GAME INFORMATION
Penn State Abington (0-0) at Millersville (0-0)
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 - 2 p.m.
Pucillo Gymnasium - Millersville, Pa.

SERIES INFORMATION
Series vs. Penn State Abington: MU leads 1-0
Series Streak: MU, 1
First Meeting: 2008 (MU 80, PSA 51)
Last Meeting: 2008 (MU 80, PSA 51)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Internet Broadcast: MSBN
Live Stats

2009-10 Media Guide (pdf)

2009-10 SEASON OUTLOOK
Rebuilding seasons under 12th year men's basketball coach Fred Thompson are few and far between. In fact, there have been only three sub-.500 seasons during his Millersville tenure. But the 2008-09 season was trying for Thompson and his young squad as they battled through a 10-17 campaign that included a tough eight losses that were by 10 points or less.

It was a young team that relied heavily on six players that had never played a game at the Division II level. But the good news for 2009-10 is that those players gained the needed into-the-fire experience and are set to lead the Marauders back to its status as perennial power of the PSAC Eastern Division.
Altogether, the Marauders return three starters and eight letterwinners.

Thompson enters the season needing just seven victories to become just the third coach in the program's 108 seasons to reach 200 wins. Three times he has led the Marauders to a PSAC Eastern Division title. He also boasts two PSAC Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances including three in the last five years.

Winning at Millersville is the norm, and all signs point to 2009-10 being a bounce back season for Thompson's team. After all, he has never seen his program post back-to-back losing seasons.
Out of necessity, though, Millersville will likely employ a different style of basketball than most fans are used to seeing. Thompson seemingly always has long, athletic big men that rebound and control the paint with shot-blocking abilities. A veteran post player in the mold of Makal Stibbins, RayQuan Miles or Toochi Udeinya is not on the 2009-10 roster. But Thompson does have a stable full of quick, skilled guards that pressure defensively and stretch the floor with long-range shooting.

GUARD
With returning starters Palmer McDurfee, Jason Blake and Brandon Widener, the backcourt will be the focus of what Millersville does both offensively and defensively. All three players can push the ball and make plays using their speed.

While all three have similarities, they are distinctly different players. Blake, a senior, started the season at point guard but moved to the two-guard spot while he adapted to the speed of the Division II game. He finished the season averaging 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds and totaled 70 assists, but Thompson will be counting on him to be more consistent in his second year with the program.

Blake was brilliant at times. He scored 19 points and grabbed eight boards at W.Va. State and went for 21 points and six rebounds in a thrilling victory at East Stroudsburg. He scored in double figures 10 times and led the team in assists 13 times, but he also scored four or fewer points in 10 games.
The 6-2 Blake is also an outstanding rebounder and the team's most capable defender, and Thompson will count on Blake's production at both ends of the floor.

McDurfee, on the other hand, was one of the team's most reliable players last season. The 5-9 senior took over point guard duties and led the team with 76 assists while committing just 56 turnovers. There isn't anything flashy about McDurfee's game, but he doesn't make many mistakes and is an accurate shooter, especially from long range. He led the team in free throw shooting percentage and was second in 3-pointers made with 31.

McDurfee showed the ability to score in bunches as he cracked double figures 11 times and scored more than 18 three times. However, with the emergence of Widener as a scorer, McDurfee grew  comfortable in his role as the team's distributor.

Widener, now in his sophomore season, is as explosive as any player on the floor and opponents
don't expect it from the wiry, 6-0 guard. Hampered by an ankle injury early, it took Widener some time to get his legs back under him. But he had his coming-out party at Mercyhurst when he totaled 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds while hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers.

Widener went on to average 11.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in his final 15 games. He has a penchant for making spectacular plays with his leaping ability and all-out hustle, but he is also a marksman, hitting nearly 41 percent of his 3-point attempts. Widener will thrive in Millersville's new up-tempo style.

Another guard that flashed ability as a freshman was Columbia, Pa., native Mike Seibert. Seibert is a 3-point shooting specialist that saw action in 23 games. He is a pure shooter that will provide an offensive spark from the bench. He was a streaky player as a freshman, hitting two or more 3-pointers three times. With a year of collegiate basketball under his belt, Seibert should be even more productive in year two.

Senior Trai Hawkins also returns. Last year, Hawkins joined the squad for the spring semester and played in 18 games. He provided depth at point guard but possibly showed a sign of things to come
in the season finale at Mansfield when he poured in 18 points and handed out six assists.

A host of newcomers make the guard position deep and talented. Junior transfer Omar Copeland arrives at Millers ville via Coppin State and John F. Kennedy High School in Bowie, Md. The 6-2 Copeland was a
big-time scorer in high school and will try to provide the same for Thompson's team.

Another transfer that adds some height to the position is Nigel Davis. Davis, 6-4, played a season at Reading Area Community College after graduating from Octorara High School. Davis averaged 16 points per game for a successful team.

Also looking to making a splash is redshirt freshman Guye Weber. The 6-3 Weber worked with the team last year and gained valuable experience in practice. He will be a help on the defensive end as he is a strong athlete with good instincts.

Cheltenham graduate and incoming freshman Christian Santos will fight for playing time as well. Santos is an outstanding shooter, who hit 43 percent of his 3-point attempts as a senior and was named  All-Suburban One.

FORWARD
The Marauders have versatility with their forwards. Sophomore Cullen Murray-Kemp is the lone returnee at the position, and he is a more perimeter oriented forward. Murray-Kemp showed signs of outstanding play during his freshman season. During a six-game stretch in January, he scored in double figures
five times and scored no fewer than nine points in any of the six games. He also drilled at least three 3-pointers in five of the six games.

At 6-6, Murray-Kemp is a match-up nightmare. He has the ball-handling and shooting ability to bring opposing team's post players away from the basket and open lanes for Millersville's guards.

Murray-Kemp will certainly be expected to provide offense, but Thompson will also need him to hit the glass. He is one of only two players on the roster taller than 6-5, and he averaged just 1.7 rebounds per game last season. A full offseason in the weight room, though, will help him handle his inside duties
in 2009-10.

Like Murray-Kemp, Jim Kelleher, a 6-5 redshirt freshman, can stretch defenses. Kelleher comes to the Marauders after a season at Lycoming College and a decorated high school career at Upper Darby.

Keith Peel is an incoming junior that will provide some muscle in the paint. At 6-5 and 224 pounds, Peel is a physically strong player and a former teammate of Jason Blake that averaged 12 points and nine rebounds per game for a Community College of Philadelphia team that won a state championship in 2006.

The 6-5 Rob Wyley is an incoming transfer as well and gives the Marauders a true power forward. But they will have to wait for his services as he played a season Averett University must wait until after the fall
semester to become eligible for competition. Wyley has Millersville ties as his father Aaron
was an All-PSAC wide receiver for the Marauders from 1977-79.

CENTER
The Marauders boast a pair of experienced players at the center position. Alen Ahmetovic, a senior, is a three-year member of the squad that logged 19 starts last year. He is the only player remaining on the squad from the 2006-07 PSAC Championship and the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament berth. He's a solid role player that gives the Marauders toughness inside, and after playing in 71 games during his career, he knows exactly what Thompson expects from him.

The coaching staff hopes that junior Rob Coney will continue his development as a center in the PSAC.
At 6-8, Coney is by far the tallest player on the roster, but his slight build has kept him from playing
extensive minutes previous seasons. Last year, he played in 22 games and totaled four starts.
Coney put his abilities on display in several games. He pulled down 11 rebounds in the season opener
and recorded 12 points and eight boards against California (Pa.) in January. He has long arms and
is a natural shot blocker. With the team's lack of height, he will need to provide a defensive presence
in the middle.

SCHEDULE
Millersville opens its season at home on Nov. 15 against Penn State Abington, and then hosts C.W.
Post on Nov. 21. Last year, the Pioneers reached the NCAA Elite Eight with a perfect 30-0 record before
falling to eventual national champions, Findlay. Millersville will be looking to avenge last year's
loss which was the largest margin defeat in Fred Thompson's tenure.

The Marauders also host non-conference games against Virginia State and Philadelphia, a pair of
teams that beat Millersville in 2008. The Marauders begin a road swing that includes
four games in six days on Dec. 29. First, they face perennial WVIAC power Wheeling Jesuit in
Wheeling, W.Va., and then take on the NCAA's 2008-09 scoring champion in West Liberty State.
The Hilltoppers have an high-powered offensive attack that has led the nation in scoring four years
running and helped them to five-straight 20-win seasons.

PSAC Crossover action begins two days later at PSAC West preseason favorite and 2009 NCAA
Tournament team Indiana (Pa.). A trip to California (Pa.) follows the next day.

PSAC Eastern Division play opens at home on Jan. 13 against West Chester. Three of the first four
PSAC East games are at home, but three of the last five games of the regular season are on the
road.