was a star player for the Rangers. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.1 assists per game in his freshman campaign on his way to being named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. Last season as a sophomore, Bello was the conference's Player of the Year after his 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game led the Rangers to a NCAA Tournament appearance.
// Destin Whitaker comes to Purdue Fort Wayne after being a crucial player off the bench for Fresno State for three seasons. In his sophomore year, he averaged 14.3 minutes per game and was named to The Basketball Classic All-Tournament team after scoring 18 points in the championship. Last season, he averaged 15.7 minutes for the Bulldogs.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
