CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College men's basketball team will open the 2017-18 season this weekend at the Daytona Mitsubishi/Kia Shootout, hosted by Embry-Riddle (FL) in Daytona Beach, Fla at the ICI Center.
The Choctaws play Friday (Nov. 10) against the host Eagles at 6:00 p.m. and will close out the tournament on Saturday (Nov. 11) against Palm Beach Atlantic at 1:00 p.m.
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE CHOCTAWS
ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
2017-18 Record: 0-0, 0-0 Gulf South Conference
2016-17 Record: 7-19, 4-18 GSC
Head Coach:
Don Lofton (14th Season)
Record at MC: 204-139 (.595)
Despite a disappointing overall record in 2016-17, the Choctaws closed with a flourish, winning three of their final five games, including road victories over West Georgia and West Alabama. Head coach
Don Lofton won his 200th career game in an 83-65 victory over Selma University on December 3rd.
Three starters return to the lineup for the Choctaws, led by the McComb, Miss. senior duo of
Antonio Johnson and
Stacey Mack. Johnson (13.2 ppg, 3.2 apg) led the Gulf South Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.440) in 2016-17, making 70 from long range. Mack (13.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) has been a starter since his freshman season and is just 257 points away from 1,000 for his career.
The Choctaws also return key contributors in senior
Otis Harvey, juniors
Xavion Dillon and
Davy Fisher and sophomore
Brandon Boston. Harvey was a deadly outside shooter in his junior season before an injury forced him to miss all but five games in 2015-16. Dillon played in the final 20 games of 2016-17 and averaged 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Fisher started 17 games, while Boston scored in double-figures in eight games as a rookie.
EMBRY-RIDDLE (FL) EAGLES
ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
2017-18 Record: 0-0, 0-0 Sunshine State Conference
2016-17 Record: 16-10
Head Coach: Steve Ridder (29th Season)
Record at ERAU: 672-251 (.728)
The Eagles are in their first full year of eligibility in NCAA Division II following a transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Head coach Steve Ridder is in his 29th season at helm, winning his 600th career game in 2013-14 and bringing home a national championship in 1999-00. The Eagles have been predicted to finish 5th in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll, collecting one of the league's 11 first-place votes.
ERAU was a high-scoring team in 2016-17, putting up 88.5 points per game and shooting nearly 50% from the floor as a team. The Eagles lost their top three scorers from a season ago but bring back starters Shaquan McArthur (12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Luka Majstorovic (11.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg).
PALM BEACH ATLANTIC SAILFISH
ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
2017-18 Record: 1-2, 0-0 Sunshine State Conference
2016-17 Record: 16-13, 10-8 SSC
Head Coach: David Balza (5th Season)
Record at PBA: 46-61 (.423)
The Sailfish opened the 2017-18 season at the Division II Tip-Off Classic in Anaheim, Calif., picking up a 79-71 win over Jefferson following losses to Humboldt State (90-81) and Upper Iowa (79-76). Head coach David Balza led PBA to their first winning record in at least 10 seasons, going 16-13 and advancing to the championship game of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. The Sailfish have been picked to finish 6th in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll.
In the early season, Grant Gullett is the team's leading scorer with 15.0 points per game, shooting 62% from the floor and 81% from the free throw line. Michael Stones and Lucas Morales lead the sqaud with 5.7 rebounds per game, while Matthew Johnson has a team-high 3.7 assists per contest.
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact
David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or
nichols@mc.edu.
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