< Previous48 @KentuckyMBB Cody Fueger n University of Kentucky Assistant Coach T he Kentucky men’s basketball team add- ed the first piece to Mark Pope’s inau- gural coaching staff with the hiring of Cody Fueger (pronounced FEE-gurr) as assistant coach in April of 2024. Fueger has been a nine-year member of Mark Pope’s staffs, first serving as an assistant coach at Utah Valley and then transitioning to BYU. The connection began when they were on the BYU staff together when Pope was an assistant coach and Fueger served as the director of basketball operations. Fueger began his career as a student as- sistant coach and video coordinator at Utah under Rick Majerus. Following graduation, Fueger served as the director of basketball operations at Louisiana Tech (2007-11), UC Riverside (2011-12), Utah State (2012-13) and BYU (2013-15) before being elevated to assistant coach under Pope at Utah Valley in 2015. Named one of the most impactful mid-major assistant coaches in Division I men’s basketball by Silver Waves Media in 2022 and 2023, Fueger has been instrumen- tal for Pope’s squads. BYU ranked 14th in of- fensive efficiency in 2023-24, while ranking third in the nation in made 3s and assists per game. The Cougars led the Big 12 in scoring at 81.4 per game in their first season in the conference. Picked to finish last in the pre- season selections, BYU capped the regular season in fifth with wins over No. 7 Kansas, No. 11 Baylor and No. 24 Iowa State. They received a No. 6 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Under Fueger’s tutelage, Jaxson Rob- inson was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year after pacing BYU in scoring off the bench at 14.2 points per game. Fueger was also involved in the development of 2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, Dallin Hall and two-time All-WCC First Team member Alex Barcello. In all, Fueger and the Cougars went 110-52 during five seasons, with three post- season appearances, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Three of those five teams concluded the season ranked inside the top 20 of the Ken Pomeroy efficiency rankings and four of the five reached the 20- win threshold. In 2020, BYU led the country in 3-point percentage at 42.2% and was on pace for a No. 5 seed at the NCAA Tourna- ment before the season was ended due to COVID-19. At Utah Valley, the Wolverines increased their win total during every season with Fueger on the staff. They finished 25-10 overall and were runners-up in the Western Athletic Conference in 2018-19 with the 25 wins marking a program record. Further- more, Utah Valley enjoyed a 30-2 mark at home and made three straight postseason appearances from 2017-19. The Wolverines connected on a school record 300 3-point- ers in 2016-17 and followed that up by scor- ing a school record 78.1 points per game in 2017-18. Wyatt Lowell was tabbed the WAC Freshman of the Year in 2019, while Jake Toolson earned WAC Player of the Year. As director of operations at BYU, the Cougars made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and had seasons with 23 wins in 2013-14 and 25 in 2014- 15. Fueger and his wife, Danielle, have three children, Isabella, Andrew and Ana. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in parks, recreation and tour- ism-sports management from Utah.University of Kentucky Assistant Coach n Jason Hart @UKSportsNetwork 49 K entucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope has named Jason Hart, a nine-year NBA veteran with extensive coaching experience at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, to his in- augural staff as an assistant coach in April of 2024. Hart most recently served as the head coach of the NBA’s G-League Ignite squad, coaching the likes of Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson, Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland. A nine-year NBA veteran, he is also a member of Syracuse’s All-Century Team, which honored the top 25 players in the program’s history. In 2011, Syracuse award- ed him the Vic Hanson Medal of Excellence. Hart concluded his collegiate playing ca- reer (1996-2000) as the program’s all-time leader in steals (329) and ranked second all- time in assists (709). He also shares the Syr- acuse record for most steals in a season with 101 set in 1999. In his four seasons at Syr- acuse, Hart helped lead the Orange to the NCAA Tournament three times and the NIT one time. During his sophomore and senior seasons Syracuse advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He was picked in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he was teammates with Pope for one season. Hart played for Milwaukee, San Antonio, Charlotte, the Los Angeles Clippers, Sac- ramento, Utah, Denver, New Orleans and Minnesota. Four times his teams qualified for the NBA Playoffs. During the 2004-05 season with Charlotte, he was third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Hart also played a season in Greece. Hart retired in December of 2010 and began coaching on the AAU circuit from 2010-2012. He was named the head coach at Taft High and led the Toreadors to a 29-4 record, the Los Angeles City Section Divi- sion I title, the second round of the Division I state championships and a perfect 10-0 re- cord in league play. He was named the L.A. City Coach of the Year. A Southern California native, Hart joined the Ignite following a nine-year assistant coaching career. He began his collegiate coaching career under Marty Wilson at Pepperdine in 2012 before joining Andy En- field’s staff at Southern Cal for the 2013-14 season. He was promoted to associate head coach beginning in 2017-18, continuing through the 2020-21 season. In eight seasons with the Trojans, he was an instrumental piece to a staff that helped recruit and develop five NBA draft selec- tions and advance to three NCAA Tourna- ment appearances. USC’s 2019 freshman class was ranked No. 7 by 247Sports.com. Hart was select- ed to participate in the inaugural Collegiate Coaching Consortium, a collaboration be- tween the National Association of Basket- ball Coaches (NABC) and AthleticDirectorU held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after the 2019 season. This program is designed to help train and develop the next great group of leaders in the basketball coaching profes- sion. In all, Southern Cal amassed a 157-110 record with Hart on the staff. The Trojans strung together five 20-win seasons and four postseason appearances, including an ap- pearance in the NCAA Elite Eight in 2021. Hart was named the head coach of the NBA G League Ignitie in 2021. There he worked with elite NBA prospects in the NBA’s developmental league. Hart coached talents such as Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis and more. In all, Hart had 10 players selected in the NBA draft from 2022-2024, more draft picks than any college program during that time. Of those 10 picks, five were first round se- lections. Hart graduated from Syracuse in 2000 with a degree in sociology. He and his wife, Brandi, have two children, Jason and Justin.50 @KentuckyMBB Mikhail McLean n University of Kentucky Assistant Coach M ikhail McLean joined the Kentucky men’s basketball coaching staff on June 14, 2024. McLean has spent the last three seasons on staff with Lamar as an assistant coach where the Cardinals have steadily improved year-to-year, culminating in a record-break- ing 19-14 season in 2023-24. The Cardinals’ 19 wins were their most in NCAA Division I since the 2011-12 sea- son and the second most since the 1987- 88 campaign. Lamar tallied 12 Southland Conference wins, which were the most for the program in more than five seasons. The Cardinals led the conference in scoring and were led by National Association of Bas- ketball Coaches All-District guard selection Chris Pryor. Pryor averaged 11.5 points per game and ranked among the league’s lead- ers in assists and steals. McLean had a hand in Lamar’s rise as the team’s offensive coordinator. He was also responsible for on-court player develop- ment with the guards and wings. In addition to his collegiate coaching career, McLean is a native of The Bahamas and serves as the associate head coach on the Baha- mian National Team staff. He has been a part of the program since 2021 and is the squad’s defensive coor- dinator. Team Bahamas made history in 2024 by being one game shy of qualify- ing for the Olympics after a championship loss to Spain on their home court. Before that, Team Bahamas defeated both the No. 15 and No. 20 ranked teams in the world in Poland and Finland, while also tally- ing a victory over Leba- non in Olympic qualify- ing. In 2023, the Bahamas defeated Argentina, who ranked fourth in the world, twice during the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tourna- ment. A former standout player for Houston, McLean was a four-year letterwinner for the Cougars and appeared in 101 games. He was a team captain and a five- time Dean’s List selection. McLean completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Houston in four years. Following his playing career, McLean joined the Cougars’ staff as a graduate assistant before transition- ing into the role of assistant director of player develop- ment. He was part of Hous- ton’s staff for six seasons, helping the Cou- gars to American Athletic Conference titles in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020. Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of his final two seasons with the program and made a run to the 2021 Final Four. At Houston, McLean’s duties included opponent scouting and player development. He worked with three NBA Draft selections, including Marcus Sasser, Quentin Grimes and Damyean Dotson. McLean and his wife, Arrion, have three sons, Mikhail Jr., Amari and Kai.Collin Chandler 2024-25 OPPONENTSLocation: Dayton, Ohio Founded: 1967 Enrollment: 11,822 Colors: Green & Gold Website: wsuraiders.com 2023-24 Records: 18-4 overall, 13-7 Horizon 2023-24 Postseason: None Assoc. Head Coaches: Travis Trice, Dan Beré Assistant Coaches: Jaaron Simmons, Cole Gentry Starters Lost (3): Trey Calvin, Tanner Holden, AJ Braun Starters Returning (2): Alex Huibregtse, Brandon Noel Quick Facts 2024-25 Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown 2 Drey Carter G 6-8 210 R-So. Bellefontaine, Ohio 3 Alex Huibregtse G 6-3 205 R-Sr. Grafton, Wis. 4 Keaton Norris G 6-0 175 R-Jr. Hilliard, Ohio 5 Alex Bruskotter G 6-8 205 Fr. Shelby, Ohio 13 Solomon Callaghan G 6-2 195 R-Fr. Wadsworth, Ohio 14 Brandon Noel F 6-8 240 R-Jr. Lucasville, Ohio 15 Braden Grant F 6-7 210 R-Jr. Beavercreek, Ohio 20 Andrea Holden F 6-6 215 Fr. Hamilton, Ohio 21 Logan Woods G 6-5 185 R-So. Fairfield, Ohio 22 Andrew Welage G 6-6 205 Gr. Greensburg, Ind. 23 Jack Doumbia G 6-6 195 Sr. Lanham, Md. 24 Ben Southerland F 6-7 215 R-So. Cincinnati, Ohio 33 Michael Imariagbe F 6-7 220 R-Sr. Houston, Texas 51 Ayden Davis F/C 6-10 250 Fr. Onsted, Mich. 20 Alex Huibregtse had 20 double digit scoring games in 2023-24. He ended the year with 15 or more points in 11 contests and five 20-plus point efforts. By the Numbers Kentucky Leads: 4-0 Last Meeting: Nov. 20, 2015 (Kentucky 78, Wright State 63 Series History Clint Sargent was named the 10th men’s basketball head coach in Wright State history on March 29, 2024. Sargent served as the Raiders associate head coach the last three seasons. #3 n G n R-Sr. n 6-3 Alex HUIBREGTSE Brandon NOEL #14 n F n R-Jr. n 6-8 Clint SARGENT Raiders Head Coach 1st season (1st at Wright State) 0-0 (.000 Win Pct.) Raiders Players to Watch Nov. 4 n Lexington, Ky. n Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center 52 @KentuckyMBB WRIGHT STATE RAIDERSLocation: Lewisburg, Pa. Founded: 1846 Enrollment: 3,888 Colors: Orange & Blue Website: bucknellbison.com 2023-24 Records: 14-19 overall, 10-8 Patriot 2023-24 Postseason: None Assistant Coaches: Matt Griffin, Branden McDonald, Jesse Flannery Starters Lost (1): Jack Forrest Starters Returning (4): Elvin Edmonds IV, Josh Bascoe, Ruot Bijiek, Noah Williamson Quick Facts 2024-25 Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown 0 Patrick O’Brien F 6-8 220 So. Warrenton, Va. 1 Ian Motta F 6-6 195 Sr. Allen, Texas 2 Jayden Williams G 5-10 180 Fr. Bronx, N.Y. 3 Noah Williamson C 7-0 250 Jr. Riga, Latvia 4 Josh Fulton G 6-6 200 Jr. Atlanta, Ga. 5 Elvin Edmonds IV G 6-2 190 Sr. Hopewell, Va. 7 Matt Lange G 6-2 185 Fr. Newtown Square, Pa. 10 Brandon McCreesh G 6’ 4 190 So. The Bronx, N.Y. 11 Brady Muller F 6-4 210 Jr. Wyckoff, N.J. 12 Quin Berger G 6-2 195 Jr. Malvern, Pa. 13 Josh Bascoe G 6-0 180 Sr. Milton, Ontario 22 Ruot Bijiek F 6-9 190 Jr. Waukee, Iowa 23 Pip Ajayi F 6-7 235 Sr. Calgary, Alberta 24 Achile Spadone G 6-4 205 Jr. Geneva, Switzerland 32 Kellen Welch F 6-7 185 Fr. Richmond, Va. 5 Bucknell returns five of its top six scoring leaders from last season, including Third Team All-Patriot League selection Noah Williamson (12.3 ppg.). By the Numbers First Meeting Series History In his first season Griffin guided the Bison to a second place (tied) regular season finish in the Patriot League and Bucknell advanced to the semifinal game of the conference tour- nament. #5 n G n Sr. n 6-2 Elvin EDMONDS IV Noah WILLIAMSON #3 n C n Jr. n 7-0 John GRIFFIN III Bison Head Coach 2nd season (2nd at Bucknell) 14-19 (.424 Win Pct.) Bison Players to Watch Nov. 9 n Lexington, Ky. n Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center @UKSportsNetwork 53 BUCKNELL BISONLocation: Durham, N.C. Founded: 1838 Enrollment: 6,789 Colors: Royal Blue & White Website: goduke.com 2023-24 Records: 27-9 overall, 15-5 ACC 2023-24 Postseason: NCAA Elite Eight Assoc. Head Coaches: Chris Carrawell, Jai Lucas Assistant Coaches: Will Avery, Emanuel Dildy Starters Lost (4): Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach, Mark Mitchell Starters Returning (1): Tyrese Proctor Quick Facts 2024-25 Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown 1 Caleb Foster G 6-5 202 So. Harrisburg, N.C. 2 Cooper Flagg G/F 6-9 205 Fr. Newport, Maine 3 Isaiah Evans G/F 6-6 175 Fr. Huntersville, N.C. 5 Tyrese Proctor G 6-6 183 Jr. Sydney, Australia 6 Maliq Brown F 6-9 222 Jr. Culpeper, Va. 7 Kon Knueppel G/F 6-7 217 Fr. Milwaukee, Wis. 8 Darren Harris G/F 6-6 203 Fr. Fairfax, Va. 9 Khaman Maluach C 7-2 250 Fr. Rumbek, South Sudan 13 Cameron Sheffield G/F 6-6 204 Sr. Alpharetta, Ga. 14 Sion James G 6-6 220 Gr. Sugar Hill, Ga. 18 Mason Gillis F 6-6 225 Gr. New Castle, Ind. 20 Neal Begovich F 6-9 230 Gr. San Francisco, Calif. 21 Patrick Ngongba II C 6-11 250 Fr. Fairfax, Va. 52 Stanley Borden C 7-0 241 Sr. Istanbul, Turkey 55 Spencer Hubbard G 5-8 157 Gr. Los Angeles, Calif. 27 The number of Duke victories in each of the first two seasons under head coach Jon Scheyer (54-18). By the Numbers Kentucky Leads: 12-11 Last Meeting: Nov. 9, 2021 (Duke 79, Kentucky 71) Series History Last season Scheyer guided the Blue Dev- ils to a 27-9 record for the second consecutive year, finishing second in the ACC standings and advancing to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. #5 n G n Jr. n 6-6 Tyrese PROCTOR Caleb FOSTER #1 n G n So. n 6-5 Jon SCHEYER Blue Devils Head Coach 3rd season (3rd at Duke) 54-18 (.750 Win Pct.) Blue Devils Players to Watch Nov. 12 n Atlanta n State Farm Arena n State Farm Classic 54 @KentuckyMBB DUKE BLUE DEVILS@foreverlawninc 866.992.7876 foreverlawn.com ForeverLawn ® provides high-performance synthetic turf for lawns, pets, playgrounds, golfers, and more. With remarkable realism, durability, versatility, you can secure pristine landscaping that stays green all year long.Location: Nashville, Tenn. Founded: 1891 Enrollment: 4,704 Colors: Purple and Gold Website: www.lipscombsports.com 2023-24 Records: 20-12 overall, 11-5 ASUN 2023-24 Postseason: none Assoc. Head Coach: Tyler Murray Assistant Coaches: Roger Idstrom, Vince Martin Starters Lost (3): AJ McGinnis, Derrin Boyd, Owen McCormack Starters Returning (2): Will Pruitt, Joe Anderson Location: Jackson, Miss. Founded: 1877 Enrollment: 9,811 Colors: Navy and White Website: www.gojsutigers.com 2023-24 Records: 15-17 overall, 11-7 SWAC 2023-24 Postseason: none Assoc. Head Coach: Trey Johnson Assistant Coaches: Tyler Adams, Khalil Spencer, Keith Williams Starters Lost (5): Chase Adams, Zeke Cook, Ken Evans, Jordan O’Neal, Treyon Johnson Starters Returning (0): None Quick Facts Quick Facts 8 Last season, Lipscomb was No. 8 in the nation in field goal percentage (49.3%). By the Numbers Lennie ACUFF Bisons Head Coach 33rd season (4th at Lipscomb) 640-396 (.618 Win Pct.) Series History Kentucky Leads: 2-0 Last Meeting: Dec. 15, 2012 (Kentucky 88, Lipscomb 50) 3 Jackson State has made three trips to the NCAA Division I Tournament in its schools history. By the Numbers Mo WILLIAMS Tigers Head Coach 5th season (3rd at Jackson State) 42-71 (.372 Win Pct.) Series History First Meeting 2024-25 Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown 1 Rylan Houck F 6-5 192 So. Oxford, Ala. 2 Will Pruitt G 6-3 195 Sr. Mt. Juliet, Tenn. 5 Miles White G 6-3 185 Jr. Kansas City, Mo. 6 Charlie Williams C 6-10 220 Jr. Carmel, Ind. 9 Jack Ingold G 6-3 190 Sr. Charleston, W.Va. 10 Gyasi Powell G 6-3 195 Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. 11 Logan Suber G 6-0 170 So. Fredericksburg, Va. 12 Luke Carter G 6-1 175 Jr. Knoxville, Tenn. 15 Dylan Faulkner F 6-9 215 So. Calhoun, Ga. 22 Joe Anderson G 6-0 175 Sr. Maryville, Tenn. 23 Kellan Boylan G/F 6-7 200 Jr. Overland Park, Kan. 30 Ross Candelino G 6-5 200 Jr. Jacksonville, Fla. 33 Zach Lamey G 6-3 175 So. Birmingham, Ala. 35 Grant Asman C 6-11 210 Jr. Kimberly, Wis. 41 Jacob Ognacevic F 6-8 220 Sr. Sheboygan, Wis. 2024-25 Roster No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown 0 Tamarion Hoover G/F 6-5 165 Fr. Yazoo City, Miss. 1 Dorian McMillian G 6-3 178 Fr. Pascagoula, Miss. 2 Jalen Tatum G 6-4 189 Jr. Pine Bluff, Ark. 3 Jayme Mitchell Jr. G/F 6-5 190 R-So. Jackson, Miss. 5 Keiveon Hunt G 5-10 180 Jr. Jackson, Miss. 7 Shannon Grant C 6-11 290 Gr. Sylacauga, Ala. 10 Ebo Wilson C 6-10 275 Fr. Accra, Ghana 12 Delyle Williams G 6-3 200 So. Compton, Ca. 13 Romelle Mansel F 6-9 220 Gr. Los Angeles, Calif. 14 Dylan Canoville F 6-5 225 Jr. Plantation, Fla. 15 Avaughn Johnson F 6-6 205 Jr. Jackson, Miss. 20 Juan Reyna III G 6-3 200 R-Sr. San Antonio, Texas 21 Marcus Watson Jr. G 5-10 175 Jr. Chicago, Ill. 24 Daeshun Ruffin G 5-11 155 Jr. Jackson, Miss. 30 David McDaniel F 6-8 215 Jr. Alpharetta, Ga. 55 Cowandric Samuel G/F Sr. 6-4 200 Jackson, Miss. 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