Men's Basketball 11/23/2009 2:00:00 PM VMIKeydets.com

Basketball Heads South to Take on UNC Wilmington

♦ VMI Last Time Out: VMI never trailed in knocking off West Virginia Wesleyan, 111-92, in a non-conference contest played at Cameron Hall in Lexington on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The Keydets had six players in double figures, led by freshman Nick Gore's 20 points and eight rebounds.
VMI's six players in double figures were Gore, Michael Sparks, Austin Kenon, Ron Burks, Stan Okoye and Keith Gabriel, all of whom had at least 12 points. Okoye led VMI with nine rebounds along with his 12 points, while Kenon's 14 points were accompanied by six assists against no turnovers. The Keydets took advantage of 27 WVWC turnovers, leading to a 37-2 VMI advantage in points off turnovers.

♦ VMI opened its much-anticipated 2009-10 campaign with a bang, scoring a 93-86 victory over Army on Nov. 14 at Cameron Hall. The Keydets were led by junior guard Austin Kenon's game-high 24 points, while sophomore Ron Burks netted his first career double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and six steals in a well-rounded effort.
The Keydets forced 34 Black Knight turnovers, the most VMI had caused by a Division I opponent in nearly three years. VMI turned those miscues into 38 points, while hitting 19 of their first 20 free throws en route to the victory. After defeating Army last season 62-55, VMI won back-to-back games against the Black Knights for the first time in the series history.

♦ The 2009-10 Keydets return 10 lettermen from last season's remarkable campaign that saw the team post the second-most wins in school history (24), the most conference wins in school history (13) and reach the Big South Championship Final for the second time in three years. VMI returns starters Austin Kenon and Ron Burks, two of the team's tri-captains, while several key reserves from last year's squad will be asked to take on larger roles in 2009-10. Sophomores Keith Gabriel and Michael Sparks, along with senior point guard Adam Lonon, the third of VMI's tri-captains, and junior forward Hunter Houston, will each be looked to for increased minutes this season.

A VMI win against UNC Wilmington would:
♦ Give Duggar Baucom 99 career wins (98-82 currently), and move Baucom to one game under .500 in his VMI career (61-63 currently).

♦ Improve VMI to 1-0 all-time against the Seahawks, as the two programs have never met.

♦ Mark the second year in a row that VMI has opened the season 3-1 by going 2-0 at home and 1-1 on the road.

♦ Give the Keydets a win in the game before Thanksgiving break for the third consecutive season (defeated JMU 90-83 in Lexington on Nov. 21, 2007; defeated Campbell 97-92 in Buies Creek, N.C. on Nov. 24, 2008).

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