Lance-Amir Paul vs. Pitt

Men's Basketball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Set to Host 37th Annual Gary Miller Classic

Golden Knights to Face D'Youville on Friday Night

D'YOUVILLE SAINTS (1-3) at GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (1-1)
 
37th ANNUAL GARY MILLER CLASSIC
DATE/TIME: Friday, November 26, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
ARENA/LOCATION: Hammermill Center l Erie, Pa.
 
RADIO:  Gannon basketball fans can catch all of the exciting action of Golden Knights' basketball on 90.5 WERG FM. Jack Quinn and Sean Amicucci will serve as announcers for the games.
 
THE 37TH ANNUAL GARY MILLER CLASSIC
Friday, November 26
Game 1 – Concord Mountain Lions (1-3) vs. Saint Michael's Purple Knights (1-2) – 5:30 p.m. LIVE VIDEO  LIVE STATS
Game 2 – GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (1-1) vs. D'Youville Saints (1-3) – 7:30 p.m.  LIVE VIDEO  LIVE STATS
Saturday, November 27
Consolation Game – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 -- 5:30 p.m.  LIVE VIDEO  LIVE STATS
Championship Game – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:30 p.m.  LIVE VIDEO  LIVE STATS
 
THE GANNON-D'YOUVILLE ALL-TIME SERIES
Gannon leads 2-0
Last Meeting:  Feb. 18, 2021 – at Gannon 96, D'Youville 38 I RECAP
Alfonso Pickens Jr. (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) handed out a game-high 14 assists in his first career start to help No. 21 Gannon roll past D'Youville, 96-38, at the Hammermill Center. The dominating win came two days after the Golden Knights claimed a much closer 91-81 decision in Buffalo. Gannon outscored the Saints, 53-16, in the second half to improve to 8-0. Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) finished with a game-high 18 points, while Ian McNeill (Erie, Pa./East) came off the bench to add 16 points. Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) (13) and Kevin Dodds (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) (10) were also in double figures, while Robertas Jonaitas was GU's top rebounder with nine.
 
37TH ANNUAL GARY MILLER CLASSIC
Gannon is set to host the 37th annual Gary Miller Classic at the Hammermill Center on Friday, November 26 and Saturday, November 27. The Golden Knights have won 18 Gary Miller Classic titles and are 50-16 in tournament play. While there was no Gary Miller Classic in 2020, 11th-ranked Ashland defeated the Golden Knights in the 2019 finals, 81-76.  Gannon will attempt to win its seventh Gary Miller Classic title in the last 16 years and 13th in the last 22. The Golden Knights have reached the finals each of the last five years, the last time they wore the tournament crown was 2017. The Gary Miller Classic began in 1984 with a single-game format. Gannon defeated Franklin 101-64 in the season-opening event played at the Erie Civic Center. The Golden Knights proceeded to knock off Penn State Behrend 80-62 in the 1985 classic, before the event began to move towards its current format. The Gary Miller Classic changed to a two-game affair in 1986 when Mercyhurst defeated Thiel, 111-75, and Gannon defeated Penn State Behrend, 72-54. It became a two-day, four-team event beginning in 1987 and has remained in the same format ever since.

GARY MILLER CLASSIC RECORDS AND ALL-TIME RESULTS
 
A LOOK AT THE 2021 GARY MILLER CLASSIC FIELD

Gannon Golden Knights (1-1, 0-0 PSAC West)
Head Coach: Kelvin Jefferson (25-18, 3rd year)
Leading Players: Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) (G, 6'0", R-So. – 28.0 ppg.-9.0 rpg.-5.0 apg.), Robertas Jonaitis (Pakruojis, Lithuania/Greater Beckley Christian School) (G, 6'5", R-Fr. – 14.0 ppg.-5.5 rpg.-69.2 FG%), Alonde LeGrand (Harlem, N.Y./Berkshire) (G/F, 6'7", Gr. -- 14.0 ppg.-5.0 rpg.-66.7 FG%), Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) (G, 6'2", R-So. -- 13.0 ppg.-6 of 15 3's), Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) (F, 6'6", R-So. -- 12.5 ppg.-6.5 rpg.), Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) (G, 6'0", R-Jr. – 12.0 ppg.-10.0 rpg.-8.0 apg.), Donovan Forte (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights) (F, 6'6", R-Jr. -- 9.5 ppg.-66.7 FG%), Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) (G, 6'6", R-Fr.)
Gannon split its first two games while playing a pair of former GLIAC foes. The Golden Knights opened the season with an 80-76 loss to Ashland. They trailed by ten points with just over a minute remaining before pulling to within a point. That was followed by an impressive 90-80 win over a Saginaw Valley State team that defeated Division I Western Michigan by 17 points three days earlier.
  
Concord Mountain Lions (1-3, 0-1 MEC)
Head Coach: Todd May (70-69, 6th year)
Leading Players: Lual Rahama (F, 6'5", Sr. -- 16.3 ppg-5.3 rpg.), Matt Weir (G, 6'0", Sr. -- 16.3 ppg.-5.0 rpg.-5.5 apg.-11 of 26 3's), Ethan Heller (G, 6'0", Jr. -- 14.3 ppg.-5.0 rpg.-3.8 apg.-10 of 26 3's), Da'Vion Moore (F, 6'7", Sr. -- 8.5 ppg.-4.8-65.2 FG%)  
Concord opened the season against two of the top teams in the PSAC West, losing to Pitt-Johnstown (96-91 ot) and Indiana(Pa.) (98-78) in IUP's IMRC/Hilton Garden Inn. After a 92-87 win over Bluefield State, the Mountain Lions opened MEC action last Saturday with a 94-74 loss at a Charleston(WV) team picked to finish second in the conference. Concord was sixth in the preseason poll.  
 
D'Youville Saints (1-3, 0-0 ECC)
Head Coach: Earl Schunk (65-180, 11th year)
Leading Players: Jared Sullivan (F, 6'6", Fr. -- 12.3 ppg.-3.3 rpg.-63.6 FG%), Garrian Wade (F, 6'3", Jr. -- 10.0 ppg.), Grant Beyer (F, 6'3", Sr. -- 10.0 ppg.-6 of 16 3's), Mason Putnam (G, 5'10", Fr. -- 9.0 ppg.)
The Saints lost their first two games to Saint Rose (101-65) and New Haven (101-52) before posting a 90-71 win over Bryant & Stratton in their home opener. They dropped a 104-56 decision to 15th-ranked Mercyhurst last Saturday.
 
Saint Michael's Purple Knights (2-1, 0-1 NE10)
Head Coach: Eric Eaton (9-20, 3rd year)
Leading Players: Patrick Gardner (F, 6'10", Sr. -- 18.0 ppg.-11.0 rpg.-2.7 bpg.-51.4 FG%-81.3 FT%), Kasai Brown (F, 6'6", Jr. -- 13.3 ppg.-4.7 rpg.), Chuma Oyigbo (G, 6'4", Fr. -- 8.7 ppg.)
Saint Michael's returns to the Hammermill Center after once being a member of the Mideast Collegiate Conference along with Gannon. The Purple Knights have played their first three games at home, opening with wins over Wilmington(DE) (75-65) and Georgian Court (65-55) in the Delta Hotel Doc Jacobs Tipoff Classic. They opened Northeast-10 play last Saturday with a narrow 72-69 loss to Stonehill.
 
  
ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon men's basketball team will likely be short-handed once again when the Golden Knights host the 37th-annual Gary Miller Classic on Friday, November 26 and Saturday, November 27. The tournament opens on Friday at 5:30 p.m. with Concord facing Saint Michael's. At 7:30 p.m., Gannon opposes D'Youville. Friday's losers will meet in the consolation game at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the winners squaring off in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. to determine the 2021 Gary Miller Classic champion.
 
Gannon comes in with a 1-1 record after an impressive 90-80 win over Saginaw Valley State on Sunday. They opened the season the previous weekend with an 80-76 loss to another former foe from the GLIAC, Ashland. In both instances, third-year head coach Kelvin Jefferson had to play without a full contingent of Golden Knights.
 
Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic), last season's third-leading scorer, has missed the first two games with an injury. Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) and Alonde LeGrand (Harlem, N.Y./Berkshire) were also not available against Ashland. While the duo would return to play a huge role against Saginaw Valley State, starting point guard Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) was forced to sit out the game with an injury after falling two assists short of a triple-double vs. Ashland. To make matters worse, Gannon had to play the final ten-minutes plus without last season's leading scorer, Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's), who took a hard fall and did not return.
 
The Gary Miller Classic has a little bit of a flavor from throughout the east coast. Should Gannon face Saint Michael's this weekend, it would mark the third game against a former conference foe. The two were members of the Mideast Collegiate Conference. The Purple Knights enter with a 2-1 record and currently belong to the Northeast-10 Conference. Concord shows a 1-3 record and competes in the Mountain East Conference. Finally, Gannon's opening opponent, D'Youville (1-3), is in the East Coast Conference.
        
The Gary Miller Classic wraps up a four-game homestand for the Golden Knights. They play back-to-back PSAC crossover games on the road at Shepherd and Shippensburg before returning home again for four more games as 2022 begins.
 
GOLDEN KNIGHTS LOOKING LIKE A MASH UNIT
Gannon has found a way to split its first two games despite playing short-handed. Redshirt freshman guard Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) missed both games. He finished third on the team in scoring in 2020-21 at 12.1 ppg. while starting all 14 games. Top transfers Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) and Alonde LeGrand (Harlem, N.Y./Berkshire) were unavailable for the first game against Ashland. Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) narrowly missed a triple-double vs. Ashland, but in the process he got banged up and was unable to suit up against Saginaw Valley State. Then his backcourt mate, Chris Clancy (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's), crashed hard to the floor on a drive with just over 10 minutes remaining. Gannon's top 3-point threat and the leading scorer at 13.5 ppg. last season would not return.
 
PAUL, LEGRAND IMPRESSIVE IN DEBUT
Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) and Alonde LeGrand (Harlem, N.Y./Berkshire) had to wait one game before starting their careers as Golden Knights. It was well worth the wait. Paul, a 6'0" redshirt sophomore who transferred from Frank Phillips College, started in place of injured Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) and took over in the second half against Saginaw Valley State. He finished with a game-high 28 points, adding nine rebounds and five assists while making 10-of-16 field goals and 6-of-9 free thrwos. LeGrand, a 6'7" graduate student who came in from North Florida, bounced off the bench to contribute 14 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes. He drained three big 3-pointers.
 
JONAITIS, FORTE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF EXTENDED PT
Gannon's injury issues have forced a number of players to step up. No player has taken advantage of the extra playing time more than Robertas Jonaitis (Pakruojis, Lithuania/Greater Beckley Christian School). A 6'5" redshirt freshman, made 4-of-7 field goals, including three emphatic dunks, and was 5-of-7 at the line against Ashland, finishing with 13 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds while playing 20 minutes. Against Saginaw Valley State, he contributed 15 points and made 5-of-6 field goals. Donovan Forte (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights), a 6'6", 250 lb. redshirt junior, made 6-of-9 field goals to finish with a career-high 14 points in 19 minutes vs. Ashland. 
 
MIMS LEADS WAY IN FIRST GAME AS A GOLDEN KNIGHT
Demetrius Mims (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) got his Gannon career off to a fast start. The 6'6" redshirt sophomore led Gannon with 16 points and also pulled down eight rebounds. The transfer from Towson, who has also played at Long Beach State, was 7-of-14 from the floor.
 
OLSEN FALLS JUST SHY OF TRIPLE-DOUBLE VS. ASHLAND
At 6'0", Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) is hardly known for his rebounding. Against Ashland, he snuck inside to pull down a game-high 10 rebounds along with scoring 12 points. With eight assists, the redshirt junior fell just shy of a triple double. 
 
GANNON PICKED FIFTH IN PSAC PRESEASON POLL
Gannon was recently picked to finish fifth in the PSAC West in the Coaches' Preseason Poll. Indiana(Pa.) is the preseason favorite and received seven of the nine first place votes. Mercyhurst was second in the poll, with Pitt-Johnstown third. UPJ received the other two first place votes. Cal U was fourth.  Gannon played a COVID-shortened schedule during the spring of 2021 and went 10-4 overall. The Golden Knights made several appearances in the NABC Division II national rankings a season ago, climbing as high as No. 21 in the country.
 
KNIGHTS PLAY DIVISION I PITTSBURGH, OLD DOMINION IN EXHIBITION GAMES
Gannon played a pair of exhibition games against Division I opponents in early November. While losing both, the contests were much closer than the final score indicated. On Nov. 1, the Golden Knights dropped an 89-64 decision at Pittsburgh. They trailed 49-41 with just over 13 minutes remaining before the Panthers went on an 11-0 run. Another string of 11 consecutive points doomed the Golden Knights at Old Dominion on Nov. 6. Gannon trailed 41-33 at the half but ODU scored the first 11 points after intermission and won 96-56. Ike Herster (Sharon, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) paced the Golden Knights with 11 points, while Lance-Amir Paul (Kingston, Jamaica/Putnam Science Academy) was also in double figures with 10 points. Three players scored in double digits at ODU, with Herster again leading the way with 18 markers. Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) chipped in with 16 points and Paul had 10.  
 
NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
After opening the season with four straight home games, Gannon plays its next two games at home before returning for another four-game homestand. The Gary Miller Classic also signals the end of the non-conference games, as the rest of the schedule is against PSAC competition. The Golden Knights play at Shepherd on Friday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. The next day they play at Shippensburg, the preseason favorite in the PSAC East. Tipoff is also at 7:30 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Clancy

#5 Chris Clancy

SG
6' 2"
Sophomore
Kevin Dodds

#10 Kevin Dodds

F
6' 7"
Junior
Braden Olsen

#1 Braden Olsen

PG
6' 0"
Junior
Donovan Forte

#14 Donovan Forte

F
6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
Robertas Jonaitis

#24 Robertas Jonaitis

G
6' 5"
Freshman
Ike Herster

#3 Ike Herster

G
6' 6"
Freshman
Alfonso Pickens Jr.

#4 Alfonso Pickens Jr.

PG
6' 1"
Freshman
Ian McNeill

#33 Ian McNeill

C
6' 7"
Junior
Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

F
6' 6"
Redshirt Sophomore
Alonde LeGrand

#15 Alonde LeGrand

G/F
6' 7"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Chris Clancy

#5 Chris Clancy

6' 2"
Sophomore
SG
Kevin Dodds

#10 Kevin Dodds

6' 7"
Junior
F
Braden Olsen

#1 Braden Olsen

6' 0"
Junior
PG
Donovan Forte

#14 Donovan Forte

6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
F
Robertas Jonaitis

#24 Robertas Jonaitis

6' 5"
Freshman
G
Ike Herster

#3 Ike Herster

6' 6"
Freshman
G
Alfonso Pickens Jr.

#4 Alfonso Pickens Jr.

6' 1"
Freshman
PG
Ian McNeill

#33 Ian McNeill

6' 7"
Junior
C
Demetrius Mims

#1 Demetrius Mims

6' 6"
Redshirt Sophomore
F
Alonde LeGrand

#15 Alonde LeGrand

6' 7"
Graduate Student
G/F