ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team begins a two-game homestand on Monday night, Nov. 27, as the Phoenix (3-3) returns home to Schar Center to host Presbyterian (5-2) at Schar Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream live on FloHoops via a paid subscription.
• Listen to the game on the Elon Sports Network from Learfield on The Varsity Network app.
• Longtime voice of the Phoenix, Taylor Durham, will be on the call with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST along with analyst Will Roberson.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon men's basketball schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Other in-game updates will be provided on Twitter by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
TICKETS ON SALE
• Single-game tickets are now available for the 2023-24 Elon Basketball season! Don't miss the action, be there to cheer on your Phoenix! Grab your tickets today and be a part of the excitement in Schar Center!
• The Elon University Department of Athletics has many ticket options available for fans, including season tickets, single-game tickets and voucher books.
• For more information, visit ElonTickets.com or call the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Monday will be the 42^nd overall meeting between the two programs, but only the second during the Phoenix's Division I era (since 1999-2000).
• Elon leads the all-time series at 21-20 against the Blue Hose and has a 20-9 known advantage versus Presbyterian on its home floor.
• Last season, the Phoenix fell on the road at Presbyterian, 69-63, the 13^th consecutive win for the Blue Hose over Elon. The maroon and gold led 35-28 after the opening half, but the Blue Hose outscored the Phoenix, 41-28, in the second period. Sean Halloran led the Phoenix with 15 points while matching his career-high with four steals.
• The last win in the series for Elon came on Feb. 8, 1992, in a 78-73 victory at Alumni Gym.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon last competed at the Rock Hill Classic on Nov. 17-19. The Phoenix went 2-1 at the tournament with wins over IUPUI and Holy Cross before falling to host Winthrop in its final game.
• The Phoenix opened the tournament with an 86-72 win over IUPUI, hitting 14 three-pointers in the contest. Elon continued its winning ways with an 83-69 victory versus Holy Cross in its second game before being handed a 78-70 setback to Winthrop in the finale.
• As a team, Elon averaged 79.7 points per game at the tournament and shot 47.6 percent overall from the floor and 39.3 percent from three. The Phoenix also had a +3.7 rebounding margin over its opponents while moving the ball very well averaging 16.7 assists per game.
• Individually, three players averaged double figures for the Phoenix at the Rock Hill Classic. TK Simpkins posted a team-high 15 points per game average while going 17-of-24 from the charity stripe. Freshman Nick Dorn (11.7 ppg) and Rob Higgins (11.3 ppg) also scored in double figures for Elon.
 
SIMPKINS, DORN SWEEP CAA WEEKLY AWARDS
• For their efforts at the Rock Hill Classic, Simpkins and Dorn were named the CAA Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, as announced by the league office on Nov. 20. It was the first time that the Phoenix has swept the league weekly awards since Darius Burford was named both the Player and Rookie of the Week on Feb. 22, of 2021.
• Along with his 15 points per game, Simpkins also averaged 5.0 rebounds per contest and had four steals. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native scored a season-high 19 points in the Phoenix's 86-72 win over IUPUI while also hitting 7-of-9 from the free throw line. He later had season-highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (five) while scoring 14 points versus Winthrop. He also hit 10 free throws in that game, tied for the most in the CAA this season.
• Dorn also scored a season-high 19 points versus IUPUI as the rookie was 4-of-9 from downtown in the contest. The Charlotte, N.C., native shot 38 percent from three (8-of-21) while pulling down 3.5 rebounds per game.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• Simpkins currently leads the Phoenix in scoring at 12.7 ppg, just ahead of Max Mackinnon's 12.5 ppg average. Simpkins has scored in double figures in five out of six games this year with Elon going 3-2 in those contests. He is also in the top-10 of the CAA in steals per game, averaging 2.0 per contest.
• Mackinnon continues to display a great all-around game as the sophomore currently leads the Phoenix in rebounds (5.0 rpg) and is third on the squad in assists with 16. The Brisbane, Australia, native is hitting over 50 percent of his shots on the season at 52.7 percent and from downtown at 52.2 percent.
• Dorn is the third player for the maroon and gold averaging double figures at 10.2 points per game. Dorn is tied with Mackinnon and Zac Ervin with 12 makes from three this season and has scored in double digits twice this year.
• Rob Higgins had 10 assists versus IUPUI, tying his overall career high. That number is also tied for the second-most in Elon's Division I history in a single-game. The Middletown, N.J., native is averaging just a shade under double digits at 9.5 points per game while leading the team in minutes played (28.2 mpg) and tied for the team-lead in assists with 18 along with LA Pratt.
• Ervin has 169 made threes in his career, which is currently 13^th in school history. He is only three triples away from tying Chris Long '11 for 12^th all-time in program history.
• As a team, Elon currently ranks in the top-10 of the CAA in eight categories, including scoring offense (77.3 ppg), free throw percentage (70.2), field goal percentage (46.5), three-point percentage (41.5), three-point percentage defense (32.8), assists (13.8 apg), assist-turnover ratio (1.14) and three-pointers made per game (10.2).
• The Phoenix returns eight players from last year's roster for second-year head coach Billy Taylor. Elon was predicted to finish 10^th in the 2023-24 CAA Preseason Poll after going 6-12 in league play last season.
• Along with Mackinnon, other returning starters for the Phoenix include Ervin and junior Sam Sherry. Ervin led the Phoenix in three-point makes last season with 61 while averaging 9.3 points per contest. The 6-foot-5 guard was third on the team in minutes per game (27.5) and assists (47).
• After averaging less than 10 minutes a game as a freshman, Sherry came on strong during his sophomore campaign. The Mechanicsville, Pa., native averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while blocking a team-high 25 shots. He also finished second on the team in field-goal percentage at 57.8 and ended the year with his first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds versus William & Mary at the CAA Tournament.
• The maroon and gold also welcomes back three other veterans in senior JaDun Michael and sophomores Smart and LA Pratt. Michael played in 18 games with five starts, averaging 4.1 points. Pratt saw valuable playing time during his freshman season in which he started eight games while Smart gave the Phoenix valuable minutes off the bench before an injury cut short his season in which he averaged 9.0 points per game while 72.2 percent from the floor.
•Elon welcomes eight newcomers to its roster for 2023-24. Joining the Phoenix are transfers Rob Higgins and TK Simpkins along with incoming freshmen Nick Dorn, Grant Gondrezick II, Ned Hull and Savion Taylor.
• Among the notable newcomers include Higgins, a transfer from St. Francis Brooklyn College where he spent the past four seasons. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard from Middletown, N.J., Higgins tied for the team-lead in scoring this past season at St. Francis Brooklyn, averaging 11.3 points per contest.
• Simpkins is a 6-foot-4, 170-pound guard who was a member of the Northwest Florida State College program last season. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native appeared in 37 games for the Raiders, averaging 8.8 points per game.
 
SCOUTING PRESBYTERIAN
• The Blue Hose are 5-2 overall on the season after starting the year 4-0, its best start at the Division I level. One of those wins includes a 68-62 win at SEC foe Vanderbilt in its season-opener. Presbyterian is coming off a 79-75 overtime setback versus Tennessee Tech last Wednesday in its most recent game.
• Presbyterian went 5-27 overall last season including a 1-17 mark in the Big South Conference. The Blue Hose were tabbed to finish ninth overall in the 2023-24 Big South Preseason poll.
• Junior guard Samage Teel leads the Blue Hose in scoring averaging 14.1 points per game while dishing out 3.3 assists per game. Fellow junior guard Marquis Barnett is second on the team tallying 13.3 points per game with a team-leading 3.4 assists per game. Another junior, forward Jonah Pierce, leads the Blue Hose in rebounding averaging 6.1 boards per game and posted his first double-double of the year with 16 points and 12 rebounds versus Tennessee Tech.
• Quinton Ferrell is in his fifth season as the head coach of his alma mater, Presbyterian College. Ferrell, a former Blue Hose team captain and a 2007 PC graduate, is one of 50 coaches in the NCAA Division I ranks who are coaching their alma maters.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Sophomore Max Mackinnon received some preseason praise from the CAA as the Brisbane, Australia, native was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-CAA second team on Oct. 19.
• The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, Mackinnon is the Phoenix's returning leader in points (11.4 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), assists (2.4 apg) and steals (1.1 spg). Mackinnon is coming off a rookie campaign in which he shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and was named CAA Rookie of the Week selection a league-high four times. He also led the program with three double-doubles and scored in double figures 17 times including four 20-point performances.
• Among Mackinnon's standout games last season included him scoring 19 points at No. 18/21 Indiana, the second-highest point total that a freshman has scored against the Hoosiers at that point of the season. He also scored a season-high 24 points while adding his first career double-double with 12 rebounds at High Point. He also added 20 points and a season-best eight assists at Northeastern while scoring 17 points with a career-best 13 rebounds at No. 22 College of Charleston.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix continues its homestand with a visit from NCAA Division III foe Warren Wilson on Thursday, Nov. 30. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air on FloHoops.