The Gannon men's basketball team will make its 2011-12 home debut this weekend when it hosts the 28th annual Gary Miller Classic Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26 at the Hammermill Center. Both Gannon games in the tournament can be heard live locally on Jet Radio 1400.
Friday's semifinal action kicks off with West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) member Pitt-Johnstown and NCAA Division II transitional member Roberts Wesleyan at 5:30 p.m. Gannon entertains Daemen (N.Y.) in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m.
Gannon (1-1, 1-1 PSAC) opened the season last weekend with a road split, falling at East Stroudsburg 90-89 and winning at Kutztown 80-79. East Stroudsburg and Kutztown were picked to be the top two teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division according to the league's preseason coaches poll.
Head coach
John T. Reilly's club made history during its first two games, opening the campaign with a pair of one-point contests for the first time in the program's 67-year history. The Gannon-East Stroudsburg game featured 12 ties and 28 lead changes.
Gannon definitely showed its depth during the opening weekend. Ten different players reached double digits in playing minutes and 10 Golden Knights scored points at East Stroudsburg. One day later, 12 players saw game action to offset 11 different Golden Knights picking up fouls at Kutztown. Ten players dented the scoring column and grabbed at least one rebound against the Golden Bears.
Pitt-Johnstown (2-2, 1-1 WVIAC), picked to finish second in the WVIAC preseason coaches poll, is no stranger to the Gary Miller Classic. The Mountain Cats are 9-3 all-time in Gary Miller Classic play. UPJ is the only visiting team in tournament history to win back-to-back titles, capturing the trophy in 1987 and 1988. The Cats have won three titles and advanced to the finals five times in six appearances.
UPJ's last trip to the Hammermill Center came during the 2009 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. Gannon pulled away with a 39-23 second-half edge and defeated the Mountain Cats 76-53 in the opening round of the tournament.
Daemen (3-3) rides a two-game losing streak into the Gary Miller Classic after consecutive losses to Davenport (85-75) and Cornerstone (80-70). Davenport is ranked third in the NAIA Top 25 while Cornerstone is tabbed sixth. Head coach Don Silveri's squad narrowly missed an upset in last year's Gary Miller Classic semifinals with an 82-80 loss to Northern Michigan. The Wildcats are 0-9 all-time against Gannon, including a 68-64 setback during the last meeting in 2009.
Roberts Wesleyan (2-3) is currently in Candidacy Year 1 as an NCAA Division II transitional member. The transition process will last three years until the Raiders become a full-fledged NCAA Division II member in 2014-15. Roberts Wesleyan posted a 21-14 mark, advanced to the American Mideast Conference (AMC) title game, won the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) East Regional and eventually advanced to the NCCAA national semifinals last season.
Gannon will attempt to win its fifth Gary Miller Classic title in the last six years and 11th in the last 13. The Golden Knights have won 16 Gary Miller Classic titles overall and are 40-8 in tournament play. The program are 21-3 all-time in the first round.
The four head coaches in this year's classic have combined to win 1,343 games. They have coached a combined 2,299 career games.
