UALR faces UAPB
UALR Coach Wes Flanigan (above) leads the Trojans against Arkansas-Pine Bluff tonight at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, the first meeting between the schools since 2005.
Wes Flanigan wants to boost local support for basketball and George Ivory is fine taking a road trip that doesn’t require a plane ride.
For both coaches, a rekindling of a series that has been dormant for over a decade made sense, and that’s why the UALR men’s basketball team will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6:30 p.m. today at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
“I take pride in trying to facilitate basketball culture in our state,” said Flanigan, a Little Rock Parkview grad in his first season as UALR’s coach. “I feel like we have a great culture here as far as basketball is concerned, and I hope to make sure there’s an interest in that. By playing these in-state games, I hope we can do that.”
Today’s game, the 19th meeting between the schools but first since 2005, was already agreed to before Flanigan was hired to take over for the departed Chris Beard in March. But he had no issue with it, nor did he with a yearly home-and-home series with Central Arkansas, and he also added games with Arkansas-Monticello and University of the Ozarks.
Ivory, who has been coach at UAPB since 2008, said he never really talked with UALR coaches about a game before, but he has had an interest in creating a nonconference tournament-type event in Little Rock. When plans for that never materialized, today’s game created the same benefit.
The Golden Lions (1-7), who have played three nonconference home games for the first time in Ivory’s tenure, have played in six states — most recently at Central Michigan — and Washington, D.C., already this season.
“I think it’s a golden opportunity to get our fans in there who don’t see us play all that much,” Ivory said.
It’s also a chance for both teams to gear up for their respective conference schedules.
UALR won its third consecutive game when it beat Tulsa 72-62 on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane shot 50 percent from the floor, but the Trojans also forced 20 turnovers. Flanigan said UALR’s defensive effort remains his biggest concern, especially on nights that it’s not playing well offensively.
The Trojans have shot 31.1 and 36.4 percent in their two losses, to Idaho and to Pepperdine, respectively.
“We’ve got some guys that can really score the basketball and they like to score the basketball,” Flanigan said. “We’ve got to be able to defend when we’re not making shots.”
Ivory’s team is still coming together with a plethora of newcomers. His top two rebounders are first-year players, as are his second- and third-leading scorers.
“I think once we’re all drinking out of the same cup, we’ve got a chance to be pretty good,” Ivory said.