Game Notes

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - In its final dress rehearsal for the upcoming regular season, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team will travel to the historic JMA Wireless Dome 7 p.m. Wednesday for an exhibition game against Syracuse University.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase single-game tickets for Friday's game HERE.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Wednesday's game is being carried on ACC Network Extra, the ACC's video streaming service. Click HERE for information on ACC Network Extra. Live in-game statistics will also be provided at the link below.

ABOUT ACC NETWORK EXTRA
What it is
A digital platform for additional live ACC events
 
How to access
Available through ESPN.com, the ESPN app, or if your cable or streaming service provider carries the ACC Network
 
Cost
Included at no extra cost if you already have the ACC Network
 
Providers
Available through many cable and streaming services, including Spectrum, Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Hulu, Optimum, SlingTV, Verizon, and YouTubeTV
 
How to watch
Log in to ACCNX using the account with your cable provider or streaming service

GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Syracuse University
Date: Wednesday – 7 p.m.
Location: Syracuse, New York
Venue: JMA Wireless Dome
Live Video (ACC Network Extra): Link
Live Stats: Link
Tickets: Link
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: N/A
Last Played: N/A

SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• 2023-24 Stats: Link
• 2023-24 Overall Record: 16-14
• 2023-24 PSAC West Record: 13-9
• 2023-24 PSAC West Finish: 3rd
• 2023-24 Postseason: PSAC Tournament (Quarterfinals)
• 2024-25 PSAC West Preseason Poll: 2nd
• Head Coach: Ian Grady | Seventh season (84-62)
 
THE OPENING TIP
• Accompanied by four returning starters and on the heels of five consecutive winning seasons, Slippery Rock head coach Ian Grady has assembled what has the chance to be one of the deepest teams in program history.

• In what is becoming a rarity in the current college basketball landscape, Slippery Rock returns the bulk of its roster from a season ago in which SRU went 16-14 overall, including a 13-9 record in conference competition, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament.

• In total, Slippery Rock's 2024-25 roster features 12 returners from a season ago as well as six newcomers in the form of three transfers and three freshmen.

• Wednesday's game will serve as the program's 21st exhibition against a Division I opponent since 2005 and the first since traveling to the University of Iowa prior to the start of the 2021-22 season.

• Head Coach Ian Grady on playing Syracuse: "This is an exciting opportunity for our program. To have the opportunity to play at a college basketball venue like the JMA Wireless Dome against an upper echelon team from the ACC is a perfect way to get our guys prepared for the season."
 
SLIPPERY ROCK IN DIVISION I EXHIBITIONS
Slippery Rock has played 20 exhibition games against Division I opponents dating back to the 2005-06 season. Included in the games is a win against Navy in 2012-13 and relatively close games against St. Bonaventure (2007-08), Pittsburgh (2009-10, 2017-18), Southern Mississippi (2013-14) and Townson (2014-15). A full breakdown of SRU's results against D1 teams can be found HERE. 
 
16 YEARS OF SUCCESS
Slippery Rock has recorded winning records in 14 of the last 16 years dating back to the 2008-09 season with 13 postseason berths occurring over that stretch. Across the 17-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, only Indiana (Pa.) and East Stroudsburg have produced more winning campaigns than The Rock over the last 16 seasons.
 
Winning Seasons By PSAC Teams (Since 2008-09)
1: Indiana (Pa.) - 16
2: East Stroudsburg - 15
t3: Slippery Rock - 14
t3: West Chester - 14
t5: Gannon - 12
t5: Gannon – 12
 
ROCK PICKED SECOND IN PSAC WEST PRESEASON POLL
Slippery Rock received three first-place votes and was picked to finish second in the PSAC West this season, the league office announced recently with the unveiling of its annual preseason poll.
 
The second-place prediction marks The Rock's highest placement in the conference's preseason poll since the 2019-20 season and is the fourth time in the last 16 years that SRU has been prognosticated to take second in the daunting PSAC West.
 
California (Pa.) was tabbed to win the division after earning five first-place votes. Following the Vulcans in the top half of the poll was The Rock, Gannon and Indiana (Pa.). Making up the back half of the predicted order was Seton Hill in fifth place with Pitt-Johnstown, Clarion and Edinboro rounding out the list.
 
A BRIEF LOOK AT LAST YEAR
Slippery Rock's 16-14 record last year served as the program's fifth winning season under head coach Ian Grady. Included in the run was a PSAC Tournament victory over Seton Hill for what was not only Grady's first postseason victory, but the programs first such since 2017-18.
 
THE KEY RETURNERS
#1 Jomo Goings: 6-4 - Guard - Washington, D.C.
• Goings is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in which he parlayed 13.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game into all-conference accolades. One of The Rock's most efficient scorers, Goings shot 47.1 percent from the field overall, 38.8 percent from 3-point territory and 84 percent at the foul line a year ago – all of which were team-highs.
 
#3 Ike Herster: 6-6 - Guard - Sharon, Pa.
• One of just two athletes to play in all 30 games for The Rock last season after transferring in from Gannon, Herster was an offensive spark plug for SRU. The long-range specialist scored 10 or more points in 23 of 30 games to close the year as Slippery Rock's second-leading scorer at 14.3 points per game.
 
• Herster's 57 made 3-pointers served as the 12th highest single-season total in program history. He also ranked sixth in the PSAC in free throw shooting percentage (.818), 11th in 3-pointers made per game (1.9), 12th in made 3-pointers, 17th in 3-point shooting percentage (.339) and 19th in scoring.
 
#4 Sheick Samoura: 6-6 - Guard - Fayetteville, N.C.
• Arguably Slippery Rock's top all-around athlete, Samoura made his collegiate debut last season after taking a redshirt in 2022-23 and promptly delivered 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 0.9 assists per game over 25 appearances. Samoura had 10 multi-block games en route to finishing tied for second in the PSAC in blocks per game.
 
#5 Maceo Austin: 6-5 - Guard - Sharon, Pa.
• Austin who more than lived up to the lofty expectations the former consensus three-star recruit brought with him as a transfer from Duquesne University a year ago.
 
• Austin started all 27 games he dressed for on the way to posting per game averages of 16.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 45.2 percent from the field.
 
• A three-time PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week honoree, Austin finished 2023-24 tied for third in the PSAC in blocks per game while also ranking eighth in the conference in offensive rebounding, eighth in steals, ninth in overall rebounding, 13th in scoring and 13th in field goal percentage.
 
#12 Luke Howes: 6-0 - Guard - Fairview Park, Ohio
• Pound-for-pound one of the toughest players on the roster, Howes came to SRU a season ago as a transfer from Walsh and wasted no time taking the reins as The Rock's starting point guard. The only athlete to start all 30 games, Howes was on the court for 30 minutes a game and led the team in assists (2.8) while also contributing 7.6 points and 1.2 steals a night.
 
#20 Bobby Clifford: 6-3 - Guard - Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Further adding to The Rock's stable of guards is redshirt senior Clifford, who has elected to use his final season of eligibility while finishing his MBA. A veteran presence who has been with the program since 2019-20, Clifford has played in 87 games over the last three seasons and ranks 21st in program history in minutes played (2,021) as well as 24th in blocks (39). 
 
#21 Alex Griggs: 6-1 - Guard - Wexford, Pa.
• After redshirting last season, Griggs will be back in uniform to form what should be a promising point guard rotation with Howes. During his true freshman season in 2022-23, Griggs served as The Rock's backup point guard to four-year starter Amante Britt and went on to appear in all 29 games as a rookie.
 
GRADY SET FOR YEAR SEVEN
The 2024-25 season will mark Ian Grady's seventh year as head coach of the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team and his 16th overall season as a coach inside the program.
 
Yet to have a losing season as The Rock's head coach, Grady has had a great start to his head coaching career as he will enter the upcoming season holding a career record of 84-62 (.575) with five PSAC Tournament appearances. Since taking over the program, Grady has mentored 10 All-PSAC West honorees including one All-Atlantic Region choice.
 
Perhaps most importantly, after ranking in the bottom half of the PSAC in team GPA for much of the decade preceding his appointment as head coach, Grady-led teams have recorded team GPAs of no worse than 2.91 for five consecutive years - including three seasons above 3.0.
 
The Rock have had 25 athletes secure professional basketball contracts during Grady's entire tenure as an assistant and head coach at SRU.
 
NEW BEGINNINGS
Among Slippery Rock's six newcomers for 2024-25 are three transfers who all be leaned on heavily. 
 
#2 Day Waters: 6-4 - Guard - Silver Spring, Md.
• While new to The Rock, guard Waters is plenty familiar to the rigors of the PSAC following a two-year stint at Millersville where he started 40 of 53 games played while averaging 9.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field overall, 40.9 percent from distance and 76.3 percent at the foul line. Waters ranked third in the PSAC a season ago in 3-point shooting percentage at .421 (67-for-159). 
 
#10 O'Meech Wilson: 6-5 - Forward - Brooklyn Park, Md.
• Wilson was a key component of a successful Howard Community College program over the last two seasons. He helped to lead the Dragons to a 48-15 record and back-to-back NJCAA Tournament appearances. While at Howard, Wilson started 36 of 59 games played with per game averages of 7.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.01 steals per game in addition to shooting an efficient 59.7 percent from the field.
 
#22 Michael Moore: 6-9 - Forward - Hermitage, Pa.
• A veteran of 28 Division I games played, 6 feet 9 inches tall forward Moore comes to SRU after two seasons at Winthrop University. Before committing to Winthrop, Moore played prep basketball at the IMG Academy.
 
NEXT MAN UP INSIDE
While Slippery Rock does enjoy the luxury of returning a plethora of guard options it will be tasked with replacing its primary post presence from a season ago in the now-graduate Lashon Lindsey.
 
Prior to embarking on a professional career in Portugal, Lindsey capped off a four-year career at The Rock with a strong senior season in which he provided SRU with 9.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and just under a steal per game while playing 33.2 minutes a night.
 
Among The Rock's returning options to replace Lindsey will be underclassmen Mack Staunch and Enire Bowens.
 
Staunch spent his redshirt freshman season in 2023-24 as a reserve forward, but proved himself more than capable when extended minutes did come his way as shown in an eight-point, four-rebound, one-assist performance in SRU's 81-74 road win at Edinboro.
 
Standing 6 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 225 pounds, Bowens is one of SRU's largest athletes. After redshirting in 2022-23, Bowens saw limited time in 11 games a season ago.
 
WELCOME TO THE ROCK
The other half of Slippery Rock's incoming recruiting class which will be embarking on their inaugural collegiate seasons this year is the true freshmen trio of guard Elijah Hill (McDonald, Pennsylvania), guard Kai Queen (Honolulu, Hawaii) and center Omar Abdelsamia (Giza, Egypt).
 
ROUNDING OUT THE ROSTER
Also back for SRU in 2024-25 is the veteran reserve guard trio of senior Colin McQuiston, redshirt junior Bryon Ottrix and redshirt junior Malik Robinson.
 
THE HEADLINERS ARE BACK
Slippery Rock is the only PSAC school - and one of just three teams in the Atlantic Region alongside Concord and Fairmont State - with multiple returning all-conference athletes in Maceo Austin and Jomo Goings.
 
RETURNING FIREPOWER
In addition to being the only PSAC school with multiple returning all-conference athletes, SRU also brings back 83.1 percent of its point production from a year ago which is the second highest amount in the PSAC behind only Kutztown (85.7 percent).
 
THE 2024-25 SCHEDULE
Slippery Rock will play a 28-game schedule consisting of its 20-game PSAC West schedule and eight non-conference contests. Of the 28 regular-season games, 16 will be played at the friendly confines of Morrow Field House where Slippery Rock is 168-49 (.774) since 2008.
 
Under Grady, Slippery Rock has gone 56-19 (.747) in home games, 17-11 (.607) in crossover contests against PSAC East teams and 20-17 (.541) in non-conference matchups.
 
Of SRU's 21 unique opponents this season, nine finished last year holding a winning record with three qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
 
In addition to its round-robin 14-game Western Division slate, SRU will play crossover contests against West Chester, Millersville, Kutztown, Bloomsburg, Mansfield and East Stroudsburg of the PSAC East.
 
The Rock's non-conference schedule features games against Shaw, Virginia Union, Wheeling, Fairmont State, Lake Erie, USC Beaufort, West Virginia Wesleyan and Penn State New Kensington.
 
Slippery Rock's season officially gets underway when it hosts the Atlantic Region Challenge Nov. 8-9 at Morrow Field House. As part of the two-day event, SRU will play Shaw 7 p.m. Nov. 8 followed by a 7 p.m. Nov. 9 meeting with Virginia Union.

SYRACUSE PRIMER
• Roster: Link
• 2023-24 Stats: Link
• 2023-24 Overall Record: 20-12
• 2023-24 ACC Record: 11-9
• 2023-24 ACC Finish: t-5th
• 2023-24 Postseason: ACC Tournament (Second Round)
• 2024-25 ACC Preseason Poll: 11th
• Head Coach: Adrian Autry | Second season (20-12)
 
A LOOK AT THE ORANGE
The Orange were 20-12 a year ago in head coach Adrian Autry's first campaign at the helm. Syracuse returns guard J.J. Starling (13.3 ppg.) and forward Chris Bell (12.0 ppg.), both starters, from last season's squad.
 
Syracuse also brought in key transfers including center Eddie Lampkin (Colorado), forward Jyáre Davis (Delaware), guard Jaquan Carlos (Hofstra) and guard Lucas Taylor (Georgia State).
 
Wednesday's game will be the second exhibition for Syracuse against a PSAC West squad - the Orange defeated Clarion 101-73 on Oct. 26 shooting 53.4 percent from the field and making 12 3-pointers in the triumph. Four Syracuse players scored in double figures and 11 'Cuse players scored at least one basket led by Starling's team-high 17 points.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock's season officially gets underway when it hosts the Atlantic Region Challenge Nov. 8-9 at Morrow Field House. As part of the two-day event, SRU will play Shaw 7 p.m. Nov. 8 followed by a 7 p.m. Nov. 9 meeting with Virginia Union.
 
After the Atlantic Region Challenge, SRU heads to Wheeling on Nov. 13 for its first countable road game of the year.




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