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Tournament Schedule:

Friday, November 20
ESU vs. Mercy, 5 p.m.
PSU vs. Ship, 7 p.m.

Saturday, November 21
ESU vs. PSU, 5 p.m.
Mercy vs. Ship, 7 p.m.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University men's basketball team will kick off the home portion of its 2009-10 regular season schedule by hosting the annual Wolf's Bus Lines Classic from Heiges Field House this Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21.

This year's field consists of Mercy (N.Y.) College, Penn State University's Greater-Allegheny campus, East Stroudsburg University and the host Red Raiders. Games will be held at 5 and 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evening.

On Friday, The Red Raiders will be collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items prior to both games and all fans that bring a food item for donation will receive free admission. The donations will then be given to the King's Kettle Food Pantry of Shippensburg.

On Saturday, Shippensburg will be recognizing Derrick Graff before the game for his contributions to the men's basketball program. Graff has forgone his final season of athletic eligibility in order to fulfill a three-year paid internship with a national defense agency based in Mechanicsburg. At halftime, SU will honor Keith Hill, the second leading scorer in program history, with an All-American trophy.

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW:

Shippensburg (1-0) opened its 2009-10 season on Sunday afternoon from Thomas Fieldhouse with a clutch performance in the game's final four minutes, scoring 11 of the game's final 14 points in a 61-53 victory over PSAC Western Division opponent Lock Haven.

The Red Raiders were picked to finish fifth in the preseason PSAC Eastern Division Coaches poll and are coming off a season in which they finished with a 12-15 record. SU opened the 2008-09 campaign with a 7-1 record, their best start in three years, while finishing the season ranked third in the conference for field goal percentage defense and fourth in blocked shots.

SU played strong in the conference despite its 4-10 record, as five of those losses came by just five points or less. The roster has undergone significant changes, however, with the departure of players such as Derrick Graff, Ryan Kraft and Stephon Draper.

Among the players ready to contribute for the Red Raiders this season are seniors Daziah Miller and Tariek Belcher. Miller returns to the Red Raiders as one of three seniors and started seven games last season. He will be a significant starter while providing some necessary senior leadership after averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds to rank second on the team.

Fellow Harcum College alum Belcher returns to the Raider lineup after playing one semester with Shippensburg during the 2007-08 season. Belcher will provide another inside presence to complement Miller. He averaged 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds through nine games as a Red Raider. The duo could form one of the stronger inside tandems in the conference.

Senior Brian Oleksiak is a returning starter and a tenacious competitor who will provide leadership on the court as a starter. Oleksiak hustled and grinded his way to averaging 6.4 points and six rebounds per game last season.

Freshman Lamar Jackson has completed a redshirt season and will get the opportunity to play point guard for the Raiders. Jackson is multi-talented but has yet to log any collegiate playing experience entering the season.

Mercy (N.Y.) (0-1) is looking to rebound after a tough 2008-09 campaign in which the squad finished with an 0-27 record. In their season opener, the Mavericks dropped a 110-72 decision to UMass-Lowell but got a combined 40 points from junior guard Hassan Powell and freshman guard Tyler Jones.

Four players posted double figures in that game for Mercy, including freshman guard Bryan Van Cott and junior guard Manny Garcia. Both players are expected to play an integral role for the Mavericks this season.

Mercy competed against several Division I programs this preseason and came away from the action with a lot of valuable experience. Among the opponents the Mavericks faced in the preseason included Fordham and Manhattan.

The Mavericks will be guided by first-year head coach Sean O'Connor, a graduate of St. John's University and a 20-year coaching veteran. "We have assembled a great young coaching staff and will recruit talented student-athletes," O'Connor said before the season. "We have a great network in the high school and A.A.U. community that we will draw upon to help us build the program into a strong competitor in the East Coast Conference."

East Stroudsburg (1-0) fared well in its season opener with a 97-48 victory over Penn State-Schuylkill. In that game, senior guard Andy Heimbach scored 20 points and was 4-for-6 from behind the arc to set the school record for career three-pointers.

Heimbach leads a veteran group of guards that includes Robby Pines and Mike DeMarco, who each played at least 18 minutes in every game last season. DeMarco and Heimback are the team's leading returning scorers this season.

The Warriors graduated four starters, including two-time all-conference forward Chris Bach, lost six letterwinners and return just two of their top six scorers. However, head coach Jeff Wilson has guided East Stroudsburg to four consecutive 16-win seasons for the first time in school history and his squad will look to make a strong impact this season in the PSAC Eastern Division.

Penn State-Greater Allegheny (0-1), under the direction of second-year head coach Clyde Manns, opened its 2009-10 season at Mercyhurst last week and dropped a 98-64 decision to the Lakers. In that game, guard Darius Prince was one of three Nittany Lions who posted double figures and finished with 19 points, three assists and three steals.

The Nittany Lions have the potential to score some points, as the team shot 66 percent from the field in the second half of its season opener by hitting 17-of-26 shots from the field. In addition to Prince's 19 points, forward Erick Barron contributed 13 points and five rebounds while Lance Meade added a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in 32 minutes off the bench. 

The Greater Allegheny campus is a member of the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference and the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittany Lions were picked sixth in the 2009-10 PSUAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll and are looking for their first PSUAC title since the 2005-06 season, when the campus was named Penn State-McKeesport.

* SU sports information extends a special thanks to the sports information professionals at each institution for some of the information that was incorporated into the tournament preview.