USD Men's Basketball 2003-2004 West Coast Conference

2002-2003 SEASON REVIEW

TOREROS WIN wee TOURNAMENT ... JOIN MARCHMADNESS DANCE! The US O Toreros entered the 2002-2003 campaign without 80% of thei r scoring punch from the previous 16-1 3 club. Most preseason poll s had them pi cked to fini sh any– where between 4th and 6th in the West Coast Conference. Ninth-year coach Brad Holland knew he might have something special with this group earl y on when the Toreros began the season 3-0. That stretch included an 86-81 over– time road win at then No. 14 ranked UCLA . In that game the Toreros showcased their 6- 10, 280 lb. senior center - Jason Keep. Keep, who had transferred to USO from Oklahoma State, was j ust beg inn ing his first and only season with the Toreros. That magica l ni ght he poured in 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. With eight of their first thirteen games on th e road, the Toreros hit some bumps

along the way as they entered WCC play with a 6-7 record . After dropping their WCC home opener to Santa Clara, 67-65, coach Holl and made a key change in his lineup. He moved senior Matt Delzell to the point guard spot and named him Team Captain. From that point on the Toreros would fi nish the season with a record of 12-3, includi ng the program's first– ever West Coast Conference Tournament Championship, and the program's first trip to the L ~~====;:;~~~~;::::;~- NCAA Tournament in sixteen years. Despite giving Stanford all they could handle in the Ist round of the NCAA Tournament, the Toreros dropped a hardfought 77-69 dec ision to the Cardinal.

USO MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARD WINNERS

USD's Jasons, Jason Keep and Jason Blair, provided the Toreros with one of the most consistent inside tandems on the west coast as both pl ayers earned First Team AII-WCC honors. Keep was runner-up as WCC Player of the Year despite leading the league in rebounding (9.1 rpg), fi eld goal percentage (.604), and fi nishing a close second in scoring ( 18.0 ppg) to USF's Darrell Tucker ( 18.5). Blair finished fourth in scoring ( 17.1 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg) and fi eld goal percentage (.5 16), and ranked second in free throw percentage (.847). Joini ng Delzell, Keep and Blair in the starting lineup was USD's fourth senior, guard Roy Morris. Morri s was steady throughout the season and fi ni shed the season averaging 12.3 ppg. Sophomore wing Corey Belser was the on ly non-senior in the starting li neup and he gave the team a huge lift with hi s defensive skill s and rebounding. First off the bench was 6-1 0 fres hman forward Nick Lewis. Lewis gave the Toreros solid minutes and usually provided some instant of– fense with outstanding inside moves and outside shooting.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jason Keep & Matt Delzell MILLER LITE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Jason Blair & Matt Delzell BULLY'S EAST MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Nick Lewis BUGELLI LEADERSHIP AWARD Matt Delzell ZABLE ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE AWARD Jason Blair BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER AWARD Corey Belser

In their WCC Tournament championsh ip game, in front of a national televison audience on ESPN, the Toreros found themselves down 15-3 to start the game versus the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Despite the slow start, the team kept thei r composure and slowly but surely got back into the game. Jason Keep led four Toreros in double-digit scoring with 18 points; he was followed by Roy Morris ( 15 points), Matt Delzell (I 4 points) and Nick Lewis ( 14 points). Keep was named the tourney MVP, and Delzell and Lewis j oined him on the All – Tournament team. Keep also became the first Torero to be recognized on the District 15 First Team, se lected by the Nati onal Association of Basketba ll Coaches. Jason Blair was named a Verizon Academic 2nd Team All-America. The Toreros were "Road Warriors" last season, fin ishing 9-7 overall away from the Jenny Craig Pavilion . San Diego was even better in league pl ay on the road, finish ing an outstanding 6-1 in WCC play. The Toreros led WCC schools for all games played in fie ld goal percentage (.470) and rebounding (38.2). In conference games only, USD led the league in scoring (77.8 points per game). As the WCC's automatic qualifi er into the Big Dance, USD made its third trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Toreros also advanced to the NCAA's in 1984 and 1987. USD won the WCC Tournament titl e fo r the first time, and also became the first men's team to win the event as the host school.

2002-03 Torero Team IDghlights: Head Coach • Brad Holland, 9th Year • Two-time wee Coach ofthe Year TeamHighlights • Final record of I8-12 '" 10-4 WCC Record (2nd); 6-1 in wee road games • Advanced to NCAA Tournament 1st Round • Hosted and won WCC Tournament Championship • Beat No. 14 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, 86-81 in OT • Fifth straight season with 16 or more victories • Led WCC in scoring in conference games (77.8 ppg) District 15 First Team (NABC)

* Jason Keep (first Torero to earn 1st Team) West Coast All-Region (Basketball Times) • Jason Keep, Senior Center First Team All-West Coast Conference • Jason Blair, Sr. Forward · • Jason Keep, Sr. Center Verizon Academic 2nd TeamAll-American * Matt Delzell, 3.53 GPA in Business (fourth time) • Jason Blair, 3.59 GPA in Business (second time) WCC Player of the Month • Jason Keep, Sr. Center (December) • Jason Blair, Senior Forward wee All-Academic Team

Star of tile Month • Jason Keep (December & February) CBS Chevrolet Player of tile Game * Jason Blair (Mar. 20 @ NCAA 's) Collegei.nsider.eom Honors • Final No. 18 ranking for Mid-Majors • Jason Keep, All-American • Corey Belser, All-Defense Team Torero WCC Leaders • Jason Keep - lstin rebounding(9.l)&FG%(.604) • Matt Delzell - !st in three point accuracy (.479; 46x96)

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