2017-18 McKENDREE MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
2017-18 McKENDREE MEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER

(LEBANON, Ill., Nov. 9)--The McKendree men's basketball team will tip off its 2017-18 season on Saturday when the Bearcats play host to Principia College in non-conference action. Game time is set for 8 p.m. at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center. 

The Bearcats will look to rebound after missing the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament a year ago. McKendree went 9-17 overall and 3-15 in GLVC play in 2016-17. Head coach Harry Statham, the all-time wins leader in college basketball history with 1,110 entering the new year, has five lettermen and two returning starters back from the 2016-17 squad. Statham and his staff had a busy off-season, recruiting eight new players to join the veterans in an effort to produce the Bearcats' second post-season berth in the last three years.

McKendree has two seniors on its roster, and both will serve as co-captains in 2017-18. Justin Blanks made quite an impact in his first season with the Bearcats as he finished second on the squad in scoring at 16.5 points per game. Blanks, who played in 25 games and had four starts last season, made nearly 82 percent of his free throw attempts and added 4.4 rebounds per outing. 

Gianni Otto got off to a strong start in 2016-17 as a backup at the point guard slot, producing 41 assists and 17 steals in 10 games before a knee injury ended his campaign. Statham feels that Otto brings a lot of intangibles that will make him a leader as he prepares for his senior season.

The Bearcats' junior class boasts five players, with Nate Michael serving as the lone returnee in the group. In his second year as a starter in 2016-17, Michael was fourth on the squad in scoring at 13.7 points per game. He dished out 48 assists, which was good for third on the squad. In addition, Michael continued to be a threat from the free throw line, knocking down better than 81 percent of his tries from the stripe. 

The other four juniors on the 2016-17 McKendree roster are all transfers. Malcolm Mabry joins the Bearcats after starting all 32 games as a sophomore at Sauk Valley Community College. Mabry averaged 10.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and was a two-time All-Conference and All-Region honoree for the Skyhawks. Prior to that, the 6-foot-4 Mabry was an All-City selection as a senior at Milwaukee South High School, where he connected for 12 points per game for the Cardinals.

Joining Mabry in the junior class are a pair of guards who were teammates at Highland Community College. Nate Bethel averaged 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest as a sophomore at Highland. Bethel also connected on 41 percent of his three-point attempts for the Cougars. He has been slowed by a pre-season knee injury, but Statham is anxious to see what the 6-foot-4 Bethel can bring to the Bearcats' lineup.

Giovanni Offard played alongside Bethel last season at Highland. The 6-foot-1 point guard posted 6.8 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the Cougars. Offard helped Highland to a conference, regional and district title on the way to an appearance at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Tournament. 

Rounding out the list of junior transfers is Lens Harly-Louis. The 6-foot-8 product from Montreal, Quebec, Canada appeared in 24 games as a sophomore at Pensacola State College in Florida, where he averaged three points and two rebounds in a reserve role for the Pirates. Statham will rely on Louis for quality minutes in the post.

Heading the list of sophomores for McKendree is Nolan Gerling, who played in all 26 games with 18 starts at center in his freshman season. Gerling averaged 11.2 points per game and led the team by shooting nearly 62 percent from the field. He was fourth in the GLVC in field goal percentage, and also ranked among conference leaders in rebounding at 6.1 per contest.

Troy Pedtke returns after seeing action in five games as a freshman in 2016-17. Pedtke averaged 1.4 points a year ago, and will compete for playing time again in the new season.

The lone newcomer in the Bearcats' sophomore class is Rathen Carter. He comes to McKendree from Pratt Junior College. The 6-foot-7 Carter also spent time at Eastern Oklahoma State College, where he contributed six points and three rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field for the Mountaineers. 

Three freshmen will also join the McKendree roster in 2017-18. Jacob Donaldson begins his first season with the Bearcats following a stellar career at Effingham High School. The 6-foot-6 Donaldson excelled at small forward for the Flaming Hearts, averaging 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game as a senior. He was a two-time first-team All-Conference honoree at Effingham, and was also a second-team All-Area selection.

Carrington Bass comes to McKendree after finishing his playing days at Crete-Monee High School. As a senior for the Warriors, Bass averaged 9.5 points and nearly two assists per game while shooting 70 percent from the foul line.

Rounding out the Bearcats' 2017-18 roster is Noah Brandon. A local product from nearby Mascoutah High School, Brandon averaged 8.5 points per game as a senior for the Indians. He shot 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the foul line.

In all, McKendree is slated to play 15 home games this season, with the final one coming on Feb. 15, 2018 against the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The Bearcats will play the final three games of the year on the road, with the regular-season finale set for Feb. 24 at Quincy University. McKendree will open its Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule on Dec. 2 at Drury University, with the Bearcats' first game against a league foe coming five days later on Dec. 7 versus Truman State University. 

The GLVC will take on a new look for the 2017-18 season. The league has traditionally featured two eight-team divisions for basketball. With 15 members this season, the conference has realigned to three five-team divisions. McKendree will be a member of the GLVC Central Division, which also includes the University of Illinois Springfield, Maryville University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Quincy University. 

The GLVC East Division will feature Bellarmine University, the University of Indianapolis, Lewis University, the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Members of the GLVC West Division include Drury University, Missouri S&T, Rockhurst University, Truman State University and William Jewell College. 

The 2018 GLVC Tournament will be contested March 1-4 just 30 minutes from the McKendree campus at the Vadalabene Center on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.