No. 14 Richard Bland Plays In Monroe Tournament This Weekend
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- The Richard Bland College men's basketball team will travel to New Rochelle, New York this weekend, November 12-13, to participate in the Monroe College Tournament hosted by NJCAA Division I Monroe College. The Statesmen (3-1), ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA Division II Preseason Poll, will play Frederick (Md.) Community College on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m., before facing tournament host Monroe on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.
MONROE COLLEGE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
No. 14 Richard Bland vs. Frederick CC
Date: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: New Rochelle, N.Y.
Series History: 1-0
No. 14 Richard Bland at Monroe
Date: Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016
Time: 2 p.m. | LIVE VIDEO
Location: New Rochelle, N.Y.
Series History: 1st Meeting
Scouting the Statesmen
No. 14 Richard Bland is 3-1 after defeating The College of Southern Maryland 84-75 on Nov. 9. The Statesmen, who are an outstanding 77-26 (.748) over the past three-plus seasons, are coached by head coach Chuck Moore, who is in his fourth season, and assisted by fourth-year assistant coach Brian Henderson, second-year assistant coach Preston Beverly and first-year graduate assistant coach Mike Wynn. Through four games, the Statesmen have been led in scoring by sophomore center Jaquan Wooten/Kinston, North Carolina, who is averaging 14.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks with three consecutive double-doubles. He is followed by sophomore guard Deandre Clark/Orange, who is averaging 11.8 points and 3.3 rebounds, while local sophomore guard Gevon Arrington/Petersburg is averaging 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Richard Bland is averaging 81.0 points per game, while allowing 68.3 points per game to opponents.
Scouting Frederick CC & Monroe
NJCAA Division II Frederick CC (1-1) hosted the FCC Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 4-5 to open its season. That tournament also included Richard Bland, Delaware Tech and Valley Forge (Pa.). FCC lost to Delaware Tech, 80-75, and defeated Valley Forge, 78-64. The Statesmen fell to Valley Forge, 84-83, and defeated Delaware Tech, 70-51. FCC is coached by fourth-year head coach Emonte Hill, and is led in scoring by sophomores Tyre Gathright (13.5) and Josiah Jones (10.0). NJCAA Division I Monroe (0-0) is opening its campaign while hosting this weekend's action in New York. Monroe is coached by 15th-year head coach Jeff Brustad.
Series History
Richard Bland and Frederick have played just one time previously in the sport of men's basketball, as the Statesmen defeated FCC 81-59 last October 20, 2015, while opening the season in Statesman Hall. Richard Bland has never played Monroe previously in men's basketball.
Spreading the Minutes
Richard Bland has 10 different players who are averaging at least 10 minutes per game, including four who are playing at least 20 minutes per game. The other four Statesmen on the roster are averaging near double-figure minutes, as well, ranging from 7.5 to 9.0 minutes per game.
2015 NJCAA Division II National Champions
Richard Bland won the 2015 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship, defeating John Wood (Ill.) Community College 64-53 on March 21, 2015 at the Mary Miller Gymnasium on the campus of Danville Community College in Danville, Illinois. The Statesmen finished the storybook 2014-15 campaign with a school-record of 32-4, winning the national title in only their second year back in action following a 20-year hiatus from competitive sports at Richard Bland.
Up Next
Richard Bland will return home next weekend, Nov. 18-19, to host the Richard Bland Classic at Statesman Hall. The Statesmen will play nearby Southside Virginia Community College on Friday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m., before facing NJCAA Division I Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. The Friday game has been designated as Learner Mentor Appreciation Night, while the Saturday game has been designated as Salute to the Brave: First Responders Day. Richard Bland learner mentors will be recognized on Friday night, as will all area police officers, firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians in attendance on Saturday.
Free Admission
Richard Bland is offering Free Admission to all home games this year in an effort to make Statesmen Basketball easily accessible for everyone and for all games to be a fan/family friendly environment. However, the Athletics Department is sponsoring "RBC for Haiti" during the month of November and will be accepting food, clothing and/or monetary donations at the doors to send to Haiti through the "Helping Haitian Angels" organization.