TRUMAN AT CEDARVILLE/VS. TREVECCA NAZARENE - DON CALLAN CLASSIC
	Truman Bulldogs 2016-17 Record: 0-0 Coach: Chris Foster, Third season Roster | Schedule | Statistics (2015-16)
	Cedarville Yellow Jackets 2016-17 Record: 0-0 Coach: Pat Estepp, Ninth season Roster | Schedule | Statistics (2015-16)
	Trevecca Nazarene Trojans 2016-17 Record: 0-0 Coach: Sam Harris, 24th season Roster | Schedule
	Game Information Date: November 11-12, 2016 | Time: 7:45 p.m./3 p.m. (EDT) Location: Cedarville, Ohio | Callan Athletic Center Live Stats (both games) | Live Video (first game) Twitter - #BewareOfDog

Complete Game Notes (.PDF)
Don Callan Classic Website

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Well, here it is. The time for the 2016-17 edition of the Truman men's basketball team to take the floor has come. The Bulldogs will open their third season under the leadership of head coach, Chris Foster, at Cedarville's Don Callan Classic against those very Yellow Jackets as well as the Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene. These two contests are part of a stretch in which Truman will play three games away from Pershing Arena to begin the season before back-to-back home games on Nov. 19 and 22.

Scouting the Yellow Jackets
The Cedarville Yellow Jackets enter their ninth season under the helm of head coach, Pat Estepp. During that time, the program has an overall record of 155-93 (.625), a mark of 65-28 (.699) in conference and five five 20-win seasons (last was in 2012-13). This year, Cedarville was picked to finish third in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and return all but one player from 2015-16's squad.

Last season, the Yellow Jackets scored a total of 2,041 points and that one senior, Jason Reep, was responsible for just 13 of them in 103 minutes of action. That means Cedarville brings back three scorers who averaged double figures including J.C. Faubion (15.7 points per game), Patrick Bain (11.7 PPG) and Easton Bazzoli (10.8 PPG). At the conclusion of the season, Faubion was selected for the G-MAC All-Second Team. The Indianapolis native led the team in scoring, rebounds per game (6.5), assists (70), and steals (33). The Yellow Jackets played exhibitions at Wright State (62-88) and against Athletes In Action (92-96).

Scouting the Trojans
For the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans, they enter their 24th season under the leadership of head coach, Sam Harris, who was hired for the job prior to the 1993-94 campaign. During that time, the program has gone 362-357 (.503) overall and 157-175 (.473) in conference play. The 2016-17 edition of the Trojans was picked to finish fifth in the G-MAC.

Trevecca played one exhibition and it was back on Nov. 5 in a 81-52 win over the Midway University Eagles. In that game, a trio of Trojans reached double-figures including Devin Whitfield (22 points), Donovan Donaldson (14) and Jarvis Jones (10). Whitfield is just a freshman, one of EIGHT for a very young Trevecca squad that also features three sophomores, three juniors and just one senior. The Trojans will open their season with a Great Lakes Valley Conference opponent in Maryville on Friday night before facing Truman on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Leadership
Cory Myers, Kyle Kanaskie, Connor Erickson, Billy Daniel, and Dwight Sistrunk Jr. have appeared in a total of 336 games with 220 starts to their names since the beginning of the 2012-13 season. They will be relied upon heavily not only for their experience during the past four years, but for their leadership and ability to put the other 12 players in the right spot at the right time.

The top scorer coming back from a season ago will be Pennsylvania native, Kyle Kanaskie. As a junior, Kanaskie averaged a career high 12.1 points per game and was named second-team all-GLVC because of it. He was one of only two Bulldogs (Cory Myers) to start all 30 of the team's games and was first on the squad in total points with 362. The State College product was also a serious threat from behind the arc as he made 60 of his 147 attempts from distance or 40.8 percent.
 
The team's other double-figure scorers coming back for their final season will be Connor Erickson and Cory Myers. The Overland Park, Kansas native, Erickson, was third on the team in points per game last season with 11.4 and turned himself into a formidable rim protector. He was second on the team behind Billy Daniel in blocks with 21 and averaged nearly four rebounds per contest while shooting over 54 percent from the floor.
 
Meanwhile, the team said goodbye to its top scorer in Cole Myers because of graduation, but Cory has proven to be a very capable player in his own right. Hailing from Ankeny, Iowa, Cory put up 11.3 points per game last year and as mentioned above, was as durable as any Bulldog with starts in all 30 of the team's games. Much like Erickson, he turned himself into a great defender as he was first on the squad in steals with 53, was named to the GLVC's first team as well as the all-defensive team.
 
Last, but not least for the five seniors are a big and a small in Billy Daniel and Dwight Sistrunk Jr. Daniel, out of Davenport, Iowa, led the team in blocks with 23 and could have been called Mr. Windex with what he was able to do on the glass. Daniel led the team in total rebounds with 135 and his 47 offensive boards were 20 more than the next-closest player.
 
Sistrunk became quite the playmaker as his 4.2 assists per game were better than any other Bulldog. The Des Moines, Iowa native handled things on the defensive end as well, though, and joined Cory on the GLVC's all-defensive team. The 5-11 guard had at least seven assists in five games and at least five in nine contests.
 
Those five will be joined by Nikola Pesic, Jacob Socha, Taurin Hughes, Zach Fisher, Jack Green, Jake Velky, and Connor Lusso as returners for this year's team.

Fresh Crop of Talent
Donning the Purple & White for the first time on November 11 will be Alex McQuinn (Stanberry, Mo./Stanberry), Turner Scott (Des Moines, Iowa/Valley), Mark Rogers (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins), Tanner Zeil (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill), and Nathan Messer (St. Louis, Mo./Navy).
 
McQuinn helped lead Stanberry to three Missouri State High School Class 1 Final Fours as well as a perfect season of 31-0 in capturing the state championship in 2015-16. Over the course of his four years, McQuinn's teams went 108-13 and as a senior, he was named to the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All-State team after averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
Scott earned first-team all-conference and third-team all-state accolades as a junior in 2015 and helped his team to win a state title in 2016. Not only did the 5-10 guard do his thing on the hardwood, but also excelled on the field as an all-district football player for the Tigers.
 
Rogers earned first-team all-conference recognition and was the league's leading scorer as a junior when he averaged 18 points and nine rebounds per game. He was a starter for three years and lettered for two and saved his best for last as a senior when he averaged 26 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and one steal per game. The 26 points per game was good enough to lead the St. Louis Metro area in scoring behind Duke-bound Jayson Tatum.
 
Zeil put up 12 points and over six rebounds per game for the Park Hill Trojans as a two-year starter and three-year letterwinner. He earned first-team all-conference and all-district honors and was named to the all-tournament and academic all-tournament team at the Liberty North High School Tournament.
 
Coming over from the United States Naval Academy will be 6-0 guard, Nathan Messer. Messer prepped at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo. where he was a three-year starter and letterwinner for the Lancers and helped lead the team to a Suburban West Conference title with a 24-5 record as a senior. Averaged 13 points per game as a junior and still holds the school record for three-point field goals made in a single season.