LIVE STATS - SPALDING | DEFIANCE
LIVE VIDEO - SPALDING | DEFIANCE
SERIES HISTORY - SPALDING | DEFIANCE
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team begins its 2022-23 season at the Purple & Gold Tournament hosted by Defiance College on this weekend.
The Schedule: Wilmington will face Spalding University (Kentucky) at 8 p.m. on Friday and host Defiance at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Miami University-Middletown is the other team in the tournament, but Wilmington is not scheduled to face the ThunderHawks.
The Teams: Wilmington, Spalding and Defiance. The Quakers are looking to build upon a 6-19 record a season ago that saw the program host an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament game. The Eagles finished the 2021-22 season with an 8-19 overall record while the Yellow Jackets were an even 11-11 a season ago.
The Coaches: Micah Mills enters his eighth season with the Wilmington men's basketball program with the 2022-23 campaign being his first as head coach. He helped WC to a 17-8 record during the 2018-19 season and came within a game of the program's first OAC regular season championships. Mills, a graduate of Ohio Valley University, spent three seasons as an assistant coach at fellow OAC member Otterbein University before coming to Wilmington. Kevin Gray, who has led Spalding to four conference titles, is in his 24th season leading the program while Josh Gibson is in his second season as Defiance's head coach.
The Players: Obed Achirem returns for his sophomore season looking to build upon a freshman season where he averaged 10.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game for Wilmington. Noah Dado (8.0 PPG) and Bryce Bird (6.1 PPG) return along with Abdul Kanu, who last played for the Quakers in the 2019-20 campaign. Spalding will need to replace its top two scorers from a season ago, and Charlie Storm looks to be up to the task as he averaged nine points, five rebounds and led the team in assists a season ago. Defiance will also need to replace its top two scorers as Dejsani Beamon is top returner in scoring at 8.9 points per contest.
Recent History: Wilmington is an even 1-1 against Spalding and is 10-13 against Defiance since the 1989 season. The Quakers have won six straight against the Yellow Jackets. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of each game will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Wilmington athletics is represented on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics), Twitter (@DubCQuakers) and Instagram (@DubCQuakers). Follow all the happenings of Wilmington College on social media by using the hashtag "#WeAreDubC".
Up Next: Wilmington will travel to Franklin College for a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday.
