Good starts for Hansbrough, Porter

Ben Hansbrough is off to a fast start for the Notre Dame basketball team. The Poplar Bluff native is averaging 11.4 points and hitting 44.8 percent of his 3-point shots. He's got 37 assists to 11 turnovers in eight games.

Fans wanting to watch Irish games online can do so by going to the schedule and clicking on the 'Watch' box. Notre Dame will be on national TV several times this winter starting Dec. 19 against UCLA.

Michael Porter, a freshman at Missouri State, is also off to a quick start after a delayed debut. The Sikeston native is averaging 9.5 points in his first two games for the 6-0 Bears.

Here's the story from the Springfield News-Leader

Missouri State forward Michael Porter is not the type who gets intimidated by much on the basketball court.

"That's one thing that impressed me when recruiting him," Bears coach Cuonzo Martin said of the freshman from Sikeston.

"Mike doesn't care; (he) just wants to get out there and compete."

He's especially eager after having to sit and watch MSU's first four games after emergency surgery to remove his appendix.

But even that didn't faze Porter. He beat the three- to four-week timetable to return in a rout and makes his collegiate debut tonight when Tulsa visits JQH Arena.

..."I didn't like watching the first four games, but it's helped me learn what I need to do," Porter said.

Porter -- whose father Melvin Porter played at Drury University, and uncle, Otto Porter played at Southeast Missouri State -- said he doesn't think nerves will affect him tonight.

"I think I'll get the butterflies out pretty quick," Porter said. "I just have to take it as another game and don't feel pressured by the crowd or anything.

"It's just a game and I'll play like I usually do."

He played well in the Bears' two exhibitions, averaging 8.5 points and 6 rebounds. Beyond the numbers, he quickly became a fan favorite with his hustle and willingness to mix it up near the basket.

"Mike brings toughness and energy," teammate Will Creekmore said. "Everything's easier when he's on the court because he's going to get to that loose ball and he's going to get that rebound."

Porter also had a "wow" moment in the second exhibition, Nov. 10 against Henderson State: a three-quarter-court steal, drive and dunk.

This, with the outset of appendicitis.

"I just thought it was a stomachache," he said. "Then that night I couldn't sleep and got sick.

"I hated it. I didn't plan on getting appendicitis. But I knew it wouldn't keep me down for long."