This article is from the EMU News Archive. Current EMU new is available at www.emu.edu/news

1,000 Points Times Four

By Mike Barber, Daily News-Record

In a rarity, a quartet of EMU basketball players – men and women – have notched their 1,000th career points this season.

Thousand-point scorers are becoming almost ho-hum at Eastern Mennonite University.

In a Division III rarity, EMU has four players – two on its men’s team, and two on its women’s team – who scored their 1,000th career point this season.

"Senior forward E.J. Arrington

Senior forward E.J. Arrington reached the milestone in the season opener at Southern Virginia and junior forward Jason Sager scored his on Dec. 7 at home against Virginia Wesleyan.

For the women, senior forward Amanda Renalds got her 1,000th point in the season opener at home against Ferrum, while senior guard Stephanie Mathews did it on Nov. 21 at home against Mary Baldwin.

According to the EMU sports information department, this is only the second time in D-III history that one school has had four players score their 1,000th point in the same season. The other: Misericordia in Dallas, Pa., which had four players on its men’s team score No. 1,000 during the 1996-97 season.

With all that talent on the floor, why aren’t Eastern Mennonite’s basketball teams faring better?

For the men, the problem has been consistency.

"junior forward Jason Sager

EMU has won back-to-back games only once this year, and that came against a weak field in the Don Glick Tournament at Bridgewater on Nov. 26 and 27. But Wednesday night, the Royals grabbed an important victory over Roanoke. The win put EMU (9-9 overall) in a three-way tie for sixth place at 4-7 in the league.

Before the game, Sager gave the team a pep talk, then scored 20 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Arrington had 21 points and six boards.

"senior forward Amanda Renalds

"Dawkins and Alarie were 1,000-point scorers at Duke at the same time in the same class," EMU coach Kirby Dean said. "I don’t know if it’s time to compare ’em to those two guys, but it’d be nice if we could. I guess it is unique to have two guys that on any given night can get you 25 or 30."

Johnny Dawkins got his 1,000th point in 1984 en route to becoming Duke’s all-time leading scorer with 2,556. Mark Alarie followed suit the following year and is fifth on the Blue Devils’ all-time list with 2,136 points.

Sager is 13th all-time at EMU with 1,196 points. With one year of eligibility remaining, he could finish as high as third if he can pass Gary Chupp (1,745 points from 1987-91).

"senior guard Stephanie Mathews

Arrington, who missed last season with a knee injury, is 14th all-time for the Royals, with 1,189.

"It’s the first time I’ve been on a team like that," Arrington, a former Stuarts Draft High School standout, said of EMU’s dual threat. "It wasn’t like that in high school for me."

For Sager, Arrington’s return from injury, along with the emergence of sophomore Korey Whiting, has meant a diminished scoring role. That could cost Sager when the votes are counted for ODAC Player of the Year, not that he’s too concerned.

"It might hurt," Sager said. "Player of the Year is an individual award and that’s not what we’re shooting for here. I’ll do whatever it takes. Last year, E.J. was out for most of the year and my team needed me to score a little more points and grab a little more rebounds without him being here, so that’s what I did. With him being back this year, it just takes a little weight off my shoulders."

It’s been an adjustment for Arrington, too. He began his EMU career in 2001 under then-coach Tom Baker. He was often the focal point of the Royals’ attack.

"E.J.’s come into a different situation then when he left," Dean said. "There was a point in his career when he was option A, B and C. And now he’s got to fit in among other kids who can really play. That’s not an easy adjustment."

The women faced a tough adjustment, too. With its third coach in three years, EMU opened the season 1-3 in the ODAC before rattling off six straight victories.

That run ended with a 90-84 loss at Emory & Henry on Jan. 15. The Royals also lost at rival Bridgewater on Saturday but rebounded to beat Roanoke at home Wednesday night. EMU is now 11-6 overall and 7-5 in the conference, good for fourth place.

For first-year coach Kevin Griffin, inheriting accomplished players like Renalds and Mathews has helped ease the transition.

"They’ve had a ton of experience," Griffin said. "They both come from winning high school programs. Prior to them even getting here, they’ve been winners. They’re a lot of the intangibles that I didn’t have to teach them."

But Griffin was quick to note that, despite having the pair of stars, the rest of the Royals’ roster is dotted with youth.

"I think it was a combination of several factors," Griffin said of his team’s slow league start. "New coach. New system. We’re really young. You’re talking about these two 1,000 points scores, but beyond that we’re really young."

Mathews and Renalds have a chance to leave EMU with the all-time record for wins. EMU won 75 games from 1984-88. Mathews and Renalds currently have 71 victories.

Renalds is fourth all-time for EMU with 1,255 points. Mathews is ninth at 1,115 and has an outside shot at becoming the school’s all-time rebounding leader. She currently has 838, 77 behind Ann Wenger (915 from 1984-88).

— article by: Mike Barber, Daily News-Record; posted January 27, 2006