Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Men's Basketball team will open their 2021-22 season with a pair of games Friday and Saturday as part of the Dave Russell Conference Challenge, hosted by Shepherd University.
The men are slated to take on Bowie State University Friday at 5 p.m. before facing Fayetteville State University Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Matchups
The Lakers and Bulldogs have met twice, and the Lakers are 1-1 against Bowie State. The two met for the first time in January 1995, when the Lakers won 89-78. The last time the two met was December 17, 2011, with the Bulldogs coming away with a 93-94 win.
The Lakers and Broncos have never played each other.
National Attention
Hot off a shortened season in which their only loss came in the semifinals of the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament to the tournament's top seed, the Lakers are represented well in preseason polls. After finishing with a 12-1 record last season, the Lakers are ranked No. 12 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II preseason poll, placing them among the top half of teams in the country. Mercyhurst is the highest-ranking team from the PSAC, and one of just two teams from the PSAC to receive votes.
The Lakers were also predicted to finish second in the PSAC West in the 2021-22 PSAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll. Indiana University (Pa.), who appeared below Mercyhurst at No. 18 in the national preseason poll, was picked to finish first in the West division by the conference's head coaches.
Experienced Corps
Of the 18 players on Head Coach Gary Manchel's roster this season, 12 players are returners from last year's run. One of those returners is senior MiyKah McIntosh, who averaged 14 points per game a season ago. Averaging 27.8 minutes per game and starting all 13 games, McIntosh was also electric from the charity stripe, sinking 93.5% of his free throws. Cameron Gross, who also played in all 13 games last season and averaged 4.5 rebounds per game, returns to the squad as a graduate student.
Coming to a TV Screen Near You
In October, Mercyhurst University and Lilly Broadcasting announced the scheduling of four televised broadcasts of women's and men's ice hockey games as well as six broadcasts of men's and women's basketball games.
The men's basketball team will be featured on Feb. 26 when they host Slippery Rock at 3 p.m. Additionally, the men's and women's teams play doubleheaders Feb. 9 against Gannon and Feb. 19 against Edinboro that will see both games being broadcast.
These games will be produced through Mercyhurst University and will be able to be viewed on the CW Network (Spectrum: Channel 3 or 1003, Dish Network: Channel 3 or 7048, DirecTV: Channel 36, and 35.2 over the air).
Lilly Broadcasting viewers reach the tri-state area with Erie County, Crawford County and Warren County being the primary viewing areas. Fans outside of the televised area will still be able to view the game on the Mercyhurst Sports Network.
Manchel's Coaching Tree Grows
Head Coach Gary Manchel, entering his 19th season at the helm of the men's basketball team, welcomes in three new coaches for the 2021-22 campaign. New assistant coach Tom O'Shea joins the Lakers after spending five seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations for UMass-Lowell. Former men's basketball player Andrew Hoying will join O'Shea as an assistant coach. Hoying played for Manchel from 2012-16 and won the PSAC Championship his senior year. That year, he was also named the Mercyhurst Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the PSAC Men's Basketball Champion Scholar Athlete. David Meikle II also joins the program as a graduate assistant.
Scouting Bowie State
The Bulldogs opened their season with a pair of tough matchups against Division I opponents. They opened their season with a trip to Howard University, dropping that contest 88-67. On Thursday, they traveled to Marquette University, dropping that contest 98-40. The Bulldogs were picked to finish in first place in the CIAA's Northern Division this season by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Scouting Fayetteville State
The Broncos also started their season with a Division I exhibition game. They took on the University of Maryland on Friday, taking an 89-40 loss to the Terrapins. They will play Shepherd University Friday before playing the Lakers Saturday. The Broncos were picked to finish in first place in the CIAA's Southern Division and first overall in the conference in the conference's preseason poll. Guard Jalen Seegars and center Darian Dixon were also selected to the All-CIAA Men's Basketball Preseason Team.
