Possibly the most important call for the VCU/Illinois State season opener won't be made by a basketball official, and it won't be made on a basketball court.
Daishon Knight, a high-scoring point guard who averaged 19.4 ppg for Odessa JUCO last season, was arraigned in McLean County Circuit Court on September 13 for aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and resisting a police officer, a misdemeanor. Knight took a plea agreement this morning for two misdemeanors but remains indefinitely suspended by head coach Dan Muller. No word on whether or not Knight will head to the eastern time zone.
Knight is the top transfer for an Illinois State team that features 10 new players on its roster. The full game preview arrives on your browser tomorrow morning.
In other, more fun nuggets:
The last time the Redbirds faced VCU, head coach
Dan Muller was a sophomore on the court. He led all scorers with 19 points, but VCU won 74-72 in 1995. He also helped ISU beat VCU as a
freshman in 1994.
With 10 new faces, Kaza Keane and Nick Zeisloft are the only
returners on the team with NCAA Division I experience. Keane (that's KAY-za to you) led Illinois State in assists per game
(3.2) last year, and Zeisloft amassed ISUs top three-point shooting percentage (41.8%). Five of the eligible newcomers are junior
college transfers and the other three are freshmen.
The first 32 minutes of Illinois State's
exhibition game against Quincy on Sunday featured 10 ties
and eight lead changes, but the Redbirds used a 27-8 run over the final
seven-plus minutes of the game to pull away with a 84-65 win. Sophomore newcomer Zach Lofton hit three three-pointer and led all
scorers with 19 points for ISU. JUCO transfer Bobby Hunter chipped in 17 points.