The 2016–17 Southern Utah Thunderbirds basketball team represented Southern Utah University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Thunderbirds were led by first-year head coach Todd Simon and played their home games at the Centrum Arena in Cedar City, Utah as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 6–27, 3–15 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for 11th. As the No. 11 seed in the Big Sky tournament, they defeated Montana State in the first round before losing to Weber State in the quarterfinals.
2016–17 Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball | |
---|---|
Conference | Big Sky Conference |
Record | 6–27 (3–15 Big Sky) |
Head coach |
|
Assistant coaches |
|
Home arena | Centrum Arena |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Dakota † | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 22 | – | 10 | .688 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Washington | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 19 | – | 14 | .576 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weber State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Montana | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Montana State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sacramento State | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portland State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Colorado* | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 11 | – | 18 | .379 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Arizona | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern Utah | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 6 | – | 27 | .182 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho State | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 5 | – | 26 | .161 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† Conference tournament winner |
Previous season
editThe Thunderbirds finished the season 5–24, 3–15 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for 11th place. They lost in the first round of the Big Sky tournament to North Dakota. On March 9, 2016, head coach Nick Robinson was fired.[1][2] On March 22, the school hired Todd Simon as head coach.[3]
Departures
editName | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Travon Langston | 3 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Senior | Las Vegas, NV | Graduated |
Trey Kennedy | 4 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Las Vegas, NV | Transferred to Midwestern State |
Daniel Melifonwu | 12 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Freshman | San Diego, CA | Transferred to Connors State College |
Christian Thompson | 25 | G/F | 6'7" | 180 | Senior | Phoenix, AZ | Graduated |
Casey Oliverson | 32 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Senior | Logan, UT | Graduated |
A. J. Hess | 35 | G/F | 6'6" | 210 | Senior | Carefree, AZ | Graduated |
Incoming Transfers
editName | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jadon Cohee | 12 | G | 6'4" | 182 | Junior | Langley, BC | Transferred from Seattle. Under NCAA transfer rules, Cohee will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
Christian Musoko | 34 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Junior | Kinshasa, Congo | Junior college transferred from Salt Lake CC |
Elliott Smith | F | 6'6" | 185 | Junior | Oakley, CA | Junior college transferred from Harcum College | |
Hamdi Karoui | F | 6'7" | 220 | Junior | Paris, France | Junior college transferred from College of Eastern Utah |
2016 incoming recruits
editName | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kaijae Yee-Stephens SG |
Santa Cruz, CA | Santa Cruz High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 13, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Taylor Miller SG |
Las Vegas, NV | Palo Verde High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | N/A | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Maizen Fausett SG |
Saratoga Springs, UT | Westlake High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Jacob Calloway SG |
Juneau, AK | Thunder Mountain High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Decardo Day PG |
Jackson, MS | Callaway High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 10, 2016 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Ivan Madunic PF |
Split, Croatia | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 21, 2016 | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
|
Roster
edit2016–17 Southern Utah Thunderbirds men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Schedule and results
editDate time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exhibition | |||||||||||
10/29/2016* 6:30 pm |
Master's | W 110–86 | Centrum Arena (400) Cedar City, UT | ||||||||
11/04/2016* 6:30 pm |
La Verne | W 103–89 | Centrum Arena (600) Cedar City, UT | ||||||||
Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
11/11/2016* 6:00 pm |
at Valparaiso Men Who Speak Up Main Event |
L 65–79 | 0–1 |
Athletics–Recreation Center (3,560) Valparaiso, IN | |||||||
11/14/2016* 6:00 pm |
at Saint Louis Men Who Speak Up Main Event |
L 76–88 | 0–2 |
Chaifetz Arena (4,725) St. Louis, MO | |||||||
11/18/2016* 6:30 pm |
Bethesda | W 108–92 | 1–2 |
Centrum Arena (600) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
11/21/2016* 4:00 pm |
vs. Coastal Carolina Men Who Speak Up Main Event Middleweight |
L 68–83 | 1–3 |
MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV | |||||||
11/23/2016* 1:30 pm |
vs. Ball State Men Who Speak Up Main Event Middleweight |
L 83–94 | 1–4 |
MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV | |||||||
11/26/2016* 4:30 pm |
Life Pacific | W 101–56 | 2–4 |
Centrum Arena (350) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
11/30/2016* 7:00 pm |
UNLV | L 81–89 | 2–5 |
Centrum Arena (4,249) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
12/03/2016* 1:00 pm |
at Oakland | L 68–78 | 2–6 |
Athletics Center O'rena (2,984) Rochester Hills, MI | |||||||
12/08/2016* 8:00 pm |
at Loyola Marymount | L 68–75 | 2–7 |
Gersten Pavilion (1,561) Los Angeles, CA | |||||||
12/10/2016* 7:00 pm |
at Cal State Fullerton | L 62–75 | 2–8 |
Titan Gym (520) Fullerton, CA | |||||||
12/17/2016* 4:00 pm |
IUPUI | L 81–101 | 2–9 |
Centrum Arena (1,012) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
12/19/2016* 8:00 pm |
at Seattle | L 75–89 | 2–10 |
KeyArena (1,235) Seattle, WA | |||||||
12/21/2016* 8:00 pm |
at San Jose State | L 82–92 | 2–11 |
Event Center (1,289) San Jose, CA | |||||||
Big Sky regular season | |||||||||||
12/31/2016 12:00 pm |
at Northern Arizona | W 93–80 | 3–11 (1–0) |
Walkup Skydome (581) Flagstaff, AZ | |||||||
01/05/2017 7:00 pm |
at Northern Colorado | T 76–76 | 4–11 (2–0) |
Bank of Colorado Arena (833) Greeley, CO | |||||||
01/07/2017 2:00 pm |
at North Dakota | L 65–95 | 4–12 (2–1) |
Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (1,749) Grand Forks, ND | |||||||
01/12/2017 6:30 pm |
Sacramento State | L 83–88 | 4–13 (2–2) |
Centrum Arena (1,668) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
01/14/2017 6:30 pm |
Portland State | L 77–88 | 4–14 (2–3) |
Centrum Arena (2,658) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
01/19/2017 7:00 pm |
at Idaho | L 67–79 | 4–15 (2–4) |
Cowan Spectrum (889) Moscow, ID | |||||||
01/21/2017 2:00 pm |
at Eastern Washington | L 68–83 | 4–16 (2–5) |
Reese Court (1,621) Cheney, WA | |||||||
01/26/2017 6:30 pm |
North Dakota | L 89–91 | 4–17 (2–6) |
Centrum Arena (2,069) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
01/28/2017 4:00 pm |
Northern Colorado | L 71–89 | 4–18 (2–7) |
Centrum Arena (1,802) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
02/02/2017 7:00 pm |
at Weber State | W 74–70 | 4–19 (2–8) |
Dee Events Center (6,436) Ogden, UT | |||||||
02/04/2017 7:05 pm |
at Idaho State | L 68–94 | 4–20 (2–9) |
Holt Arena (1,721) Pocatello, ID | |||||||
02/09/2017 6:30 pm |
Montana | L 55–70 | 4–21 (2–10) |
Centrum Arena (1,923) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
02/11/2017 2:00 pm |
Montana State | L 78–83 | 4–22 (2–11) |
Centrum Arena (1,761) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
02/18/2017 2:00 pm |
Northern Arizona | W 84–68 | 5–22 (3–11) |
Centrum Arena (1,738) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
02/23/2017 8:00 pm |
at Portland State | L 86–93 | 5–23 (3–12) |
Peter Stott Center (592) Portland, OR | |||||||
02/25/2017 8:00 pm |
at Sacramento State | L 76–86 | 5–24 (3–13) |
Hornets Nest (902) Sacramento, CA | |||||||
03/02/2017 6:30 pm |
Eastern Washington | L 75–91 | 5–25 (3–14) |
Centrum Arena (2,159) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
03/04/2017 4:00 pm |
Idaho | L 75–84 | 5–26 (3–15) |
Centrum Arena (2,010) Cedar City, UT | |||||||
Big Sky tournament | |||||||||||
03/07/2017 8:05 pm |
(11) | vs. (6) Montana State First Round |
W 109–105 3OT | 6–26 |
Reno Events Center (1,507) Reno, NV | ||||||
03/09/2017 8:05 pm |
(11) | vs. (3) Weber State Quarterfinals |
L 70–90 | 6–27 |
Reno Events Center (1,903) Reno, NV | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time. |
References
edit- ^ "SUU Coach Robinson Relieved of Head Coaching Duties - Southern Utah Thunderbirds Athletics". www.suutbirds.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016.
- ^ "Southern Utah University fires basketball coach Nick Robinson". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "Southern Utah hires UNLV interim coach Todd Simon". LasVegasSun.com. March 22, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.