NC State, Marquette, LSU, and Arizona State
to play in Championship Rounds
at Barclays Center in November
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2015
Contact: Ray Cella 609.921.1300 (rcella@gazellegroup.com)
PRINCETON, N.J. – NC State, Marquette, LSU, and Arizona State highlight the field of the Legends Classic, which returns for a fourth year at Barclays Center in Brooklyn this November. All four games of the Championship Rounds will air on ESPN networks.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the Championship Rounds of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center are on sale may be purchased online via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000.
NC State, Marquette, LSU, and Arizona State, with a combined 92 NCAA Tournament appearances and eight Final Fours, will each host a pair of Regional Round games before squaring off at Barclays Center on Nov. 23 and 24.
The four Regional Round hosts will be joined in the Legends Classic by Belmont, IUPUI, Kennesaw State, and South Alabama. These four teams will play two Regional Round games before heading to Kennesaw State for a pair of Subregional Round doubleheaders from Nov. 23 and 24.
NC State Wolfpack – Head Coach: Mark Gottfried (Atlantic Coast Conference)
Head coach Mark Gottfried led the Wolfpack to a 22-14 record this past season and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament…in his first four years at NC State, Gottfried guided his teams to the NCAA Tournament each of those seasons, becoming just the fourth coach in ACC history to do so…11 players, including three starters, are expected back next season, headlined by junior Cat Barber (12.1 ppg, 130 assists) and sophomore forward Abdul-Malik Abu (6.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg)…this will be the Wolfpack’s second Legends Classic appearance (2011).
Marquette Golden Eagles – Head Coach: Steve Wojciechowski (Big East Conference)
Marquette is under the direction of first-year head coach Steve Wojciechowski, who served on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke for 15 years after his playing career at Duke came to an end…back in 2015-16 are sophomore guard Duane Wilson (11.9 ppg, 68 assists) and junior center Luke Fischer (11.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg)…they will be joined by one of the best recruiting classes in school history, headlined by five-star recruit 6-10 Henry Ellenson (Rice Lake, Wis.)…Marquette will be making its first appearance in the Legends Classic.
LSU Tigers – Head Coach: Johnny Jones (Southeastern Conference)
Head coach Johnny Jones has won 61 games in three seasons at his alma mater, improving the Tigers’ win-loss record every season…this past year, LSU was 22-11 and earned an NCAA Tournament bid…three starters are expected back next season, as well as 10 players from the 15-man roster…senior center Keith Hornsby (13.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg) headlines the returning players…joining the roster will be the nation’s top-rated recruiting class, led by 6-10 National High School Player of the Year Ben Simmons, the No. 1 recruit in the country and projected top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft…LSU will be playing in the Legends Classic for the first time.
Arizona State Sun Devils – Head Coach: Bobby Hurley (Pacific-12 Conference)
After a successful two-year run at Buffalo, Bobby Hurley was hired to head the program at Arizona State…the former All-American at Duke led the Bulls to a two-year record of 42-20 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015…he inherits a team that was 18-16 with an NIT appearance…four starters and eight letterwinners are expected back…senior guard Gerry Blakes (11.1 ppg, 60 assists) and junior forward Savon Goodman (11.2 ppg, team-high 7.6 rpg) lead the group…this will mark the Sun Devils’ first time playing in the Legends Classic…Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins had his number honored at ASU.
Belmont Bruins – Head Coach: Rick Byrd (Ohio Valley Conference)
The Bruins posted a 22-11 record in winning the OVC championship and earning their seventh NCAA Tournament bid in the last decade…only Gonzaga has earned seven automatic bids in the last decade and only Gonzaga and Kansas have won more league titles than the 14 by Belmont since 2006…head coach Rick Byrd, who lost three starters prior to the 2014-15 season, welcomes back four in 2015-16, led by first-team All-OVC senior guard Craig Bradshaw (18.3 ppg, 94 assists) and second-team All-OVC junior swingman Evan Bradds (14.2 ppg, team-high 7.2 rpg).
IUPUI Jaguars – Head Coach: Jason Gardner (Summit League)
Now in his second season, IUPUI head coach Jason Gardner has rebuilt the Jaguars…senior point guard Marcellus Barksdale is the top returning starter and is coming off a season where he posted a team-high 9.5 ppg average to go along with 74 assists…senior back court mate Mason Archie netted 7.6 ppg a year ago…four transfers who sat out last season are expected to provide a major boost to the program, led by Eastern Michigan transfer Darell Combs (7.5 ppg in 2013-14).
Kennesaw State Owls – Head Coach: TBA (Atlantic Sun Conference)
Three starters return from the 2014-15 season, led by a pair of seniors…guard Yonel Brown led the Owls with a 15.2 ppg scoring average while also handing out a team-best 2.8 assists per game…forward Nigel Pruitt tallied 12.2 ppg…Kennesaw State is expected to name a head coach soon.
South Alabama Jaguars – Head Coach: Matthew Graves (Sun Belt Conference)
Entering his third season at South Alabama, head coach Matthews Graves now has a roster with which to work…only six players returned in 2014-15; this coming season four starters are back…second-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection Ken Williams led the Jaguars in scoring at 15.7 ppg and dished out 80 assists on the season…sophomore guard Taishaun Johnson netted 12.5 ppg and pulled down 4.1 rpg…senior guard Barrington Stevens led USA with 104 assists.
Matchups for the Championship Rounds, Regional Rounds, and Subregional Rounds for the 2015 Legends Classic will be announced at a later date.
In the 2014 Legends Classic, Dylan Ennis scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from three, to lead then-No. 12 Villanova to a 60-55 win over then-No. 19 Michigan in the championship game.
Brooklyn Nets All-Access season ticket buyers have the opportunity to purchase tickets for Barclays Center events before the general public. For more information, visit www.barclayscenter.com. To receive the latest updates and special pre-sale offers, become a Barclays Center Behind the Scenes newsletter recipient, and follow @BarclaysCenter on Twitter and Facebook.
The Legends Classic is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, the Gotham Classic, the College Basketball Invitational, and the All-American Championship. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the Legends Classic. Now in its 34th season, the NEC is a NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. For more information on the NEC, visit the official website at www.northeastconference.org or follow on Twitter @NECsports.
In the 2014 Legends Classic, Dylan Ennis scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from three, to lead then-No. 12 Villanova to a 60-55 win over then-No. 19 Michigan in the championship game.
Brooklyn Nets All-Access season ticket buyers have the opportunity to purchase tickets for Barclays Center events before the general public. For more information, visit www.barclayscenter.com. To receive the latest updates and special pre-sale offers, become a Barclays Center Behind the Scenes newsletter recipient, and follow @BarclaysCenter on Twitter and Facebook.
The Legends Classic is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, the Gotham Classic, the College Basketball Invitational, and the All-American Championship. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
The Northeast Conference (NEC) is the sponsoring conference of the Legends Classic. Now in its 34th season, the NEC is a NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. For more information on the NEC, visit the official website at www.northeastconference.orgor follow on Twitter @NECsports.
Barclays Center opened on September 28, 2012, and is a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. One of the most intimate seating configurations ever designed into a modern multi-purpose arena, Barclays Center offers 17,732 seats for basketball, 15,795 for hockey, and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express.
Barclays Center hosts an extensive variety of events, including premier concerts, major professional boxing cards, top college basketball, family shows, the Brooklyn Nets, and soon the New York Islanders.
Barclays Center has redefined the arena customer service and culinary experience. Its more than 2,000 employees are trained by Disney Institute, the business advisory arm of The Walt Disney Company, and its BrooklynTaste food program features selections from 55 well-known restaurants and vendors in the borough.
Barclays Center engages the customer with state-of-the-art technology to enhance the fan experience. As the first arena in the world to utilize Cisco StadiumVision mobile multicast streaming technology, Barclays Center allows fans to watch live video and instant replays from their mobile phones while connected to the arena’s free Wi-Fi.
For more information on Barclays Center, please visit www.barclayscenter.com.
