Men's Basketball Begins 2016-17 Slate with Pair of Games at Bentley Tip-Off Classic

Men's Basketball Begins 2016-17 Slate with Pair of Games at Bentley Tip-Off Classic

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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's basketball team and first-year head coach Joe Gallo begin the 2016-17 campaign this weekend at the Bentley Tip-Off Classic hosted at the Dana Athletic Center in Waltham, Mass. Gallo will make his Navy and Gold debut on Friday night when Merrimack faces Post University at 6 p.m., and on Saturday Merrimack battles CACC favorite Bloomfield College, also at 6 p.m.

The Basics
 Date/Time (Post): 11/11 | 6 p.m.
Date/Time (Bloomfield): 11/12 | 6 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (0-0) | Post (0-0) | Bloomfield (0-0)
Location: Dana Athletic Center | Waltham, Mass.

A Look Back at 2015-16:

  • Merrimack enters the 2016-17 campaign following a 15-win season that featured 10 Northeast-10 Conference victories
  • The Warriors featured a pair of all-conference guards in Gelvis Solano and Troy Hammel who graduated, as did four-year starting point guard JT Strickland and forwards James Kennedy and Tyler Hunt
  • Graduate forward Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) returns for a fifth season as the Warriors' leading returning scorer. He averaged over 10 points-per-game, while adding 5.3 rebounds-per-game in 26 appearances and 21 starts
  • Sophomore Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) should see an increased role after scoring 16 points in Merrimack's exhibition against Fairleigh Dickinson last week
  • Other impact returners include senior Riley Calzonetti (Neptune City, N.J.), junior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) and sophomores Troy McLaughlin (Old Tappan, N.J.) and Jordan Thornton (Harrisburg, Pa.)
  • Redshirt-junior Tawayne Anderson Jr. (Garden City, N.Y.) expects to hit the court for the first time since his freshman campaign this fall after missing the past two years due to injury
  • Five newcomers will debut for the Navy and Gold this season. Freshmen guards Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) and Jaleel Lord (Jersey City, N.J.) started against the Knights last week and will make an immediate impact
  • Other rookies include Jon Brennen (Irvington, N.Y.) and Devon Moore (Hanover, Pa.). Junior Dillon Salva (North Brunswick, N.J.) will suit up for Merrimack after transferring from Brookdale Community College

Last Season vs. Post/Bloomfield:

  • The Navy and Gold did not play either Post or Bloomfield last season in the Bentley Tip-Off Classic. The Warriors downed Caldwell and Concordia (N.Y.) by double digits, putting up 107 points against the Clippers
  • The Warriors last played the Eagles of Post University in the 2008-09 campaign, a year that saw the Navy and Gold advance to the NCAA Tournament. Merrimack defeated Post by a 95-69 final
  • Facing Bloomfield frequently in non-league play, the Navy and Gold last played the Bears two seasons ago on the road, winning by 18 points (92-74)
  • The Warriors have an 8-0 record over the last four years at the Bentley Tip-Off Classic

The Eagles:

  • Post also enters the 2016-17 slate under new leadership, as Mark Kuntz will debut as head coach against the Warriors on Friday. Kuntz spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire
  • The Eagles won 14 games last season, including a 10-9 mark in the CACC. Their season ended in the conference tournament, a 96-90 overtime defeat to the University of the Sciences
  • Junior Tyler Desrosiers led the team in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 16.3 ppg

The Bears:

  • Bloomfield enters the season as the preseason favorites in the North Division of the CACC, collecting 11 of a possible 14 first-place votes
  • The Bears posted a 13-6 lead record during a 15-13 season last year, bowing out of the CACC Tournament in the semifinals to No. 23 Philadelphia University
  • Three Bears averaged in double figures last season and two return in 2016-17, including leading scorer Nick Davidson (17.1 ppg)

Up Next
 Merrimack returns to the Dana Center on Wednesday when the Navy and Gold begin NE-10 play against the Falcons at 7:30 p.m.

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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.

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