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Falcons Open 2008-09 Season Friday vs. Western State
Nov. 13, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
Game #1 SITE RADIO TELEVISION INTERNET COACHES Mike Moskowitz (Adams State, 2003) ALL-TIME SERIES Getting Started Season Openers Up Next Nearly Unbeatable at Clune Three-Point Streak 2008-09 Season Preview
The three seniors on this year's team are Andrew Henke, Matt Holland and Anwar Johnson. Henke, a 6-6 guard/forward, did not start a single game last season, but led the team in rebounding (4.5 rebounds /game) and was second in scoring (11.3 points /game). He posted a career-high 21 points on 6-8 shooting from three-point range against TCU and had AFA's only double-double last season, notching 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in a 61-59 victory at Colorado State. Henke was named to two all-tournament teams in '07-08, the Air Force Classic and the Cougar Hispanic College Fund Classic, hosted by Washington State. He enters the 2008-09 campaign ranked No. 3 on the school's career three-point percentage list at 41.5 percent (100-241) after shooting 42 percent last season, making a team-high 60 of his 143 attempts.
A 6-6 forward, Holland averaged five points and two rebounds per game last season and started all but one of the team's 30 games. He scored a career-high 11 points twice last year, at home against Prairie View A&M and at Wyoming. He shot a very respectable 45 percent (54-120) from the field and 39 percent (30-77) from three-point range. In addition, he pulled down a career-high five rebounds at Northern Illinois and dished out a personal-best three assists twice, against Washington State and Norfolk State.
Johnson, who plays both the guard and forward positions, started all 30 games in '07-08 and finished second on the team with 72 assists and third with 25 steals. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Johnson, who scored a career-high 19 points against Montana at the Cougar Hispanic College Fund Classic, had career-bests of seven rebounds at TCU and six assists against the Horned Frogs at Clune Arena. Despite shooting just 60.7 percent from the free-throw line last season, Johnson was a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe in Air Force's two victories over MWC rival Colorado State, including a 10-for-10 performance in AFA's 75-59 win at home.
The four-member junior class will look for some much needed experience and playing time this season. Saj El-Amin, played in 17 games last year, but no more than six minutes in any of them. He scored four points and grabbed three rebounds during the season. Avery Merriex (seven games), Grant Parker (five) and Mike McLain (three), will look to contribute more during this season with Parker and McLain battling for the starting center position.
Sophomore guard Evan Washington is the other returning starter after finishing second on the team in rebounding (3.9 rebounds/game) and minutes played (33.5 minutes/game) as a freshman. His defining moment as a Falcon came early in his career as he hit two free throws with three seconds left in regulation to tie the game against Radford in his fourth collegiate game. The Falcons captured a 52-47 victory over the Highlanders. Washington started 29 games last season, the most ever by an Air Force freshman, and scored 206 points (6.9 per game), the first freshman with more than 200 points in a season since Robert Todd during the 2000-01 campaign. He scored a career-high 14 points at Washington State and grabbed a career-best seven rebounds twice and finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference in rebounding among freshmen and fifth in scoring.
Fellow sophomores Derek Brooks and Tom Fow played in 13 and nine games, respectively, in '07-08. Phillip Brown, who played in just one game last season, but made the most of it with six points, four rebounds and a team season-high three blocked shots at MWC regular-season champion BYU, will sit out the first semester of the '08-09 campaign due to academic ineligibility.
Reynolds' first full recruiting class enters the Academy with high potential and expectations. The class includes three McDonald's High School All-America nominees and one player from the USAFA Prep School. Leading the seven-member class are Jon Atkins (Las Vegas, Nev.), Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.), Brandon Provost (Houston, Texas) and Taylor Stewart (Lexington, Ky.).
Atkins, a 6-3 point guard, finished fourth on the USAFA Prep School team in scoring (nine points/game) and second in assists and steals. He was a McDonald's All-America nominee at Trinity High School and set a new Nevada state record for most points (46) in a Class A state championship game as a senior, leading Trinity to a 61-59 victory in his final high school game. Noonan, meanwhile, was a two-time all-state honorable mention selection and two-time first-team all-conference pick at Legacy High School. He averaged 18.6 points and 13.5 rebounds and blocked 4.5 shots per game as a senior. Noonan, a 6-9 forward/center, will battle Parker and McLain for playing time in the middle right from the start of the season.
Provost was a McDonald's All-America nominee at Seven Lakes High School, where he was an all-state selection as a senior. The 6-3 guard played in the City of Houston All-Star game and averaged 20.5 points and 5.1 rebounds his senior campaign. Stewart, a 6-5 forward, was also a McDonald's High School All-America nominee in high school. He averaged 17.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a senior at Lexington Catholic High School, leading his team to the semifinals of the Kentucky State Tournament.
Three other freshmen join the Falcon program this season. Shawn Hempsey (Encinitas, Calif.), a 6-1 point guard, Sammy Schafer (Oregon City, Ore.), a 6-10 center and Scott Stucky (Dublin, Ohio), a 6-2 guard.
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 Senior Anwar Johnson |
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