HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Hampden-Sydney College, ranked No. 2 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25, plays its first Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) game of the season at home against Averett University on Wednesday night, November 29, at 7 p.m. in S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium at Kirby Field House. The nationally-ranked Tigers have an overall record of 4-0, while the Cougars have an overall record of 1-5, including 0-1 in the ODAC. It's free admission for all regular season home contests and the game can be heard locally on WVHL Radio, Kickin' Country 92.9 FM, and will also be available worldwide on the Internet at wvhl.net or via the TuneIn Radio App, while available to watch, as well, on the Tiger Sports Network, pregame airing at 6:30 p.m.

No. 2 Hampden-Sydney (4-0, 0-0 ODAC) vs. Averett (1-5, 0-1 ODAC) | STATS | AUDIO | VIDEO | GAME NOTES (PDF)
Location: Fleet Gym | Hampden-Sydney, VA
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023
Time: 7 p.m.
Radio/Webstream: Frank Shanaberger (play-by-play), Richard LeSueur (analyst)
 
Head Coach Caleb Kimbrough
H-SC is led by the fifth-year head coach who took over the program on April 4, 2019. The former head coach at Huntingdon (AL) College from 2016-19, Kimbrough is the 19th head coach in the 114-year history of the storied Hampden-Sydney program. He is no stranger to the ODAC, having played four years at Guilford (NC) College and coached six years with the Quakers, and one year at Washington and Lee University. Kimbrough is 56-35 overall at the College, including 31-21 in ODAC games. Caleb was both the 2022-23 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III District 6 Coach of the Year, and the ODAC Men's Basketball Bob Johnson Coach of the Year.

Scouting Hampden-Sydney
Through four games, H-SC has been extremely balanced offensively with only two players averaging in double-figure scoring among its five starters that are each scoring at least 6.3 points per game, while nine Tigers are playing at least 10-plus minutes per game. H-SC has been led by senior forward Davidson Hubbard (Charlotte, NC) with his 15.5 points (9 3FGs) and 10.0 rebounds, along with senior guard and team captain Adam Brazil (Mooresville, NC) with his 12.5 points (8 3FGs) and 5.8 assists. Joining them in the lineup have been fifth-year guard Ryan Clements (Conyers, GA) (8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds), senior guard/forward and team captain Josiah Hardy (Ashburn) (8.3 points) and senior guard Alex Elliott (Marietta, GA) (6.3. points, 4.8 rebounds). Senior guard DJ Wright (Greensboro, GA) (6.8 points), fifth-year forward and team captain Miles Harris (Virginia Beach) (5.0 points) and junior guard Ayman McGowan (Memphis, TN) (5.0 points) have led the bench scoring. The Tigers are shooting 46% (108-236) from the field, including 40% (43-107) on three-point field goals, and 70% (41-59) at the free throw line. H-SC has averaged 75.0 points, and allowed 57.5 points, for a +17.5 scoring margin.

Scouting Averett
Through six games, AU has three players averaging in double figure scoring among 14 that are playing at least 10-plus minutes per game. The Cougars have been led by freshman guard Jamison Graves with his 13.3 points (6 3FGs), senior guard Jordan Lewis with his 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists, as well as senior forward Jason Sellars II with his 10.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. AU shoots 40% (132-330) from the field, including 38% (36-95) on three-pointers, and 62% (65-105) at the line; scoring 60.8 points, and yielding 72.8 points, for a -12.0 scoring margin.

Series History
H-SC and AU are playing for the 30th time overall since first playing on Nov. 24, 1978. The Tigers lead the overall series at 18-11, including a 71-67 home win last Nov. 30, 2022 in Fleet Gym. H-SC has won three of the last four games played between the two schools, though the Cougars did take a 75-70 road win on Nov. 13, 2019.

Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic
H-SC won the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic Championship on Nov. 17-18 in Wooster, Ohio. The Tigers opened with a 72-63 win past (RV)Widener on Nov. 17, followed by an 80-66 win past Rose-Hulman (IN) on Nov. 18. Davidson Hubbard was named the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic Most Valuable Player for his two-game efforts, averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds, including 8-16 three-pointers. Josiah Hardy was named the Classic's Defensive MVP, averaging 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds, including 9-14 field goals. Adam Brazil was named to the All-Tournament Team, averaging 11.5 points and 7.0 assists, including 5-10 three-pointers.

#2 In D3hoops.com Top 25
H-SC has moved up to No. 2 nationally in the week one D3hoops.com Top 25. It's the highest national ranking for the Tigers since 2003-04 when the program was ranked No. 1 during week seven. H-SC earned 570 points in this week's poll, including eight first-place votes. Wisconsin-Whitewater (5-0) is ranked first with 607 points and 13 first-place votes, followed by the Tigers, John Carroll (OH) (4-0, 568) at No. 3, Mount Union (OH) (5-0, 529) at No. 4, and Calvin (MI) (5-0, 522) at No. 5.

Tigers Take Down No. 1 CNU
H-SC opened the 2023-24 campaign with a 74-53 home win past defending NCAA Division III National Champion and top-ranked Christopher Newport on Nov. 8 in Fleet Gym. H-SC led 31-22 at halftime, and by as many as 24 points in the second half, in arguably one of the biggest wins in program history, while believed to be the first Top 10 match-up at home, as well. Davidson Hubbard led the Tigers with game-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds for the 18th double-double of his career. Adam Brazil finished with 15 points and a game-high six assists, adding six rebounds. Alex Elliott contributed nine points and eight rebounds, adding three assists. It marked the second consecutive season that H-SC has defeated the No. 1 Captains, along with an 85-70 non-conference road win at CNU on December 13, 2022 in Newport News, stopping a 22-game home winning streak by the Captains.

HoopDirt.com D3 Coach of the Week
Fifth-year head coach Caleb Kimbrough was named the Week 1 HoopDirt.com D3 Coach of the Week presented by Just Play Solutions. He led the Tigers to a pair of season-opening wins, including the 74-53 home win past CNU, and a 74-48 home win past Greensboro (NC) on Nov. 12. Coach Kimbrough is now eligible for the HoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award, which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

Career Watch
Ryan Clements ranks 33rd in career scoring with 1,132 career points in 91 career games (12.4). Russell Turner '92 is the all-time leader with 2,272 career points. Clements is tied for ninth in career steals with 151 (1.7). Ralph Baker '89 is the all-time leader with 258 career steals. Davidson Hubbard is tied for 10th in career blocks with 46 career blocks in 62 career games (0.7). Mike Thompson '04 is the all-time leader with 136 career blocks.

1st In ODAC Preseason Poll
H-SC was picked first in the ODAC Preseason Poll. It's the first time that the Tigers have been voted preseason number one in the ODAC since prior to the 2003-04 season. H-SC earned 140 points, including eight first-place votes among the 13 conference schools. The Tigers were followed closely in the preseason poll by four-time defending ODAC Tournament Champion and 2022 National Champion Randolph-Macon in second place with 135 points, including the other five first-place votes. Guilford (NC) was picked third with 122 points, followed by Virginia Wesleyan (104), Washington and Lee (102), Roanoke (96), Bridgewater (65), Shenandoah (63), Averett (51), Ferrum (48), Lynchburg (45), Eastern Mennonite (23) and Randolph (20).

2023-24 Team Captains
Leading the Tigers are fifth-year Miles Harris, along with seniors Adam Brazil and Josiah Hardy. Harris and Brazil are each serving in the leadership role for their second season, while Hardy is a first-year captain. Miles is the son of Randy Harris and Corey Bacs and is majoring in economics and business. Adam is the son of Mark and Kristen Brazil and is majoring in English. Josiah is the son of Vernal Hardy and Felicia Miller and is majoring in economics and business.
 
Three Former Tigers Are Division I Head Coaches
H-SC currently has three former basketball team members and graduates of the College that are serving as NCAA Division I head coaches. Russell Turner '92 is in his 14th year at UC Irvine ... Ryan Odom '96 is in his first season at VCU and his eighth season as a DI head coach (UMBC, Utah State) ... Griff Aldrich '96 is in his sixth year at Longwood. Entering this season, Turner was 265-170 at UCI ... Odom was 141-85 overall, including 44-25 in two years at USU and 97-60 in five years at UMBC ... Aldrich was 88-72 at Longwood.

Up Next
H-SC will continue early-season ODAC action on the road at (11)Guilford (NC) on Saturday afternoon, December 2, at 4:30 p.m. in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Complete game notes are available via the linked PDF above.