The University of Evansville men's basketball team met the media Wednesday afternoon at Roberts Stadium, and the event included the official team picture--the last one that will be taken at Roberts. In a year, the Aces will be in the new arena in downtown Evansville.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, Oct. 15: Day 1 of official pre-season practice
Thursday, Oct. 21: Hoopfest at Roberts Stadium
Tuesday, Oct. 26: MVC Media Day in St. Louis
Saturday, Oct. 30: Exhibition Game vs. DePauw
Saturday, Nov. 6: Exhibition Game vs. Ky. Wesleyan
Saturday, Nov. 13: Season begins vs. Oakland City U.
8 OF THE TOP 9 RETURN
Eight of Evansville’s top nine players return, led by CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshman of the Year Colt Ryan. The MVC Freshman of the Year was second in scoring in the MVC with a 14.5 average, and was the only freshman on the MVC All-Newcomer Team. Ryan finished 5th in the MVC in 3-pointers per game, 7th in FT%, 10th in steals and 11th in assists.
GOOD FINISH
Although the Aces finished 3-15 in the Missouri Valley last season, they were 3-2 in their last five regular
season league games. The wins came over MVC champion and Sweet 16 team UNI, runnerup Wichita State, and Drake on the road.
HOPF ALMOST READY
Senior center Clint Hopf suffered a setback this summer in recuperating from reconstructive knee surgery on March 19, but he is still expected to be back at full strength in time for the season opener Nov. 13 against Oakland City. Hopf suffered the injury to his left knee in UE’s win over #22 UNI on Feb. 23. He had to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in the summer to repair cartilage.
CIRCLE THE DATE
The North Carolina Tar Heels make their first trip to Evansville to play the Aces at Roberts Stadium Dec. 8. The three-game series began with a contest at Chapel Hill in 2008-09, and concludes with another at Chapel Hill in 2011-12.
GET YOUR TICKETS
The only way fans can guarantee seats for the North Carolina game is by purchasing season tickets or the Aces 5-Pack, which includes the North Carolina game and weekend games against MVC opponents Creighton, Bradley, Southern Illinois and Illinois State. Single-game tickets will go on sale later this month.
THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE
North Carolina is obviously the big home game for UE fans, but Evansville’s schedule also includes road games with national runnerup Butler and Indiana University, which is on the schedule for the first time since 1997. Both the Bulldogs and Hoosiers will play UE at the new downtown arena early in the 2011-12 season.
THE LAST YEAR IN ROBERTS
This is Evansville’s final season at Roberts Stadium. Opened in 1956 and completely renovated in 1990, the 11,600-seat facility has been the site of more than 800 UE basketball games. Fans attending UE games this season will receive a different commemorative picture in each game program, and other events highlighting the facility will take place throughout the year.
THE SENIOR CLASS
The class of ‘11 will be the final one to play all four years at Roberts Stadium, and the trio includes Kavon Lacey, Clint Hopf and Pieter van Tongeren. All are three-year lettermen.
HOOPFEST
The popular University of Evansville Basketball Hoopfest takes place at Roberts Stadium Thursday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 CDT. It’s the first opportunity for fans to see the Aces’ men’s and women’s teams. Admission is free. The night’s activities include player introductions, 3-point challenges, intra-squad scrimmages, a slam-dunk contest, and player autographs.
GRAY IS LATEST ADDITION
Freshman Taylor Gray of Kuttawa, Ky. is the latest addition to the Aces’ basketball team. Gray averaged 17 points last season at Lyon County High School. He and Andy Chinn are the walk-ons for UE this season. The other 11 are scholarship players.
