ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's basketball team hosts Valparaiso in its final game of the 2023 calendar year as the Phoenix (6-6) welcomes the Beacons (4-8) for a nonconference matchup on Friday, Dec. 29. Tipoff time is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Schar Center.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• The game will stream on the 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 along with analyst Max Wallace with the pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m.
• 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/X by following @ElonMBasketball.
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
• The program will host Youth Basketball Day with children 12 years or younger being encouraged to wear their youth basketball jersey. Those who do will get a discounted $5 ticket.
• Those planning on bringing your entire youth team, please reach out to the Elon Ticket Office at 336-278-6750 and they will help organize your group outing.
 
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
• Friday will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools on the basketball hardwood.
Both teams faced off against each other last season at Valparaiso.
• The Beacons took the win over the Phoenix in the first inaugural meeting, 71-66. Elon nearly overcame an 18-point second-half deficit, but saw its comeback attempt fall short.
• Max Mackinnon had 18 points to lead the Phoenix on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor. Sam Sherry added 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds while Sean Halloran added 11 for the maroon and gold. Overall, Elon shot 27-of-72 for the game at 37.5 percent and only 3-of-27 from three.
• Elon has an all-time ledger of 2-3 versus members of the Missouri Valley with wins over Indiana State (1-1) and Illinois-Chicago (1-0). The Phoenix also played Evansville (0-1) back during the 2000-01 season.
• Elon head coach Billy Taylor is 1-3 all-time in his head coaching career against Valparaiso with his lone victory coming in 2009, 88-78, as the head coach at Ball State.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix last played at South Carolina on Friday, Dec. 22 in its final game before the holiday break. The Gamecocks would earn a 70-43 victory over the maroon and gold, improving to 11-1 on the season while the Phoenix fell to 6-6.
• Sam Sherry had 12 points to lead the Phoenix (6-6) as the junior was one of two players in double figures for Elon. Max Mackinnon added 11 points for the maroon and gold.
• South Carolina's win over Elon was the program's first against the Phoenix since 2010. Elon had won two straight against the Gamecocks heading into last Friday's matchup dating back to the 2011-12 season.
 
SCOUTING ELON
• At 6-6 on the season, the Phoenix has posted its best start through 12 games since the start of the 2017-18 season where the maroon and gold began that campaign 7-5. Elon is also currently unbeaten on its home floor at Schar Center through four games this year, which matches the team's best start at home since 2017-18.
• Elon is currently second in the CAA in scoring offense at 80.4 points per game and in field goal percentage at 47.7. The maroon and gold is also in the top 25 of the country in bench points at 31.67 points per game with seven games of scoring 30 or more points off the pine.
• TK Simpkins currently leads the Phoenix in scoring at 12.3 ppg. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has scored in double figures in nine out of 12 games. He is also fourth in the CAA in total steals with 20 and fourth in the league in free throw attempts with 72, with that number ranking 58^th in the nation.
• Mackinnon is the second-leading scorer for the Phoenix, averaging 11.5 points per game. The Brisbane, Australia, native is second on the team in rebounds at 4.7 boards per contest and third overall in assists with 30. Mackinnon posted his eighth double-digit scoring contest this season against the Gamecocks.
• Sherry reached double figures for the third straight game and the fourth time this season at South Carolina. Over his last five games, the Mechanicsville, Pa., native is averaging 11.6 points per game over his last five games, shooting 60.5 percent from the floor. The junior is also the Phoenix's leading rebounder at 5.2 boards per game and shot blocker with 13 rejections this season.
• Zac Ervin is fifth on the team in scoring at 9.0 ppg. The Gate City, Va., native is tied with Nick Dorn for the team-lead with 23 triples on the season, knocking down treys at a 43.4 percent clip. He has 180 made triples in his career, placing him in a tie for 11th all-time in school history along with Drew Spradlin '12.
• 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. Other returners on the Phoenix include sophomores Otto Luessenhop and Austin Williams.
•Elon welcomes seven newcomers to its roster for 2023-24. Joining the Phoenix are transfers Rob Higgins and TK Simpkins along with incoming freshmen Kendall Campbell, Nick Dorn, Isaac Harrell, 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, 179-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, 184-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 VALPARAISO
• Valparaiso is 4-8 on the season after coming off a 79-61 setback versus Samford in its most recent contest. It was the sixth straight loss for the Beacons, whose last win came versus Southern on Nov. 25.
• The Beacons went 11-21 overall last season and 5-15 in the Missouri Valley Conference and were chosen to finish 12^th in the 2023-24 MVC Preseason poll.
• Valparaiso is averaging 66.8 points on 39.4 percent shooting, including 29.0 percent from 3-point range, with 35.3 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.9 blocks per game, while allowing 70.2 points on 43.7 percent shooting, including 32.4 percent from 3-point range. The Beacons are connecting on 70.1 percent from the free throw line.
• Four players averaging better than eight points per game led by a duo of double-digit scorers in junior Isaiah Stafford (16.2 ppg) and freshman Cooper Schwieger (10.8 ppg). Schwieger is one of three players on the squad shooting better than 49 percent from the field. Sophomore Jaxon Edwards is averaging a team-best 6.0 rebounds while averaging 8.8 points with a team-high 16 blocks. Junior Darius DeAveiro is the team's assist leader with 67.
• Roger Powell Jr. is in his first season as the head coach of the Valpo men's basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew's staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16.
 
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 will return to the court for the start of CAA play as Elon travels to William & Mary on Thursday, Jan. 4. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will stream on FloHoops.