Week-in-Review: The Charge head into this weekend’s back-to-back against the Erie BayHawks coming off an overtime win over the Tulsa 66ers on Wednesday night at the Canton Civic Center.
Canton dropped its first game of the season on Sunday, dropping a 121-112 shootout to the expansion Deleware 87ers, who went 18-for-36 from beyond the arc. But Coach Steve Hetzel’s squad bounced right back on Wednesday night, topping Tulsa – 94-91 – to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Kevin Jones – who played in 32 games with Cleveland last year – paced the Charge with 24 points and nine boards and Arinze Onuaku doubled-up for the second straight game. In his first-ever NBA D-League game, Cavs assignee Sergey Karasev netted 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Henry Sims added 12 points, nine rebounds, one block and one steal in 24 minutes. Carrick Felix pitched in with five points, five boards and three assists in 19 minutes.
On Thursday afternoon, the Cavaliers recalled Karasev, Sims and Felix. Both Karasev and Sims will make the trip to Florida for Cleveland’s back-to-back with the Magic and Heat. Felix didn’t travel with the squad after experiencing some left knee soreness. He remained in Cleveland for additional examination at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health on Thursday, plus treatment.
Did You Know: Charge guard Jorge Gutierrez attended national powerhouse Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada (Class of ’08). Findlay Prep also produced Cavalier forwards Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett. Over the past five years, the school has a record of 157-8 – (including 65-0 at home) – and has produced six McDonald’s All-Americans and four NBA Draft picks.
They Said It: “Even the guys that have played on different D-League teams, when they come into this environment, they can see that things are done differently here – how they’re treated and taken care of. The practice facility is something that a lot of teams don’t even have. So you walk into a place where you’re like: ‘Hey this is being done the right way.’ And that sets the tone.”
-Charge Head Coach Steve Hetzel on the facilities and environment in Canton
Stat of the Week: Only two players in the history of West Virginia hoops have amassed 1,800 points and 1,000 boards in their college career. One is Charge forward Kevin Jones. The other is The Logo.
Looking Ahead: The East Division-leading Charge try to stay unbeaten at home when they take on the winless Erie BayHawks (0-5) twice this weekend at the Canton Civic Center. Erie – the New York Knicks’ affiliate – feature former Cavalier Ricky Davis, who’s averaging 14.6 points per contest in five starts with the BayHawks.
Friday’s game will be Zombie Night, featuring a special performance from the Cavaliers Scream Team alongside local dancers participating in their clinic earlier that day.
If you can’t make it to Canton, make sure to catch all the action with play-by-play man Scott Zurilla on YouTube – opening tip set for 7 p.m.
Watch Video: Coach Brown Talks Canton