THE LEAD: The Daemen College men's basketball team heads to The Sunshine State to take part in the Trip Sports Cruzin Classic…the Wildcats will play NAIA Division II power St. Thomas University Wednesday (Dec. 17) and take on University of Indianapolis (currently ranked ninth among NCAA Division II schools) Thursday (Dec. 18)…both games take place on the campus of Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014
Daemen vs. St. Thomas - 8 p.m.
Health & Sports Center, Miami Shores, Fla.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO / DAEMEN ROSTER / DAEMEN STATS / STU ROSTER / STU STATS
Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014
Daemen vs. #9 Indianapolis - 8 p.m.
Health & Sports Center, Miami Shores, Fla.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO / UINDY ROSTER / UINDY STATS
THE COACHES: Mike MacDonald is entering his first season as head men's basketball coach at Daemen College after spending the past eight years at Medaille College where he transformed the program into a regional contender at the NCAA Division III level…inheriting a program that went 4-46 in the two years prior to his arrival, MacDonald's version of the Mavericks averaged 18 wins a season, while advancing to the postseason six times…Medaille's emergence as a Division III power in the Northeast was cemented in the last five seasons, as MacDonald led the Mavericks to more wins (101) than any other Division III team in New York State, while ranking 17th nationally in wins during the same time frame…MacDonald was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions (2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12)…he left Medaille as the school's all-time leader in wins (149) and winning percentage (.671)…prior to his stint at Medaille, MacDonald served as the head coach at Canisius College from 1997-2006, guiding the Golden Griffins to 108 wins which ranks him third in program history for coaching victories…in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, MacDonald has achieved a record of 262-227 (.536 winning percentage)…Patrick Gayle is in his third season as head men's basketball coach at St. Thomas…he has led the Bobcats to a 47-19 (.712) record and back-to-back appearances in the NAIA Division II Tournament over the past two seasons…he was named The Sun Conference Coach of the Year last winter after leading STU to a 26-7 overall record and the conference regular-season championship…Stan Gouard is in his seventh season as head men's basketball coach at Indianapolis…the 2013-14 GLVC Coach of the Year, he has led the Greyhounds to a 104-66 (.611) record and four NCAA Division II Tournament (2011, 12, 13, 14) appearances over the past six season…a standout player at the University of Southern Indiana, he was a two-time NABC Division II National Player of the Year selection and led USI to the 1995 NCAA Division II national championship under the guidance of head coach Bruce Pearl.
MOVE TO II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Three of the NCAA Division II membership process…Daemen was accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) and began playing full regular-season conference schedules in the fall of 2013…The College will also maintain its affiliation with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) for postseason opportunities, as it will not be eligible for the ECC or NCAA postseason during Candidacy Year Three.
DAEMEN vs. NCAA DIVISION II OPPONENTS: The Wildcats went 20-5 against NCAA Division II opponents last season and are 31-10 against Division II teams since the start of the 2012-13 season.
THE SERIES vs. ST. THOMAS: Wednesday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and St. Thomas.
THE SERIES vs. INDIANAPOLIS: Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and Indianapolis.
THE WILDCATS (5-2; 2-0 ECC): Daemen returns eight players and just one starter from last year's team that posted a 21-7 overall record and claimed the East Coast Conference regular-season championship (17-3) in its first season as a league member…Daemen was voted third in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…the Wildcats earned a bid to the USCAA Championship Tournament for the second-straight year last year and suffered a 58-57 loss to eventual champion Washington Adventist in the semifinals…first-year head coach Mike MacDonald must overcome the graduation of senior guards Casey Sheehan and Mark Coppola…Sheehan averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists last year and collected first-team All-ECC honors…Coppola was a three-year starter at point guard and closed out his career with a school-record 623 assists…the Wildcats have won three-straight game and opened their ECC schedule with wins over Molloy (75-61) and Queens (93-75) this past weekend…senior forward Gerald Beverly tops the list of returning players…the 2013-14 ECC Defensive Player of the Year and 2014-15 ECC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, Beverly led the team in scoring (18.9 ppg), rebounding (10.0 rpg) and blocks (111) last year…he totaled 43 points, 34 rebounds and six blocks during the two wins last weekend and has recorded five-straight double-doubles…he once again leads the team in scoring (19.3 ppg), rebounding (12.4 rpg) and blocks (24)…senior sharpshooter Jordan Greene also returns after averaging 10.5 points with a team-high 52 three-pointers last year…he scored 14 points in the win over Queens and is averaging 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds with 11 three-pointers…junior guard Supreme Hannah has stepped into the starting lineup at point guard…he has shot 79-percent from three-point land (15-for-19) and has averaged 17.4 points over the last four games…he went 5-for-6 from downtown and scored a career-high 22 points in the win over Queens…junior transfers Torrence Dyck, Jr. and Arif Mehmetaj and freshman Nick Petrucelli have made immediate contributions…Dyck has scored over 20 points in four of DC's seven games and scored 23 points in the win over Queens…he is averaging 17.4 points and 5.3 rebounds…Mehmetaj was named to the all-tournament team following the Knee Center of WNY / ECC-CACC Challenge after totaling 20 points and a team-high 21 rebounds over the two games…he is averaging 8.3 points and 8.7 rebounds…Petrucelli played 17 minutes in a season-opening win over Concordia and contributed 10 points, six boards and three assists…sophomore Alex Borges played 21 minutes and established career-highs for points (14) and rebounds (5) in the win over Concordia…senior Kyle Clifford played a season-high 24 minutes in the win over Molloy and contributed 10 points…senior Aaron Davis made his fifth career start in an OT loss to Mercyhurst…he played 34 minutes and totaled nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.
THE BOBCATS (4-4; 0-2 TSC): St. Thomas is located in Miami Gardens, Fla. and is a member of the NAIA Division II The Sun Conference…the Bobcats are the defending regular-season conference champions and return five players (two starters) from last year's team that finished 26-7 overall (16-2 TSC) and advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II Tournament…St. Thomas has averaged 23 wins a year over the past three seasons and has made three-straight appearances in the NAIA Division II Tournament…the Bobcats were picked fourth out of nine schools in the 2014-15 TSC preseason poll…head coach Patrick Gayle must overcome the graduation of three all-conference performers…the Bobcats lost three of their first four games this season, but are 3-2 over their last five…STU is coming off an 80-47 rout of Coastal Georgia this past weekend…newcomers Michael Walker and David Santiago have made immediate contributions…Walker, a transfer from Mt. San Antonio College, poured in 35 points in a 88-75 win over Coastal Georgia and is averaging a team-high 16.1 points…Sanitago, who played at Canisius during the 2011-12 season, drained four three-pointers and totaled 28 points in 20 minutes off the bench during a 94-79 win over Florida National…he has made a team-high 11 three-pointers and is averaging 10.1 points off the bench…additional production has come from senior forward Lorel Beckford (11.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg), senior guard Chuckie Becton (8.0 ppg), junior guard James Vice (7.3 ppg) and sophomore guard Mikon Hewitt (6.6 ppg, 4.6 apg).
THE GREYHOUNDS (7-0; 1-0 GLVC): Indianapolis is a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference…the Greyhounds return just four players (two starters) from last year's team that finished 24-5 overall (15-3 GLCV) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament…UIndy has averaged 21 wins a year over the past four seasons and has made four-straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament…the Greyhounds were picked third in the 2014-15 GLVC East Division preseason poll…head coach Stan Gouard must overcome the graduation of two all-conference performers…the Greyhounds are averaging 89 points and nearly 10 three-pointers per game…they are ranked ninth in the latest NABC Division II national poll and play eighth-ranked Barry tonight (Dec. 16) in a battle of undefeated teams before squaring off against Daemen Thursday…senior forwards Joe Lawson and Brennan McElroy are both coming off award-winning seasons…Lawson averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds last year and collected first-team All-GLVC honors…he has recorded three double-doubles this year, including a 28-point, 10 rebound effort in a 73-51 win over Tiffin…he is shooting 59-percent from the field and is averaging 21.0 points and 8.6 rebounds…McElroy was named to the GLVC All-Defensive Team last year after averaging 9.3 points with a team-high 54 steals…he totaled 17 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in a 95-76 win over Central State and is averaging 13.9 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds…additional production has come from junior guard Jordan Lloyd (11.4 ppg, 3.1 apg), senior guard Dai-Jon Parker (10.1 ppg, 12 3pt fgs), junior guard Lucas Barker (9.7 ppg, 8.9 apg) and senior guard Kendall Vieke (8.1 ppg, 15 3 pt fgs)…Parker, a transfer from Division I Vanderbilt, scored 26 points in the win over Central State.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Daemen claimed the East Coast Conference regular-season championship last year in its first season of eligibility after posting a 17-3 league mark…the Wildcats, who were voted seventh out of 11 teams in the 2013-14 ECC preseason poll, closed out the regular-season by winning 16 consecutive league games—a streak that has now reached 18-straight league wins.
20/20: Daemen has reached the 20-win plateau in each of that last three seasons (and eight times over the past 12 seasons).
BEVERLY'S BLOCK PARTY: Gerald Beverly has recorded at least one block in 40-straight games (and 49 of the last 50 games) dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season…he has also scored in double figures in 37-straight games…he registered seven blocks in the win over Dominican and in the process became Daemen's leader in career blocks—replacing 2006 graduate Ron Wright…he has totaled 244 blocks in 96 career games (2.5 per game) and has already become the first player in program history to total 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocks in a career…he enters this week's action ranked ninth in career points (1,314) and fourth in career rebounds (718) among Daemen's all-time leaders.
GREENE NEARS 150 TRIPLES: Senior Jordan Greene stands just 13 three-pointers shy of 150 for his career…he is looking to become just the fifth player in program history to reach 150 career three-pointers.
JUNIOR MINTS: Juniors Supreme Hannah and Torrence Dyck, Jr. have played a big role in Daemen's early success…Hannah, who averaged just 3.3 points a game over his freshman and sophomore seasons is enjoying a breakout season…he has scored in double figures in each of the last four games and is averaging 13.0 points…he leads the team in assists (3.1 apt), three-point field goals (16) and three-point field goal percentage (.667)…Dyck, a junior college transfer, has started all seven games and ranks second on the team in scoring (17.4 ppg) and assists (2.3 apg)…he has scored at least 20 points four times and netted a season-high 29 points in an OT loss at Mercyhurst.
BEVERLY COLLECTS LEAGUE HONOR: Senior forward Gerald Beverly was selected the ECC Player of the Week this past Monday in recognition of his outstanding play in the wins over Molloy and Queens last week…he totaled 43 points, 34 rebounds and six blocks during the two wins last weekend…he totaled 25 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in the win over Molloy and has recorded five-straight double-doubles.
DID YOU KNOW?: Daemen is 38-2 since the start of the 2009-10 season when it scores 90 or more points.
WHAT'S NEXT: Daemen is idle until Jan. 3 when it travels to the University of the District of Columbia for an ECC game…the Wildcats will then play at Washington Adventist University on Jan. 5 in a rematch of last year's USCAA Tournament semifinal game won by WAU…Daemen's complete 2014-15 schedule can be accessed HERE.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College men's basketball on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics or @DaemenMBB) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics or www.facebook.com/DaemenCollegeMensBasketball) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.
