Men's Basketball Heads to King for Season Opener on Sunday

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WISE - - First year Head Coach Blake Mellinger's UVa-Wise men's basketball program returns three starters from the 2012-13 squad, including all-conference honorees Deon Boyce and Javon Moore. This year's squad will not only feature a new floor general but also a new conference as the Cavaliers will compete in NCAA Division II's newest conference, the Mountain East Conference.

A year ago, Boyce averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 13.6 rebounds a game as he appeared and started in 16 games while Moore led the team with 17.8 points per game. The third returning starter is Matt Day who averaged 11.4 points per game and made a team-high 49 3-pointers as a freshman last season. Senior James Turner and sophomore Charles George are expected to round out the starting five. Turner played in 25 games as a junior and shot 39.7 percent from the floor while averaging six points and over five rebounds a contest. George appeared in 24 games and averaged over 17 minutes a game while handing out 44 total assists and averaging 5.1 points a game. George also shot 42.9 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.

UVa-Wise will also return several players who have experience off the bench. 7'0 center Pape Sall blocked a team-high 19 shots as freshman, guard Tyler Maggard hit 27 3-pointers and averaged four points a game while playing 18.6 minutes a night as a sophomore, and Paul Evans returns for his sophomore campaign after starting in two games and playing just over 10 minutes a game.

To supplement the returnees, Mellinger has brought in four newcomers for 2013-14. Athletic wing Brian Sydnor comes to the team after averaging 17.8 points and eight rebounds a game en route to honorable mention all-region honors at Chantilly High School. The Cavaliers also added forward Tyler Vernon who was a four time all-district selection and honorable mention all-state selection at Union High where he became the school's all-time leading scorer. Jordan Smith comes to the program after spending last year at Hargrave Military Academy. While at Hargrave, Smith posted18 points and four assists per game en route to earning All-Richmond Times and second-team Central District honors from his guard position. The final newcomer is Oliver Thompson who redshirted last season and practiced with the Cavaliers throughout the season.

UVa-Wise will play 22 MEC games and four non-conference games. The regular season begins on November 10 when the team travels to King University for the season opener. The Cavaliers will play their first home game on November 20 when Virginia-Lynchburg visits the Prior Center.

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