ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s basketball team welcomes William Peace to Schar Center for an exhibition contest on Tuesday evening, Oct. 31. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Listen to the Elon Sports Network from Learfield IMG College’s coverage on The Varsity Network app.
• Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon men’s basketball schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Other in-game updates will be provided on Twitter by following @ElonMBasketball.
TICKETS ON SALE
• Tickets to Tuesday’s exhibition will be available at the Elon Ticket Office on game day for $5.
• Season Ticket Holders will receive a digital ticket to attend the game. Parking passes for William Peace will not be distributed. Season Ticket Holders with access to Hunt A will be able to present their name to a parking attendant who will allow them to park in Hunt A. Additionally, the hospitality space in the Gill Room available to Phoenix Club Members will not be open for the exhibition contest.
• Single game tickets are now available for the 2023-24 Elon Basketball season! Elon Women’s Basketball hosts ECU on Nov. 6 for their home opener at 7 p.m. and Elon Men’s Basketball opens at home on Nov. 9 against ETSU at 7 p.m. Don’t miss the action, be there to cheer on your Phoenix! Grab your tickets today and be a part of the excitement in Schar Center!
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
THE MATCHUP
• Elon and William Peace have played each other twice in their series histories with the Phoenix holding a 2-0 ledger over the Pacers.
• The last time the two teams played in the regular season came on Nov. 11, 2017, with Elon earning a 96-53 victory. Brian Dawkins recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Tyler Seibring scored a team-high 15 points to lead four Phoenix players in double figures.
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Sophomore Max Mackinnon received some preseason praise from the CAA as the Brisbane, Australia, native was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-CAA second team on Oct. 19.
• The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Mackinnon is the Phoenix’s returning leader in points (11.4 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). Mackinnon is coming off a rookie campaign in which he shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and was named CAA Rookie of the Week selection a league-high four times. He also led the program with three double-doubles and scored in double figures 17 times including four 20-point performances.
• Among Mackinnon’s standout games last season included him scoring 19 points at No. 18/21 Indiana, the second-highest point total that a freshman has scored against the Hoosiers at that point of the season. He also scored a season-high 24 points while adding his first career double-double with 12 rebounds at High Point. He also added 20 points and a season-best eight assists at Northeastern while scoring 17 points with a career-best 13 rebounds at No. 22 College of Charleston.
SCOUTING ELON
• The Phoenix returns eight players from last year’s roster for second-year head coach Billy Taylor. Elon was predicted to finish 10th in the 2023-24 CAA Preseason Poll after going 6-12 in league play last season.
• Along with Mackinnon, other returning starters for the Phoenix include fifth-year Zac Ervin and junior Sam Sherry. Ervin led the Phoenix in three-point makes last season with 61 while averaging 9.3 points per contest. The 6-foot-5 guard was third on the team in minutes per game (27.5) and assists (47).
• After averaging less than 10 minutes a game as a freshman, Sherry came on strong during his sophomore campaign. The Mechanicsville, Pa., native averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while blocking a team-high 25 shots. He also finished second on the team in field-goal percentage at 57.8 and ended the year with his first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds versus William & Mary at the CAA Tournament.
• The maroon and gold also welcomes back three other veterans in senior JaDun Michael and sophomores LA Pratt and Deandre Smart. Michael played in 18 games with five starts, averaging 4.1 points. Pratt saw valuable playing time during his freshman season in which he started eight games while Smart gave the Phoenix valuable minutes off the bench before an injury cut short his season.
•Elon welcomes eight newcomers to its roster for 2023-24. Joining the Phoenix are transfers Rob Higgins and TK Simpkins along with incoming freshmen Kendall Campbell, Nick Dorn, Isaac Harrell, Grant Gondrezick II, Ned Hull and Savion Taylor.
• Among the notable newcomers include Higgins, a transfer from St. Francis Brooklyn College where he spent the past four seasons. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard from Middletown, N.J., Higgins tied for the team-lead in scoring this past season at St. Francis Brooklyn, averaging 11.3 points per contest.
• Simpkins is a 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard who was a member of the Northwest Florida State College program last season. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native appeared in 37 games for the Raiders, averaging 8.8 points per game.
SCOUTING WILLIAM PEACE
• A NCAA Division III university located in Raleigh, the Pacers went 18-9 overall last season, setting a program record for wins. William Peace closed out its season in the USA South Conference Championship final for its first championship appearance.
• The Pacers return all five starters from last season including leading scorer Timothy Pettiford, who averaged 18.3 points per game while shooting nearly 55 percent from the floor. Another returner, junior Beau Bryant, ranked second on the squad in scoring at 16.4 points per game while leading the team in rebounds per game (8.4) and assists per game (3.5).
• Pacers head coach Claude Shields is entering his 12th season at the helm of the program. He coached two first team All-Conference selections last season while leading William Peace to a program record for wins and winning percentage.
UP NEXT
The 2023-24 regular season begins for the Phoenix at ACC and intrastate foe Wake Forest next Monday, Nov. 6. Game time for that contest is set for 8 p.m.
— ELON —