Greenville at Saint Louis (Exhibition)
Friday, Nov. 4 :: 7 p.m. :: St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
TV: None
Radio: None
Tickets: http://bit.ly/2fb0kMb
Follow Live: Stats
WHAT'S ON TAP?
-- Saint Louis hosts Greenville College Friday night in the Billikens' lone exhibition tilt. Game time at Chaifetz Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
-- It's the second game of a doubleheader, as the women's team welcomes Maryville for an exhibition at 4:30 p.m. One ticket is good for both games.
THE OPENING TIP
-- New head coach Travis Ford has taken over the Billikens' program and will begin his 20th season as a collegiate head coach in November. Ford comes to SLU from Oklahoma State, where he led the Cowboys to five NCAA Tournament appearances in eight seasons.
-- Saint Louis returns eight letterwinners from last year's team that finished 11-21 overall and 5-13 in A-10 play. Among the returnees is sophomore guard Jermaine Bishop, an A-10 All-Rookie selection a year ago. Bishop led the Billikens in scoring in A-10 play with 11.7 ppg. Senior Mike Crawford is the Billikens' leading returning scorer with 10.7 ppg. Senior Reggie Agbeko was last season's leading rebounder with 6.2 rpg.
-- The Billikens have five newcomers on their roster – two freshmen and three transfers. The freshmen are 6-6 Zeke Moore (St. Louis, Mo.) and 6-7 Jalen Johnson (Baton Rouge, La.). Both are expected to contribute as the Billikens will have nine scholarship players available. Waiting in the wings are three NCAA Division I transfers, who will begin their junior seasons next year – Javon Bess (Michigan State), D.J. Foreman (Rutgers) and Adonys Henriquez (Central Florida).
TRAVIS FORD NAMED BILLIKENS HEAD COACH
-- Saint Louis University hired Travis Ford as its head men's basketball coach on March 30, 2016.
-- Ford is in his 20th season on the sideline, all of them as a head coach. He began his career at Campbellsville, an NAIA institution in Campbellsville, Ky. From there, he served five seasons as head coach at Eastern Kentucky before moving on to UMass for three seasons. Ford was at Oklahoma State the last eight seasons.
-- Ford has been to the postseason 10 times during his coaching career, including six NCAA Tournaments.
-- Ford has coached six players who have gone on to play in the NBA and five who have been named conference player of the year. A tireless recruiter, Ford and his coaching staff recruited three McDonald's All-Americans to Stillwater during his tenure at Oklahoma State.
-- As a player at Kentucky, Ford helped the Wildcats to three NCAA Tournament appearances. He was a junior on the 1993 Wildcat team that advanced to the NCAA Final Four.
SCOUTING GREENVILLE
-- Greenville College is located in Greenville, Illinois, roughly 50 miles from downtown St. Louis.
-- The Panthers, who compete in NCAA Division III, finished 13-13 last season and were crowned the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) regular-season champions.
-- Greenville led the NCAA (all divisions) in scoring offense last season, averaging 112.8 ppg. The Panthers also led the nation in field goals, 3-point field goals and free throws made. Conversely, opponents averaged 110.4 ppg against the Panthers, the most in the NCAA.
UP NEXT
-- The Billikens begin a three-game homestand to open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 11, against Ball State. Tip is 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest. SLU follows with matchups against Southern Utah (Monday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.) and Eastern Illinois (Thursday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m.).
