LEBANON, Ill. – McKendree University is set to tip-off its 2022-23 men's basketball season this weekend as the Bearcats travel to Houghton, Mich., to compete in a GLVC/GLIAC Challenge hosted by Michigan Tech University. The Bearcats start the season on Saturday, Nov. 12 with a 12 p.m. Eastern game against Northern Michigan, before facing Michigan Tech in a 2 p.m. Eastern game on Sunday, Nov. 13.
 
Michigan Tech will have live video through FloSports for a fee and live in-game statistics of both of the games this weekend and fans that are interested in purchasing tickets ahead of time can do so online HERE.
 
It marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that McKendree is opening its season against Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech at a GLVC/GLIAC Crossover event as in 2018 the Bearcats went 0-2 with losses to Northern Michigan (93-70) and Michigan Tech (75-67) in Marquette, Mich., before going 1-1 in 2019 as they opened with a 78-73 loss to Michigan Tech and then won against Northern Michigan (69-46) in Lebanon, Ill., and then going 2-0 last season in Romeoville, Ill., with a 74-59 win over Michigan Tech and then a 75-62 win over Northern Michigan.
 
"We are excited to get our season started this weekend against two high quality regional opponents," second-year McKendree University men's basketball coach George Suggs said. "It is nice having an experienced team that knows what it looks like in this league and knows what it takes to play at a high level."
 
The Bearcats have heighted expectations for success this season in Suggs' second year leading the way for the Bearcats as the team was tabbed to finish sixth in the Preseason Great Lakes Valley Conference Coaches' Poll after posting a 14-12 overall record and a 9-11 mark in the league and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the GLVC Tournament after winning the program's first-ever postseason game at the Division II level with a 77-40 home win over Quincy in the first round of the GLVC Tournament that was played at the Harry M. Staham Sports Center in Lebanon, Ill.
 
"I think we have begun to see an identity carved out with our players and perhaps the most exciting thing about this group is that every one of them is a high-character kid and someone I would want to root for if I was a fan," Suggs said when asked about his program. "I think we are going to have a talented group of players that will play some really entertaining basketball this season."
 
Suggs' second team returns three starters, eight lettermen and added nine newcomers to the roster during the offseason, among those nine newcomers are three transfers that are expected to play a big role in this season's success. The Bearcats return 65 percent of its scoring and 59 percent of its rebounding from last season.
 
"Our preseason has been really good. These guys have worked really hard and I think they've set high expectations for themselves for what they want to achieve this year," Suggs said. "I think the exhibition game (against Northern Illinois) was a showing of that. They really competed with a Division I program, and I think the nice thing about it was they got to the end of that game and were disappointed because they really had a chance to win it. That's a sign of their expectations being really high."
 
The Bearcats turned up for the 2022-23 season with an exhibition game at Northern Illinois on Halloween. In that game, the Bearcats shot 25 percent from the field, trailed 39-30 at the half, before outscoring the Huskies, 46-40 in the second half, and led by as much as five points, before NIU rallied late to post the 79-76 win. In the loss, junior forward Milos Vicentic (Belgrade, Serbia/OKK Belgrade) led the way offensively for the Bearcats with a double-double of 32 points and 12 rebounds and added five assists, while senior Bryce Bultman (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) added 14 points and 13 rebounds and senior guard Eric Powell II (Lexington, Ky./Asbury University) had 13 points.
 
Among the key returners for the Bearcats this season is Bultman, who was a First-Team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection and a D2CCA Second-Team All-Region honoree last season. As a junior in 2021-22, Bultman led the GLVC in scoring as he averaged 19.4 points per game and shot 51 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent from the free throw line. He also led in rebounds (165), assists (95) and steals (29). Bultman enters the 2022-23 season sitting 44th in career scoring with 1,072 points.
 
"Bryson has been awesome this fall and into the preseason. He is one of the best competitors I've ever been around. He just has a switch that he flips on and will do whatever it takes to win," said the McKendree coach about Bultman. "Last year for us, a lot of what he did for us was scoring, but the exciting thing this year is he gets to show off everything he is good at. He rebounds at a high level, passes as a high level, he can score at a high level, and he will continue to do that this season."
 
In addition to Bultman, the other two returning starters are fifth-year senior forward Luke Hensler (Okawville, Ill./SWIC) and senior guard Aleksandar Davitkov (Belgrade, Serbia/Partizan). Hensler averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and shot 39 percent from the 3-point line, while Davitkov averaged 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game and had a 1.3 assist/turnover ratio.
 
"Both Luke and Aleksandar are plenty old enough to be mature guys. They have bought into wanting to win and be successful," added Suggs, who is 14-12 as McKendree's coach. "Their leadership has been good this year and their maturity and making the most of the senior year for Luke and Aleksandar was one more season left. They both bought into McKendree when we were trying to get things turned around, but now we're in a very different place, but they want more and that is the exciting part for them."  
 
Suggs, who was a four-year letterwinner at Bellarmine University, where he scored 1,059 points and was a First-Team All-GLVC performer and the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2015-16, is excited about the upcoming season because his team competes at a high level each day.
 
"I think there are a few things that I want people to think of when they think of our program. The first thing, and it's one of our three rules in the program, is that we take care of each other. We have a group of guys who, offensively, share the ball unlike a lot of college basketball teams and are passionate about it. You're also going to see a team that defensively competes at a high level because they take care of each other on that end and this team is good at picking each other up when someone is struggling," added Suggs. "I want this team this season to play fast, free and together, and I think we're going to be all of those things. I want us to have fun playing basketball and this team has fun playing basketball."
 
Along with those three returning starters, another key player this season according to Suggs is Vicentic. As a sophomore last season, Vicentic, who is one of three players from Serbia on the Bearcats team, averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 12 games last season. His performance at Northern Illinois earned him mention on the HoopsHD.com website as one of the non-Division I players of the exhibition season.
 
"Milos is awesome; he is the perfect story for what I think college basketball should be. He came here at semester a few years ago and struggled at times. It was his first time in the United States and he was learning how to play in our offense. Even last year at times, he struggled and wasn't always getting the minutes he wanted, but he trusted the process and has really come into his own this year with the confidence in himself and the confidence he has in his teammates and the confidence they (his teammates) have in him," Suggs said about Vicentic. "That exhibition game (with NIU) was a good example of that – he puts up 32 points and plays really well. He's always had that talent; it's been putting everything together to get that and it took some struggling to get there."
 
While Bultman, Hensler, Davitkov and Vicentic are some of the key returners this season, Suggs is really excited about his three four-yerar transfers that were added to the roster during the offseason. Those three transfers are Powell and sophomore forward Hayden Meakes (Adelaide, Australia/Adams State) and Caleb Zurliene (Aviston, Ill./Purdue Northwest).
 
"All three of those guys are all very competitive. When you have a team with returners who have experienced some success last year and got to see the opportunities that we can have, to have a group of new guys come in and push those returners every day, that goes a long way. It's been a really great balance that we have some returners showing the expectations of our program and also those returners can raise a new bar for our competitiveness," the McKendree coach stated.
 
Powell, who played the past four years at Asbury University, was a Third-Team NCCAA All-American in 2021-22 after averaging 19.0 points per game and leading the team in both made 3-pointers (89) and steals (47). In his career at Asbury, he scored over 1,000 points.
 
"Eric is a tremendous player and I think we've hit a home run with him. He's really passionate. You could see it in the first couple of plays at Northern Illinois, he made a great play defensively and you could just tell he has a little bit of that fire that Bryce (Bultman) has. He also shoots the lights out of the ball and that really helps, because it relieves some of the pressure that Bryce feels to be a scorer," said Suggs about Powell. "Having Eric on the floor to space it out and forcing the defense to one – are you going to guard the guy who can get to the rim at will or guard the guy who shoots it at an elite level? That balance is really going to help us. Additionally, his leadership is excellent and he's a high character kid."
 
Meanwhile, Meakes and Zurliene are both transfers from NCAA Division II schools.
 
Meakes comes to McKendree after playing the past two seasons at Adams State. While at Adams State, Meakes played in 27 games over those two seasons and averaged 9.5 points per game and shot 56 percent from the field a season ago, while Zurliene, who is a local product from Mater Dei Catholic, played the last two years at Purdue Northwest. He played in 33 games and made 28 starts at PNW and scored 282 points in two seasons and averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game and was named to the 2021-22 GLIAC All-Defensive Team.
 
"Hayden has been great so far this season and I'm really happy we got him. He is another guy who can really shoot the ball. When you play the style of offense that we play, having the ability to shoot it really opens things up. He is probably a little underrated as a passer, but when he gets it in the post he is really effective and getting the ball to the open man," Suggs said. "Caleb comes in and he's still learning our system, but man, he affects the game. He didn't score a ton against NIU, but when he came in the game, they felt it, whether it was blocking shots or getting deflections on the defensive end. He has a feel for the game. On the offensive end, he is a great passer, he can knock down shots on the perimeter, he gets to the rim really well and again, he's a guy who is really unselfish. He's going to do exactly what it takes to win. He isn't concerned about what he scores, and he is going to come in and affect the game."
 
Zurliene is one of several local high school products that Suggs has brought into his program since he came here in 2018. In addition to Zurliene, Bultman and Hensler, some of the other local high school products are redshirt freshman guard Chris Porter (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township), senior guard Elijah Powell (Belleville, Ill./MacMurray), junior guard Kyle Elmore (Trenton, Ill./Wesclin), redshirt freshman guard Landon Zurliene (Fairfield, Ill./Fairfield), sophomore forward Daulton Burgner (Swansea, Ill./Elmhurst College) and junior guard Carson Parker (Nashville, Ill./Nashville).
 
Suggs says that bringing in local kids is essential to the success of his program and has become a staple since his arrival on campus as a graduate assistant coach.
 
"Being able to bring in local kids who want to play here and want to be able to play in front of their families and have those opportunities to be successful in our program is something that is important and exciting," the coach added.
 
Another returner that Suggs expects to contribute this season is Parker, who started eight games and played in all 26 games a season ago. Last season, Parker averaged 8.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and shot 47 percent from the field.
 
"Carson (Parker) did some really good things last year when he was starting or when he came off the bench and I think he is going to be a really big key for our success," added Suggs. "He absolutely helped us win games last year and we expect more of that this year."
 
Suggs' biggest offseason priority was to find some replacements for the two senior starters that have departed after their eligibility had been exhausted. Those two departed senior starters are guards Brendon Gooch and Oliver Stephen. Those two players combined to score 413 points, pull down 151 rebounds, dish out 72 assists and shoot a combined 37 percent from the 3-point line and 41 percent from the field in 2021-22. Stephen finished his three-year Bearcat career as the No. 5 career leader in three-point percentage as he shot 41.3 percent from long distance.
 
""You can never replace two guys like that – Gooch was an All-Conference player and Oliver did incredible things for the program. It's not like you just check a box and bring in new guys, but I do think we have brought in guys that are really going to help us," Suggs said. "The nice thing is that we knew Milos was going to step into a bigger role this year and he has taken full advantage of that. On the perimeter, I think Eric has really stepped into Oliver's role. He shoots it at a high level and is a really good defender."

Suggs said that the biggest key to his team's success this year is continuing to have high expectations for ourselves.
 
"We are going to play fast – we really have bought into the mentality that we going to be the aggressors offensively. Defensively, I think we are going to keep that same mentality – we are going to be active and get deflections. On the offensive end, I think we are really going to put pressure on defenses for the entire shot clock and make them (our opponents) work defensively because of how versatile we are," the coach added.
 
Another important key for this season according to Suggs is how well his players buy into their roles this season as they might constantly change depending on the opponent.
 
"I think we need to continue to have guys step up when called on. I think an important factor will be how well do our guys buy into whatever role they have on a particular night? For some it will be scoring, for some it will be rebounding, and it could be totally opposite the next game," Suggs stated.
 
In the preseason GLVC Coaches' Poll, the Bearcats were tabbed to finish sixth as they garnered a total of 91 points from the league's 13 head coaches. McKendree was four points in front of defending GLVC Tournament champion UMSL (87 points) and three points behind fifth-place William Jewell (94 points). UIndy, who lost in the GLVC Tournament championship game last season to UMSL, was tabbed as the preseason favorite as the Greyhounds earned 136 points and seven of 13 first place votes, while Southwest Baptist was tabbed second as they earned 131 points and five first place votes.
 
Suggs expects the league to once again be strong this year and the schedule his team will play should help prepare his players for the rigors of conference play.
 
"I really believe that before we get into GLVC play this season that we are going to be tested. We are going to play four games before starting league play that will push us and I think that is what you have to do to be successful in our league," the coach said. "The GLVC is going to push us and this year's schedule is as good as we've had and this is as good of a team as we've had. We're going to be challenged early and I think that's going to make us the best team we can be in March."
 
Another change this season for the Bearcats and Suggs is his coaching staff will feature two new members as Hank Mathews joins the staff as an assistant coach and Jordan Brooks is the team's new graduate assistant coach. Mathews comes to McKendree after spending the 2021-22 school year at Lincoln (Ill.) College and Brooks comes to McKendree after a two-year playing career at Eureka College in Eureka, Ill.
 
Matthews replaces former assistant Trend Blackledge, who was recently named an assistant coach with the Salt Lake Stars of the NBA G-League, while Brooks replaces Korbin Farmer, who was the team's graduate assistant the past two years, but will now serve as a volunteer assistant this year.
 
"Coach Mathews started with us just a few weeks ago right at the start of practice and he's jumped in head-first. The guys really like him. He's passionate and works really hard and that's all you can ask for," Suggs said. "Jordan started with us in the summer and has been great. He comes from a basketball family – his dad has been a long time basketball coach in central Illinois. He's also worked really hard and has started to develop relationships and the guys work out with him all the time individually."
 
Much like McKendree, Northern Michigan returns several experienced player from last season's team that posted an 18-12 overall record and went 12-8 in the GLIAC and advanced to the championship game of the GLIAC Tournament. Among the key returners for the Wildcats is senior guard Max Bjorklund, who was named the Preseason GLIAC Player of the Year after averaging 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and shooting 48 percent from the field the and 45 percent from the 3-point line.
 
In addition to Bjorklund, two other key returners for the Wildcats are redshirt sophomore guard Carson Smith and sophomore guard Brian Parzych. Smith averaged 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season, while Parzych averaged 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
 
Northern Michigan, who is coached by Matt Majkrzak, who is in his fourth season with the Wildcats, was tabbed to finish second in the Preseason GLIAC Coaches poll after earning 68 points and two first place votes.
 
"I think Northern Michigan has a shot at winning their league. They are as talented as I've seen them and they return their leading scorer and the (GLIAC) Preseason Player of the Year," Suggs said about Northern Michigan.
 
Meanwhile, Sunday's foe, Michigan Tech went 21-7 a season ago and finished with a 16-4 mark in the GLIAC, but was upset in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament to Northern Michigan. The Huskies, who face Lewis on Saturday before hosting McKendree n Sunday, lost two of their top three scorers from last season, including Owen White, who earned back-to-back GLIAC Player of the Year accolades with the Huskies. White averaged 17.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season.
 
The Huskies return two starters and eight lettermen from last season's 21-win team. The two returning starters are sophomore guard Adam Hobson (12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.7 apg in 2021-22) and senior guard Eric Carl (11.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 apg).
 
Second-year coach Josh Buettner brought in five newcomers during the offseason, all of which are freshman. Among the top newcomers is 6-foot-6 guard Marcus Tomashek, who was a two-time All-State performer and a Conference Player of the Year playing at Ashwaubenon High School in Green Bay, Wis.
 
In the Preseason GLIAC Coaches poll, Michigan Tech was tabbed to finish fourth as they earned 52 points and a first place vote by the league's head coaches.
 
"Michigan Tech is always a tough team. It seems like every year they reload with developing players, similar to what we try and do," Suggs said about Michigan Tech. "They are going to be tough, they are going to be competitive and really hard-nosed, especially playing them on their home court. They are always regionally-ranked and have had a lot of success in their league."
 
Following this weekend's two game at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover hosted by Michigan Tech, the Bearcats will open the home portion of its 2022-23 season with a 7:30 p.m. game at the Statham Sports Center on Nov. 18 against Culver-Stockton.