Craion Named Newcomer of the Year; Morrison, Niles, Ford Also Honored
ORU junior forward Michael Craion was named Summit League Newcomer of the Year, the league office announced on Thursday. Sophomore forward Dominique Morrison, freshman guard Warren Niles and senior forward Kevin Ford also earned recognition.
 Craion, a transfer from Independence Community College, enters Summit League Tournament play averaging 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. He also has 36 steals and 29 blocked shots. In 18 conference games, Craion averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. He currently ranks among the league's top 10 in rebounding (5th), field-goal percentage (6th) and blocked shots per game (9th). He also earned second-team all-league.
 Morrison earned first-team All-Summit honors after leading the Golden Eagles in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Morrison also averages 5.1 rebounds and leads the Golden Eagles with 80 assists. Morrison, who has started every game of his college career, has scored in double figures 27 times in 31 games and ranks among Summit League leaders in scoring (5th) and free throw percentage (8th).
 Niles earned a spot on the Summit League's All-Newcomer team. The top scoring freshman in the conference, Niles is averaging 12.7 points per game overall, and 13.9 points in Summit League play. The first freshman in six years to earn two Summit League Player of the Week awards, Niles owns a pair of 30-point games this season including an ORU freshman record 39 points in an overtime loss at IUPUI on Jan. 14.
 Ford garnered Honorable Mention all-Summit honors after averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. Ford ranks among league leaders in rebounding (3rd), field-goal percentage (3rd) and blocks (5th).

Head Coach Scott Sutton
ORU's Scott Sutton is in his 11th season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles, and his 15th overall with the program. He enters the Summit League Tournament with a 202-138 (.594) record as head coach and ranks second in school history in career wins. He picked up his 200th career win on Feb. 16 with a 76-56 win over Centenary at Mabee Center. He is the son of legendary coach Eddie Sutton, and the younger brother of former Oklahoma State head coach Sean Sutton. Scott Sutton is a two-time Summit League Coach of the Year (2002, 2008) and earned NABC District 12 co-Coach of the Year in 2005, sharing the award with his father. In 2007, Sutton was a finalist for the Clair Bee Coaching Excellence Award. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, Sutton has posted a 180-102 (.638) record, including four 20-win seasons, four consecutive Summit League regular-season titles (2005-08) and three straight NCAA Tournament berths (2006-08).

ORU in the Summit League Tournament
The Golden Eagles are making their 13th consecutive appearance in the Summit League Tournament, and their first ever as the No. 3 seed. ORU has won three tournament championships (2006, 2007, 2008)  and finished as runner-up twice (1999, 2005)
 ORU is 16-9 all-time in Summit League tournament play, including 11-2 the last five seasons. ORU's .640 tournament winning percentage is second-best in league history among teams with at least 20 tournament games played (Valparaiso, .690, 29-13).
 The Golden Eagles have reached at least the semifinals in nine of their previous 12 tournament appearances. Head coach Scott Sutton is 14-7 in Summit League tournament games.

Eagles Looking to Join Elite Company
If the Golden Eagles can win three straight games this weekend, ORU will join Valparaiso as the only school in League history to win four or more Tournament titles. Valparaiso won eight titles (1995-2000, 2002, 2004). Missouri State, UW-Green Bay and Eastern Illinois each won two. Six other teams (Cleveland State, IUPUI, Northern Iowa, Oakland, Southern Utah, Western Illinois) have one tournament championship apiece.

Movin' On Up
As his career draws to a close, Kevin Ford is getting close to etching his name in the ORU record books. With 46 blocked shots entering Summit League Tournament play, Ford needs two more to pass Chuck Dahms (1976-77) for 10th on the single-season blocks list. With at least one game remaining and 71 career blocks, Ford needs three more to crack to career top 10 list.
 Sophomore forward Dominique Morrison is steadily moving up the single-season and career free throw charts. Through 31 games this season, Morrison's 130 made free throws already rank seventh in ORU history. If the season ended today, Morrison's 83.9 percent free throw shooting would rank 10th all-time and his career 83.0 percent free throw shooting is currently fifth all time.

Road Warrior
Warren Niles is having the best season by an ORU freshman since all-time ORU greats Caleb Green and Ken Tutt burst on the scene together in 2003-04. Niles is the Summit League's top freshman scorer at 12.7 points per game, and has enjoyed 20 double-digit scoring performances.
 But surprisingly, Niles has excelled on the road and not in the comfortable surroundings of the Mabee Center. In 18 road games, Niles is averaging 15.2 points and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range. Both of his 30-point performances have come on the road (at IUPUI and Oakland).
 Niles has struggled at home, averaging 9.5 points and shooting a paltry 25.4 percent on threes.

ORU in Summit League Play
ORU is 145-61 (.704) in regular season Summit League play all-time in 13 seasons. ORU owns the second-best winning percentage in League history, behind only former member Missouri State's .767 (79-24) clip. The Golden Eagles have captured five regular-season titles ('99, '05, '06, '07, '08) and three tournament championships ('06, '07, '08). Since the 2004-05 season, ORU is 81-19 (.810) in Summit League regular season play, and 92-21 (.814) when including Summit League Tournament games.

Giant Killers
Every season since 2002-03, ORU has pulled off at least one upset of a power conference or Top 25-ranked team. This season, the Golden Eagles earned the trifecta, defeating Stanford, Missouri and No. 13/12 New Mexico, all in the course of a month.
Date Opponent  Score Notes
11/26/02 Arkansas (H) 76-64 First win over Arkansas since '96
11/30/02 Wichita State (H) 76-71 Part of 6-0 start to season 
12/20/03 Wichita State (A) 76-73 First game in WSU's renovated Koch Arena
12/20/04 Georgetown (N)* 81-63 Eagles defeated Hoyas squad with Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert
2/19/05 Missouri State (A) 86-76 Sutton defeats the man he replaced as ORU head coach
11/23/05 Southern Cal (N)^ 68-48 First win over a Pac-10 team in 23 years 
11/15/06 No. 3 Kansas (A) 78-71 Highest-ranked opponent ever defeated
12/28/06 Seton Hall (N)% 76-74 Second win over Big East team in three years
12/20/07 Oklahoma State (N)& 74-59 First Sutton vs. Sutton battle goes to little bro
12/22/08 South Florida (N)* 86-63 Third win over Big East foe in five years
11/18/09 Stanford (A)# 83-81 Roderick Pearson's buzzer beater the difference
12/9/09 Missouri (H) 60-59 ORU rallies from 11 points down to win on Michael Craion's layup at :0.9
12/23/09 No. 13 New Mexico (H) 75-66 Michael Craion gets 18-13-7 as Golden Eagles roll Lobos
*-Rainbow Classic; ^-Great Alaska Shootout; %-BYU Holiday Classic; &-All-College Classic; *-San Juan Shootout; #-Cancun Challenge

Domo-Arrigato, Mr. Morrison
Throughout all the adversity the Golden Eagles have suffered through this season, the one constant has been the play of sophomore forward Dominique Morrison. Through 31 games Morrison leads ORU and ranks among Summit League leaders in scoring (15.5) and assists (2.6), while also ranking among the league top 10 in free throw percentage (.839).
 Morrison has also saved his best efforts for the toughest foes. He scored a career-high 31 points in ORU's win at Stanford on Nov. 18; had a game-high 21 points in a home win over Missouri on Dec. 9, and pumped in 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in ORU's upset of No. 13/12 New Mexico. In those three games, Morrison averaged 23.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
 In Summit League play, Morrison averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 85.6 percent from the free throw line.

The Magnificent Seven Becomes the Elite Eight
Now that junior forward Javier Nasarre has returned to action after missing six games with a fractured right wrist, the Golden Eagles are finally back at full strength -- eight scholarship players. 
 It's been a tumultuous year already for ORU with Hunter McClintock, Tim Morton and Roderick Pearson out for the year with ACL injuries. Sophomore guard Beloved Rogers also quit over Thanksgiving weekend. Nasarre has missed a total of nine games due to various injuries, and Stokes (2 games) an Niles (1 game) have each missed time for various injury-related reasons. Only five players (Dominique Morrison, Michael Craion, Kevin Ford, Ken Holdman and Damen Bell-Holter) have played in all 29 games.
 All told, ORU basketball players have missed a combined total of 104 games due to injuries entering Summit League Tournament play.

Youthful Ambitions
While ORU's injury situation has gotten plenty of attention over the past months, one angle that hasn't been discussed much is the Golden Eagles' youth. Six of ORU's top nine players are either freshmen or sophomores, with the sole upperclassmen being Kevin Ford, Michael Craion and Javier Nasarre. Sophomores Dominique Morrison and Ken Holdman, and freshman Warren Niles join Ford and Craion in the starting lineup while sophomore Kyron Stokes and freshmen Damen Bell-Holter and Mikey Manghum (a walk-on) comprise ORU's bench most nights.
 ORU's loss to Oakland on Jan. 7 illustrated the lack of experience. The Golden Grizzlies starters owned a total of 467 games of Division I experience, while ORU's quintet had just 215 career games between them.

Niles' Big Night
Warren Niles set a school freshman single-game scoring record when he poured in 39 points in ORU's 90-87 overtime loss at IUPUI on Jan. 14. Niles was 13-of-23 from the field, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. His 13 field goals against the Jaguars were the most by any ORU player since Caleb Green converted 14 at Southern Utah on Jan. 4, 2006.

Color Him Productive
Junior forward Michael Craion is perhaps ORU's most complete player, and his efforts in the early going are making a mark. In back-to-back victories over UMKC and Southern Utah in December Craion scored season high's of 21 and 22 points, then followed those efforts up with the game-winning shot against Missouri on Dec. 9. He saved his best for New Mexico, when his 18-point, 13-rebound, 7-assist effort earned Summit League player of the week honors.
 Recently named as the Summit League Newcomer of the Year, Craion enters post-season play averaging 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. He has eight double-doubles and 23 double-digit scoring games.

At Home in Mabee Center
ORU has experienced a basketball rebirth over the last seven seasons, and nowhere has that been more evident than in games played at Mabee Center. Since the start of the 2002-03 season, ORU is 84-15 (.848) at home and an amazing 58-7 (.892) in conference play in that time.

Niles Named Summit League Player of the Week
Warren Niles claimed his second Summit League Player of the Week honor on Feb. 8 after averaging 25.5 points and shooting nearly 60 percent during the week of Feb. 1-7. Niles' performance included a 30-point outing at league-leader Oakland.
 Against the Golden Grizzlies, Niles shot 81 percent, converting 13-of-16 attempts, and scored 10 of his game-high 30 points over the final 2:28 seconds, including a game-tying layup with 14 seconds remaining. Niles converted his first seven shots in the contest and went 3-for-4 from three-point range while also grabbing three rebounds.
 In his previous outing, Niles scored a team-high 21 points in ORU's overtime victory over IPFW. He added five rebounds, three steals and two assists on the night.
 Niles is the first Summit League freshman to win multiple player of the week honors since ORU's Caleb Green and Ken Tutt captured three apiece in 2003-04.
 For the week, Niles shot 59.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc, to go along with his 25.5 scoring average and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Craion Named Summit League Player of the Week
ORU's Michael Craion earned the Summit League Men's Basketball Player of the Week award for his performance Dec. 22-28. The honor was the first of his career.
 Craion, totaled 18 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists while leading the Golden Eagles to an upset victory over previously unbeaten New Mexico, who entered the contest ranked as high as No. 12. The junior forward went 5-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the free throw line while recording his third double-double of the season.
 The Lobos were the highest-ranked opponent ever defeated by ORU at home and the victory marked the Golden Eagles' first win over a ranked team since 2006 and first home win over a ranked team since 1996.

Kansas City Kings
The 2009-10 Golden Eagles roster contains a rarity for any program: three players from the same out-of- state city. Juniors Michael Craion (Ruskin HS) and Rod Pearson (Raytown South HS), and sophomore Dominique Morrison (Raytown HS) all live in Kansas City, Mo. The last time ORU had three or more players on the roster from the same out-of-state city was in 1987-88 when four players hailed from Charlotte, N.C.: Rodney Davis (Myers Park HS), Anthony Houston (Harding HS), Jules Springs (West HS) and Haywoode Workman (Myers Park HS).

Angsomwine Inks NLI During Early Signing Period
Chris Angsomwine has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play at ORU during the fall early signing period.
 A 6-9, 215-pound forward at Kilgore (Texas) College, Angsomwine is ORU's first 2010 signee. He will have two years of eligibility when he enrolls next fall.
 Angsomwine is in his first year with Rangers after spending last season at Harcum College in suburban Philadelphia. Kilgore is 2-0 with Angsomwine averaging 6.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

ORU Picked Second in Summit League Preseason Poll
ORU was picked second in the annual Summit League preseason poll of head coaches, media members and Sports Information Directors. Oakland was the overwhelming preseason favorite, garnering 34 of 35 first place votes while third place IUPUI received the other. After Oakland, ORU and IUPUI, the others are South Dakota State, North Dakota State, IPFW, Southern Utah, Western Illinois, UMKC, and Centenary.

Ford, Morrison Named Preseason All-Summit League
Forwards Kevin Ford and Dominique Morrison were named to the Summit League's preseason second team. Ford, a senior, averaged 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds while Morrison, a sophomore, averaged 9.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in starting all 31 games. Both players were named to the 2009 All-Newcomer team.

ORU Basketball on the Radio
All ORU games can be heard in northeastern Oklahoma on "The Sports Animal", 97.1 FM and 1550 AM. Geoff Haxton begins his third full season as the play-by-play voice of the Golden Eagles. Fans can also listen on-line at www.orugoldeneagles.com.

The ORU Coaches Hour
Join ORU coaches and athletes every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for the ORU Coaches Hour, broadcast live from Pepper's Grill at 91st & Delaware and carried on FM 97.1 "The Sports Animal". Tulsa radio personality Geoff Haxton hosts the one-hour call-in show. Men's head coach Scott Sutton and women's head coach Jerry Finkbeiner are regular guests.

About ORU
Founded in 1963 by evangelist Oral Roberts, ORU is a 400-acre campus located in South Tulsa. ORU boasts a total enrollment of over 5,000 students from all 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries. Some famous ORU alums include entertainer Kathy Lee Gifford, Pulitzer-prize nominated author Clifton Taulbert and two-time NCAA track & field national champion and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Andretti Bain.  "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening briefly attended ORU, and subsequently, many of the characters on the show are modeled after former ORU students and staff members. In fact, if you look closely over Ned Flanders' fireplace, his college diploma reads "Oral Roberts University".