SETTING THE SCENE
— Saint Louis opens its exhibition season on Saturday night when it hosts Quincy at Chaifetz Arena. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m.
— It is the first of two exhibition games for the Billikens. SLU also entertains UMSL on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. at Chaifetz Arena.
— The Billikens’ season opener is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6, against Southeast Missouri State at Chaifetz Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
— Saint Louis was picked to win the Atlantic 10 Conference in the league’s annual preseason coaches and media poll. The Billikens claimed 15 of the 26 first-place votes to finish ahead of Saint Joseph’s (second) and Davidson (third).
— The top billing in the A-10 preseason poll comes after the Billikens registered a 17-16 overall record and a 9-9 mark in A-10 play (tied for fifth) last season. However, an influx of new talent along with a solid corps of experienced returnees have led to the high expectations for Billikens Basketball.
— Senior guard Javon Bess is a preseason second-team All-Conference and All-Defensive team pick. Last season, he led the Billikens in scoring (13.3 ppg) and minutes played (36.2 mpg), and was the team’s top defender. Another senior, forward D.J. Foreman, averaged 9.4 ppg in A-10 play and posted a .626 (87-of-139) field-goal percentage, which was third in a single season in school history.
— Sophomore forward Hasahn French and sophomore guard Jordan Goodwin were both named to the preseason All-Conference team, as Goodwin was voted to the second team and French to the third team. French, an A-10 All-Rookie team selection last year, set a SLU freshman record with 59 blocked shots. He also collected 228 total rebounds, tied for second by a freshman in SLU history. Goodwin scored 11.5 ppg and led the Billikens in rebounding (7.5 rpg), assists (3.9 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). He also registered the program’s first-ever triple-double.
— The Billikens feature a pair of graduate transfers in guards Tramaine Isabell Jr. (Drexel) and Dion Wiley (Maryland). Isabell scored 21 ppg at Drexel last year and tested the NBA Draft waters. Wiley played in 83 games at Maryland. Forward Elliott Welmer will not be available for Saturday’s game against Quincy after suffering an injury in practice earlier in the week.
— The Billikens feature five scholarship freshmen, led by ESPN top 100 recruit, forward Carte’Are Gordon from St. Louis. Gordon helped Webster Groves to two state titles and played for the United States’ U17 championship team. Guard Fred Thatch Jr., from nearby Sikeston, Missouri, is another local product who set virtually every career statistical record at Sikeston High School. Guard Ingvi Gudmundsson represented Iceland at the 2018 FIBA U20 European Championship in Germany in July. Forward KC Hankton (Charlotte, N.C.) played for Team United on the AAU circuit. Guard Demarius Jacobs (Chicago, Ill.) averaged nearly 20 ppg as a senior at Uplift High School and helped the team win a state championship in 2015.
— Two walk-ons round out the roster. Junior Jack Raboin played two years at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois. Freshman Brandon Courtney was an All-Conference performer at Wesclin High School in Trenton, Illinois.
ABOUT THE HAWKS
— Quincy University went 9-18 overall and 5-13 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (NCAA Division II) a season ago.
— Marcus Hinton, a 6-foot-7 forward, is the Hawks’ top returning scorer. He averaged 13.6 ppg last year. Guard Ryan Brisco scored in double figures last year as a freshman and was Quincy’s top assist man.
— Head coach Ryan Hellenthal is in his second season at Quincy.
