Matt Daniel is new to the Sun Belt Conference, but he doesn't need to do extra homework when it comes to today's opponent, or its head coach.
Daniel, the first-year Arkansas State University women's basketball coach, has known University of Arkansas at Little Rock Coach Joe Foley for years, and he's well aware of the Trojans' success under the coaching veteran.
Today’s game
UALR women vs. ASU women
WHEN 2 p.m.
WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
RECORDS UALR 5-11 (3-2 Sun Belt); Arkansas State 7-9 (4-1)
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in Little Rock; KNEA-FM, 95.3, in Jonesboro
INTERNET ESPN-Plus
After all, Daniel is no stranger to the basketball scene in this state. The 43-year-old was once a star at Jonesboro High School in the 1990s, he's a graduate of Harding University, and he's coached at Pulaski Academy and the University of Central Arkansas.
Daniel and Foley first arrived on the coaching scene in Little Rock during the same time frame many years ago. Foley's first season at UALR was 2003-04, the same as Daniel's first and only season as the head boys coach at Pulaski Academy.
Seventeen years later, they face each other for the first time in their careers in the capital city of their native state. UALR (5-11, 3-2) hosts ASU (7-9, 4-1) at 2 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock today for the latest installment of this in-state rivalry.
"Coach Foley's always somebody that I've looked up to in the women's game, especially being from Arkansas," Daniel said. "He's just had success everywhere he's been, so why do you not pay attention to that?"
Daniel said he hopes folks eventually start paying more attention to his Red Wolves, who enter today riding a four-game winning streak and sitting in a four-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt standings at 4-1.
Daniel admitted he wasn't sure whether his team could be 4-1 in the league during the first year of his rebuild after he spent two years away from coaching.
Neither did the rest of the league. ASU was picked 10th out of 12 in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll.
"I don't know if it's a stride, per se," Daniel said. "We've played at home some more, and we've gotten a couple of breaks and made a couple of breaks to help us.
"But we're not in a situation where we can drink Kool-Aid of starting to get in our stride and find a rhythm. Every game is Little Rock, and every game is Baylor, and every game is App State. We're approaching them all the same."
Daniel's club is attempting to do today what the Red Wolves have failed to accomplish in their last 14 tries -- win at the Jack Stephens Center.
That's a streak the Trojans would like to keep going, especially after they saw a notable milestone end Wednesday night. UALR's 38-game home winning streak in Sun Belt play ended with a 68-48 loss to Coastal Carolina. It was the Chanticleers' first victory over the Trojans.
"I know that they'll be ready to play," Daniel said, "but every team [Foley's] got has always been ready to play."
By his own admission, this has been one of the more challenging seasons of Foley's UALR tenure.
The Trojans are young, lack depth and lack a consistent source of scoring outside of senior guard Kyra Collier or junior forward Teal Battle. Those two are the only Trojans averaging double figures.
Foley has been disappointed with his team's lack of maturity after each of the past two games.
"We just got to grow up," Collier said Wednesday. "We can't give this excuse of being young. We just got to face it, and we got to attack it head on."
Said Battle: "We're a young team. Everybody has their own little mindset going right now. We just have to be willing to listen and just help each other out and critique the small things."
In years past, Foley has molded his teams into Sun Belt contenders, and in many cases, champions, over the course of the season. Many of the key players from those teams will be at the Jack Stephens Center today when UALR formally honors the members it has selected to its 20th anniversary team.
But that molding process is appearing more difficult this season with a roster that features six freshmen and only two seniors.
The Trojans have a ways to go if they are to shape into the squad that was picked first in the Sun Belt preseason poll.
"They've got five weeks to figure this out," Foley said after Wednesday's loss, "because [if] they don't get it figured out in five weeks and you play a game like that, you go home."
UALR vs. ASU women
WHEN 2 p.m.
WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
RECORDS UALR 5-11, 3-2 Sun Belt Conference; Arkansas State 7-9, 4-1
SERIES ASU leads 40-23
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in Little Rock; KNEA-FM, 95.3, in Jonesboro
INTERNET ESPN-Plus
TEAM COMPARISON
UALR ASU
55.0 Points for 63.9
65.1 Points against 72.0
-2.4 Rebound margin -5.4
-1.6 Turnover margin -0.1
38.4 FG pct. 38.1
26.4 3-pt pct. 29.7
66.4 FT pct. 63.8
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
UALR
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG
G Tori Lasker, 5-7, Jr. 4.4 2.4
G Kyra Collier, 5-9, Sr. 15.5 4.9
F Teal Battle, 6-1, Jr. 12.4 5.3
F Krystan Vornes, 6-2, Jr. 7.4 7.0
F Alayzha Knapp, 6-2, Fr. 7.9 2.7
COACH Joe Foley (338-184 overall)
ARKANSAS STATE
POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG
G Jada Ford, 5-9, Sr. 9.6 1.4
G Jireh Washington, 5-9, So. 12.2 4.8
G Morgan Wallace, 5-10, Jr. 10.3 8.2
F Peyton Martin, 5-11, Jr. 13.7 5.5
F Kayla Williams, 6-1, Jr. 2.7 2.1
COACH Matt Daniel (7-9 overall)
CHALK TALK UALR saw its 38-game home winning streak in Sun Belt Conference play snapped with a 68-48 loss to Coastal Carolina on Wednesday at the Jack Stephens Center. ... Arkansas State enters on a four-game winning streak. ... The Red Wolves have lost 14 games in a row at the Jack Stephens Center.
Sports on 01/18/2020