Men's Basketball Opens 2012-13 Campaign Friday Night in Bentley Tip-Off Classic
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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team opens up the 2012-13 campaign on the road, taking on a pair of neutral-site opponents as part of the Bentley Tip-Off Classic.
On Friday night, the Warriors battle regional foe Dominican College at 6 p.m. in the season-opener before coming back on Saturday to take on Caldwell College, also at 6 p.m. All contests will be played at the Dana Athletic Center on the campus of Bentley University.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• The Warriors have faced off against both teams on one occasion, winning each of those respective matchups.
• Back in December of 2010, Merrimack took on Dominican as part of the Nyack Tournament on Dec. 4, 2010. The Warriors came away with an 80-73 victory in that contest to win the only meeting in the all-time series.
• Nearly five years ago in 2007 was the last time that Merrimack and Caldwell faced off. The Warriors won that Dec. 28, 2007, meeting rather easily, as the final score saw Merrimack ahead comfortably by an 87-59 margin.
A LOOK BACK TO 2011-12
• The 2011-12 season was the 62nd season in the history of Merrimack men's basketball, and the campaign was highlights by the program's 10th consecutive appearance in the NE-10 Conference Tournament.
• The Warriors posted a 15-12 overall record with a 12-10 mark in league action last winter, including an impressive 9-4 mark at home and 8-3 at home against league opponents.
• The Warriors did struggle on the road, however, going just 4-8 overall and 4-7 against NE-10 foes.
• Merrimack's Class of 2012 became just the second senior class in program history to boast three 1,000-point scorers. Roland Davis accomplished the feat in the Warriors' season-opening victory against Bloomfield before Wayne Mack did likewise during the home-opener later that month. Finally, Aaron Strothers became the third Warrior in 2011-12 and the 39th member of the 1,000-point club in program history on Jan. 31 in a narrow loss at Bentley.
• The squad posted a combined record of 5-7 in the months of December and January to sport a 10-10 mark heading into the final month of the regular season. With their backs against the wall, the Warriors opened February with five consecutive victories before dropping the final game of the season against a tough Franklin Pierce squad.
• In the playoffs, sixth-seeded Merrimack drew third-seeded and eventual tournament champion and Final Four participant Stonehill, to which the Warriors fell, 85-66, on the road to conclude their season.
• Merrimack ended the year ranked 10th in the NCAA East Regional Rankings, while head coach Bert Hammel posted his seventh winning season in the 21st century.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
• Dominican finished last season with an overall record of 19-9 and a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) record of 11-7, good for second place in the CACC North Division. The Chargers fell to top-seeded Golden-Beacom College in overtime in the CACC Tournament Semifinals.
• Dominican returns four starters and a strong nucleus of players from last year.
• Top returner Cory Quimby ranked third among CACC scoring leaders at 18.1 points per game while adding 11.4 rebounds per contest last winter, a mark which also ranked second among NCAA national leaders. He was named the CACC
Co-Player of the Year and received All-CACC First Team accolades.
• Guard, Leon Porter, also earned All-CACC First Team honors last season. He was second on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and led the team in both assists (139) and steals (41). He ranked third in the conference in assists, fifth in free throw percentage, and fifth in assist/turnover ratio.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
• Caldwell College posted an overall record of 14-12 last season but did not qualify for the CACC Tournament.
• The Cougars bring back three of their top-five scorers from last season, but must cope with the graduation of Nik Otovic, who led the squad with 15.2 ppg.
• Caldwell will look to lead returning scorer Michael Balkovic, who chipped in
10.9 ppg last winter and hauled in a team-best 6.0 rpg. The sophomore shot an impressive 56.7 percent from the field and was not afraid to launch up a trey, as he finished 31.3 percent from downtown as well as 71.1 percent from the stripe. He also ranked second on the team with 15 blocks last season.
• Also joining Balkovic are senior Arthur Morrison and sophomore Kevin Walker. The two were regulars in the lineup and just missed posting double-digit scoring averages, as the former averaged 9.9 ppg on the year while the latter contributed
9.7 ppg, as well. Morrison notched 12 stuffs and reeled in 5.5 rpg, while Walker was one of the top playmakers, indicative of his team-high 4.0 apg.
BRING IN THE NEW GUYS
• After graduating five seniors from last year's squad, the 2012-13 rendition of the Merrimack men's basketball team will be hardly recognizable compared to years past.
• Seven newcomers – including six freshmen and one sophomore transfer – dot a rookie-laden lineup for Bert Hammel this season. Many of those new faces will be expected to step up and fill in some voids left by last year's departures early and often.
• While the lack of veterans may be a cause for concern, Hammel should be in relatively safe hands with the talented and guard-dominated Class of 2016. Leading the way are projected starters JT Strickland and Gelvis Solano. Strickland (Laurel, Md. / Georgetown Prep) could run the point to start the season, while Solano (New York, N.Y. / Health Professions H.S.) could start beside him in the two-guard spot.
• Also new to the program is sophomore transfer Ryan Woumn (Lynn, Mass. / Lynn English / East Tennessee State). A native to the area, Woumn saw limited time at East Tennessee State last season before transferring to Merrimack. He was named to the All Boston Fox Channel Top-25 Team as a senior at Lynn English High School.
• Rounding out the list of newcomers are freshmen Troy Hammel (Valencia, Calif.), Chris Mendes (Somerset, Mass.), Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.), and Marcus Swedberg (Moultonborough, N.H.).
BACK FOR MORE - HAMMEL RETURNS FOR 33RD SEASON
• Returning for his 33rd season at the helm of the Merrimack men's basketball team, head coach Bert Hammel will face the unenviable task of leading a program that returns just six players and two starters while adding seven newcomers in the upcoming 2012-13 campaign.
• Hammel has posted an all-time record of 476-434 in 32 previous seasons with the Warriors. He notched his 400th career victory back on Jan. 22, 2008, and he has led Merrimack to the NCAA Tournament six times, four of which have occurred since 2000.
• Twenty-seven Merrimack players have garnered Northeast-10 All-Conference honors under Hammel, and he has helped 15 of his former players move into coaching careers of their own.
• The 1973 graduate of Bentley College will not be alone; returning for his fourth season on the bench is Assistant Coach Micky Burtnyk. The former Warrior ('08) has played an important role since joining the program, as Merrimack has qualified for the NE-10 Tournament in each season that Burtnyk has been on the bench, including an NCAA Appearance back in 2009-10.
• Burtnyk's young coaching career follows an illustrious playing career (2004-08) in which he guided the Warriors to 54 total wins and an NCAA Tournament berth in his final year.
FOLLOW THE ACTION FROM HOME
• Once again this season, Merrimack will stream all home basketball games online at www.merrimackathletics.com. Pay-per-view rates of $8 per contest apply, and season packages of $70 - which includes all men's and women's home games combined - are available as well.
• Be sure to follow the Warriors on Twitter (MC_Athletics) for in-game updates as well. Live statistics can also be found online at www.merrimackathletics.com
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For continuing coverage of Merrimack athletics, check back online at www.merrimackathletics.com, and follow the Warriors on Twitter @MC_Athletics.
