Seattle U. Basketball: Early Season Test At Maryland Will Be Televised

Seattle University will waste no time jumping into a more competitive non-conference schedule this year, traveling to College Park, Md., to face the University of Maryland.

The Seattle U. athletics department has announced today that the game will be televised on Comcast Sportsnet Northwest.

The Seattle University athletic department today announced that Comcast SportsNet Northwest will broadcast the men’s basketball game between Seattle University and the University of Maryland live from College Park, Md., Monday, Nov. 8.

The game, part of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, will be shown live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific time. Comcast SportsNet Washington, the cable network that serves the Maryland area, will produce the broadcast and deliver the game to its sister network in the Pacific Northwest. The game will be re-aired by Comcast SportsNet Northwest Thursday, Nov. 11, at 11:30 p.m.

Maryland received two votes in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll and was ranked sixth in the ACC preseason poll.

Seattle U Basketball: FSN Partners To Broadcast Four Seattle U Men's Basketball

For the third straight year, Seattle University is partnering with FSN Northwest to broadcast Redhawks men’s basketball.

From a Seattle U release:

FSN Northwest will broadcast the Nov. 17 game between Seattle U and Oregon State University, the Dec. 11 game featuring Seattle U and the University of Idaho, the Feb. 5 game matching the Redhawks with the University of Portland Pilots, and the Feb. 22 renewal of the crosstown rivalry between Seattle U and the University of Washington. The Idaho game is set to start at 5 p.m., with the other three broadcasts scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

For more details, visit the Seattle U athletics website.

SBN Seattle Feature: Seattle U Men's Basketball Preview

If the opportunity to watch former University of Washington assistant coach Cameron Dollar build a Division I program at Seattle University is not enough reason to pay attention, then perhaps an influx of local talent will be.

In the exhibition game against Pacific Lutheran University yesterday, former Inglemoor High School star Mark McLaughlin and Franklin High School alum Fredrick Wilson led the team to a 121-91 victory.

Seattle U Basketball Preview: Defining Success In Year Two Of Their Transition To Division I - SB Nation Seattle
Not that there is a whole lot we can take from an exhibition against a Division III school, but there was one encouraging sign from yesterday afternoon's 121-91 exhibition win against Pacific Lutheran University: they were led by newcomers Mark McLaughlin who attended Inglemoor High School and Franklin High School alum Fredrick Wilson. They shot a combined 4-for-5 from the 3-point line - making two apiece - which bodes well for adding to the team's long-range efficiency. But there was certainly more to it than that.

McLaughlin showed off his scoring ability against PLU, scoring a team-high 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting and getting to the line five times. Although Wilson had a team-high six turnovers, he was also able to score efficiently with 14 point on 4-for-5 shooting from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line in addition to a team-high three steals.

The team has also brought in University of Pacific transfer and Franklin alum Sterling Carter as well as Bremerton High School alum Jarell Flora. Of course, Tacoma's Clarence Trent also transferred from Dollar's former home at the University of Washington but will have to redshirt this season per NCAA policy.

For more on the team and their transition to Division I, see our feature: Seattle U Basketball Preview: Defining Success In Year Two Of Their Transition To Division I

Seattle U Basketball: Former Inglemoor High Star Leads Redhawks To 121-91 Exhibition Win

One mark of a good coach is the ability to implement a system that both fits the personnel and the ability to instill a sense of faith in that system among the players even if a significant piece departs.

In the Seattle University Redhawks first game in the post-Charles Garcia era, coach Cameron Dollar has demonstrated exactly what people who watched closely already knew - it wasn't their big star that led to a history-making season, but collective buy-in to Dollar's system.

And it appears that the Redhawks have not only reloaded, but done so with local talent. In their first exhibition against Pacific Lutheran University this afternoon, it was former Inglemoor High School star Mark McLaughlin who led the Redhawks to a 121-91 exhibition win over Pacific Lutheran University.

Seattle U Men’s Basketball Opens 2010-11 Season with Exhibition Victory, 121-91 - Seattle University Redhawks Athletics
Mark McLaughlin (Seattle, Wash.) shot 9-of-12 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line to lead all players with 25 points, while Alex Jones (Phoenix, Ariz.) did most of his damage from the free throw line, hitting 9-of-10 shots from the charity stripe in scoring 15 points. Fredrick Wilson (Seattle, Wash.) finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and Gavin Gilmore (Pasco, Wash.) contributed 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

McLaughlin originally committed to Washington State, then changed his mind and signed with Nevada, then went to Baylor University before leaving last year because of a newborn son in Seattle.

Obviously, we can't take too much from an exhibition game and McLaughlin certainly won't "replace" Garcia. But the game does show one thing that was always there underlying the hype last season: at their best, what makes this team exciting is their collective commitment to Dollar's up-tempo philosophy and the discipline to execute it.

Seattle University Men's Basketball: Preseason News And Notes

Although Seattle University won't appear in anyone's preseason top 25 rankings and the team is still a few years away from being eligible to compete in the NCAA tournament, there is still plenty of reason for optimism as the Redhawks look forward to their second season with a full Division I schedule.

Even though national recognition is still probably a few years off, this is a program on the rise.

After becoming the most successful first-year Division I team by finishing last season with a winning record, Seattle U was aggressive this off-season in their attempts to move forward. They immediately rewarded coach Cameron Dollar for his first-year success with a long term contract and have set a more aggressive schedule, that includes three Pac-10 games and two ACC games. That's not to mention their preliminary efforts to join the WAC or WCC.

Even the thing that might strike casual fans as the biggest reason for concern - losing versatile 6'10" forward Charles Garcia who chose to make himself eligible for the NBA Draft - could be construed as a positive: although he was a very significant part of the team's success early in the season, learning to play without him as the focal point at times last season might bode well for the team's continued growth this season.

Seattle University | No NCAA tournament doesn't mean no hope for Cameron Dollar's Seattle U. basketball team | Seattle Times Newspaper
The Redhawks lose leading scorer and rebounder Charles Garcia Jr. from last year's team. He left with a year of eligibility remaining to pursue professional options and is currently playing in Turkey.

But five key players from that team return to give the Redhawks a solid base from which to build — guards Cervante Burrell (second-leading scorer a year ago at 11.4 and the leader in assists) and Garrett Lever (a defensive standout) and forwards Aaron Broussard (10.2 points, 5.1 rebounds), Alex Jones (8.9 points) and Gavin Gilmore (4.4 points).

"That's five guys that all played good minutes for us," Dollar said. "Definitely the biggest thing this year from last year is I've got five guys that have done it, done that grind and had success doing it. They all had really good springs and summers and come in rarin' to go."

Playing in KeyArena as the first consistent winter tenant since the Seattle Sonics left, the Redhawks were an easy team to root for even if you have no ties to the school: it was a group of players recruited to play Division II ball, who played hard on both ends of the court, and were at their best when in the open court playing selfless early offense rather than relying on their star attraction in the half court.

Most exciting about this season is not only the intrigue of watching Act II in their transition to Division I, but also watching this team grow as a unit and more consistently playing the selfless style of ball that they experienced success with last season.

The Redhawks will kick off the season on October 31 with an exhibition against Pacific Lutheran.

Select-A-Seat at KeyArena Set For October 31 - Seattle University Redhawks Athletics
This event will give fans a chance to lock in their seats for another exciting season of Seattle University men's basketball, which will include games at KeyArena against the University of Washington, the University of Portland and Oregon State. Seats for the season start at only $96.50 and can be billed in four installment plans as well.

The day will also feature an exhibition game starting at 4:00 p.m. against Pacific Lutheran, giving the public a first-hand view of the 2010-2011 version of the Redhawks. The event will be free to the public, however a ticket will be necessary for admission and these will be available at the East Box Office at KeyArena starting at 1:00 p.m.