Men’s Basketball: Ragin’ Cajuns To Face No. 3-Seeded Creighton In Second Round Of NCAA Championship

No. 14 Louisiana (23-11) vs. No. 3 Creighton (26-7)

 

THE GAME
Date: Friday, March 21, 2014
Time: 2:10 p.m. CDT
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Arena (capacity): AT&T Center (17,731)

 

RADIO
Louisiana Radio Network: KHXT-FM (107.9)
Talent: Jay Walker (PBP)

 

National: Westwood One Radio
Frequency: Sirius channel 92; XM channel 191
Talent: Brad Sham (PBP), Will Perdue (Color)

 

TELEVISION
Network: TruTV
Talent: Marv Albert (PBP), Steve Kerr (Color), Craig Sager (Sideline)

 

THE SERIES
Series Record: Tied, 2-2
In Lafayette: Louisiana, 1-0
In Omaha: Creighton, 2-1
First Meeting: Louisiana 78, Creighton 77; Dec. 29, 1967 at Omaha Last Meeting: Creighton 63, Louisiana 58; Nov. 17, 2010 at Omaha

 

THE CAJUNS  ROAD TO THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS:  Louisiana, the No. 3 seed in last week s Sun Belt Conference Tournament, won three games in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans to claim its sixth league tournament title in eight appearances.
  The Cajuns  quarterfinal matchup against No. 6-seeded UT Arlington officially began over 90 minutes past its scheduled 8:30 p.m. CDT start due to the previous quarterfinal contest between Arkansas State and UALR ending after four overtimes.
  Louisiana returned to the court nearly 16 hours later on Saturday afternoon and edged two-time defending tournament champion Western Kentucky, 73-72, before coming back 17 hours later to defeat top-seeded Georgia State, 82-81, in overtime.
  In the championship game against GSU, Louisiana trailed by as much as 11 points (66-55) with 5:21 remaining and nine points (70-61) with 3:02 left to force overtime.
  Xavian Rimmer, who scored a then career-high 24 points against UTA before going scoreless against WKU, finished with a career-high 27 points with seven 3-pointers against GSU.
  Elfrid Payton scored six of his 19 points in overtime for the Ragin  Cajuns with senior Bryant Mbamalu scoring 11 of his 13 in the second half, including a game-tying layup with 1.4 seconds remaining to force overtime.
  Mbamalu and Rimmer, the team s No. 3 and 4 leading scorers, were each selected to the All-Tournament team with Mbamalu being named the Most Outstanding Player.

 

MARLIN TAKES HIS SECOND SCHOOL TO THE DANCE:  In his fourth season as head coach of the Louisiana Ragin  Cajuns, Bob Marlin will lead his second school into the NCAA Championships today against Creighton.
  During a successful 12-year run as head coach at Sam Houston State, Marlin guided the Bearkats to NCAA Championship appearances in 2003 (Florida) and 2010 (Baylor).
  While at SHSU, Marlin posted a 225-131 record that included three Southland Conference regular-season titles (2000, 2003, 2010).
  Marlin was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Decade (2000-10) during the league s year-long 50th anniversary celebration.
  Marlin has been a part of a national championship team as a junior college head coach (Pensacola Junior College) and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as an assistant coach (Louisiana-Monroe, 1982; Houston Baptist, 1984).

 

VETERAN STAFF FILLS OUT ITS DANCE CARD:  While head Bob Marlin will make his fifth overall trip to the NCAA Championships, his staff has experienced  March Madness  a combined eight times.
  Assistant Neil Hardin, who began his coaching career with Marlin as a student assistant at Pensacola Junior College in 1992 before becoming Marlin s assistant coach at Sam Houston State in 1998, will be on the bench for the third time in the NCAA Championships.
  First-year assistant Gus Hauser makes his fourth appearance overall that includes two trips (2004 and 2005) as a graduate assistant under Rick Pitino at Louisville, and 2007 at New Mexico State under Reggie Theus. Hauser, who is associated with five staffs that are in the 68-team field, also served as an assistant coach at Wofford and Coastal Carolina.
  Director of Basketball Operations Mike Murphy was on the 1991 staff at Coastal Carolina. He is one of a handful of coaches in the country that has been involved in the NCAA men s tournament, the NCAA women s tournament (1998 and 1999 at Alabama), the NIT, the WNIT and the NAIA National Tourrnament.
  Today s game in the NCAA Championships will mark the debut for fourth-year assistant Kevin Johnson. The 19-year coaching veteran has been on the staffs at Northwestern State, Texas-Pan American, Centenary (La.) College, Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State. His younger brother, David Johnson III, was an All-American at Syracuse and the 26th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers.

 

CAJUNS BACK TO THE DANCE: When Louisiana faces Creighton today in the second round of the NCAA Championships, the Cajuns will be making their sixth official appearance in the postseason, and first since 2000.
  The Cajuns earned berths 1982 and 1983 under Bobby Paschal, in 1992 and 1993 under Marty Fletcher and 2000 under Jesse Evans.
  Louisiana s lone win in the NCAA Championships was an 87-83 decision over Oklahoma in the West Regional in Tempe, Ariz., on March 20, 1992.
  The Cajuns had four appearances (1972, 1973, 2004 and 2005) that were vacated.

 

LOUISIANA IN THE NCAA STATS:  The Ragin  Cajuns are featured prominently in the latest NCAA stats, which were released through games played March 16.
  Shawn Long is fifth in double-doubles (18), eighth in rebounds per game (10.5), eighth in total field goals made (232), 17th in offensive rebounds per game (3.6), 28th in blocked shots per game (2.7) and 57th in scoring (18.7).
  Elfrid Payton is 14th in assists per game (6.0), 18th in steals per game (2.3), 12th in total field goals made (228), and 45th in scoring (19.1).
  Payton is one of 10 players in Division I in the 2013-14 season to record a triple-double, scoring 34 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists against Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 4.
  As a team, the Cajuns are 12th in scoring offense (81.4), 13th in free throw attempts (896), 17th in offensive rebounds per game (13.8), 30th in free throws made (601), 52nd in steals per game (7.3) and 55th in field goal percentage (.467).

 

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME: Heading into February, the Ragin  Cajuns were 12-9 overall and coming off a string of three straight losses, including their only two at home – against Georgia State (77-70) and Jan. 23 and Western Kentucky (79-70) on Jan. 25 – in 15 games during the 2013-14 campaign.
  But the Cajuns went into February on a mission and proceeded to win 11 of their next 13 games heading into today s matchup against Creighton.
  The only losses for Louisiana since the end of January are a pair of three-point contests – an 80-77 loss at Georgia State on Feb. 22 in Atlanta, and a 75-72 setback at WKU on March 6 in Bowling Green.
  Since a Feb. 1 win over Louisiana-Monroe, the Ragin  Cajuns have averaged 39.3 rebounds per game (up from 37.5 through the first 21 games) while enjoying a �7.0 rebounding margin (up from �1.4).

 

PAYTON, LONG EARN ALL-SUN BELT HONORS:  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.
  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 All-Sun Belt 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.

 

PAYTON, LONG ONE OF TOP SCORING DUOS IN DIVISION I: The tandem of Elfrid Payton (19.1 ppg.) and Shawn Long (18.7 ppg) have played a key role in the success of the Ragin  Cajuns in 2013-14 and their combined scoring average of 37.8 points per game is the third-best in the nation.
  Tyler Stone (19.3) and Jarekious Bradley (19.0) of Southeast Missouri is the top-scoring duo as of March 16 followed and VMI s QJ Peterson (19.4) and D.J. Covington (18.7).

 

PAYTON IS THE NEW STEALS KING:  With two steals against South Alabama on March 2, 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 77 steals this season and 194 in his career.

 

WINNING THE CLOSE GAMES IN 2013-14:  After posting a 1-8 record in games decided by five points or less in 2012-13, the Ragin  Cajuns have reversed course this season en route to their first 20-win season in over a decade.
  This season, Louisiana is 7-3 in games decided by five points or less, beginning with a 73-69 win over NCAA Championship participant Coastal Carolina  in the finals of the EA Sports Maui on the Mainland Classic in November.
  The Cajuns have recorded three-point victories over Houston (Dec. 14) and at UT Arlington (Feb. 6) while earning one-point wins at Texas State (Feb. 8), Arkansas State (March 8), Western Kentucky (March 15) and Georgia State (March 16).
  During the Cajuns  four-game winning streak entering the NCAA Championships, the combined margin of victory is nine points.
  The close setbacks for the Ragin  Cajuns were three-point games at Jackson State (Dec. 19), Georgia State (Feb. 22) and Western Kentucky (March 6).

 

SCORING OFF THE GLASS:  Shawn Long has made the most of his rebounding opportunities this year, scoring 67 baskets off his 118 offensive rebounds this season for an average of 4.3 points a game.
  Long ranks second in the Sun Belt averaging 3.6 offensive rebounds a game and second behind teammate Elfrid Payton in scoring (18.7).

 

PAYTON BREAKS FREE-THROW RECORD: When Elfrid Payton attempted nine free throws against Arkansas State on March 8, he increased 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:  A 16-point effort against Arkansas State on 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.

 

1,000 POINTS; THE SEQUEL: 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.

 

MBAMALU MAKES IT THREE FOR 1,000 ON SENIOR DAY:  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.
  Playing in his final home game in a Louisiana uniform, Mbamalu finished 10-for-19 from the field and 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point line in a 102-74 victory.
  The Houston, Texas native scored his 1,000th career point when he made the second of two free throws with 1:58 remaining before leaving to a standing ovation.

 

1,000 POINTS; THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM: With Mbamalu reaching the 1,000-point mark for his career, joining teammates Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long, it marked 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).

 

PLAYING OVERTIME:  Louisiana s 82-81 win over Georgia State in the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament was the Cajuns  fourth overtime game of the season. For the 2013-14 season, the Ragin  Cajuns are 3-1 in overtime games with additional wins over Houston and UALR.
  The win over GSU improved the Cajuns to 9-5 in extra time in four seasons under head coach Bob Marlin.
  The four 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 53-40 all-time in overtime games.

 

PAYTON MOVES UP SCORING CHART:  An 19-point effort against Georgia State in the  Sun Belt Conference Championship Game enabled Elfrid Payton to move past Chris Manual (1,382) and Todd Hill (1,394) into 20th place on the Cajuns  career scoring list.
  Payton, who has scored 1,401 points, became the 40th Cajun to score 1,000 career points in the win over Central Methodist on Dec. 30.
  Payton is 12 points shy of passing Dion Brown (1,412) for 19th place and with a 21-point outing, would surpass Aaron Mitchell (1,414), Sydney Grider (1,419) and Dion Rainey (1,421) into 16th place on the school s all-time list.
  Payton, who is averaging 19.1 points on the season, has four career 30-point games and has scored 20 or more points 26 times.

 

SHOOTING IS THE DIFFERENCE:  The Ragin  Cajuns quarterfinal win over UT Arlington  in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament marked the 19th time that the Cajuns have shot better from the field than their opponent in a game this season.
  Louisiana is 19-0 in those games.
  At the other end of the spectrum, the Cajuns are just 4-11 when their opponents shoots a higher percentage from the field. Turnovers have proven to be unimportant this season as Louisiana is 12-6 when committing the same number or more turnovers than its opponent and 11-5 when committing less.

 

A SHOOTING PERFORMANCE FOR PAYTON:  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 NCAA Championships ranked ninth in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage, averaging 51.1 (228-for-446) percent from the floor.
  Since the beginning of February, Payton has kept his shooting touch, going a combined 92-for-171 from the field (.538).
  Payton has shot .500 or better in six of the 12 games, including an 11-for-15 performance against Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and back-to-back 8-for-12 (.667) efforts in wins over UALR and Arkansas State.

 

DAVENPORT STEPS UP:  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 Shawn Long (18), Elfrid Payton (7) and Bryant Mbamalu (1).
  With Long in foul trouble against Arkansas State (Feb. 15), Davenport responded by scoring eight of his 13 points in the decisive second half of an 85-67 win.
  Davenport added 11 points in nine minutes off the bench in the home finale against South Alabama (March 2).

 

A TRIPLE-DOUBLE FOR PAYTON:  After flirting with it a half-dozen times early in his first two seasons in a Ragin  Cajuns uniform, junior Elfrid Payton recorded the first triple-double of his career when he set career highs for scoring (34), rebounds (11) and assists (11) at Louisiana-Monroe on Jan. 4. It was the sixth triple-double in school history and one of nine 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 (19 points-12 rebounds-11 blocks). 
  Here are a list of triple-doubles in Cajuns basketball history (all are points-rebounds-assists except where noted with *):

 

Elfrid Payton at Louisiana-Monroe (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. Louisiana-Monroe (Feb. 14, 1983) (14-10-12)

 

PAYTON HAS SPENT THE SEASON AT THE LINE:  With 293 free thow attempts this year, Elfrid Payton enters the week ranked third nationally. Niagara s Antoine Mason leads the country with 357 attempts with Aaric Murray of Texas Southern (294) and Payton following.
  Payton s 293 attempts are a new single-season school record, breaking Dean Church s previous mark of 273 attempts set in 1964-65. Payton has attempted 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:  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 66-62 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 22 games with 20 starts.
  Mbamalu is third on the team in scoring averaging 12.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. He 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 100-for-223 (.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:  The versatility of the Louisiana lineup this season is evident by the five Cajuns who have combined to score 20 or more points in a game 42 times this season, surpassing the total for the entire 2012-13 season. Elfrid Payton (17) and Shawn Long (15) lead the way, including five contests in which they both scored 20 points. Xavian Rimmer (5), Bryant Mbamalu (4) and Kasey Shepherd (1) have also reached 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:  When Elfrid Payton scored 31 points against WKU on March 6, 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:  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.

 

LONG MOVES INTO THIRD ON CAREER BLOCK CHART:  A one-block effort against Georgia State increased sophomore Shawn Long s total to 154. He now needs 15 to catch Reginlad Poole (1995-99) for second-place at 169.
  Long has 89 blocks this year and 65 last season, the third and seventh-highest single season total in Cajuns history.
  Michael Southall holds the school-record with 258 blocked shots.

 

LONG LIKES TO DOUBLE UP:  Sophomore Shawn Long picked right up where he left off last spring, registering double-doubles in 18 of the 33 games that he has played to rank fifth nationally. Long has 35 double-doubles in 66 career games.

 

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 34 games this season. Payton enters the NCAA Championships averaging 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.0 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:  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:  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.

 

PAYTON MOVES UP ON ASSISTS LIST:  With six assists against Georgia State, Elfrid Payton increased his career total to 483, moving Eric Mouton (471, 1988-92), for fifth place. Payton has a ways to go to move into fourth place (currently held by Dwight  Bo  Lamar with 520 from 1979-73).

 

HOW ELFRID SPENT HIS SUMMER:  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:  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.

 

 

—
Matt Sullivan
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Cox Communications Athletic Center
201 Reinhardt Drive
Lafayette, LA 70506-4297
Office – (337) 482-6330
Mobile – (985) 981-0009
Twitter – @MattSulli123