BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The third-ranked SBU men's basketball team tips off their 2009-10 season on Monday, November 2 with an exhibition game against Livin' The Dream, at 7 p.m. from the Meyer Sports Center. Livin' The Dream is a traveling team comprised of former college players. Several former Bearcats, including D'Ante Harris, Wendell Mardis, Brandon Burgette and Justin Brown, will play Monday night for LTD.

SBU's regular season begins later this week when they travel to Orlando, Fla., for the Disney Tip-off Classic. SBU will take on Saint Leo (Florida) at 6 p.m. Central time on Friday, November 6. The Bearcats will battle #25 Philadelphia on Saturday, November 7 at 3:45 p.m. and then will take on Lake Superior State on Sunday, November 8 at 6 pm. Earlier this week, SBU was selected third in the preseason NABC/Division II coaches poll. The Bearcats were picked first in the MIAA preseason coaches poll and second in the preseason MIAA media poll.

---

2009-10 SEASON OUTLOOK

It was another banner year for the 2008-09 SBU Bearcats, as they won their third MIAA regular season title in four years and set an MIAA record with 17 conference wins. The Bearcats were the first MIAA school to win back-to-back regular season titles outright since Washburn in 2003 and 2004. They started the season with a bang and earned national publicity with their opening win over Division I Utah, 80-79, on the Utes' home floor in Salt Lake City. The Bearcats were ranked in the top 12 of the nation all season and reached as high as #2 after winning their first twelve games. SBU continued their home court dominance, and still sports the nation's second longest active D-II home court winning streak at 30 games. SBU went 26-5 and reached the South Central Region final, the best showing in SBU history since the 1990-91 team got to the Elite Eight.

The 2009-10 SBU Bearcats return two starters including All-American and MIAA MVP center Matt Rogers and point guard Tomas Brock. The Bearcats, under sixth year head coach Jeff Guiot, have added several new faces to replace the strong senior class of a year ago that won back-to-back conference titles.

"From one through fifteen, this is the most talent we've had in my five years," said Guiot. "Chemistry, playing together, and sacrificing for the team are yet to be determined. Last year and the past few years, our kids have played really great in pressure situations and in close games. We had people step up and make plays and hit shots. It's going to be about chemistry and how we play in the clutch."

Guiot adds that this year's team is long and very athletic - one of the tallest and most athletic teams he's had. "We could put a team out there that is 6-7, 6-8, 6-11, 6-10. We're very tall at the guard and wing positions."

Joining Brock (who started every game last year for the 'Cats) at the point guard spot is newcomer Mayse Walker. The Sacramento, Calif., native comes to the Bearcats from Yuba College and has a chance to be very good for us, according to Guiot. Freshman SirChristian Williams is also at the point guard position.

Despite returning just four players, Guiot is happy that his returners have improved. "(Sophomore guard) Ryan Dougherty has gotten a lot better. We return Tristan Steele, who redshirted last year, and was part of conference title team his freshman year. This team can really shoot the ball, and it's going to come down to how well we pass. Last year's group was a really good passing team. That comes from playing together and playing smart. The horses are in the stable, it's just a matter how well everyone can get on the same page and learn the system.  Even our walk-ons are pretty talented, probably the best group of walk-ons we've ever had."

Tremaine Hill (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) has really impressed Guiot at the shooting guard position, and has battled Steele early on for the starting spot. Newcomers Kurtis Koenig (6-6), Thijin Moses (6-8) and freshman Jacob French (6-5) can also play multiple positions, at guard or forward. Lefthander Koenig is a junior college transfer from Rochester Community and Tech while Moses (who played a year at Division I DePaul) brings a long wingspan and strong outside shot to the team. French played his high school ball at Blue Valley West in Overland Park, Kansas. "All three are long and athletic, which gives us several different options," said Guiot.

Among the big men, two freshmen, Ivan Cropotov (6-10) and Stephen Cotten (6-6), have looked great. Big Timmothy Baines (6-5, 280) will remind fans of Johnnie Harris. Then, of course, there's All-American and national Player of the Year candidate Matt Rogers. Rogers added muscle over the summer and looks to be even more dominant this season. A potential professional career could be down for the road for Rogers, but he's focused on helping the Bearcats continue their success. Guiot will also have the option of using Koenig and Moses in the post spots.

"There's a lot of competition going into practice," said Guiot. "In past years, we've had 8-9 solid guys. This year we have 12 solid. We'll get up and down the floor, like we always have. We may press and trap more because we're longer and have more depth. We will continue to push the ball and run at every opportunity. Our depth is more balanced throughout which should help during the year. But it's a lot of new guys, so it depends on how quickly they buy in and how they play as team. Hopefully we can peak at the right time. It's also about staying healthy. But that's something you can't control. If everyone stays healthy, we can compete with anybody."

Guiot adds, "We've a great group of players. Just in the short period we've been with them, I've already seen great growth in them in several areas of their lives. It's a matter of keeping growing together and coming together as one. If we do that, we'll have a very special year. We're going the right direction now, but when basketball starts, it's a whole other level. We'll see who makes the trip."