INDIANA, Pa. – The third-ranked IUP men's basketball program begins its defense of the Atlantic Region Championship on Saturday, part of a two-game stretch at the Clarion Tipoff Classic.
The Crimson Hawks open the year against Concord on November 12, following it up with a Sunday matinee against Winston-Salem State. IUP begins the 2022-23 season ranked third in both major NCAA DII men's basketball polls and tops the D2SIDA Preseason Atlantic Region Rankings.
Both games will tip-off at 1:00 p.m. from Clarion's Tippin Gymnasium and can be heard on U92.5 FM in addition to live video coverage on the PSAC Digital Network.
Head coach
Joe Lombardi and the Crimson Hawks return four starters from last season and will welcome back
Shawndale Jones after playing just seven games a season ago. Typically starting the season at home, it will be the first time that the IUP men will be on the road for their opener since the 2017-18 campaign.
CLARION TIPOFF CLASSIC SCHEDULE
- Saturday, November 12
- IUP vs. Concord – 1:00 p.m.
- Winston-Salem State at Clarion – 3:00 p.m.
- Sunday, November 13
- Winston-Salem State vs. IUP – 1:00 p.m.
- Concord at Clarion – 3:00 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION – CONCORD
GAME INFORMATION – WINSTON-SALEM STATE
IUP NEWS AND NOTES
- The Crimson Hawks are looking for their fourth consecutive PSAC Championship in 2022-23 and have no shortage of returning talent to help get there. Despite Armoni Forster transferring to NCAA DI Buffalo in the offseason, IUP welcomes back Ethan Porterfield, Dave Morris, Jones, Tomiwa Sulaiman and Kyle Polce, among others.
- IUP is third in both major polls going into the season, fresh off a 33-3 campaign in 2021-22 that included a PSAC Championship, Atlantic Region Championship and appearance in the 2022 NCAA DII Final Four. For the seventh consecutive season, the Hawks were picked to win the PSAC West in the preseason poll.
- IUP has recorded 91 victories over the past three playing seasons, with five top-five national finishes since 2010. Over the last four seasons, IUP is second in DII in winning percentage (.912), trailing only Northwest Missouri State (.942).
- The Crimson Hawks challenged Syracuse into the second half in the opening exhibition of the season, later traveling to Miami that same week for another matchup against ACC competition.
- Porterfield begins the season just 50 points shy of 1,000 for his career, shooting 56.0% from the floor in his career and averaging double-digit scoring in each of his first two full playing seasons.
- Morris has emerged as arguably the best point guard in the region for IUP, passing out 282 assists in his career. With 149 assists in 2021-22, Morris ranked just outside the top 10 in program history for a single season.
- Sulaiman was impressive against Miami, taking over for a stretch of the game and recording 14 points and eight rebounds.
- Jaheim Bethea saw no shortage of playing time in exhibition action and has potential to be a key contributor in his first season with the team.
- IUP begins the home portion of its schedule on November 16 against Bowie State, honoring its Final Four squad in a pregame ceremony prior to the 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
SCOUTING CONCORD
- 2021-22 Overview | Overall: 14-15 | MEC: 11-11 | Home: 8-4 | Away: 5-8 | Neutral: 1-3
- A physical team under head coach Todd May, the Mountain Lions were picked sixth in the MEC Preseason Poll earlier this year.
- Concord welcomes back almost 70% of its scoring from a season ago, headlined by returners Jordan Wooden, Ethan Heller and Lual Daniel Rahama.
- The Mountain Lions were ultra-competitive a season ago, playing 12 contests decided by just five points or less.
- Akot Aguer will work his way into the mix for Concord as a transfer from NCAA DI Mississippi Valley State.
SCOUTING WINSTON-SALEM STATE
- 2021-22 Overview | Overall: 19-7 | CIAA: 12-3 | Home: 10-0 | Away: 6-5 | Neutral: 3-2
- WSSU also took on a Division I opponent in a preseason exhibition, falling to Wake Forest by an 82-96 count. Jonathan Hacklin guided the Rams with 17 points.
- Winston-Salem welcomes back 10 returners from last season. Hacklin and Isaac Parson were named All-CIAA Preseason selections.
- The Rams play the opening four games of the season away from home, not stepping on their home court until November 22 against Carolina University.
- Cleo Hill Jr. was named the WSSU head coach in the spring of 2018. He is the son of one of the most legendary players in program history, the late Cleo Hill Sr., who scored nearly 2,500 career points as a player.
FOLLOW
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP men's basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.
