TOP STORYLINES
• This is the 32nd season of West Florida Basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 434-416 (.518) in 849 games. UWF is 122-193 (.400) in 21 seasons of Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts have made nine conference tournament appearances.
* Despite a 3-13 record, UWF has suffered five losses by five points or less, including last possession setbacks to Benedict, Fort Valley State, Lee and three games ago against West Georgia.
YEAR ONE OF THE JEFF BURKHAMER ERA
* The Argos are in the first season under Jeff Burkhamer, who was announced as the fourth head coach in program history on April 15, 2015. The 31-year coaching veteran entered the year with a 218-153 (.588) record in 13 seasons as the head coach at Lander and Armstrong State. He also has a record of 155-41 in six seasons as a junior college head coach at North Greenville College and Santa Fe Community College. The Ohio native has Division I experience as an assistant at Winthrop (1984-85), Charleston Southern (1985-87) and Morehead State (1987-89), and was on the coaching staff for the Grand Rapids Hoops (1991-94) in the CBA.
REBUILDING PROCESS ENDURING SOME GROWING PAINS
* As is the case with many new coaching changes, dramatic results may take some time to take affect and that appears to be the case this season at UWF.
* While head coach Jeff Burkhamer has praised his team's ability to keep fighting and battling game-in and game-out, the squad has dropped six games overall by five points or less and two overtime decisions.
* UWF has experienced some struggles at the free throw line at times in those six setbacks, missing eight in a 1-point OT loss to Fort Valley State, 11 in a 9-point home loss to UAH, seven in a 2-point OT defeat at Lee, three in a 3-point home loss to Miss. College and 11 in a 5-point setback to Delta State before the Holiday break.
* The program is 0-8 on the road this season and has dropped its last 17 road games dating back to mid-December of 2014. UWF was very close to earning road wins twice this year, holding second-half leads of seven at Fort Valley State and 15 at Lee before dropping both games in overtime.
ROTATION OF SCORING
* Four of the five starters for UWF currently average above 10 points per game - Austin Somerfield (14.2), Mario Stramaglia (11.7), Jelani Pruitt (11.2) and Lendward Griffin (10.1) have all been solid scoring options for the Argos thus far. The lone player not in double figures is freshman G Rashaan Benson (9.7).
* The Argonauts have only had those five players lead the team in scoring in any game this season. Somerfield six times, Pruitt four, including three of the last four, Benson three times, and Griffin and Stramaglia once.
ABOUT LEE
* UWF will be facing one of the toughest defenses in the conference in Lee, which has allowed the second-lowest opponents shooting percentage (41.7) in the GSC. The Flames have been vulnerable from beyond the arc, however, as they have allowed opponents to make 38 percent of their three-point attempts.
* Lee's Keevin Tyus leads the team in scoring, rebounding and minutes played, despite starting just four of 18 games.
* The Flames have shown strong depth this season, as 11 players are averaging between 10 and 26 minutes per game.
* Rantavious Gilbert ranks as the second-best shot-blocker in the league this year, averaging 3.4 blocks per game. The senior blocked 8 shots against Christian Brothers on January 23.
SERIES HISTORY VS LEE
* UWF is 1-4 all-time against Lee.
* LAST MEETING: UWF took Lee to overtime in mid-December, eventually falling, 72-70. Austin Somerfield and Jason Laatsch led UWF with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Somerfield added 15 rebounds and four assists, while Laatsch made 5-of-9 shots from three-point range. UWF came out of the gates shooting the ball very well, using a 14-5 run en route to a 32-20 lead late in the first half before taking a 37-24 lead into the locker room.
JUSTIN WILLIAMS NAMED TO ALLSTATE NABC GOOD WORKS TEAM
• Justin Williams was named to the 2016 Allstate NABC Good Works Team® as announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Allstate Insurance Company in early December.
• Williams is one of 257 players named and one of 48 non-NCAA Division I players recognized.
• Williams is a physics and mathematics major with extracurricular activities including volunteering at Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen, a mission trip to Nicaragua last August, vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and helps out with the Miracle League of Pensacola.
2015-16 SCHEDULE ANALYSIS
• UWF will play 26 games this season, including 12 at home in the UWF Field House.
• The Argonauts will play nine games against five teams that qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division II Championship - Alabama-Huntsville, Benedict, Union, West Alabama, West Georgia. The first of those cAme in the season opener against Benedict in Valdosta, Ga. on Friday, Nov. 13.
UWF PICKED 11TH IN GSC POLL
• UWF was picked to finish 11th in the Gulf South Conference in the preseason coaches poll. The Argonauts received 26 total poll points and one first place vote.
• Alabama Huntsville received nine of 11 first place votes and was picked to finish first with 95 points. West Georgia (78 pts), Union (76) and Delta State (73) were bunched together in the next three spots.
NEW LOOK FOR UWF FIELD HOUSE FLOOR
• The UWF Field House floor received a new paint scheme over the summer, with an emphasis on cleaner design and less color. The court now features a darker wood stain in the lane and a similar darker stained GSC logo near midcourt on opposite sides of the floor.
• The 4-foot restricted arc in the lane was added in preparation for its implementation at the Division II level next season.
• The Argonaut head at midcourt remained in color as did the navy blue border that surrounds the court.
• Social media identifiers of '#GoArgos' and '@GoArgos' were placed in front of the bench areas.
NCAA RULES CHANGES
• The NCAA made a number of rules changes to both the men's and women's games this season. Some of the more visible changes in the men's game include:
• Shot clock reduced from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.
• Restricted area arc expanded from three feet to four feet - Division I in 2015-16; D-II & III in 2016-17.
• Timeouts:
- Reduction of 30-second timeouts from four to three; only two carry over to the second half.
- A 30-second timeout called within 30 seconds of a media timeout will become the media timeout.
- Coaches can only call timeouts during a dead ball situation.
• The 10-second backcourt count resets except when:
- Defender causes the ball to go out of bounds;
- Offense retains possession on a held ball; or
- A technical foul is called on the offensive team.
Note: A charged timeout by the offensive team results in a new 10-second count.
• Removed the five-second closely guarded count on a dribble.
• Guarding in the post: Arm bar allowed in post area when offense has back to the basket with or without the ball.
• The offense can no longer score on a charging foul.
• Removed the prohibition against dunking the ball while the ball is dead; teams will be allowed to dunk during pregame and halftime.
