BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The 36th Annual Roosevelt's Greyhound Classic tips off on Saturday when the Moravian College men's basketball team hosts Penn State-Lehigh Valley, John Jay College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 4-5 in Johnston Hall.
The Greyhounds are 47-23 in the Greyhound Classic while winning 16 of the 35 tournaments, including the 2013 championship. Moravian defeated New Jersey City University 80-72 in overtime last January to win its second Greyhound Classic in three years. The Hounds' junior guard Izel Dickerson was named the tournament's MVP, while now-graduated D.J. Strayhorn was named to the All-Tournament team in 2013.
Moravian is 4-5 this season with a 1-1 mark in Landmark Conference play. The Greyhounds have won two straight at home in Johnston Hall and are scoring 63.2 points per contest through the first nine games this season.
The Greyhounds defense is averaging 5.0 blocks per game, tied for 22nd in the country, while allowing 67.3 points per game.
Dickerson leads the Greyhounds from the point guard position, averaging 16.4 ppg and totaling 20 assists this season. He is tied for the team-lead in three-point field goals made with 12 and has a team-best mark of .814 (48-of-59) from the free throw line.
Sophomore forward Matt Bosch returned from an early-season injury to make an immediate impact on the scoreboard. Bosch is averaging 11.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg in six games while shooting 54 percent from the floor. Senior center Blake English is a two-way threat for the Greyhounds, averaging 11.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg with 24 blocked shots, which ranks 15th in NCAA Division III. Senior center Cameron Cullen is the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 rpg while adding 7.7 ppg, eight steals and seven blocks.
Penn State-Lehigh Valley enters its first Greyhound Classic led by head coach Anthony Ross, a former assistant coach under Jim Walker at Moravian College. The Nittany Lions are 5-5 this season, boasting high percentages in shooting from the floor (.435) and from three-point land (.461). Penn State-LV scores 66.0 points per game while holding opponents to 58.9 points per contest.
The Lions' key players are all freshmen and are led by sharpshooting guard Anthony Bellucci, who has 12.6 ppg and 31 three-point field goals made this season. Penn State-LV boasts a balanced attack, with eight players averaging over 6.0 ppg this season. Guard Jordan Young (7.9 ppg) is the squad's floor general with 35 assists, while forward Ben Lee (7.8 ppg) controls the glass with 5.5 rpg. Guard Jeff Garner (7.5 ppg) has also been deadly from three-point range with 18 made from distance. Forwards Shane Schmidt (7.5 ppg), Taaj Williams (6.8 ppg), Joel Torres (6.3 ppg) and Basheer Hairston (6.1 ppg) round out a deep frontcourt.
John Jay College also enters the Greyhound Classic for the first time with a 3-6 overall record and 2-2 mark in the CUNY Athletic Conference. The Bloodhounds are scoring 74.1 points per contest and have a 7.5 turnover margin over their opponents this season. John Jay limits its turnovers to 13.9 per game while recording 13.3 steals per contest.
The Bloodhounds are led by junior guard Korede Griffith, who has 17.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg to go with 31 steals, 17 made three-pointers and 19 assists. Junior swingman Kris Owens (14.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and senior guard Darryl Dennis (10.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) join Griffith in double-figures in scoring, while junior guard Darell Robinson, the only member of the Bloodhounds to start all nine games, averages 9.8 ppg with a team-high 31 assists.
Senior big man Oshea Alexander has pulled down 4.7 rpg while adding 3.3 ppg and 13 blocked shots. Sophomore forward Kendall Jordan is averaging 4.4 ppg and 4.8 rpg.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute returns to Johnston Hall for its second Greyhound Classic. The Engineers are 1-1 in the Classic, falling to the host Greyhounds, 78-68, in the championship game in 1998. The Engineers are 1-6 this season heading into the tournament while averaging 92.7 points per game and a 7.4 turnover margin.
The Engineers are led by a balanced attack paced by senior guards Reggie Colas (11.4 ppg) and Nick Keefe (10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) and sophomore forward Chase Almond (10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Colas has a team-high 15 steals, Keefe leads in assists with 15 and Almond has blocked a team-best nine shots.
Junior swingman Josh Dugas adds 9.7 ppg with an 88.2 percent mark from the free throw line, while sophomore forward Tyler Gendron (9.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) leads the Engineers from downtown with 14 made three-pointers.
Moravian and Penn State-Lehigh Valley will kick off the Winter Classic after the conclusion of the women's tournament at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4. John Jay and RPI will follow them with their first round matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
The victors of the first round games will meet in the tournament championship in Sunday, Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. in Johnston Hall. The two remaining teams will play in the consolation round at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Follow live stats and video of all four games here: http://moraviansports.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/tournament/index.
