TOURNAMENT INFORMATION & LINKS
GAME #1: Roberts Wesleyan Redhakws (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Nyack Warriors (0-0, 0-0 CACC)
Friday, Nov. 9 | 11 a.m. | Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
GAME #2: Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Caldwell Cougars (0-0, 0-0 CACC)
Friday, Nov. 9 | 1:30 p.m. | Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
GAME #3: Roberts Wesleyan Redhakws (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Caldwell Cougars (0-0, 0-0 CACC)
Saturday, Nov. 10 | 12 p.m. | Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
GAME #4: Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Nyack Warriors (0-0, 0-0 CACC)
Saturday, Nov. 10 | 2 p.m. | Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
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JUMP BALL
Daemen opens the 2018-19 regular season by hosting the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC, bringing four NCAA Division II programs to Lumsden Gymnasium for four games over two days. The Wildcats open up against Caldwell, putting their 16-game winning streak in season openers on the line. The tournament capper has Daemen meeting Nyack for the second straight season. The Wildcats own a 7-1 all-time record in the tournament, and carry a four-game winning streak into this weekend's action.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his fifth season as Daemen's head coach, and his 22nd season overall as a collegiate head coach. In his first four seasons roaming the Daemen sidelines, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to an 81-37 overall record. The Wildcats have won at least 19 games in each of MacDonald's three seasons, and the team's 87 victories in that span are the second most among all NCAA Division II programs in New York State. Before coming to Daemen, MacDonald transformed the Division III program at Medaille into a perennial powerhouse, averaging 18 wins per season and advancing to the postseason six times in his eight years as head coach. MacDonald made his head coaching debut at the Division I level, leading the program at Canisius from 1997-2006. While there, MacDonald's teams racked up 108 wins making him the third all-time winningest coach in the program's history. The longtime bench boss opens the 2018-19 season with a career record of 337-263.
TOP 25 RANKING
Daemen is ranked No. 22 in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll. It marks the first time in the program's Division II era that they've been included in any of the several national polls. Division II Bulletin is a national publication that specializes in the coverage of NCAA Division II men's basketball.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Redshirt sophomore center Andrew Sischo headlines Daemen's returning players after earning first team All-ECC and ECC Rookie of the Year honors last season. An eight-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, Sischo was downright dominant on the interior last season as he led the team in points (462), points per game (15.4), made field goals (195), field goal percentage (56.5%), rebounds (261), rebounds per game (8.7) and blocked shots (25). His point total established a new team record for scoring by a freshman, eclipsing the previous mark of 420 set by Brian Montanaro during the 2002-03 season. He was also the first Daemen player with more than 200 rebounds in a season since Gerald Beverly (373 in 2014-15), and his rebound total is second among freshmen players in team history. Appearing in all 30 games, Sischo reached double-figure scoring 25 times and totaled seven double-doubles. Sischo led all ECC freshmen and ranked among the league's overall leaders in scoring (seventh), rebounding (second) and field goal percentage (third). He was Daemen's first major award winner from the conference since Beverly earned ECC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, and the first freshman to earn first team All-ECC honors since John Petrucelli of Molloy College in the 2010-11 season.
BREAKOUT BREON
Junior guard Breon Harris enjoyed a breakout season in 2017-18, helping Daemen to wins in 16 of 18 games after he was inserted into the starting lineup. After producing just 3.1 points on 31.8 percent shooting while coming off the bench in the team's first 11 games, Harris contributed 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field as a starter. After totaling just just three three-pointers in the first 21 games of his career, Harris has made at least one in 18 of the last 19 games (27 total three-point field goals in that span). A third team All-ECC and ECC All-Tournament Team selection, Harris finished the 2017-18 season averaging 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He finished second in the ECC in total steals with 70, becoming the first Daemen player with more than 60 steals in a season since Casey Sheehan (68) during the 2012-13 campaign.
GARV-ELOUS
Daemen has become reliant on the steady play of senior guard Darius Garvin who has appeared in 86 of a possible 87 games while making 70 starts in the last three seasons. Each season he's increased his statistical impact on the team, and he was voted as the team's MVP by his teammates in 2017-18. Only fellow backcourt mate Jay Sarkis logged more minutes than Garvin's 1,022 last season. He finished the year averaging 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Garvin was one of only two players in the ECC to record double-figure points, rebounds and assists at some point during last season. Daemen was 12-3 last season and 22-6 since the start of the 2015-16 season when Garvin scores 10 or more points in a game.
THREE-DICULOUS
Over the last two seasons, forward Jeff Redband has established himself as one of the preeminent three-point shooters in the ECC. In the 2016-17 season, Redband canned 68-of-151 three-point attempts becoming the first Daemen freshman with more than 50 triples since Brian Montanaro's 70 in 2002-03. He followed that up by shooting 69-for-169 from deep last season, becoming the first Daemen player with 60 or more three-pointers in back-to-back seasons since Montanaro did so in four straight seasons from 2002-06. A third team All-ECC pick in 2017-18, Redband averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while finishing third in three-point field goals and sixth in three-point shooting percentage among the ECC leaders. Redband heads into his third collegiate season already ranking ninth in team history with 137 triples.
SHINING STAR-KIS
Guard Jay Sarkis made a successful return to the lineup last season after missing all of the 2016-17 campaign with an injury. Sarkis, who quarterbacked the Wildcats to an appearance in the ECC Tournament finals as a freshman in 2015-16, was a four-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection as he appeared in all 29 games while making 26 starts, and averaging 8.5 points and 2.3 assists per game that season. In 30 games last season, Sarkis produced 12.5 points and a team-best 3.6 assists per game and earned third team All-ECC honors. Sarkis finished the season ranking among the ECC leaders in total minutes (1,057 - 3rd), minutes per game (35.2 - 5th), three-point field goal percentage (42.5 - 5th), three-point field goals (68 - 4th), total assists (106 - 3rd) and assists per game (3.5 - 6th).
THE HAMILTON PRODUCTION
Redshirt senior guard/forward Deion Hamilton returns to the lineup after missing the final 20 games of the 2017-18 season. The 6-foot-4 slasher provides another viable scoring option for the Wildcats with a career scoring average of 10.9 points per game. Hamilton was leading the team in scoring (15.1 ppg) through the first 10 games last season, while also chipping in 4.2 rebounds per game. He's also been a two-time All-Tournament Team pick at the season-opening ECC-CACC Challenge. Daemen is 16-6 over the last two seasons when Hamilton shoots 50 percent or better from the field.
RUNNING OF THE BULLS
Daemen suffered a 97-50 loss in an exhibition contest vs. Division I Buffalo on Oct. 26. The highly-touted Bulls, unanimous picks to win the Mid-American Conference for a third straight season, looked as advertised with eight players scoring nine points or more in the game. Andrew Sischo paced the Wildcats with 14 points and eight rebounds. It marked the fourth straight year that Daemen and UB have met in exhibition play.
STARTING 1-0
Daemen has won 16 consecutive regular season openers dating back to the 2002-03 season. The wins in that span have come over 14 different opponents. Fisher (Mass.) and Wilfrid Laurier (Ont.) are the only opponents Daemen has defeated twice in season openers during the streak. The Wildcats' average margin of victory during the streak is an astonishing 24.4 points per game; in the team's five season openers since beginning to play a full Division II schedule, the average margin of victory is 18.8 points per game. Just two games - a 68-65 final over Toronto in 2011, and a 62-57 final over Felician in 2017 - have been decided by single digits. Daemen has gone over 100 points in three of the last six season openers; the high-water mark came in 2013 when they downed Ohio Valley 111-90. Daemen's last loss in a season opener came at the Spring Hill College (Ala.) Tournament against the hosts on Nov. 2, 2001, falling 75-35.
ECC-CACC CHALLENGE HISTORY
This weekend's event marks the fifth straight year that Daemen has hosted the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC. The Wildcats are 7-1 all-time in the tournament, and they'll bring a four-game winning streak into this weekend's action after defeating Felician (62-57) and Nyack (78-60) in last season's tournament. Daemen's lone loss in the event came on Nov. 14, 2015 to a Holy Family team that went on to win the CACC championship that season. Daemen is averaging a point differential of 13.4 points per game in their eight ECC-CACC Challenge outings. Roberts Wesleyan is 3-5 all-time, while Caldwell (1-1) and Nyack (0-2) are each making their second tournament appearances. A complete tournament history including game results and individual records can be accessed by clicking HERE.
DEFENDING THE DEN
Daemen posted a 12-3 record at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium last season, reaching double-figure home wins for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 82-13 at Lumsden Gymnasium (.863 winning percentage).
CALDWELL SCOUTING REPORT
Caldwell is a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the Cougars are led by longtime head coach Mark A. Corino. In 30 seasons with the program, Corino has guided the Cougars to a 468-397 record. The Cougars, who have been picked third in the CACC North Division preseason poll, return 11 players from their 2017-18 team that went 16-13 overall and 13-6 in league play. Among the returners are four players who averaged at least 7.0 points per game last season. Junior forwards Ruud Lutterman (9.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Eric Johnson-Alford (8.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) headline the returners. The Cougars came oh-so-close to pulling off an early season upset, falling by just a single point (85-84) in an exhibition with Division I Monmouth on Oct. 27.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Caldwell: 3-0
Streak: Won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 75, Caldwell 64 | Nov. 11, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.
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NYACK SCOUTING REPORT
Nyack is a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the Warriors are led by first-year head coach Valiant Jones. The 2009 Nyack graduate takes over for Jason Crafton who left to accept an assistant coaching position the the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA-G League. The Warriors are coming off a 7-19 campaign; their 7-12 record in CACC play was good for a fifth-place finish in the CACC North Division. Eight players return to the fold, including senior forward Carl Balthazar who averaged 10.3 points per game last season. Senior guard Shawn Witherspoon (7.5 ppg) also returns after starting 22 of the team's 26 games last season. Nyack was picked seventh in the CACC North Division preseason poll.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Nyack: 3-1
Streak: Won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 78, Nyack 60 | Nov. 11, 2017 | Amherst, N.Y.
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ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT
Roberts Wesleyan is a member of the East Coast Conference, and the Redhawks are led by interim head coach Mark Saladzius. After nine years as an assistant, Saladzius assumes control of the program following the retirement of longtime bench boss Rob McCoy who tallied 185 wins in 16 seasons at the helm. The Redhawks were the most improved team in the ECC last season, increasing their overall wins (from 3 to 14) and conference wins (from 2 to 7) while earning the program's first ECC Championship tournament berth. Six players return from RWC's 2017-18 team that went 14-14 overall and 7-11 in league play. The group of returners is headlined by junior guard Isaiah Lewis, a third team All-ECC pick who averaged 13.1 points per game last season. Incumbent starters Peyton McLaurin (9.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Jean Toussaint (9.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Michael Bush (9.4 ppg) also return.
DID YOU KNOW?
Daemen is 11-3 in November home games since Mike MacDonald took the reins of the program beginning with the 2014-15 season. Since joining the ECC in 2013-14, Daemen is 12-3 against CACC opponents, and 11 of the 15 meetings have occurred at Lumsden Gymnasium where Daemen is 10-1.
UP NEXT
Daemen's first road game of the season comes next Wednesday, Nov. 14 at Mercyhurst.
