Elon Men’s Basketball Hosts William Peace in Thursday Exhibition Game

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team has its lone preseason tune-up on Thursday night, Nov. 5, in Alumni Gym when the Phoenix hosts William Peace at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth 12 and under.

Listen to the game live on WPCM 104.5 FM/1200 AM with Taylor Durham and John Roddey on the call. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with the football coaches show courtside, as head coach Rich Skrosky will join Taylor Durham before tipoff.

ELON VS. WILLIAM PEACE
In non-exhibition games, Elon and Emory & Henry have previously met six times on the hardwood, with each team taking three wins. The last time the two schools met was Jan. 29, 1930, at Emory & Henry when Elon pulled out a 31-30 win.

EXHIBITION GAMES
Elon has a 6-0 record in exhibition games under head coach Matt Matheny. Last season, the Phoenix topped Emory & Henry, 90-50, in Alumni Gym. Five Phoenix players scored in double figures in the victory, including a team-high 14 points by Dmitri Thompson. Christian Hairston scored 15 points for Elon.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The CAA released its preseason men’s basketball poll on Oct. 27, as the league’s head coaches predicted the Phoenix to finish 10th in the league. Hofstra was picked as the preseason favorite while the Pride’s Juan’ya Green earned nods as the preseason player of the year.

ELON ON THE BIG STAGE
Elon will appear on television eight times this season, including three occasions in Alumni Gym. American Sports Network (ASN) will carry Elon’s home conference games against Drexel (Jan. 2), Hofstra (Jan. 9), and Towson (Feb. 6), in addition to a road non-conference game in the season-opener at Charlotte (Nov. 13).

Elon’s road games at Michigan (Nov. 16) and at Syracuse (Nov. 21) will be broadcasted live on ESPN3, while the Phoenix’s Dec. 28 matchup in Cameron Indoor Stadium vs. Duke will be carried on ESPNU.

A LOOK AT ELON
The Phoenix is coming off an 15-18 campaign in their inaugural year in the CAA under seventh-year head coach Matt Matheny. Elon has a young squad this season with 10 of the 18 members either at freshman of sophomore status.

Elon welcomes back two starters from last season’s squad in seniors Tanner Samson (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Tony Sabato (3.5ppg, 2.3 rpg). The Phoenix is returning a total of 11 non-starters. Senior guard Sam Hershberger joins Samson and Sabato make up this year’s three-member senior class.

The Phoenix graduated one of the winningest classes in school history, as Kevin Blake, Austin Hamilton, and Ryan Winters posted a total of 69 wins during their tenure — the most by a senior class in program history during Elon’s Division I era.

The team welcomes five newcomers to the squad this season, including Sheldon Eberhardt (Fr., G, 6-5, 185, Apex, N.C.), Karolis Kundrotas (Fr., F/C, 6-11, 240, Kaunas, Lithuania), Steven Santa Ana (Fr., G, 6-4, 185, Charlotte, N.C.), Tyler Seibring (Fr., F, 6-8, 225, Towanda, Ill.) and Dainan Swoope (Fr., G, 6-0, 185, Kansas City, Kan.).

HEAD COACH MATT MATHENY
The 2015-16 season marks the seventh year at Elon for head coach Matt Matheny. Matheny enters this season with a career record of 92-100 as a Phoenix.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following Elon’s exhibition game vs. William Peace, the Phoenix hits the road on Nov. 13 for opening night of the regular season at Charlotte. Tip at Halton Arena is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on American Sports Network (ASN).