Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University men's basketball team starts the season at the CIAA-MEC Challenge in Winston-Salem, North Carolina against Fayetteville State 5:00 p.m. Friday before taking on host Winston-Salem State 7:00 p.m. Saturday.
NEW FACES
Entering the 2017-18 season just five players are back from last year.
Head coach
Todd May saw guards
Aaron Miller, Michael Sanchez and
Cam Shannon and forward Stephen Thompson graduate.
Those returning are junior guard Tommy Bolte, sophomore forward Trey Brisco, senior guard Cal Cistaro, senior guard BJ Hamlet and sophomore guard Colby Hill.
May and assistant coach
Adam Blake welcome aboard freshman guard Jordan Beale (Durham, North Carolina), freshman forward Dylan Brehm (Mullens, West Virginia), junior guard Brendon Chevannes (Brampton, Ontario), freshman guard AJ Collins (Harrisville, West Virginia), freshman guard Malik Johnson (Wytheville, Virginia), freshman forward David Bea Mulumba (Antwerp, Belgium), junior forward Jafar Musa (Edo, Nigeria), freshman forward Antonio Patterson (Raleigh, North Carolina), freshman forward Darian Peterson (North Chesterfield, Virginia), freshman forward Trey Shuff (Glenville, West Virginia) and freshman forward Jyles Webster (Chester, Virginia).
Chevannes and Musa previously played at the junior college ranks at Dawson Community College and Garrett College, respectively.
Mulumba and Peterson bring a year of prep school experience.
Mulumba played at both Huntington Prep and Teays Valley Christian. Meanwhile, Peterson spent last season at Fork Union Military.
HOT STREAK
Bolte finished 2016-17 very strong as he posted double figures in seven of the last eight games that span the month of February.
Prior to the season's final month, Bolte had just four double-digit scoring games in his career.
Over the last eight games, Bolte averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
The Chillicothe, Ohio native was efficient from the field as well as he shot 53.5 percent from the floor during the stretch.
Bolte also saw his scoring rise from 7.5 points per game to 10.6 during the eight-game span.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Hamlet has played in 76 games in his career, and has been part of the men's basketball program since 2013-14.
The only other Concord player to play in more than 50 games is Bolte with 57.
In fact, if you add up all the other games played by Bolte and the three other returners it totals 102 games played.
With a full season of games played, Hamlet will enter the all-time games played list at CU.
Additionally, Hamlet starts the season ranked 19th in made three-pointers in program history with 109.
HELLO, WE MEET AGAIN
The Mountain Lions will meet up with Winston-Salem State for the third straight season and fourth time in five years.
Two years ago, the two schools played at the Gaines Center in Winston-Salem and got together at the Carter Center last season.
Meanwhile, CU will square off with Fayetteville State for a second consecutive season.
MEC-CIAA CLASSIC
Though this weekend's games are called the MEC-CIAA Challenge, perhaps, the name should be changed to the MEC-CIAA Classic.
The last three meetings between Concord and Winston-Salem State have been decided by a combined 10 points.
Last year's contest in Athens went to overtime with WSSU winning 93-90.
The Mountain Lions were clutch at the free-throw line two years ago in a 83-79 victory.
CU connected on 8-of-10 foul shots in the final 47 seconds to win the contest.
To start the 2013-14 season, the Rams hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win 76-73 at home.
WSSU has won three of the four all-time meetings between the schools.
THREE-POINT SUCCESS
Concord and Fayetteville State have only played once all-time--last season.
The Mountain Lions won 84-65 to start the year.
CU buried 18 three-pointers which was the most in a single game for the Mountain Lions last season and is also believed to be a single-game record all-time.
Hamlet connected on three three-pointers in the game and Bolte added one. The Maroon and Gray was also efficient from three-point range as it shot 47.4 percent (18-for-38).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
61.2- CU lost 61.2 percent of its scoring from the senior class.
75.1- Concord led the Mountain East Conference in free throw percentage last season at 75.1.
158- Points scored by Bolte in the final eight games last season, accounting for 53 percent of his total scoring on the season.
FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT A GLANCE
The Broncos went 13-16 in Ken Spencer's first season at the school.
Fayetteville State returns its top scorer from last season in Josh Bryant who averaged 11.8 points per game.
Despite a losing record, FSU made it to the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament last season after winning games in the tournament over Shaw and Virginia State.
WINSTON-SALEM STATE AT A GLANCE
The Rams were picked to win the CIAA South in the conference's preseason coaches' poll.
Winston-Salem State returns CIAA Freshman of the Year Robert Colon who averaged 17.5 points per game during his rookie season.
Colon was also responsible for the game-winning bucket in overtime last year at the Carter Center.
WSSU also returns William Crandell who shot 57 percent from the floor and pulled down over six rebounds per game last season.
