Colorado School of Mines at Mesa State
Friday, December 9, 2005 - 8:00 pm
Brownson Arena - Grand Junction, Colo.

Colorado School of Mines at Western State
Saturday, December 10, 2005 - 8:00 pm
Paul Wright Gym - Gunnison, Colo.

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THE HEAD COACH: Pryor Orser is in his fifth year as the head coach of the Colorado School of Mines men’s basketball team. He claims an overall record of 50-65, including a 29-47 mark in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. In 2004-05, he guided the squad to a 16-12 record (10-9 RMAC) and a berth in the RMAC Tournament. In addition, Orser guided CSM to a 74-71 upset of then No. 1-ranked Metro State on Jan. 22 in Volk Gym. He was instrumental in helping senior guard Stephen Bahl earn First Team All-RMAC, First Team All Region and Third Team All-American honors. In addition, he was also named the North Central Region Player of the Year. Orser has coached a total of 11 All-Conference players at CSM, including three Freshmen of the Year, most recently Ben Mohr a season ago. Orser received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with minors in Economics and History in 1990 from Eastern Montana College and his Masters of Education in 1995 from Montana State University-Billings. His previous coaching experience includes a four-year tenure at Northwest College in Wyo., where he worked as the head coach of the women’s basketball program and an assistant to the men’s basketball program. He also served a two-year stint as the assistant men’s coach at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., and a three-year stint as the men’s assistant at Montana State University at Billings.

No. Probable Starters Pos Ht. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG APG
10 Travis Test PG 5-11 Sr. Pierce, Neb. 9.8 2.2 4.5
3 Kyle Pape SG 6-2 Fr. Honolulu, Hawaii 8.5 2.0 2.7
23 Franklin Ryk SF 6-4 Jr. Fort Collins, Colo. 11.7 5.7 1.3
52 Davey Iverson PF 6-6 Jr. Winnett, Mont. 6.7 5.3 1.3
44 Ian Elseth C 6-8 Jr. Grants Pass, Ore. 10.3 7.3 2.3

No. Off the Bench Pos Ht. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG APG
11 Troy Sandley G 6-4 Fr. Eltham, Austrailia 2.0 0.7 0.3
20 Alex Hayman G 6-4 So. Sydney, Austrailia 3.3 1.3 0.3
22 Bill Hadley G 6-0 Sr. Littleton, Colo. 1.5 0.8 1.3
30 Matt Witwer F 6-5 So. Minot, N.D. 1.0 0.5 0.5
31 Grant Gunhus G 6-3 Fr. Fargo, N.D. 1.7 1.5 0.2
32 Ryan McKay F 6-8 So. Halstead, Kan. 0.5 0.5 0.5
33 Clayton Moores C 6-8 Jr. Denver, Colo. 6.0 3.7 1.0
40 Cody Clickner F 6-8 RFR Denver, Colo. 1.0 1.5 0.0
42 Ben Mohr F 6-6 So. Colo. Springs, Colo. 8.3 4.0 1.7

CSM PICKED FIFTH IN RMAC PRESEASON POLL: The Colorado School of Mines men’s basketball team was picked fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference East Division Preseason Poll with 62 total points. Metro State was tabbed No. 1 with 21 points and seven first place votes to narrowly edge Nebraska-Kearney who received 22 points and six first place votes. They were followed by Fort Hays State (34 points and one first place vote), Regis (50), Colorado School of Mines (62), Chadron State (70) and Colorado Christian (85).

UP NEXT: CSM will return to action next week as it hosts a pair of RMAC games. On Friday, CSM will entertain Fort Lewis and will then host Adams State the following night. Both games are slated for 8:00 pm in Volk Gym.

LAST WEEK: The Colorado School of Mines men’s basketball team won a pair of games in Volk Gym at the CSM/Colorado College Classic. On Friday, CSM knocked off Bethany Lutheran, 93-66, before defeating Gwynedd Mercy, 87-64, on Saturday.

AGAINST BETHANY LUTHERAN: The Colorado School of Mines men’s basketball had five players in double figures en route to a 93-66 victory over Bethany Lutheran in Volk Gymnasium CSM, which led 53-31 at halftime, received a career-best 19 points from freshman guard Kyle Pape. Junior guard Franklin Ryk added 15 points and four rebounds, while senior guard Travis Test chipped in 11 points and five assists. Junior forward Davey Iverson tallied 12 points and five rebounds, while sophomore forward Ben Mohr added 10 markers off the bench.

AGAINST GWYNEDD MERCY: Colorado School of Mines Head Men’s Basketball Coach Pryor Orser earned his 50th career win with an 87-64 triumph over Gwynedd Mercy Saturday night in Volk Gymnasium. CSM was led by junior center Ian Elseth who posted his first career double-double with 10 points and a game-best 11 rebounds. Junior guard Franklin Ryk added a game-best 17 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Travis Test recorded 15 points and six assists.

ABOUT MESA STATE: The Mavericks enter the week at 5-1 overall after falling to North Dakota (74-66) and defeating Bemidji State (67-56) last weekend. Andy Classick leads the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg), while Stephen Soriano (12.0 ppg), Kurt Bangle (10.5 ppg) and Darnell Jones (10.2 ppg) also average double figures. As a team, MSC is shooting 52 percent from the field, 48 percent from three point land and 73 percent from the free throw line.

LAST YEAR vs. MESA STATE: Colorado School of Mines handed Mesa State a 79-59 setback in Golden.

ABOUT WESTERN STATE: Western State is 3-3 overall following a loss to Lewis & Clark (60-59) and a win over Humboldt State (90-85) last weekend. Devan Royer leads the squad at 13.5 points per game, while Clem Benton (12.8 ppg) and Stan Harley (10.5 ppg) are also averaging double digits. Lou Correa chips in 7.3 points and a team-high 6.3 boards per game. As a team, WSC is shooting 41 percent from the field, 31 percent from three point land and 66 percent from the foul line.

LAST YEAR vs. WESTERN STATE: The Orediggers knocked off Western State, 73-50, in Volk Gymnasium.

HOM E SWEET HOME: CSM has been close to unbeatable at home recently as it is 19-1 over its last 20 games in Volk Gymnasium. CSM was 15-1 at home last year, 4-0 this season and has won seven straight at home overall. The last time the Orediggers lost at home was Feb. 5, 2005, a 98-91 overtime loss to Nebraska-Kearney.

ROAD WOES: In contrast, CSM has not fared as well on the road as it is just 1-11 over its last 12 road games, including losses in nine straight. The Orediggers have not won on the road since Dec. 20, 2004, an 82-74 win at Adams State.

BATTLE TESTED: Senior point guard Travis Test has been very productive in running the show for CSM as he is averaging 9.8 points per game and has dished out a team-best 27 assists compared to only 11 turnovers. Test has scored in double figures in each of the last three games.

LESS IS NOT MOHR: Sophomore forward Ben Mohr returns after earning RMAC Freshman of the Year honors last season. It marked the third time in the last four seasons that a player from CSM had won the award. He is providing a spark off the CSM bench this season averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per night.

IF I COULD BE LIKE RYK: Junior guard Franklin Ryk is the top returning scorer for CSM as he averaged 8.3 points per game last season. This season, Ryk is tops on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. He has missed out on his first career double-double on two occasions this season as he came up a rebound short each time. Ryk leads the team with 15 three-pointers made.

HE’S NOT ALLEN, BUT: Junior forward Davey Iverson is back for his third year at CSM. The 6-foot-6 Iverson has played in all 61 games during his career and has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He started all but one game as a freshman, came off the bench in all but one game last season and has started all six games this season. Iverson leads the team with 12 blocked shots this season.

WE WANT MOORES: Junior center Clayton Moores is back for his third season. He provided the Orediggers with a spark off the bench in the Nov. 18 win over Nebraska-Omaha with eight points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 19 minutes.

LOOKS GOOD ON “PAPE”R: Freshman guard Kyle Pape has made big strides early in the season. In two games over the weekend, Pape averaged 16.5 points per game, including a career-high 19 in Friday’s win over Bethany Lutheran. In addition, he grabbed four rebounds and handed out seven assists in the two CSM wins.

HELP FROM THE NORTHWEST: Junior center Ian Elseth, who played at Snow Junior College last season and at Oregon State in 2001-02, is leading the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg) this season. He missed his first career double double with 24 points and nine boards in Saturday’s loss at No. 4 Western Washington.

GOOD COMPANY: In high school, Elseth was named to the Oregon All-State First Team along with former Arizona standout Salim Stoudamire, currently with the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA, and former Kansas stars Aaron Miles and Michael Lee. Miles is currently playing with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.

THE AUSTRALIAN DUO: The CSM roster features a pair of student-athletes from Australia. Sophomore guard Alex Hayman is from Sydney, while freshman guard Troy Sandley is from Eltham.

SHARING THE ROCK: CSM has dished out 101 assists through six games this year. In two games over the weekend, the Orediggers recorded 44 assists on 58 baskets.

STARTING TEAM USA: The five probable starters for CSM all hail from different states; Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, Montana and Oregon.