* This is the 32nd season of West Florida Basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 434-418 (.510) in 851 games. UWF is 122-195 (.385) in 21 seasons of Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts have made nine conference tournament appearances.
* Despite a 3-15 record, UWF has suffered seven losses by five points or less, including last possession setbacks to Benedict, Fort Valley State, Lee, West Georgia and Saturday to Shorter in 2ot.
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 seven games overall by five points or less and three overtime decisions.
* UWF has experienced some struggles at the free throw line at times in those 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 (15.1), Mario Stramaglia (10.8), Jelani Pruitt (10.4) and Rashaan Benson (10.3) have all been solid scoring options for the Argos thus far. The lone player not in double figures is graduate student Lendward Griffin (9.2).
* The Argonauts have only had those five players lead the team in scoring in any game this season. Somerfield eight times, Benson and Pruitt four times, and Griffin and Stramaglia once.
ABOUT DELTA STATE
* Delta State is 14-7 overall and tied for fourth in the GSC at 9-6. The Statesmen opened league play with eight wins in their first 10 contests, before enduring a 3-game losing skid. That came to an end on Saturday with a 69-39 win at Christian Brothers.
* Junior G Devin Schmidt leads the Statemen with 24.2 points (2nd in GSC) and is third on the squad with 5.7 rebounds (19th in GSC) per game. He has six 30-plus point performances and eight additional 20-29 point efforts.
* Sophomore F P.J. Davis - the 2014-15 GSC Freshman of the Year - is averaging 10.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg, both ranking second on the team. His 52 blocks and 2.5 bpg each rank third in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY VS DELTA STATE
* UWF and Delta State are playing for the 18th time, with DSU holding a 12-5 advantage. The teams have split their last four meetings.
* LAST MEETING: Delta State used a 10-0 run in the second half and held off a late UWF rally for a 69-64 win at the UWF Field House on Dec. 19. Austin Somerfield led all players with 20 points and 17 rebounds to go along with four assists for UWF. Rashaan Benson added 13 points and four assists off the bench. The Argos outshot the Statesment 44% to 35% but were just 4-of-16 from outside and 8-of-19 at the foul line. Each team had 39 rebounds. Delta's Devin Schmidt finished with a near triple-double of 18 points, 11 assists and nine boards.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
* Mississippi College comes into the week at 6-11 overall and 5-10 in GSC play - 1oth place out of 12 teams. The Choctaws will host Valdosta State on Thursday. MC is not eligible for the postseason while in the final year of its reclassification from Division III to II.
* Senior F Tory Rice leads the Choctaws in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (11.8 rpg). He would rank first in the GSC in rebounds and third nationally but reclassifying teams are not included in the national rankings. Tristan Moore (13.3), Johnny rucker (12.5) and Jonathan McGee (11.5) also average at least 10 ppg. Moore leads the squad with 4.1 assists per game, placing him tied for third in the GSC with UWF freshman G Rashaan Benson.
SERIES HISTORY VS MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
* UWF and MC are playing for the ninth time in men's basketball on Saturday, with the series knotted at 4-4. West Florida is 1-3 at MC. n UWF won the first three games against MC, sweeping the Choctaws in 1968-69 and winning its first meeting in the 1994-95 season. Mississippi College took both decisions against UWF last season before claiming an 84-82 outcome on Dec. 17, 2015.
* LAST MEETING: Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first meeting this season but Mississippi College came away with a 84-82 win in Pensacola. The Choctaws used an 8-2 run midway through the first half for a 23-15 lead that grew to as much as 14 points. UWF trimmed the 11-point deficit with 6:12 remaining to three points twice in the final minute but couldn't get any closer until a 3-pointer at the horn for the final outcome. Six UWF players scored in double figures, led by Rashaan Benson's 16 off the bench. Austin Somerfield and Mario Stramaglia each had 14. MC was paced by Tristan Moore's 20 and Jonathan McGee's 19.
SOMERFIELD HARD TO GUARD
* Junior Austin Somerfield is UWF's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.0 points and a GSC-best 9.2 rebounds per game. He has six double-doubles this season and ranks 11th in the league in scoring.
* Somerfield has recorded double-digit point totals in 14 of 17 games this season.
* The Greenville, Mich. native stands 49th in NCAA Division II in rebounds per game and 90th in offensive rebounds per game (2.7).
* Somerfield went off against Fort Valley State on Nov. 14, scoring a career-high 35 points and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds. He has since added two 20-plus point games and a pair of 17-rebound efforts.
STRAMAGLIA THE SHARP SHOOTER
* R-junior G Mario Stramaglia is averaging 10.8 ppg and leads the team with 41 3-pointers made. He has made at least three triples in eight games this season.
* Since transferring from East Tennessee State, three seasons ago, he has connected on 80 shots from outside in his two seasons of playing. He is just one make shy of breaking into the school's career top-10 list.
* He ranks ninth in the GSC in 3FG pct. (.363), ninth in total makes (41) and second in makes per game (2.3).
UWF CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE
Rk. Player 3FG
1. Marcus Tanner (1999-02) 128
2. Noah Haynes (1994-95) 108
3. Jerry Fogle (1997-98) 107
4. Sean Ryals (2001-02) 109
5. Josh Sullivan (2003-05) 103
6. Ryan Henry (2007-09) 100
7. Mike Morgan (1997-00) 89
8. Robert Love (2002-04) 87
9. Jason Junker (1997-98) 84
10. Josh Jackson (2007-09) 81
11. Mario Stramaglia (2013-pr.) 80
PRUITT THE LION TAMER
* Junior G Jelani Pruitt scored a career-high 30 points in the team's 96-85 win over North Alabama (12/5/15). Pruitt's previous career-best was 26 points, which came during his freshman campaign at Neosho Community College two years ago.
* Pruitt also set a career high in rebounds against UNA, pulling down 15 boards.
* Pruitt's first half against UNA entailed 17 points and converting seven of his first 10 shots. Prior to facing UNA, Pruitt had totaled 19 points over the span of three games, while battling an ankle issue suffered in the season opener against Benedict in Valdosta, Ga.
* The Gary, Ind. native is currently posting 10.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg on the year. His 64 free throws attempted are the second-most on the team and his 17 steals are also second on the squad. He has 10 games in double figures, including five of the last six.
* Pruitt is nearly averaging a double-double in the last six games, with 13.9 points and 8.1 boards. He has posted three of his four double-doubles in the last seven contests.
BENSON FINDING HIS GROOVE
* Since being inserted into the starting lineup in early January, freshman PG Rashaan Benson has elevated his game considerably. He is currently fourth on the team in scoring (10.3) and first in assists (4.1, 3rd in GSC).
* With his increased playing time over the last seven games he has posted 11.0 ppg, including career-high scoring outputs of 16 at Valdosta State (1/16/16) and 23 at North Alabama (1/21/16).
BENSON PICKS UP SECOND GSC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
* Benson averaged 14 points, 7 assists and 2.5 rebounds in games against Lee and Shorter. The Memphis product had a strong 14 points and three assists on Thursday, and he tallied his first career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 assists against Shorter. The 11 assists are tied for the 11th-most in UWF history, and Benson has scored in double figures in six consecutive games. He also is fourth in the GSC in assists per game (4.1).
* Benson's game has improved since being placed in the starting lineup in early January. Beginning with his first start on January 4 against Christian Brothers, Benson has averaged 11.4 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 43 percent from the field.
* He was named the GSC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 1, following a 1-game week in which he netted a career-high 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 from the free throw line, five rebounds and four assists. He also made two free throws in the final minute of the game against Spring Hill that helped ice the game for the Argos, earning them their first victory of the season.
JUSTIN WILLIAMS NAMED TO ALLSTATE NABC GOOD WORKS TEAM
* Junior G Justin Williams was named to the 2016 Allstate NABC Good Works Team® as announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches & the Allstate Insurance Company in early Dec.
* 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.
SOMERFIELD WITH MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE AT FORT VALLEY STATE
* Junior Austin Somerfield finshed the season-opening weekend with averages of 22.5 points and 11.7 rebounds. He had a very solid 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the opener against Benedict but really turned heads a day later in Fort Valley, Ga. He poured in 35 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Argonauts attack. Thos figures are tied for the eighth-highest point total in a game while the boards are tied for the fifth-most in UWF annals. He was 14-for-22 from the field and 7-for-12 at the free throw line as he played all 45 minutes.
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.
UWF PICKED 11TH IN GSC POLL
* UWF was picked to finish 11th the preseason GSC coaches poll after receiving 26 poll points & one first place vote.
* UAH 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 to 30 seconds.
* Restricted area arc expanded from three feet to four feet - D-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 becomes the media timeout.
- Coaches can only call timeouts during a dead ball situation.
* 10-sec. 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.
