Anderson Kicks Off Season with Adrian/Kalamazoo

The Anderson University men's basketball team kicks off the season with matchups against Adrian College and Kalamazoo College.

SETTING THE SCENE

Anderson battles Adrian College (0-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Adrian, Mich. The Ravens then face off with Kalamazoo College (0-1) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Kalamazoo, Mich.

HCAC PRESEASON POLL

Anderson tied for first in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) preseason poll with Hanover College. The Ravens led the conference with four first-place votes. In a competitive HCAC race, five teams received first-place votes in the preseason poll. Franklin College looks to defend its 2020-21 title.

1. Anderson – 81 (4)
2. Hanover – 81 (1)
3. Transylvania – 78 (2)
4. Rose-Hulman – 75 (2)
5. Franklin – 67 (1)
6. Bluffton – 46
7. Manchester – 41
8. Mount St. Joseph – 36
9. Earlham – 26
10. Defiance – 19

A LOOK AT THE RAVENS

The Ravens went 8-6 during the 2020-21 season, which included a 6-1 home record. In addition to returning 72.9 percent of its minutes from last season, Anderson brings back an additional two starters and three total veterans from the 2019-20 season.

"We have a chance to be really good, if we will defend and rebound to our capability for 40 minutes or more each time we play," Coach Owen Handy said. "We have players who have a reasonable expectation of earning playing time, who might not get the minutes that they want or feel they have earned. They are welcome to disagree with my decisions, but they have to be great teammates regardless of the choices I make about who plays and how much."

Another point of emphasis for the Ravens this year is to complement their success at home with some key wins on the road in HCAC play.

Senior Maurice Knight (Frankton, Ind. / Frankton) returns after being tabbed the 2019-20 HCAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning first-team all-HCAC honors. Knight along with several players bring experience and physicality to this Raven squad.

"This is as big, physical, and deep of a team as we have had in my ten years here. We have an all-America candidate in Maurice Knight, and a plethora of proven college players."

RAVENS ON THE RISE

"I believe Avery Paddock and Brayton Cain have already had a major impact on our team with their maturity, practice habits, and team-first attitude. Josh Durham walks in the door as one of the best on-ball defenders we've had as a freshman. Tate Ivanyo would be playing minutes immediately for every team I have coached here except this one."

A LOOK AT ADRIAN

• 2020-21 Record: 3-13; Picked 5th in MIAA Preseason Poll
• Kendall Bellamy – 2020-21 Second-Team All-MIAA selection, 2020-21 Stats: 16.5 points per game (8th in the MIAA), 1.0 blocks per game (T-5 in MIAA), made 40-of-57 (70.2 percent) shots from the free-throw line (7th in MIAA), 5.8 rebounds per game
• Robert Warrick – 2020-21 Stats: 12.5 points per game, 1.0 blocks per game (T-5 in MIAA), 1.4 steals per game (T-6 in MIAA), hit 57-of-107 (53.3 percent) shots from the field (7th in MIAA), drained 16-of-39 (41.0 percent) attempts from 3-point range, 2.8 steals per game
• Connor Pelham – 2020-21 Stats: 12.3 points per game, knocked down 30-of-39 (76.9 percent) shots from the charity stripe (6th in MIAA), made 57-of-116 (49.1 percent) shots from the floor, 4.7 rebounds per game
• Nolan Ansara – 2020-21 Stats: 6.9 points per game
• Michael Williams – 2020-21 Stats: 2.2 points per game

A LOOK AT KALAMAZOO

• 2020-21 Record: 3-5; Picked 8th in MIAA Preseason Poll
• Bobby Samples – 2020-21 Stats: 5.4 points per game, 3.4 assists per game (4th in MIAA), 1.3 steals per game, 1.6 assist-turnover ratio
• Ty Horky – 2020-21 Stats: 6.5 points per game