Falcons Open Reggie Minton Classic vs. Dickinson State on Friday
11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Reggie Minton Air Force Classic
Game #2
Air Force Falcons (1-0) vs. Dickinson State Blue Hawks (1-5)
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
8 p.m. at Clune Arena
Game #3
Consolation Game: 5:30 p.m.
Championship Game: 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009
Clune Arena
SITE
Location: USAFA, Colo.
Arena: Clune Arena
Capacity: 5,858
RADIO
Network: Air Force Basketball Network
Flagship: KVOR AM 740, Colo. Spgs.
Other: AM 990 KRKS, Denver
Play-by-play: Kyle Horne
TELEVISION
None
INTERNET
Live Stats: GoAirForceFalcons.com
COACHES
Jeff Reynolds (UNC-Greensboro, 1978)
Air Force: 27-35, Third Season
Overall: 109-69, Seventh Season
Ty Orton (Eastern Wyoming, 1996)
Dickinson State: 28-37, Third Season
Overall: 99-120, Eighth Season
ALL-TIME SERIES
First Meeting
Reggie Minton Air Force Classic
Air Force is hosting a regular-season men's tournament for the third consecutive season this weekend at Clune Arena. Joining the Falcons for the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic are Dickinson State College (N.D.), Texas Southern and Northern Colorado. Minton was Air Force's head basketball coach from 1984-2000 and was the 2000 Mountain West Conference Co-Coach of the Year. He is currently the Associate Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Here is the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic schedule:
Friday, Nov. 20
Texas Southern vs. Northern Colo. 5:30 p.m.
Air Force vs. Dickinson State 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21
Third-Place Game 5:30 p.m.
Championship Game 8 p.m.
Season Openers
With its 65-54 victory over Western State last Friday night, Air Force is now 24-30 all-time in season openers. The Falcons are 18-8 at home and 6-22 on the road (including neutral games). Air Force has won its last seven season openers and nine home openers.
Up Next
The Falcons will play either Texas Southern or Northern Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 21. The third-place game will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by the championship game at 8 p.m. The Falcons are then idle for Thanksgiving week until hosting Charleston Southern on Saturday, Nov. 28 at
7 p.m.
Tournament Action
Air Force has a 41-73 record in regular-season tournament play in program history. The Falcons are 16-7 in tournament play since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, including a 2-2 record last season. Air Force split a pair of games at the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic, defeating UCCS, 86-65, before losing to Wofford, 74-61. Later in the season, Air Force went 1-1 at the Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley, Calif., where they lost to Portland, 43-42, in the first round, then beat Dartmouth, 63-41, in the third-place game.
Falcons Picked 9th in MWC
Air Force was picked ninth in the 2009-10 preseason media poll released at the Mountain West Conference media day in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 6.
School (First Place Votes) -- Pts
1. BYU (23) -- 215
2. San Diego State (1) -- 166
3. UNLV -- 161
4. Utah -- 143
5. New Mexico -- 141
6. Wyoming -- 89
7. TCU -- 82
8. Colorado State -- 58
9. Air Force -- 25
Still Outstanding at Clune
Despite a disappointing 7-10 record at home last season, the Falcons have been hard to beat at Clune Arena the last six seasons. Since the beginning of the 2003-04 season, Air Force has won 76 of its 92 home games, good for a .826 winning percentage.
In addition, the Falcons have won 35 of their 48 Mountain West Conference games at Clune Arena during that stretch.
Three-Point Streak
Air Force has made a three-point shot in 512 consecutive games. The last time the Falcons failed to make a three-pointer was Dec. 4, 1991 in a 57-51 victory over Adams State College.
Air Force Top 3 in MWC Last 6 Years
Air Force entered the 2009-10 season ranked third among Mountain West Conference teams for the best overall winning percentage since the beginning of the 2003-04 season. AFA's winning percentage was 62.3 percent, just behind UNLV (66.6%) and BYU (66.4%). Air Force is one of only four teams in the conference to have a winning record in at least five of the last six seasons (UNLV (6); Air Force, BYU, New Mexico (5)).
Parker Shines in Season Opener
Senior forward Grant Parker scored a career-high 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the Falcons defeated Western State, 65-54, last Friday night in the `09-10 season opener. Parker made seven of his 12 field-goal attempts, including a 4-of-7 performance from three-point range. With his 18 first-half points, he had already posted his career-high, surpassing his previous career-best of 16 points at Utah last season. Parker also played a career-high 32 minutes.
His 26 points were the most scored by an Air Force player in a season-opening game since Jarvis Croff put up 37 against Doane on Nov. 22, 1997.
Freshmen Play Well vs. Western State
Three freshmen each appeared in his first career game last Friday against Western State. Michael Lyons, who led the USAFA Prep School in scoring last season, played 28 minutes and scored seven points. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out an assist. Taylor Broekhuis, who also played at the Prep School last season, had two points and three rebounds in 13 minutes of action, while Todd Fletcher had one rebound in his five minutes of action.
Most Rebounds in Over Two Years
The Falcons pulled down 43 rebounds against Western State last Friday night, the most by a Falcon team under Jeff Reynolds and the most since March 14, 2007, when they had 43 against Austin Peay in the first round of the Postseason NIT Tournament.
Other Career-Bests Posted Against WSC
Sophomore Sammy Schafer grabbed a career-high five rebounds against Western State, while senior Avery Merriex pulled down a career-high four. Junior Evan Washington tied his career-best with eight rebounds.
In addition, Schafer took a personal-high seven field-goal attempts while senior Mike McLain played a career-high 21 minutes.
All-Time Series vs. Reggie Minton Classic Opponents
Dickinson State (First Meeting)
Northern Colo. (Air Force leads 12-2)
Texas Southern (Air Force leads 1-0)
