University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, March 14
New Orleans, La.
8:30 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
vs
UT Arlington
Third-Seeded Cajuns To Face UTA In SBC Quarterfinals
3/13/2014 5:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cajuns swept season series; averaged 91 points
Game Notes | Live Audio | Championship Central
No. 3-seed Louisiana (20-11) vs. No. 6-seed UT Arlington (15-16)
Date: Friday, March 14, 2014
Time: 8:30 p.m. CST
Site: Lakefront Arena (7,500); New Orleans, La.
Radio: KHXT (107.9 FM)
Play-By-Play: Jay Walker
TV:Â Sun Belt Network/ESPN3
Talent: Tom Dore (PBP); Bob Donewald (Color); Jessica Benson (Sideline)
THE COACH
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana:Â 63-62 (4th year)
4-Year Overall:Â 288-193 (16th year)
All Collegiate:Â 411-228 (21st year)
ABOUT THE GAME:Â The third-seeded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will open play on Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship when it faces No. 6-seeded UT Arlington in an 8:30 p.m. game at UNO's Lakefront Arena. The Ragin' Cajuns enter the eight-team field as one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt Conference, winning eight of their final 10 regular-season games. UTA advanced to the quarterfinals after holding off No. 8-seeded ULM, 68-65, in an opening round game on Thursday. The winner of Friday's game will advance to the semifinals to face No. 2-seeded WKU on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The Sun Belt Conference Championship game is set for a 12 p.m. tipoff on Sunday, March 16 with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
LOUISIANA PROBABLE STARTERS (2013-14 Statistics)
F - 21 Shawn Long, 6-9, 245, So., Morgan City, La. - 19.2 pts, 10.4 reb, 2.8 blk
F - 22 Elridge Moore, 6-5, 205, Sr., New Orleans, La. - 4.0 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.1 ast
G - 0 Bryant Mbamalu, 6-2, 194, Sr., Houston, Texas - 11.6 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.3 ast
G - 2 Elfrid Payton, 6-3, 180, Jr., Gretna, La. - 19.3 pts, 6.0 reb, 5.9 ast
G - 3 Xavian Rimmer, 6-2, 225, Jr., Jackson, Miss. - 8.1 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.7 ast
PAYTON, LONG EARN ALL-SUN BELT HONORS:Â After leading the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to its first 20-win season since 2002-03, the tandem of Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long were each named to the first-team as the 2014 All-Sun Belt Conference team was released on Tuesday by the league office. Payton, the lone repeat first-team member on the 15-man team, was selected as the league's Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches and a panel of selected media members. Long, who was a second-team member and the 2013 Freshman-of-the-Year, led the league in rebounds and blocked shots while finishing as the league's lone player to average a double-double. The selection of the duo marked the first time that a pair of Ragin' Cajuns were named to the first-team since 2002 when Anthony Johnson and Michael Southall were selected. Payton, the league leader in steals (2.3) and assists (5.9), finished second in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring averaging 19.3 points per game while finishing 13th in the league in rebounds at 6.0. The Gretna, La., native scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games played during the season and recorded four games with 30 or more points, highlighted by a career-high 34 earlier this season against ULM. Long, who posted 16 double-doubles on the season, finished third in the league in scoring (19.2) while leading the league in rebounds (10.4) and blocked shots (2.8). The Morgan City, La., native finished fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.448) and was sixth in field goal percentage (.526). He scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games played, with 15 games scoring 20 or more points, highlighted by a career-high 31 in a win at UT Arlington.
AGAINST THE MAVS: The Ragin' Cajuns earned a season-sweep of the Mavs during the regular-season defeating UTA, 90-70, on Jan. 11 in the Cajundome before holding off the Mavs, 92-89, on Feb. 6 at College Park Center in Arlington. Louisiana holds a 14-5 advantage in the all-time series between the schools, including all previous 17 meetings when both were members of the Southland Conference.
THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE MAVS: Shawn Long scored seven of his team-high 22 points during a 17-2 run in the first half to help Louisiana rebound from a slow start in the first three minutes in the first meeting between the teams. Kasey Shepherd came off the bench to score 17 points for Louisiana while Elfrid Payton and Xavian Rimmer had 12 points each. The Cajuns, the Sun Belt leader in points per game (84.9) entering the contest, remained unbeaten in seven games at home as they buried nine 3-pointers and finished 31-for-39 from the free throw line.
THE LAST MEETING: Shawn Long scored a career-high 31 points and Elfrid Payton posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Ragin' Cajuns built a 25-point lead and held off the Mavs. Former Comeaux High product Hayward Register scored a season-high 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including 5-for-7 from long range, and Elridge Moore grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds as Louisiana finished 32-for-62 from the floor and 9-for-21 from behind the 3-point line.
LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS:Â The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Monday (March 9). Shawn Long was eighth in double-doubles (16), ninth in rebounds per game (10.4), 18th in total field goals made (216), 18th in offensive rebounds per game (3.6), 25th in blocks (2.8) and 39th in scoring (19.2). Junior Elfrid Payton was 17th in steals per game (2.3), 17th in assists per game (5.9), 29th in total field goals made (206), and 36th in scoring (19.3), owning one of nine triple-doubles in the nation this year. As a team, the Cajuns were 12th in scoring offense (81.4), 19th in offensive rebounds per game (13.7), 48th in steals per game (7.4) and 59th in field goal percentage (.467).
PAYTON, LONG ARE DIVISION I TOP SCORING DUO: The tandem of Elfrid Payton (19.3 ppg.) and Shawn Long (19.2 ppg) have played a key role in the success of the Ragin' Cajuns in 2013-14 and their combined scoring average of 38.5 points per game is the best in the nation, surpassing the previous combo (38.1) of VMI's QJ Peterson (19.4) and D.J. Covington (18.7).
MAKING THE GRADE:Â One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.854 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.
PAYTON CLAIMS LSWA HONORS FOR THIRD TIME:Â After helping the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to a split in a pair of games last week, junior Elfrid Payton was selected on March 10 as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) College Basketball Player of the Week in a release by the organization. Payton, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, averaged a double-double for the Ragin' Cajuns with 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds. He added 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks during the week in helping the Ragin' Cajuns clinch the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and the school's first 20-win season since 2002-03. The Gretna, La., native posted his seventh double-double of the season with 31 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 75-72 loss at WKU on Thursday. Payton came back in the regular-season finale on Saturday at Arkansas State, scoring 17 points with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 77-76 victory. He scored the Cajuns' final eight points of the game in the final 1:51, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining to help preserve the win. The weekly award was the third of the season for Payton, who was earned LSWA honors on Dec. 16 and Feb. 17. Payton is one of three Ragin' Cajuns to earn the LSWA weekly award in the 2013-14 season joining teammates Shawn Long (Dec. 3 and Feb. 10) and Bryant Mbamalu (March 3).
PAYTON BREAKS FREE-THROW RECORD: Elfrid Payton attempted nine free throws against Arkansas State last week to increase his season total to 278, breaking the single-season record (273) that was set by Dean Church in the 1964-65 season. Payton also increased his career total of free throw attempts to 620, moving past Marvin Winkler (614, 1967-70) for fifth-place in school history, while his 383 free throws made moved him into eighth-place in school history, passing former Cajun Kevin Brooks (381, 1987-91).
LONG REACHES THE 1,000-POINT MARK:Â A 16-point effort against Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 15) allowed Shawn Long to become the 41st player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career and the fifth to accomplish it as a sophomore. Long, who scored 20 points against South Alabama on Sunday, has now scored 1,063 career points. He is the second of three Cajuns to reach the milestone this year, joining Elfrid Payton who now has 1,334 points (25th) and Bryant Mbamalu, who reached the milestone against South Alabama on March 2. Long joins Bo Lamar (1,631 points), Andrew Toney (1,269), Kevin Brooks (1,053) and Jerry Flake (1,042) as the 1,000-point sophomores.
2x1000:Â When Shawn Long surpassed the 1,000-point mark against Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 15), joining teammate Elfrid Payton as 1,000-point scorers, it marked the seventh time in school history that two Cajuns accomplished the feat in the same season. It was also the 16th time that a team had two 1,000 point scorers on it. The last time the Cajuns had two 1,000-point players in the same year came in 2005-06 when Michael Southall and Dwayne Mitchell accomplished it.
. . . AND MBAMALU MAKES THREE:Â A career-high 32-point game on March 2 against South Alabama allowed senior Bryant Mbamalu to become the 42nd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Mbamalu, who finished 10-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point line, scored his 1,000th point when he made the second of two free throws with 1:58 remaining.
. . . AND 3x1000:Â With Mbamalu reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career, joining teammates Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long, it marks the fourth time in school history that a Louisiana team has three 1,000-point scorers on it and the first time that all three went over the plateau in the same season. The first trio came in 1971-72 when career scoring leader Dwight "Bo" Lamar (3,493 points), Roy Ebron (1,683 points) and Payton Townsend (1,240) accomplished it. It also happened in 1983 with Graylin Warner (1,762), Dion Brown (1,412) and Alonza Allen (1,211) and finally in 1993-94 with Michael Allen (1,673), Byron Starks (1,592) and Tony Moore (1,118).
PAYTON IS THE NEW STEALS KING:Â With two steals against South Alabama, junior Elfrid Payton increased his career total to 185, eclipsing the school-record of 184 set by Chris Manuel (1995-98). Payton had 37 steals as a freshman in 2011-12 and 80 in 2012-13, the third-highest single season total in school history. Payton has a Sun Belt-leading 72 steals this season and 189 in his career.
PLAYING OVERTIME:Â The Feb. 13 double-overtime win over UALR improved the Cajuns to 2-1 this year in overtime games and 8-5 in extra time in four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. The three overtime games are the most in a season since Louisiana went 4-1 in OT in 2011-12, Marlin's second season with the Cajuns. The Cajuns are now 31-20 all-time in overtime games and 8-11 in double overtime contests.
THE QUEST FOR 20:Â The Ragin' Cajuns 77-76 victory at Arkansas State on Saturday solidified the school's first 20-win season since 2002-03. Louisiana has officially produced 22 seasons with 20 or more victories with a school-record 25 coming twice (1970-71 and 1999-2000).
HAYWARD REGISTERS A CAREER HIGH:Â With Kasey Shepherd sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, head coach Bob Marlin has found some relief in freshman Hayward Register. Register, who scored just 26 points on 6-for-28 shooting from the 3-point line (.214) while playing in 14 of the first 22 games has responded by averaging 5.7 points and shooting .545 from long range (12-for-23) over the last eight games. Included in that total is a career-high 17-point effort at UT Arlington on Feb. 6, an outburst that more than doubled his previous scoring high of seven points.
AT HOME IN THE DOME:Â In each of the past five seasons, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted double-digit win totals in the friendly confines of the Cajundome. During the 2013-14 season, the Cajuns posted a 13-2 record - their best win total in the Dome since going 13-4 in 1990-91. The 13 wins this season marks the third time that has occurred (1989-90, 1990-91). The Ragin' Cajuns record for single-season wins in the Cajundome is 14 set in 1988-89.
SHOOTING IS THE DIFFERENCE:Â Last Saturday's win over Arkansas State marked the 18th time that the Cajuns have shot better from the field than their opponent in a game this season with Louisiana being a perfect 18-0 in those games. At the other end of the spectrum, the Cajuns are just 2-11 when their opponents shoots a higher percentage from the field. Turnovers have proven to be unimportant this season as Louisiana is 10-6 when committing the same number or more turnovers than its opponent and 9-5 when committing less.
A SHOOTING PERFORMANCE FOR PAYTON:Â Elfrid Payton was quite efficient against ULM on Feb. 1, going 13-for-14 from the field on his way to scoring a game-high 28 points. The shooting effort was the second-best on the team this year, trailing only the school-record equalling 12-for-12 game by Shawn Long against Centenary. Payton enters the week ranking 10th in the Sun Belt shooting .505 (159-316).
. . . AND PAYTON HAS KEPT IT GOING:Â In the nine games since Elfrid Payton had his 13-for-14 shooting night against ULM (Feb. 1), Payton has kept his shooting touch, going a combined 70-for-127 from the field (.561) to improve to .512 shooting for the season (206-for-402), good for eighth in the Sun Belt. Payton has shot .500 or better in five of the nine games, including back-to-back 8-for-12 (.667) efforts in wins over UALR and Arkansas State.
DAVENPORT SHINES:Â With Shawn Long out of the lineup for the UALR game on Jan. 30, junior J.J. Davenport stepped up and turned in the best performance of his Cajuns career. Playing a career-high 27 minutes, Davenport registered his first career double-double, setting additional career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He became the third of four Cajuns players this season to register a double-double this season, joining Long (15), Payton (6) and Bryant Mbamalu (1). With Long in foul trouble vs. Arkansas State (Feb. 15), Davenport came back to score eight of his 13 points in the decisive second half.
THE GOOD HEALTH LASTED JUST SIX GAMES:Â Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has disputed the fact listed in most preseason stories that Louisiana has benefited from the return of all five starters this year because up until the UT Arlington game on Jan. 11, he had not had the good fortune to have all five starters from last year healthy at the same time. The return of Elridge Moore for the UT Arlington contest gave Marlin a complete roster of 15 healthy players for the first time all season. Bryant Mbamalu, who started 25 games last year, missed the first 12 games of the year with a foot injury and Moore had been sidelined with an ankle sprain since mid-December. The healthy lineup lasted just six games as the Cajuns played the UALR contest without reserve guard Kasey Shepherd, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury, and forward Luka Kamber, who missed the game with a concussion. The Cajuns have responded well to adversity, going 3-3 with a healthy lineup and 15-6 when missing one or more players.
. . . AND THE RETURNING STARTING FIVE HASN'T STARTED TOGETHER:Â Last year, the starting lineup of Elfrid Payton (G), Bryant Mbamalu (G), Steven Wronkoski (G), Elridge Moore (F) and Shawn Long (F), combined to start 144 games for the Cajuns, including 12 together as the starting five. Despite all five players returning this season and head coach Bob Marlin using 10 different starting units, they have yet to start a game together this year.
PAYTON MOVES UP SCORING CHART:Â A 17-point effort against Arkansas State on Saturday enabled Elfrid Payton to move within four points of tying Bill McHorris (1,355 points from 1958-61) for 24th place on the Cajuns career scoring list. Payton became the 40th Cajun to score 1,000 career points in the win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30. Payton, who is averaging 19.3 points, has four career 30-point games and has scored 20 or more points 25 times.
SCORING OFF THE GLASS:Â Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 62 baskets off his 108 offensive rebounds this season for an average of 4.3 points a game. Long ranks second in the Sun Belt averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds a game and second behind teammate Elfrid Payton in scoring (19.2).
A TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR PAYTON: After flirting with it a half-dozen times early in his career, junior Elfrid Payton recorded the first triple-doule of his career when he set career highs for scoring (34), rebounds (11) and assists (11) at ULM on Jan. 4. It was the sixth triple-double in school history and one of seven in the nation this year. Michael Southall recorded the last triple-double by a Cajun when he had one at North Texas in 2005-06.  Here are a list of triple-doubles in Cajuns basketball history (all are points-rebounds-assists except where noted with *):
PAYTON HAS SPENT THE SEASON AT THE LINE:Â With 278 free throw attempts this year, Elfrid Payton enters the week ranked fourth nationally. Niagara's Antoine Mason leads the country with 357 attempts with Ovie Soko of Duquense (286), Jerrelle Benimon of Towson (281) and Payton following. Payton's 278 attempts a new single-season school record, breaking Dean Church's previous mark of 273 attempts set in 1964-65. Payton has shot 620 career free throws, including 133 as a freshman in 2011-12 and 209 in 2012-13. He has attempted eight or more free throws in a game 20 times this season.
MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY:Â Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30 to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the weekend with a 411-227 record (.644) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola J.C. (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 63-62 record.
MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to the lineup on Dec. 30 and has played in the last 17 games. Mbamalu is averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds over the last 17 games. Mbamalu scored a career-high 32 points against South Alabama, 21 points against Troy and 19 points in games against Arkansas State (Feb. 15) and Georgia State (Feb. 22). On the season, Mbamalu has shot 77-for-170 (.453) from the field this season. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu averaged 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 22 times, including five 20-point games and one 30-point game.
20-POINT GAMES:Â The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 34 times this season, surpassing the total for the entire 2012-13 season. Elfrid Payton (15) and Shawn Long (14) lead the way, including five contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (3), Bryant Mbamalu (1) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.
. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS:Â When Elfrid Payton scored 31 points against WKU last Thursday, it marked the seventh time this season that a Ragin' Cajuns player has scored 30 or more points in a game. Payton has recorded four 30-point games on the season - 34 vs. ULM (1/4), 32 vs. Oakland (11/23) and 31 vs. Houston (12/14). Shawn Long posted two games with 30 or more points - 31 vs. UT Arlington (2/6) and 30 vs. Centenary (12/17) and Bryant Mbamalu scored 32 points against South Alabama on March 2. Last year, the only 30-point game by a Cajun came when Payton scored 32 points against WKU.
RIMMER COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH:Â Junior Xavian Rimmer has gained a reputation for making the last-second shot in his first season with the Ragin' Cajuns. Rimmer made a game-winning 3-pointer with 11.6 seconds left at Texas State (2/8) to cap a Cajuns rally from 12 points down to claim a 67-66 win. At Jackson State on Dec. 19, he made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game at 67-67. On Jan. 4 at ULM, he was fouled with 2.3 seconds left and made all three free throws to tie the game at 74-74 and force overtime.
PAYTON NEARS FIFTH ON ASSISTS LIST: With 57 assists in his last eight games, Elfrid Payton has moved past both Kenneth Lawrence (401 assists from 2000-03) and George Almones (402, 1983-85) and into sixth place on the Louisiana career assist chart with 462 career assists. Payton has a ways to go to continue his climb, needing nine assists to catch Eric Mouton (1988-92), who had 471 assists, for fifth place.
LONG MOVES INTO THIRD ON CAREER BLOCK CHART:Â A two-block effort against Troy moved sophomore Shawn Long past Graylin Warner (138 blocks from 1981-84) into third place on the career blocks list with 139. Long, who added three blocks against Arkansas State to increase his total to 148, now needs 21 to catch Reginlad Poole (1995-99) for second-place at 169. Long has 83 blocks this year and 65 last season, the third and seventh-highest single season total in Cajuns history.
LONG LIKES TO DOUBLE UP:Â Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in 16 of the 30 games that he has played to rank eighth nationally. Long has 34 double-doubles in 63 career games. He enters the weekend leading the SBC in blocked shots (2.8), rebounding (10.4) and defensive rebounding (6.7), is ranked second in offensive rebounds (3.6), third in scoring (19.2) and eighth in field goal percentage (.526).
PAYTON IS ON PACE FOR ANOTHER 15, 5, 5 & 2: Elfrid Payton was the only player in Division I last year to average 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals a game last year and he has done it again through 31 games this season. Payton enters the Sun Belt Conference Tournament averaging 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Last year, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals.
PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50:Â Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.
. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON:Â Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.
HOW ELFRID SPENT HIS SUMMER:Â Elfrid Payton had quite a summer, traveling more than 40,000 miles to play 20 basketball games in three different countries as part of three different teams. The journey started with an eight-game, 18-day (May 11-28) tour of the Far East and China with Reach USA, during which he averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 steals a game in helping Reach USA to a 4-2-1 record. After returning to the states, Payton headed to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he not only earned a spot on the USA Basketball U19 team for the FIBA World Championship (June 26-July 7) in Prague, Czech Republic, but a starting spot as well. Payton helped lead Team USA to a 9-0 record and the gold medal. One month later, Payton traveled with his Cajuns teammates to Spain, winning all four games during a goodwill tour.
. . . ALL BECAUSE OF A PASSPORT & CHRIS PAUL SAID NO: Elfrid Payton's emergence over the summer all happened because he was both denied admission to the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp and went on a goodwill tour to China. With Payton playing in China and the Cajuns coaching staff trying in vane to get him an invite to the Paul camp, the coaches changed the focus to Team USA, which was interested in Louisiana's rising junior. When Bob Marlin spoke with Team USA head coach Billy Donovan, Donovan noted that Payton could only attend the tryout if he already had a passport, which he had obtained in the weeks before leaving for China. Payton and his passport, traveled to Colorado Springs for the tryout camp, and the rest is history.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME:Â Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
LAGNIAPPE...: A little gift of notes at the end:
• Shawn Long & Elfrid Payton were each named to the 2013-14 Preseason All-Sun Belt first team by the league's coaches and select media.
• Four Cajuns have combined to receive the LSWA Player of the Week honors four times this year. Shawn Long earned the first award of the year on Dec. 3 and then again on Feb. 10 while both Kasey Shepherd (Dec. 9), Elfrid Payton (Dec. 16) and Bryant Mbamalu (March 3) earned state honors.
• The win at Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24) snapped a 19-game road losing streak against non-conference opponents that dated back to the end of the 2009-10 season. The Cajuns went 2-4 in true non-conference road games this year.
• Shawn Long started the season playing his best basketball, earning Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on both Nov. 12 and Nov. 26. Long also picked up the award on Feb. 10.
• Shawn Long was honored as the MVP of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland after averaging 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games, shooting .667 from the field (14-for-21) and .600 from three-point (3-for-5).
• Junior Elfrid Payton started the season by scoring 20 or more points in the first five games, becoming the the first Cajuns player to accomplish that since Michael Allen scored 20 points or more in 12 straight games early in the 1993-94 season.
• Cajuns great Sydney Grider (1988-90) was inducted inton the Louisiana Athletic Hall of Fame in October. Grider, the most effective three-point shooter in school history, earned back-to-back first-team All-American South Conference honors as a junior and senior, averaging 23.5 points as a junior and leading the American South as a senior with a 25.5 average.
• Jerry Flake (1966-69) had number retired at halftime of the Houston game (12/14). Flake ranks fifth in school history with 2,058 career points, averaging 19.2 points a game over the course of his career. Flake's number 20 becomes the fifth retired jersey, joining Dwight "Bo" Lamar's No. 10, the No. 14 worn by Marvin Winkler, Andrew Toney's No. 24 and the No. 12 worn by Dean Church, which was retired in February, 2012.
• The 9-4 non-conference record allowed the Cajuns to tie the school record for most wins before Jan. 1, equaling the mark set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.
NEXT UP:Â The winner of Friday's game will advance to face No. 2-seeded WKU on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised on the Sun Belt Network (locally on CST). The winner of the eight-team tournament will earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
CAJUNS SIGN THREE:Â The Louisiana coaching staff was busy during the fall, signing three players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. Signing with the Cajuns were:
Scott Plaisance (6-9, 210, F, New Orleans, La./Country Day): Was named the Louisiana Class 1A Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game and leading Country Day to a 26-11 record and the state title. Plaisance is rated the No. 6 player in Louisiana on the latest Times-Picayune Super 16.
Bryce Washington (6-6, 230, F, New Orleans, La./St. Augustine):Â Earned first team all-district 10-4A honors last year after averaging 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, helping lead his team to a 25-10 record. Ranked No. 13 on the Times-Picayune list of top players in Louisiana.
Johnathan Stove (6-4, 215, G-F, Baton Rouge, La./Christian Life Academy):  First team all-state choice after averaging 19.8 points as a junior. He was named to both the state Class A team and to the 11-man all-classes team by the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association. A five-year regular, he played on state championship teams in both 8th & 10th grades and helped squad to a 27-6 record and the state semi-finals as a junior.
No. 3-seed Louisiana (20-11) vs. No. 6-seed UT Arlington (15-16)
Date: Friday, March 14, 2014
Time: 8:30 p.m. CST
Site: Lakefront Arena (7,500); New Orleans, La.
Radio: KHXT (107.9 FM)
Play-By-Play: Jay Walker
TV:Â Sun Belt Network/ESPN3
Talent: Tom Dore (PBP); Bob Donewald (Color); Jessica Benson (Sideline)
THE COACH
LOUISIANA
BOB MARLIN (Mississippi State '81)
At Louisiana:Â 63-62 (4th year)
4-Year Overall:Â 288-193 (16th year)
All Collegiate:Â 411-228 (21st year)
ABOUT THE GAME:Â The third-seeded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will open play on Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship when it faces No. 6-seeded UT Arlington in an 8:30 p.m. game at UNO's Lakefront Arena. The Ragin' Cajuns enter the eight-team field as one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt Conference, winning eight of their final 10 regular-season games. UTA advanced to the quarterfinals after holding off No. 8-seeded ULM, 68-65, in an opening round game on Thursday. The winner of Friday's game will advance to the semifinals to face No. 2-seeded WKU on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The Sun Belt Conference Championship game is set for a 12 p.m. tipoff on Sunday, March 16 with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
LOUISIANA PROBABLE STARTERS (2013-14 Statistics)
F - 21 Shawn Long, 6-9, 245, So., Morgan City, La. - 19.2 pts, 10.4 reb, 2.8 blk
F - 22 Elridge Moore, 6-5, 205, Sr., New Orleans, La. - 4.0 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.1 ast
G - 0 Bryant Mbamalu, 6-2, 194, Sr., Houston, Texas - 11.6 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.3 ast
G - 2 Elfrid Payton, 6-3, 180, Jr., Gretna, La. - 19.3 pts, 6.0 reb, 5.9 ast
G - 3 Xavian Rimmer, 6-2, 225, Jr., Jackson, Miss. - 8.1 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.7 ast
PAYTON, LONG EARN ALL-SUN BELT HONORS:Â After leading the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to its first 20-win season since 2002-03, the tandem of Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long were each named to the first-team as the 2014 All-Sun Belt Conference team was released on Tuesday by the league office. Payton, the lone repeat first-team member on the 15-man team, was selected as the league's Defensive Player of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches and a panel of selected media members. Long, who was a second-team member and the 2013 Freshman-of-the-Year, led the league in rebounds and blocked shots while finishing as the league's lone player to average a double-double. The selection of the duo marked the first time that a pair of Ragin' Cajuns were named to the first-team since 2002 when Anthony Johnson and Michael Southall were selected. Payton, the league leader in steals (2.3) and assists (5.9), finished second in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring averaging 19.3 points per game while finishing 13th in the league in rebounds at 6.0. The Gretna, La., native scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games played during the season and recorded four games with 30 or more points, highlighted by a career-high 34 earlier this season against ULM. Long, who posted 16 double-doubles on the season, finished third in the league in scoring (19.2) while leading the league in rebounds (10.4) and blocked shots (2.8). The Morgan City, La., native finished fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.448) and was sixth in field goal percentage (.526). He scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games played, with 15 games scoring 20 or more points, highlighted by a career-high 31 in a win at UT Arlington.
AGAINST THE MAVS: The Ragin' Cajuns earned a season-sweep of the Mavs during the regular-season defeating UTA, 90-70, on Jan. 11 in the Cajundome before holding off the Mavs, 92-89, on Feb. 6 at College Park Center in Arlington. Louisiana holds a 14-5 advantage in the all-time series between the schools, including all previous 17 meetings when both were members of the Southland Conference.
THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE MAVS: Shawn Long scored seven of his team-high 22 points during a 17-2 run in the first half to help Louisiana rebound from a slow start in the first three minutes in the first meeting between the teams. Kasey Shepherd came off the bench to score 17 points for Louisiana while Elfrid Payton and Xavian Rimmer had 12 points each. The Cajuns, the Sun Belt leader in points per game (84.9) entering the contest, remained unbeaten in seven games at home as they buried nine 3-pointers and finished 31-for-39 from the free throw line.
THE LAST MEETING: Shawn Long scored a career-high 31 points and Elfrid Payton posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Ragin' Cajuns built a 25-point lead and held off the Mavs. Former Comeaux High product Hayward Register scored a season-high 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including 5-for-7 from long range, and Elridge Moore grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds as Louisiana finished 32-for-62 from the floor and 9-for-21 from behind the 3-point line.
LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS:Â The Cajuns were featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released on Monday (March 9). Shawn Long was eighth in double-doubles (16), ninth in rebounds per game (10.4), 18th in total field goals made (216), 18th in offensive rebounds per game (3.6), 25th in blocks (2.8) and 39th in scoring (19.2). Junior Elfrid Payton was 17th in steals per game (2.3), 17th in assists per game (5.9), 29th in total field goals made (206), and 36th in scoring (19.3), owning one of nine triple-doubles in the nation this year. As a team, the Cajuns were 12th in scoring offense (81.4), 19th in offensive rebounds per game (13.7), 48th in steals per game (7.4) and 59th in field goal percentage (.467).
PAYTON, LONG ARE DIVISION I TOP SCORING DUO: The tandem of Elfrid Payton (19.3 ppg.) and Shawn Long (19.2 ppg) have played a key role in the success of the Ragin' Cajuns in 2013-14 and their combined scoring average of 38.5 points per game is the best in the nation, surpassing the previous combo (38.1) of VMI's QJ Peterson (19.4) and D.J. Covington (18.7).
MAKING THE GRADE:Â One thing that head coach Bob Marlin has emphasized in his three seasons at Louisiana is the necessity that his players give 100-percent both on and off the court. This demand has led to positive results in the classroom. During the spring 2013 semester, the Ragin' Cajuns set a program record with a 2.904 grade point average for the team. They backed that up with a 2.854 during the recently completed fall semester, the second-highest average in the 31 years that athletics has tracked grades, with eight of the 15 players posting a 3.0 or better. In seven semesters under head coach Bob Marlin, the Cajuns have recorded seven of the top 10 semesters in program history.
PAYTON CLAIMS LSWA HONORS FOR THIRD TIME:Â After helping the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to a split in a pair of games last week, junior Elfrid Payton was selected on March 10 as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) College Basketball Player of the Week in a release by the organization. Payton, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, averaged a double-double for the Ragin' Cajuns with 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds. He added 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks during the week in helping the Ragin' Cajuns clinch the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and the school's first 20-win season since 2002-03. The Gretna, La., native posted his seventh double-double of the season with 31 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a 75-72 loss at WKU on Thursday. Payton came back in the regular-season finale on Saturday at Arkansas State, scoring 17 points with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 77-76 victory. He scored the Cajuns' final eight points of the game in the final 1:51, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining to help preserve the win. The weekly award was the third of the season for Payton, who was earned LSWA honors on Dec. 16 and Feb. 17. Payton is one of three Ragin' Cajuns to earn the LSWA weekly award in the 2013-14 season joining teammates Shawn Long (Dec. 3 and Feb. 10) and Bryant Mbamalu (March 3).
PAYTON BREAKS FREE-THROW RECORD: Elfrid Payton attempted nine free throws against Arkansas State last week to increase his season total to 278, breaking the single-season record (273) that was set by Dean Church in the 1964-65 season. Payton also increased his career total of free throw attempts to 620, moving past Marvin Winkler (614, 1967-70) for fifth-place in school history, while his 383 free throws made moved him into eighth-place in school history, passing former Cajun Kevin Brooks (381, 1987-91).
LONG REACHES THE 1,000-POINT MARK:Â A 16-point effort against Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 15) allowed Shawn Long to become the 41st player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career and the fifth to accomplish it as a sophomore. Long, who scored 20 points against South Alabama on Sunday, has now scored 1,063 career points. He is the second of three Cajuns to reach the milestone this year, joining Elfrid Payton who now has 1,334 points (25th) and Bryant Mbamalu, who reached the milestone against South Alabama on March 2. Long joins Bo Lamar (1,631 points), Andrew Toney (1,269), Kevin Brooks (1,053) and Jerry Flake (1,042) as the 1,000-point sophomores.
2x1000:Â When Shawn Long surpassed the 1,000-point mark against Arkansas State on Saturday (Feb. 15), joining teammate Elfrid Payton as 1,000-point scorers, it marked the seventh time in school history that two Cajuns accomplished the feat in the same season. It was also the 16th time that a team had two 1,000 point scorers on it. The last time the Cajuns had two 1,000-point players in the same year came in 2005-06 when Michael Southall and Dwayne Mitchell accomplished it.
. . . AND MBAMALU MAKES THREE:Â A career-high 32-point game on March 2 against South Alabama allowed senior Bryant Mbamalu to become the 42nd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Mbamalu, who finished 10-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point line, scored his 1,000th point when he made the second of two free throws with 1:58 remaining.
. . . AND 3x1000:Â With Mbamalu reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career, joining teammates Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long, it marks the fourth time in school history that a Louisiana team has three 1,000-point scorers on it and the first time that all three went over the plateau in the same season. The first trio came in 1971-72 when career scoring leader Dwight "Bo" Lamar (3,493 points), Roy Ebron (1,683 points) and Payton Townsend (1,240) accomplished it. It also happened in 1983 with Graylin Warner (1,762), Dion Brown (1,412) and Alonza Allen (1,211) and finally in 1993-94 with Michael Allen (1,673), Byron Starks (1,592) and Tony Moore (1,118).
PAYTON IS THE NEW STEALS KING:Â With two steals against South Alabama, junior Elfrid Payton increased his career total to 185, eclipsing the school-record of 184 set by Chris Manuel (1995-98). Payton had 37 steals as a freshman in 2011-12 and 80 in 2012-13, the third-highest single season total in school history. Payton has a Sun Belt-leading 72 steals this season and 189 in his career.
PLAYING OVERTIME:Â The Feb. 13 double-overtime win over UALR improved the Cajuns to 2-1 this year in overtime games and 8-5 in extra time in four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin. The three overtime games are the most in a season since Louisiana went 4-1 in OT in 2011-12, Marlin's second season with the Cajuns. The Cajuns are now 31-20 all-time in overtime games and 8-11 in double overtime contests.
THE QUEST FOR 20:Â The Ragin' Cajuns 77-76 victory at Arkansas State on Saturday solidified the school's first 20-win season since 2002-03. Louisiana has officially produced 22 seasons with 20 or more victories with a school-record 25 coming twice (1970-71 and 1999-2000).
HAYWARD REGISTERS A CAREER HIGH:Â With Kasey Shepherd sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, head coach Bob Marlin has found some relief in freshman Hayward Register. Register, who scored just 26 points on 6-for-28 shooting from the 3-point line (.214) while playing in 14 of the first 22 games has responded by averaging 5.7 points and shooting .545 from long range (12-for-23) over the last eight games. Included in that total is a career-high 17-point effort at UT Arlington on Feb. 6, an outburst that more than doubled his previous scoring high of seven points.
AT HOME IN THE DOME:Â In each of the past five seasons, the Ragin' Cajuns have posted double-digit win totals in the friendly confines of the Cajundome. During the 2013-14 season, the Cajuns posted a 13-2 record - their best win total in the Dome since going 13-4 in 1990-91. The 13 wins this season marks the third time that has occurred (1989-90, 1990-91). The Ragin' Cajuns record for single-season wins in the Cajundome is 14 set in 1988-89.
SHOOTING IS THE DIFFERENCE:Â Last Saturday's win over Arkansas State marked the 18th time that the Cajuns have shot better from the field than their opponent in a game this season with Louisiana being a perfect 18-0 in those games. At the other end of the spectrum, the Cajuns are just 2-11 when their opponents shoots a higher percentage from the field. Turnovers have proven to be unimportant this season as Louisiana is 10-6 when committing the same number or more turnovers than its opponent and 9-5 when committing less.
A SHOOTING PERFORMANCE FOR PAYTON:Â Elfrid Payton was quite efficient against ULM on Feb. 1, going 13-for-14 from the field on his way to scoring a game-high 28 points. The shooting effort was the second-best on the team this year, trailing only the school-record equalling 12-for-12 game by Shawn Long against Centenary. Payton enters the week ranking 10th in the Sun Belt shooting .505 (159-316).
. . . AND PAYTON HAS KEPT IT GOING:Â In the nine games since Elfrid Payton had his 13-for-14 shooting night against ULM (Feb. 1), Payton has kept his shooting touch, going a combined 70-for-127 from the field (.561) to improve to .512 shooting for the season (206-for-402), good for eighth in the Sun Belt. Payton has shot .500 or better in five of the nine games, including back-to-back 8-for-12 (.667) efforts in wins over UALR and Arkansas State.
DAVENPORT SHINES:Â With Shawn Long out of the lineup for the UALR game on Jan. 30, junior J.J. Davenport stepped up and turned in the best performance of his Cajuns career. Playing a career-high 27 minutes, Davenport registered his first career double-double, setting additional career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He became the third of four Cajuns players this season to register a double-double this season, joining Long (15), Payton (6) and Bryant Mbamalu (1). With Long in foul trouble vs. Arkansas State (Feb. 15), Davenport came back to score eight of his 13 points in the decisive second half.
THE GOOD HEALTH LASTED JUST SIX GAMES:Â Cajuns head coach Bob Marlin has disputed the fact listed in most preseason stories that Louisiana has benefited from the return of all five starters this year because up until the UT Arlington game on Jan. 11, he had not had the good fortune to have all five starters from last year healthy at the same time. The return of Elridge Moore for the UT Arlington contest gave Marlin a complete roster of 15 healthy players for the first time all season. Bryant Mbamalu, who started 25 games last year, missed the first 12 games of the year with a foot injury and Moore had been sidelined with an ankle sprain since mid-December. The healthy lineup lasted just six games as the Cajuns played the UALR contest without reserve guard Kasey Shepherd, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury, and forward Luka Kamber, who missed the game with a concussion. The Cajuns have responded well to adversity, going 3-3 with a healthy lineup and 15-6 when missing one or more players.
. . . AND THE RETURNING STARTING FIVE HASN'T STARTED TOGETHER:Â Last year, the starting lineup of Elfrid Payton (G), Bryant Mbamalu (G), Steven Wronkoski (G), Elridge Moore (F) and Shawn Long (F), combined to start 144 games for the Cajuns, including 12 together as the starting five. Despite all five players returning this season and head coach Bob Marlin using 10 different starting units, they have yet to start a game together this year.
PAYTON MOVES UP SCORING CHART:Â A 17-point effort against Arkansas State on Saturday enabled Elfrid Payton to move within four points of tying Bill McHorris (1,355 points from 1958-61) for 24th place on the Cajuns career scoring list. Payton became the 40th Cajun to score 1,000 career points in the win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30. Payton, who is averaging 19.3 points, has four career 30-point games and has scored 20 or more points 25 times.
SCORING OFF THE GLASS:Â Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 62 baskets off his 108 offensive rebounds this season for an average of 4.3 points a game. Long ranks second in the Sun Belt averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds a game and second behind teammate Elfrid Payton in scoring (19.2).
A TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR PAYTON: After flirting with it a half-dozen times early in his career, junior Elfrid Payton recorded the first triple-doule of his career when he set career highs for scoring (34), rebounds (11) and assists (11) at ULM on Jan. 4. It was the sixth triple-double in school history and one of seven in the nation this year. Michael Southall recorded the last triple-double by a Cajun when he had one at North Texas in 2005-06.  Here are a list of triple-doubles in Cajuns basketball history (all are points-rebounds-assists except where noted with *):
- Elfrid Payton at ULM (Jan. 4, 2014) (34 pts, 11 reb, 11 asst.)
- Michael Southall at North Texas (Jan. 5, 2006) (19 pts, 12 reb, 11 blocks)
- Aaron Mitchell vs. Jackson State (Dec. 1, 1989) (21-10-10)
- Randal Smith vs. Rider (Jan. 8, 1987) (22-11-11)
- George Almones vs. Long Island (Jan. 28, 1985) (12-16-11)
- George Almones vs. ULM (Feb. 14, 1983) (14-10-12)
PAYTON HAS SPENT THE SEASON AT THE LINE:Â With 278 free throw attempts this year, Elfrid Payton enters the week ranked fourth nationally. Niagara's Antoine Mason leads the country with 357 attempts with Ovie Soko of Duquense (286), Jerrelle Benimon of Towson (281) and Payton following. Payton's 278 attempts a new single-season school record, breaking Dean Church's previous mark of 273 attempts set in 1964-65. Payton has shot 620 career free throws, including 133 as a freshman in 2011-12 and 209 in 2012-13. He has attempted eight or more free throws in a game 20 times this season.
MARLIN CLAIMS 400TH VICTORY:Â Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin used a 90-58 win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30 to claim his 400th as a head coach at the collegiate level. Marlin enters the weekend with a 411-227 record (.644) in 21 seasons as a head coach. He was 123-35 in five seasons at Pensacola J.C. (1990-95), winning the 1993 national championship, and 225-131 in 12 years at Sam Houston State (1998-2010). He reached the 50-win mark at Louisiana in the win over Houston on Dec. 14 and owns a 63-62 record.
MBAMALU BACK: After missing the first 12 games of the season with a foot injury suffered in September, senior Bryant Mbamalu returned to the lineup on Dec. 30 and has played in the last 17 games. Mbamalu is averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds over the last 17 games. Mbamalu scored a career-high 32 points against South Alabama, 21 points against Troy and 19 points in games against Arkansas State (Feb. 15) and Georgia State (Feb. 22). On the season, Mbamalu has shot 77-for-170 (.453) from the field this season. As a junior in 2012-13, Mbamalu averaged 13.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game, finishing second on the team with 49 treys. He scored in double figures 22 times, including five 20-point games and one 30-point game.
20-POINT GAMES:Â The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the four Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 34 times this season, surpassing the total for the entire 2012-13 season. Elfrid Payton (15) and Shawn Long (14) lead the way, including five contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (3), Bryant Mbamalu (1) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have come off the bench to reach the mark. Last year, Cajuns players had 25, 20-point games, with all but one coming from a starter. Payton and Long had nine each with Mbamalu adding five and Alan-Michael Thompson getting two.
. . . AND 30-POINT EFFORTS:Â When Elfrid Payton scored 31 points against WKU last Thursday, it marked the seventh time this season that a Ragin' Cajuns player has scored 30 or more points in a game. Payton has recorded four 30-point games on the season - 34 vs. ULM (1/4), 32 vs. Oakland (11/23) and 31 vs. Houston (12/14). Shawn Long posted two games with 30 or more points - 31 vs. UT Arlington (2/6) and 30 vs. Centenary (12/17) and Bryant Mbamalu scored 32 points against South Alabama on March 2. Last year, the only 30-point game by a Cajun came when Payton scored 32 points against WKU.
RIMMER COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH:Â Junior Xavian Rimmer has gained a reputation for making the last-second shot in his first season with the Ragin' Cajuns. Rimmer made a game-winning 3-pointer with 11.6 seconds left at Texas State (2/8) to cap a Cajuns rally from 12 points down to claim a 67-66 win. At Jackson State on Dec. 19, he made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game at 67-67. On Jan. 4 at ULM, he was fouled with 2.3 seconds left and made all three free throws to tie the game at 74-74 and force overtime.
PAYTON NEARS FIFTH ON ASSISTS LIST: With 57 assists in his last eight games, Elfrid Payton has moved past both Kenneth Lawrence (401 assists from 2000-03) and George Almones (402, 1983-85) and into sixth place on the Louisiana career assist chart with 462 career assists. Payton has a ways to go to continue his climb, needing nine assists to catch Eric Mouton (1988-92), who had 471 assists, for fifth place.
LONG MOVES INTO THIRD ON CAREER BLOCK CHART:Â A two-block effort against Troy moved sophomore Shawn Long past Graylin Warner (138 blocks from 1981-84) into third place on the career blocks list with 139. Long, who added three blocks against Arkansas State to increase his total to 148, now needs 21 to catch Reginlad Poole (1995-99) for second-place at 169. Long has 83 blocks this year and 65 last season, the third and seventh-highest single season total in Cajuns history.
LONG LIKES TO DOUBLE UP:Â Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in 16 of the 30 games that he has played to rank eighth nationally. Long has 34 double-doubles in 63 career games. He enters the weekend leading the SBC in blocked shots (2.8), rebounding (10.4) and defensive rebounding (6.7), is ranked second in offensive rebounds (3.6), third in scoring (19.2) and eighth in field goal percentage (.526).
PAYTON IS ON PACE FOR ANOTHER 15, 5, 5 & 2: Elfrid Payton was the only player in Division I last year to average 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals a game last year and he has done it again through 31 games this season. Payton enters the Sun Belt Conference Tournament averaging 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals a game. Last year, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals.
PAYTON NAMED TO WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50:Â Cajuns junior point guard Elfrid Payton earned a big preseason honor on Nov. 12 when he was named to the 2013-14 John R. Wooden Award preseason top 50 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Named after the legendary UCLA head coach, the Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation.
. . . AND MORE HONORS FOR PAYTON:Â Being selected to the Wooden Award list is the latest in a long list of preseason awards for Elfrid Payton. Earlier in the fall, Payton was named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is presented to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, Payton was named to the Mid-Major All-America first team by NBCSports.com and to the Lou Henson All-America team, which honors the nation's top mid-major players and is presented by CollegeInsider.com.
HOW ELFRID SPENT HIS SUMMER:Â Elfrid Payton had quite a summer, traveling more than 40,000 miles to play 20 basketball games in three different countries as part of three different teams. The journey started with an eight-game, 18-day (May 11-28) tour of the Far East and China with Reach USA, during which he averaged 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 steals a game in helping Reach USA to a 4-2-1 record. After returning to the states, Payton headed to Colorado Springs, Colo., where he not only earned a spot on the USA Basketball U19 team for the FIBA World Championship (June 26-July 7) in Prague, Czech Republic, but a starting spot as well. Payton helped lead Team USA to a 9-0 record and the gold medal. One month later, Payton traveled with his Cajuns teammates to Spain, winning all four games during a goodwill tour.
. . . ALL BECAUSE OF A PASSPORT & CHRIS PAUL SAID NO: Elfrid Payton's emergence over the summer all happened because he was both denied admission to the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp and went on a goodwill tour to China. With Payton playing in China and the Cajuns coaching staff trying in vane to get him an invite to the Paul camp, the coaches changed the focus to Team USA, which was interested in Louisiana's rising junior. When Bob Marlin spoke with Team USA head coach Billy Donovan, Donovan noted that Payton could only attend the tryout if he already had a passport, which he had obtained in the weeks before leaving for China. Payton and his passport, traveled to Colorado Springs for the tryout camp, and the rest is history.
SHIPLEY TO BE INDUCTED INTO LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME:Â Legendary Louisiana men's basketball coach Beryl Shipley, who guided the Cajuns to a 293-126 record with winning records in 15 of his 16 seasons, will be one of eight individuals selected for enshrinement in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Shipley was the first head coach of a predominantly white state college in the deep south to give scholarships to black student-athletes. Under Shipley's leadership, the Cajuns finished in the national top 20 in each of his last six seasons - the first four in the college division polls, the last two in Division I. Starting in 1963, Shipley rattled off five Gulf States Conference Championships in six seasons, including a win at the 1964-65 NAIA District 27 Tournament Championship. The 2014 induction class will be enshrined on Saturday, June 21.
LAGNIAPPE...: A little gift of notes at the end:
• Shawn Long & Elfrid Payton were each named to the 2013-14 Preseason All-Sun Belt first team by the league's coaches and select media.
• Four Cajuns have combined to receive the LSWA Player of the Week honors four times this year. Shawn Long earned the first award of the year on Dec. 3 and then again on Feb. 10 while both Kasey Shepherd (Dec. 9), Elfrid Payton (Dec. 16) and Bryant Mbamalu (March 3) earned state honors.
• The win at Coastal Carolina (Nov. 24) snapped a 19-game road losing streak against non-conference opponents that dated back to the end of the 2009-10 season. The Cajuns went 2-4 in true non-conference road games this year.
• Shawn Long started the season playing his best basketball, earning Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on both Nov. 12 and Nov. 26. Long also picked up the award on Feb. 10.
• Shawn Long was honored as the MVP of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland after averaging 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in the two games, shooting .667 from the field (14-for-21) and .600 from three-point (3-for-5).
• Junior Elfrid Payton started the season by scoring 20 or more points in the first five games, becoming the the first Cajuns player to accomplish that since Michael Allen scored 20 points or more in 12 straight games early in the 1993-94 season.
• Cajuns great Sydney Grider (1988-90) was inducted inton the Louisiana Athletic Hall of Fame in October. Grider, the most effective three-point shooter in school history, earned back-to-back first-team All-American South Conference honors as a junior and senior, averaging 23.5 points as a junior and leading the American South as a senior with a 25.5 average.
• Jerry Flake (1966-69) had number retired at halftime of the Houston game (12/14). Flake ranks fifth in school history with 2,058 career points, averaging 19.2 points a game over the course of his career. Flake's number 20 becomes the fifth retired jersey, joining Dwight "Bo" Lamar's No. 10, the No. 14 worn by Marvin Winkler, Andrew Toney's No. 24 and the No. 12 worn by Dean Church, which was retired in February, 2012.
• The 9-4 non-conference record allowed the Cajuns to tie the school record for most wins before Jan. 1, equaling the mark set in both 1982-83 and 1990-91.
NEXT UP:Â The winner of Friday's game will advance to face No. 2-seeded WKU on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be televised on the Sun Belt Network (locally on CST). The winner of the eight-team tournament will earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
CAJUNS SIGN THREE:Â The Louisiana coaching staff was busy during the fall, signing three players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. Signing with the Cajuns were:
Scott Plaisance (6-9, 210, F, New Orleans, La./Country Day): Was named the Louisiana Class 1A Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game and leading Country Day to a 26-11 record and the state title. Plaisance is rated the No. 6 player in Louisiana on the latest Times-Picayune Super 16.
Bryce Washington (6-6, 230, F, New Orleans, La./St. Augustine):Â Earned first team all-district 10-4A honors last year after averaging 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, helping lead his team to a 25-10 record. Ranked No. 13 on the Times-Picayune list of top players in Louisiana.
Johnathan Stove (6-4, 215, G-F, Baton Rouge, La./Christian Life Academy):  First team all-state choice after averaging 19.8 points as a junior. He was named to both the state Class A team and to the 11-man all-classes team by the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association. A five-year regular, he played on state championship teams in both 8th & 10th grades and helped squad to a 27-6 record and the state semi-finals as a junior.
Quannas White Media Availability (May 4, 2025)
Monday, May 05
Quannas White Introductory Press Conference
Sunday, March 16
Derrick Zimmerman Media Availability (Feb 24, 2025)
Monday, February 24
Derrick Zimmerman Media Availability (Feb 17, 2025)
Monday, February 17
