RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Elon University men’s basketball opens up its 2018-19 season on the road Tuesday night, Nov. 6, against the Manhattan Jaspers. The game inside Draddy Gymnasium will tip off at approximately 8:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Manhattan women’s basketball game against LIU Brooklyn, which is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m.
COVERAGE
Listen to the Elon IMG Sports Network coverage on the TuneIn app. Taylor Durham and Brian Morris will have the call from Draddy Gymnasium with the pregame show beginning at approximately 8:00 p.m. or immediately following the conclusion of the Manhattan women’s basketball game against LIU Brooklyn.
THE MATCHUP
• Tuesday night’s contest is the first-ever meeting between the Phoenix and the Jaspers.
• This is the third straight season that Elon has faced a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Phoenix is currently 4-5 all-time against members of the MAAC conference.
• Over the past two season, Elon has faced Saint Peter’s and Canisius from the same conference. The Phoenix will face Canisius for the second straight year on Dec. 16, 2018 inside Schar Center.
ABOUT ELON
• Heading into the 2018-19 season, Elon University men’s basketball returns 11 total players and three of its five starters from a year ago in Tyler Seibring, Dainan Swoope and Steven Santa Ana.
• The Phoenix returns four of its top six scorers, including its 2017-18 leading scorer and rebounder in Seibring (15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Elon has two 1,000-point scorers on its roster in Seibring (1,267 points) and Swoope (1,050 points). Santa Ana is just 87 points away from becoming the 43rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateu.
• Elon is led by senior forward Seibring, who is a two-time All-CAA selection and CoSIDA Academic All-American.
• The program’s senior class is made up of five players in Seibring, Swoope, Santa Ana, Sheldon Eberhardt and Karolis Kundrotas. The four players have combined to play in a total of 437 games and make 209 starts.
• Additionally, the Phoenix has made four new additions to the squad for 2018-19 in first-year players Chuck Hannah, Andy Pack, Federico Poser and Kris Wooten.
• Elon made an average 10.5 three pointers per game last season, which ranked second in the CAA and 13th in the nation. Seibring made 82 of Elon’s three pointers last season, which was tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.
• The Phoenix has been predicted to finish eighth in the league as the CAA released its preseason men’s basketball poll on Oct. 17, during the conference’s digital media day. Northeastern was picked the favorite to win the league. Tyler Seibring collected preseason All-CAA honors as he was named to the second team.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2018-19
• Elon’s 110th season of basketball will open with a marquee matchup as the Elon Phoenix hosts the No. 8-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in the program’s first regular season basketball game inside Schar Center. The game is set for Friday, Nov. 9, on ESPNU.
• Prior to that contest, the Phoenix will open the 2018-19 season on Nov. 6 on the road at Manhattan. Elon will then compete in the Tiger Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 22-24, at Pacific University on Thanksgiving week. Elon has a combined 11-1 record in its last three early-season tournaments.
• During its non-conference slate, the Phoenix plays host to seven home contests, which include North Carolina, Boston University, Furman, UNCG and Canisius.
• Elon opens CAA play with a pair of home contests against Towson (Dec. 28) and James Madison (Dec. 30).
SCOUTING MANHATTAN
• Manhattan returns eight letterwinners, including two starters and six scholarship student-athletes.
• The Jaspers also bring back senior Samson Usilo (3.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg in 2016-2017), sophomore Nehemiah Mack (1.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg), sophomore Ebube Ebube (0.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg) and graduate student Ibrahima Diallo (0.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg) along with walk-ons senior Matt Maloney and junior Jesse Boyce.
• Leading the returners for Manhattan is reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Pauly Paulicap and senior Thomas Capuano.
• Paulicap ranked 16th nationally with a MAAC-leading 2.5 blocks per game. He also averaged 10.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg (4th MAAC), including a MAAC-leading 3.0 offensive rebounds each time out, with five double-doubles and 16 double-figure scoring performances.
• The Jaspers are led by eighth-year Head Coach Steve Masiello, who has a 116-110 overall record at Manhattan, who has a 2014-15 NCAA Tournament appearance under his belt.
SCHAR CENTER
• Elon University men’s basketball will play its games inside its new facility, Schar Center, this season after calling Alumni Gym its home since since 1950.
• Schar Center officially opened its doors in July of 2018 and was dedicated on October, 19, 2018. The 161,000-square-foot convocation center has a current capacity of 5,100-seats.
• Not only does it serve as the home for Phoenix basketball and volleyball programs, but it also serves as an event venue that will provide a large gathering space for a wide variety of major campus events such as convocations and concerts.
• The facility is named for Dwight and Martha Schar, of Palm Beach, Fla., parents of Stuart Schar ’16 and Spencer Schar ’19.
• Among Elon’s most generous donors for the project, the Schars have contributed $13 million to the university to provide lead funding for the convocation center and the expanded School of Communications facilities, which features Dwight C. Schar Hall as the centerpiece.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix hosts its inaugural men’s basketball game inside the brand new Schar Center on Friday, Nov. 9, against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be aired nationally on ESPNU.