GAME DAY LINKS:
McKENDREE vs. ROCKHURST – Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 @ 3:00 PM
Harry M. Statham Sports Center – Lebanon, IL
 
WATCH LIVE (BEARCATS Sports Network)
LIVE STATS
PROGRAM
2019-20 McKENDREE SEASON STATS
2019-20 ROCKHURST SEASON STATS
 
(LEBANON, Ill. – Nov. 27) – The McKendree University men's basketball team is set to open the 2020-21 season, by hosting Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) West Division team Rockhurst University this weekend. The Bearcats will start their season Sunday, Nov. 29 at 3:00 PM.

The Bearcats closed out the 2019-20 season 15-13 with a 10-10 mark in GLVC play. Head Coach Chris Foster will have nine lettermen returning, including three starters from last season's squad. Foster and his staff have added nine newcomers who will look to help the Bearcats make a run to the GLVC Tournament.

Senior guard Oliver Stephen (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) is the Bearcats' leading returning scorer at 11.7 points per game. In addition to being second on the team in scoring last season, Oliver led the team with 85 three-point field goals and shot a team-best 45.2 percent from beyond the arch. Oliver was third in the GLVC in three-pointers and fifth in three-point percentage. Oliver hit a season-high 25 points against Maryville on Feb. 8 including seven three-pointers in the contest.

Junior center Aleksa Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia/BC Partizan Belgrade) led the team in field goal percentage, hitting 53.1 percent of his shots from the floor. The starting center was 12^th in the GLVC in field goal percentage and second with blocked shots. Popovic hit double figures on eight separate occasions, with a season-high 18 points against Southwest Baptist on Jan. 2.

Sophomore guard Bryson Bultman (Nashville, IL/Nashville) is the Bearcats' leading rebounder with 5.8 per game. During his freshman campaign, Bultman was named GLVC Freshman of the Year, earned GLVC All-Freshman Team honors, finished in the top-20 of the conference for rebounding (5.8), field goal percentage (.518), assists (90), free throw percentage (.793) and assist-to-turnover ratio. Bultman scored a season-high 22 points against Lindenwood on Feb.15.

Also returning to the court for McKendree are Alijah Thomas (Des Moines, IA/Hoover), Carrington Bass (Floosmoor, IL/Crete-Monee), Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan), Luke Hensler (Okawville, IL/Okawville), CaRondis Harris-Anderson (Waterloo, IA/West), and Jacob Donaldson (Effingham, IL/Effingham).

Foster and his staff have brought in a mix of transfer players and freshman who will help add dimension and experience in this season's roster. The trio of transfers include Elijah Powell (Belleville, IL/Belleville West High School) from MacMurray College, Isaiah Wilson (Columbia, MO/Father Tolton) from Columbia College, and Brendon Gooch (Belleville, IL/Althoff ) from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Powell averaged 9.6 points as a freshman for the Highlanders. Before competing at Columbia College, Wilson competed at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. There, Wilson averaged 7.2 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game.

Senior Gooch comes to McKendree after spending three seasons at the Division I Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. During his junior season, Gooch appeared in 28 games for the Salukis, averaging 1.3 points and 0.7 rebounds per game.

The strong freshman recruiting class consists of Rashad Harries (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech), Carson Parker (Nashville, IL/Nashville), Aidan Scott (St. Louis, MO/Lindbergh High School), Gregory Wells (Belleville, IL/Belleville West ), Kyle Elmore (Trenton, IL/Wesclin), and Cole Howard (Winchester, IL/Winchester).

McKendree was most recently picked fourth in the East Division in the GLVC preseason poll. This season is split into three divisions, consisting of five teams. Every team will play their divisional opponent twice – home and away – four random non-divisional opponents twice – home and away – and every other non-divisional opponent once.

With spectators not allowed in attendance except for essential personnel, spectators can stream this weekend's home-opener and every home game of the Bearcats on the GLVC Sports Network.