New faces do job for Arkansas State

TODD TRAUB
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

JONESBORO -- The experience was on the other side of the court, but Arkansas State still scratched out an 82-74 victory over Branch West in its first exhibition of the year at the Convocation Center on Tuesday.
With nine newcomers and seven players who haven't played a minute of NCAA Division I basketball, ASU led by 13 points in the first half then survived a close second half to beat the visiting collection of former NCAA Division I players.
The tightly played second half, in which Branch West rallied for a brief, four-point lead, kept ASU Coach Dickey Nutt from using his entire roster to his satisfaction. But every available player got minutes for the Indians, and after last year's injury-plagued, 10-18 season, Nutt was happy to read the scoreboard at the end of the night.
"I wish ... we could have gained a big lead and let some of these guys get some more minutes," Nutt said, "because they need some more time and they need to be rewarded. They work so hard and we want all of them to be rewarded. But like I told them, it's all about winning. We want to win."
Branch West, based in California, brought a nine-man roster that included Doug Gottlieb, the former Oklahoma State guard who was second in the nation in assists last year, and Pulaski Oak Grove High School's Adrian Peterson, another former Cowboys player who was a projected NBA Draft pick but injured his knee in a predraft camp.
"They didn't seem to get tired for them to only have eight or nine players playing," ASU center Jason Jennings said. "It was a true test for us with nine new guys coming out and trying to play."
Trailing 39-32 at halftime, Branch West rallied to take a 68-64 lead on a dunk by Casey Frank, formerly of Northern Arizona, with just under five minutes left. But the Indians struck back with free throws by Jennings and Kolin Weaver, one of ASU's few returnees, to tie it and went in front on a driving layup by Nick Rivers, a transfer from Belleville (Ill.) Area Junior College, to take a lead they never lost.
Jennings, 7-0, an Arkansas transfer from Bald Knob, led ASU with 20 points and 8 rebounds and was 10 of 10 from the free-throw line. It was his first significant action after sitting out last year because of NCAA eligibility rules and back surgery to repair a ruptured disc.
"The nerves were going pretty good," Jennings said.

This article was published on Wednesday, November 8, 2000

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