Julie Smith and the Wolverines are suffering through a tough 10-game losing skid. Photo credit: Dave Iba/ UVU Review

The Utah Valley women’s basketball team played its first two conference games on Jan. 9 and 14, going against Chicago State and North Dakota on their home court.

Taking two more losses, the Wolverines now stand 0-2 in the Great West conference. Now on a 10-game losing streak, UVU has tied the record for the most losses in a row and a season. The last 10-game loosing streak was during the 2004-05 season.

“Hopefully our kids will keep fighting. That’s what this game’s about. You get into a conference where there are games consistently every week and we just have to fight,” said coach Cathy Nixon. “That’s what I’m encouraging the kids to do and to focus on the process of us competing possession to possession, and I just believe things are going to start to happen for us if we start to do that.”

During their competition with North Dakota, UVU fell behind after North Dakota tied the game at 13. The Wolverines stayed behind through the first half fighting to get some points on the board.

Entering the second half, there was a 16-point spread between the teams. The Wolverines were able to bring the score within 12 with just over seven minutes left in the game, before North Dakota took off again leaving UVU behind.

“I was really proud that the last ten minutes we did continue to compete, but that sense of urgency is what we’ve got to have the whole game,” concluded Nixon

Despite the loss, three Wolverines scored in the double digits including freshmen Kyra Prause, who hit four of her six three-pointers. Senior Julie Smith once again led her team in scoring finishing with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Erika Newbold finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, Prause put up a career high 12 points and Asumi Nakayama added eight with 12 assists.

UVU will return to its home court on Jan. 18 to face Longwood for the second time this season. Longwood took the win from the Wolverines early on in the season in Farmville, Virginia.

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Coming off a couple of extended road trips, the Wolverines will be happy to play in their own gym this Saturday, Nov. 28 as they take on Northern New Mexico. After taking on some stiff competition early in the season, including eighteenth-ranked Minnesota of the Big Ten, UVU will be chomping at the bit to welcome the Eagles of Northern New Mexico to town.

Northern New Mexico plays in the NAIA and the Wolverines will be the first NCAA D-I opponent they will face this season. That being said, UVU coach Dick Hunsaker won’t let his team take the Eagles lightly.

While Justin Baker has emerged as the Wolverines’ main threat in the low post, look for Jordan Swarbrick coming off the bench to give UVU a spark. In the Wolverines’ last home game against North Dakota State, Swarbrick came off the bench to lead his team to the win with a 20-point night.

Swarbrick not only contributes on the offensive end, but also has become an expert at positioning his wiry frame to collect rebounds. His aggressive play, despite being undersized, has ignited UVU and sets a tone for the Wolverines’ physical play.

Following Saturday’s battle with the NNMC Eagles, the Wolverines will welcome the San Jose State Spartans to the McKay Center on Dec. 5. The Spartans, out of the WAC conference, will act as a measuring stick for UVU as they approach conference play.

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For Homecoming, we visit the Polar Plunge, the TRUE Wolverine Bonfire, and the Tailgate party before the big game.  Go Wolverines!

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Image by Dave Iba/UVU Review

When a sports fan thinks of the greatest coaches in college sports history, normally they are critiqued according to the number of championships won.  However, yet another standard often used to measure a coach’s reputation is their wardrobe.

Jim Tressel Ohio State Buckeyes football coach: three appearances in the College National Championship, winning the title in 2002, five Big-10 Championships in the last seven years and a sweater vest that just won’t quit.

Paul Bear Bryant college football coach: most notably with the Alabama Crimson Tide, five-time Associated Press national champion, 37 winning seasons with four different schools and last but certainly not least, the most famous center dent fedora hat in college sports history.

UVU basketball has not yet reached the likes of these coaches in terms of hardware, but where they lack in banners hanging from the rafters, men’s head basketball coach Dick Hunsaker makes up with his keen sense of style.

Most nights Hunsaker dons a conservative black or brown suit with a solid colored tie but that is not what sets him apart. Hunsaker’s ticket to college sports immortality will come from no other ensemble than “the Jacket.”

On the nights that Hunsaker unveils the legendary jacket, all those watching know that he means business.

The jacket is not just your average sport coat. Green and yellow wolverine colors mixed in a plaid formation have been known to capture a few double takes from spectators. It is a jacket many would call a fashion faux pas, but coach Hunsaker may be the only person who can pull it off.

It’s a new season and the UVU men’s basketball team is missing some valuable pieces from last year’s team. The Wolverines may struggle this year, but we can always guarantee Hunsaker will look good and maybe give the Wolverine fans a spark of hope.

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Dave Iba/UVU Review

Coming off a serious knee injury before the start of last season, sophomore guard Kevin Woods is primed to contribute in a big way for the Utah Valley men’s basketball team this year.

Woods – who prepped at Leo Catholic High School in Chicago – said despite losing key players from last year’s squad, he likes the way this team is playing.

“This year, everybody’s play is going to be a factor,” he said. “Coach wants us to run more set plays instead of relying on just one player.”

Running the point will be Woods’ major responsibility, along with being one of the team’s leaders. The former top-40 high school prospect from Illinois who has gone head-to-head with the likes of NBA star Derrick Rose is up to the task.

“My role as a point guard is to direct the offense and get to the hole,” he added. “I’m able to create shots for myself and my teammates.”

But it has been a long and painful journey for Woods since Sept. 1, 2008.

While preparing for the upcoming season, Woods heard his knee pop while attempting a dunk during an open court scrimmage. Woods feared the worst.

“I thought it was over,” he said. “It was something I’d never felt before, and I was afraid that I’d never play basketball again.”

Doctors told Woods that he tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus tendons. In addition to the tears, he suffered a fracture on his knee. It would take surgery and several painful months of rehabilitation to get back to full strength. Playing basketball that season would be impossible.

“Rehab was worse than the injury,” Woods recalled. “I wasn’t prepared for all the stretching and bending.”
It wasn’t until this past August that Woods said he felt 100 percent.

“I still have to be careful and take certain precautions,” he said. “I got a big brace that I hate wearing.”

In his first competitive game in over a year, Woods scored a game-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in an exhibition loss against Trinity Western. Despite the loss, Woods is optimistic about the rest of the season.

“We got a couple of tough games and tournaments we’re playing in,” he said. “We expect to win games, though.”

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Photo credit: Trent Bates/UVU Review

45 Justin Baker
Forward
6-7, Junior
(2008-09): Played in all 28 games averaging 14.2 minutes per night … averaged 5.8 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per contest … shot (.604) from the floor placing him second all-time in the UVU record books in field goal percentage in a season … led the team in blocks with 14 on the year (0.5 per game) … scored a career high at UVU with 19 points as well as 8 rebounds and 4 blocks against Binghamton on Jan. 10, 2009.

3 Shawn Deadwiler
Guard
6-3, Junior
Prior to UVU…  Played at Loyola Marymount University for two years averaging 9.7 points and 2 rebounds per game.

20 Eric Dearden
Guard
6-2, Junior
Prior to UVU… After playing one year at the College of Eastern Utah, in Price, Utah, played at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo., last season where he was a member of the all-Conference, all-Region and all-Defensive teams. He averaged 14 points per game.

24 Aaron England
Guard
6-5, Junior
Prior to UVU… Played two seasons at the College of Eastern Utah where he averaged nine points and 51.1 percent from behind the arc…In a game against Snow College hit 8-of-11 three-pointers…Team finished 25-7 last year and was nationally ranked.

42 Rory Fannon
Center
6-9, Sophomore
(2008-09): Played in 23 of the 28 games on the season and started one game … averaged 7.1 minutes per night … scored 20 points on the season averaging 1 point per game and 1.3 rebound … had a career high of 7 points on 2-of-3 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 from the free throw line and 3 rebounds at Sacramento State on Dec. 9, 2008.

50 Jason Holm
Center
6-7, Sophomore
(2005-06):  a walk on who played in one game against Johnson & Wales on February 18, 2006.

33 Nick Jenson
Forward
6-5, Freshman
Prior to UVU… Was a first-team all-area and all-league in his junior and senior seasons at Centennial High School. Left Centennial as the school’s all-time leading scorer. Averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior and 19 points and 13 boards his senior year. Graduated from Centennial HS in 2009 with a 3.1 GPA.

15 Tyray Petty
6-3, Senior
(2008-09): Played in all 28 games and started 18 of them on the season … averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game tying a team-high … played 20.8 minutes per game … had two double-doubles on the year… one when he scored a career high 16 points at UVU as well as pulling down 10 boards at Houston Baptist… and in the other had 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Academy of Art … was the teams high rebounder seven times on the year.

21 Jourdain Scoubes
Forward
6-7, Senior
(2008-09): Played in all 28 games and started 20 on the season … averaged 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game … played 21.0 minutes per night … shot 39.8 percent from 3-point land with 39 makes … pulled down a career high in rebounds at UVU with nine against the Academy of Art … had a career high 14 points twice on the season… once against Chicago State and the second time against NJIT, both Wolverine wins.

14 Jordan Swarbrick
Guard
6-6, Senior
(2008-09): Played in all 28 games and started 14 on the season … averaged 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds (tied for the team lead), and 2.8 assists in 25.4 minutes per game … second on the team with 22 steals also had 10 blocks … scored in double-digits six times on the year … shot 50.0 percent from behind-the-arc going 11-for-22 … was a 52.1 percent shooter overall from the field … had a season high 13 points three different times, against Binhamton, and at Chicago State and NJIT … had a season high 10 rebounds, eight points and six assists at Houston Baptist on Jan. 13, 2009.

5 Kevin Woods II
Guard
6-1, Sophomore
(2007-08): Played in 28 games, starting one … averaged 3.4 points in 10.7 minutes per game … shot 46 percent from the field … scored in double figures three times … scored a career-high 15 points against Cal State Northridge … had six points and four assists against Utah State … scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting at Chicago State … scored 10 points and had two steals in a home win over Chicago State. Woods redshirted last season due to injury.

40 Lafayette Yarbray
Forward
6-7, Junior
Prior to UVU… Played two seasons at Denmark Technical College in Denmark, South Carolina…Prepped at Lucy C. Laney High School in Augusta, GA, where he avareaged 14 points.

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