Iowa Men Host Buena Vista Friday Night

Nov. 7, 2006

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THE SETTING
Iowa plays its only exhibition game of the 2006-07 pre-season against Buena Vista University, Friday, Nov. 10. Game time is 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500). Iowa posted a 25-9 overall record a year ago, winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament after placing second during the regular season. The Hawkeyes earned their second straight NCAA Tournament invitation and sixth straight post-season appearance. Buena Vista, an NCAA Division III affiliate and member of the Iowa Conference, won its fifth straight Iowa Conference Tournament title and played in the Division III NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season.

ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play with color commentator Bob Hansen. The Hawkeye Radio Network coverage includes a 60-minute pre-game show. The exhibition contest vs. Buena Vista will not be televised.

IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 2,377 games since beginning basketball in 1902. Overall Iowa’s record is 1,421-956 (.598). That includes an 888-306 (.744) record in home games, a 533-650 (.451) record in games away from Iowa City, a 675-658 (.506) mark in Big Ten games and a 294-80 (.786) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA IN CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA
Iowa has compiled a 294-80 (.786) record in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is 140-67 (.676) in Big Ten games and 154-13 (.922) in non-Big Ten games. Iowa has drawn over 5.4 million fans for men’s basketball games since the arena opened in 1983. Iowa has posted an 86-25 (.775) home record under Coach Steve Alford, including a 51-4 (.928) mark in non-conference home games. The Hawkeyes have won 18 straight home games and 23 consecutive non-conference home games. The 18-game winning streak ranks third best in the nation to start the 2006-07 season, behind Gonzaga and Connecticut.

THE SERIES
Iowa and Buena Vista have never met on the basketball floor. Iowa holds an all-time record of 31-7 vs. current members of the Iowa Conference. All but one of those games, a 24-14 loss to Simpson College in 1913, were against Coe College and Cornell College at a time when neither was a member of the Iowa Conference.

COACH Steve Alford
Steve Alford (pronounced ALL-ford) is in his eighth season as head coach at the University of Iowa and his 16th season as a college head coach. Alford holds a career record of 291-169 (.633), including a 135-92 (.595) record at Iowa, a 78-29 (.729) record in four seasons (1992-95) at Div. III Manchester College and a four-year record (1996-99) of 78-48 (.619) at Southwest Missouri State. Alford ranks fourth among Iowa’s head basketball coaches in career wins, just four wins from third place. Alford’s 291 career victories are the most in the nation among all head coaches who are 41-years old or younger. Alford has posted a 13-5 record in the Big Ten Conference, leading the Hawkeyes to the tournament title in both 2001 and 2006. His total wins and winning percentage in the event rank tops among all Big Ten coaches. Alford is 52-60 (.464) in Big Ten games after leading Iowa to a second place finish (11-5) in the 2006 regular season. Alford is 8-7 in the NCAA Tournament (3-4 in Div. I and 5-3 in Div. III) and 2-4 in the NIT. Alford is the only Iowa coach to lead his Hawkeye teams to six consecutive winning seasons. Iowa has advanced to post-season action in each of the past six years and the Hawkeyes have won 20 or more games in three of his seven seasons. Alford led Iowa into the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament in his second season and the Hawkeyes returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2006. Iowa advanced to the NIT in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Alford led Southwest Missouri State to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1999 and in 1995 Manchester advanced to the NCAA championship game before suffering its first defeat of the season. Alford is a 1987 graduate of Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to the 1987 NCAA title. Alford was a member of the 1984 U. S. Olympic team that earned the Gold Medal and he was the 26th player selected in the NBA Draft following his senior season. Alford played four seasons in the NBA before beginning his coaching career. At Indiana, Alford started 120 of 125 games in four seasons. He served as team captain in 1987 when the Hoosiers were 30-4. Steve concluded his college career as Indiana’s all-time scoring leader with 2,438 points and he holds the Indiana record for career steals with 178. He was a consensus first team All-American and the Big Ten MVP as a senior. Alford is a member of the Manchester College M Association Hall of Fame and the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2001 he was named one of the “Top 50 Athletes” in the history of the state of Indiana and was selected as a member of the 15-man Indiana University all-Century team. In 2004 he was one of five players selected to ESPN’s Big Ten Conference Silver Anniversary team.

ALFORD MOVES TO FOURTH
Coach Steve Alford has collected 135 victories as Iowa’s head coach, a total that ranks fourth on Iowa’s list of coaches in career wins. Alford, in 2006, moved past Bucky O’Connor, Iowa’s head coach from 1952-58 (he also was Iowa’s head coach for 11 games in 1950), who earned 114 wins. Iowa’s top three coaches in career wins are Tom Davis (269), Lute Olson (168) and Rollie Williams (139).

IOWA WIN STREAK RANKS THIRD
Iowa begins the 2006-07 season with the third longest home winning streak in the nation. Iowa won all 17 home games a year ago and has won 18 straight dating back to the final home game of the 2005 season. Iowa’s last home loss was a 75-65 decision to Illinois on Feb. 19, 2005. Last season marked Iowa’s first unbeaten home season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which opened in 1983. The 17 victories set a school record for home wins in a season. The Hawkeyes lost just one home game in 1993 (15-1) and 1996 (14-1). The 18-game streak is a new mark for Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s record for consecutive home wins is 24. That streak began in 1946-47 and ended in 1948-49. Last season marked Iowa’s seventh perfect home season in school history and the first since 1966. Iowa’s current streak of 23 consecutive non-conference home wins ranks 14th-longest among Division I programs. That streak dates back to the final home game of the 2002-03 season, an NIT loss to Georgia Tech.

MEDIACOM TO AIR IOWA HOOPS FEATURE
A “Conversation With” Iowa men’s basketball Coach Steve Alford, a one-hour show featuring Alford and the Hawkeye basketball program, will air statewide on the Mediacom Connections Channel. Mediacom Connections is channel 74 in Iowa City and channel 22 in most areas of the state. The show will air initially on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. Other dates and times include Sunday, Nov. 5 (8:30 p.m.), Wednesday, Nov. 8 (9 p.m.), Thursday, Nov. 9 (4 p.m.), Saturday, Nov. 11 (7 p.m.) and Sunday, Nov. 12 (8:30 p.m.). The show is hosted by former Hawkeye player Al Lorenzen, a Cedar Rapids native and four-year letterman from 1985-88. The show discusses both the on and off the court life of Iowa’s men’s basketball coach and the Hawkeye program.

FOOTBALL TICKET GOOD FOR EXHIBITION
Hawkeye football fans in the Iowa City area to attend Saturday’s contest vs. Wisconsin can attend the exhibition game Friday evening, at no charge. Fans with tickets to the Wisconsin game will be granted free admission to see Coach Steve Alford’s squad take on Buena Vista University. Tickets to the basketball exhibition are $10. Fans who wish to attend the basketball game are asked to show their football ticket at any ticket window in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and they will be presented with a ticket for the exhibition game. The contest vs. Buena Vista is Iowa’s only exhibition game before the Hawkeyes start the regular season on Monday, Nov. 13 vs. The Citadel.

BLACK SHIRTS WON BLOWOUT
The Black Shirts scored an 83-72 win over the Gold Shirts in the 15th annual Black and Gold Blowout, a pre-season scrimmage that saw several players see action for both teams. Senior guard Adam Haluska led all players with 35 points to lead his squad to the win. Freshman Tyler Smith scored 22 points while playing for both squads, including 18 points for the Gold team. Junior center Seth Gorney, also playing for both teams, had 11 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Mike Henderson scored 11 points and had eight assists and sophomore guard Tony Freeman added 15 points and five assists. Junior center Kurt Looby contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds.

BVU COACH BRIAN VAN HAAFTEN
Brian Van Haaften is in his 11th season as a college head coach, all at Buena Vista. He has posted a record of 215-66 (.765), compiling the best active winning percentage in NCAA Division III basketball. Van Haaften reached the 200-win plateau in just his ninth season. His record is 161-36 in conference games, including a 100-8 mark in home conference games, and was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Van Haaften had led Buena Vista to five straight Iowa Conference Tournament titles, advancing to the NCAA Tournament seven times in 10 seasons. He had led his team to six 20-win seasons. Van Haaften served as a high school teacher, coach and athletic director in Storm Lake for several seasons prior to joining the Buena Vista staff. Van Haaften is a native of Pella and a graduate of Northwestern College, where he was a three-year basketball letterman. He earned his master’s degree from Drake University.

ABOUT THE BEAVERS

• Buena Vista returns three starters and five of its top six scorers from last season. The Beavers return five of seven players who started at least 10 games a year ago.
• Buena Vista posted a 15-14 record a year ago, winning 11 of its last 14 games while claiming the Iowa Conference Tournament title.
• The 2005-06 season marked the first time since the 1993-94 season in which Buena Vista did not have a first team all-conference selection.
• Buena Vista (.765) has the highest winning percentage of any NCAA men’s basketball program in the state of Iowa over the past 10 seasons.
• Four of the last seven Iowa Conference MVP’s have played for Buena Vista.
• Buena Vista has won five straight Iowa Conference Tournaments, earning a trip to the Division II NCAA Tournament each year. Overall, the Beavers have played in the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last 10 seasons.
• Along with winning five conference titles, Buena Vista has placed second in the league race three times and has finished no lower than fourth under Coach Brian Van Haaften.
• Buena Vista has advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament twice. Buena Vista won 27 games in both 2000 and 2003 and won 26 games in 2005.
• Buena Vista has won 76.5% of its games under Van Haaften over the past 10 years. The Beavers won 26% of their basketball games the previous 17 years.

HENDERSON OUT OF ACTION DUE TO INJURY
Senior guard Mike Henderson is expected to be out of action for three to six weeks after suffering a hand injury in practice on Oct. 30. Henderson suffered a fracture to the pinkie finger on his right hand and underwent surgery two days later. Henderson (6-3, 200), a Waterloo, IA native, started all 34 games a year ago. He averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing while shooting 46.4% from three-point range. He earned the team “Most Improved Award” at the conclusion of the season. As a junior Henderson scored in double figures in 11 games. He matched a career-high with 17 points in a win at Purdue and scored 16 points vs. Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament and in a home win over Penn State. Henderson added 15 points and seven rebounds in an early season win over ninth-ranked Kentucky as Iowa was 11-0 when he scored in double figures.

PRE-SEASON HONORS FOR HALUSKA
Senior guard Adam Haluska has earned pre-season recognition for his action on and off the floor. Following are Haluska’s pre-season honors:

• Named the recipient of the 2006-07 Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award. The award is presented by Playboy Magazine and recognizes a student-athlete who excels in the classroom and on the court. The magazine will donate $5,000 to the University of Iowa general scholarship fund.
• Named to pre-season all-Big Ten team, as selected by vote of media representatives attending Big Ten Conference Basketball Media Day.
• One of 50 players named to the pre-season Watch List for the John R. Wooden all-America team.

Haluska earned academic all-America honors last season and is a two-time academic all-Big Ten honoree. He earned third team all-Big Ten honors a year ago after averaging 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

IOWA SEEKS SEVENTH STRAIGHT
Iowa, in 2007, is seeking its seventh consecutive winning season. The current streak of six straight ranks as the second longest in the history of Iowa basketball. Iowa’s record for consecutive winning seasons is seven, from 1950 through 1956. Pops Harrison, Bucky O’Connor and Rollie Williams all coached the Hawkeyes during those years. Only a 10-10 record in 1949 kept Iowa from 13 consecutive winning seasons (1944-56). Harrison coached Iowa to five straight winning seasons from 1944-48, Lute Olson coached Iowa to winning seasons from 1979-83, George Raveling and Tom Davis combined to coach Iowa to winning seasons from 1985-89 and Davis coached Iowa to winning seasons from 1995-99. Iowa had five consecutive winning seasons on three occasions, 1979-83, 1985-89 and 1995-99. Iowa is one of four Big Ten teams to post a winning record in each of the last six seasons, joining Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Iowa, in 2006, advanced to post-season play for the sixth straight season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

HAWKEYES IN PARADISE JAM
Iowa will once again participate in one of the top early season tournaments when it takes part in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in mid-November. The eight-team field includes four teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last season and four teams that won more than 20 games a year ago. The combined record of the eight teams last season was 164-82. Xavier returns five starters from a team that posted a 21-11 mark a year ago, while Toledo (20-11), Alabama (18-13) and College of Charleston (17-11) return four starters. Iowa and Villanova, with two each, return the fewest number of starters from last season. Alabama is ranked 11th in the initial Associated Press rankings of the season and 12th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Both Xavier and Villanova are listed among teams receiving votes.

IOWA PROGRAM REACHES 1,400 WINS
The Iowa basketball program reached 1,400 wins (now at 1,421) with a 79-46 victory over Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 26, 2005. Iowa is one of 34 NCAA Division I programs with as many as 1,400 wins. Iowa’s basketball history includes 72 winning seasons and 24 years in which the Hawkeyes have won 20 or more games. Iowa (with 22) is one of 31 programs to earn more than 20 invitations into the NCAA Tournament.

IOWA HAS STRONG FINISH
Following is a list of Iowa’s accomplishments in 2006:

• Posted 25 wins, which ranks as the second highest total in school history. The Hawkeyes won 30 games in 1987 and 24 games in 1988. The 22 regular season wins tie as the second most in school history. The Hawkeyes won 27 regular season games in 1987 and 22 in both 1988 and 1989.
• Posted 10 wins in 14 games against top 25 teams. Iowa was 3-2 against top 10 teams.
• Prior to tournament play, Iowa was the only Division I team in the nation to record 10 wins against teams that were ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game.
• Posted 11 Big Ten wins, the most for an Iowa team since the 1996-97 team won 12 conference games. The 11 Big Ten wins are the most for Iowa since the Big Ten went to a 16-game league schedule in 1998.
• Won the Big Ten Conference Tournament with three straight wins. Iowa also won the event in 2001 and was second in 2002. Iowa is one of three teams with two tournament titles and Coach Steve Alford is the only Big Ten coach to take three teams to the championship game.
• Earned a tie for second place in the regular season standings. Iowa had not placed as high as second in the regular season since earning a tie for second with a 12-6 record in 1997.
• Earned a third seed in the NCAA Tournament. The three seed is the highest since the Hawkeyes were seeded second in the 1987 event. Iowa was also a three seed in 1981.
• Earned the No. two seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa’s previous best seed in the event was fourth in 2004.
• Advanced to the title game of the Big Ten Conference Tournament for the third time since 2001.
• Defeated seven top 25 opponents in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa set school records for home wins and total wins over ranked opponents last season.
• Completed its first-ever undefeated home season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which opened in 1983, and its first undefeated home season since 1966.
• Completed the seventh season in Iowa history with an undefeated home record. Iowa was also undefeated at home in 1902 (3-0), 1926 (9-0), 1945 (11-0), 1948 (12-0), 1950 (6-0) and 1966 (12-0).
• Established a school record 17 home wins in one season. The previous record of 16 was established in 1985.
• Improved its overall home winning streak to 18 games, a streak that ranks longest in the Big Ten and fourth best in the nation.

IOWA SCHEDULE NOTES

• Iowa has reached the title game in 11 of 12 in-season tournaments under Coach Steve Alford in the past seven seasons. The Hawkeyes have won their own Hawkeye Challenge in each of the seven years. Iowa was second in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2006, second in the Maui Invitational in 2005 and second in the IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in 2000. In the only event Iowa did not advance to the title game, the Hawkeyes placed third in the Rainbow Classic in 2001. Under Alford, Iowa is 25-5 while playing in tournament events during the season, plus 13-5 in the Big Ten Tournament and a combined 3-6 in the NIT and NCAA tournaments.
• Alabama begins the season in the top 25, while Villanova, Virginia Tech and Xavier are listed among teams receiving votes in the early season rankings.
• The Hawkeyes, in 2006-07, could meet two teams from Philadelphia (LaSalle and Villanova) and two teams from Charleston, SC (The Citadel and College of Charleston), along with two teams from Virginia (VA Commonwealth and VA Tech).
• Iowa is slated to play two schools which are headed by former University of Iowa presidents. Mary Sue Coleman is the President at the University of Michigan and David Skorton at Cornell University.
• Iowa Coach Craig Neal will see a familiar face should the Hawkeyes meet College of Charleston in the Paradise Jam. Bobby Cremins, who coached Neal when the Hawkeye assistant was playing for Georgia Tech, is in his first season at Charleston.
• Iowa and Alabama both competed in the 2001 Guardians Classic. Missouri defeated Alabama in the semi-finals before defeating Iowa in the title game.
• Herb Sendek, the first year coach at Arizona State, was the head coach at North Carolina State a year ago when the Hawkeyes defeated the Wolfpack 45-42 in Iowa City as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• Seth Greenberg, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, was the head coach at Long Beach State when Iowa defeated the Forty-Niners101-79 in the finals of the 1993 Hawkeye Challenge.
• Iowa’s single exhibition game is against Buena Vista University, marking the second straight year Iowa will host a member of the Iowa Conference. Buena Vista has won the Iowa Conference post-season tournament in each of the past five seasons and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament a year ago.

HALUSKA OVER 1,000 POINTS
Guard Adam Haluska heads into his final season as Iowa’s most honored player, both on the court and off. Along with earning third team all-Big Ten honors a year ago, Haluska is a two-time academic all-Big Ten honoree and a year ago he was recognized as an academic all-American. Haluska has earned the Chris Street Award, one of the top Iowa team awards presented at the end of each season, in each of the past two years. Last season he was also named to the NABC District 12 all-District second team and he was a member of the all-tournament team in both the Hawkeye Challenge and the Guardians Classic. Haluska surpassed 1,000 career points with his career-high 29-point performance in a win at Penn State. He has 1,225 points in his career, with 941 of those coming in his two seasons with the Hawkeyes. His 185 three-point field goals attempts last season rank sixth best at Iowa. He ranks ninth in career three-point field goals (122) and seventh in career attempts (334). In the 2006 Big Ten Tournament title game he had 15 points and eight rebounds, including three free throws in the final 33 seconds. Haluska led the Hawkeyes with 20 points in the NCAA Tournament vs. Northwestern State. He scored in double figures in 27 of 34 games a year ago and was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week for his play in wins over Indiana and Ohio State. He averaged 13.9 points and 4.7 rebounds and led Iowa in steals in 11 games. Haluska has started all 98 games he has played in his career. His consecutive starts streak ranks 10th longest among all Division I players, according to STATS — Chicago.

HENDERSON NUMBERS IMPROVED
Guard Mike Henderson played a key role in Iowa’s 2006 success, improving his numbers in several categories from his sophomore season while earning the team “Most Improved Award”. Henderson matched his career scoring high with 17 points in the win at Purdue. Henderson led Iowa in a home win over Penn State, collecting 16 points while connecting on 6-7 field goals and 3-4 free throws. Henderson averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing, improving his shooting to 48.7%. In Big Ten games only, he ranked sixth in league field goal percentage (54.9%). Henderson scored in double figures in 11 games after scoring 10 or more points just three times in his first two seasons.

FREEMAN SOLID IN FIRST SEASON
Guard Tony Freeman had a solid first season with the Hawkeyes a year ago. Freeman played in 33 of 34 games, with four starts in the non-conference season. Freeman averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds and collected 53 assists and 19 steals. He scored a season-high 10 points in a win over Michigan and had a season-best seven assists in a win over Arizona State.

HALK TALK WITH Steve Alford
Fans of the University of Iowa basketball program may join Iowa Coach Steve Alford and radio announcer Gary Dolphin each week during the season for the “Hawk Talk with Steve Alford” radio call-in show. The show takes place each week at Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Café in Iowa City from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The show will take place on the following dates: November 27; December 4, 11 and 18; January 8, 17, 22 and 29; February 5, 12, 19 and 28; March 5 and 12.

COMING UP NEXT
Iowa opens the regular season Monday, Nov. 13, hosting The Citadel at7:05 p.m. the Hawkeyes then play five straight road games during November before returning home to host the Hawkeye Challenge Dec. 1-2.