Red Devils Head to NYC for John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic

NEWARK, N.J. – After opening its season on its home court last week, the Eureka men's basketball team is on a trip this weekend to take on new competition and share some new experiences in The Big Apple.

On Friday and Saturday, the Red Devils will compete in the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic in Newark, N.J. at Rutgers University-Newark. Somewhere in between the competition, EC coach Chip Wilde and his staff are planning to take the team to nearby New York City to see famous landmarks like Madison Square Garden, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty.

"I think it's a great opportunity for guys that haven't done some traveling, haven't been to New York City, maybe haven't been on an airplane," Wilde said. "So, you get the best of both worlds. You get a little bit of a trip. Get to go somewhere, you get to see some history, you get to see stuff that you're seeing in movies and seeing in TV shows, and then there's the business part, too.

"We're going out there, and we have to stay focused. We have to prepare and we have to play the games and try to win."

On Friday, the Red Devils' tournament will tip-off against Utica College at 4 p.m. CT. Utica is a Division III program located in Utica, New York, more than more four hours north of New York City and one hour east of Syracuse. The Pioneers compete in the Empire 8 conference, and they're coming off a 10-2 season that ended with team winning its first conference championship in program history.

Utica returns a loaded roster that includes its top seven scorers. Kobe Lufkin (12.7 PPG, 47.7 FG%, 42.9 3PT%), Thomas Morrealle (11.9 PPG, 55.9 FG%, 43.8 3PT%) Darius Hopkins (11.5 PPG, 42.9 FG%), Chris Green (10.8 PPG, 51.6 FG%, 48.4 3PT %) all averaged double figures last spring, while point guard Avery Colston (9.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 39.1 FG%) was just below.

Morrealle and Damien Call (6.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 59.5 FG%) are the previous two Empire 8 Rookie of the Year winners and 6-foot-8, 320-pound center Kimedrick Murphy was the Empire 8 tournament MVP last spring. Kimedrick is one of seven players on the squad who stands 6-foot-4 or higher.

"I think they're going to be a very good team and a team with good size," Wilde said. "I think I have challenged us, scheduling-wise, with the first two opponents coming out of the gate.

"I think both are going to be great tests for us early on."

The Red Devils are coming off an 82-68 loss against Cornell in their season opener. Junior Charlie McKinty posted a career-high 29 points and knocked down 8 3-pointers, but the Rams seized the upper hand with a first-half surge and Eureka was never able to close the gap.

"I think the Cornell game was a great test," Wilde said. "We had a little bit of a lull in the first half, but other than that, I thought we went toe-to-toe with them pretty well. You win or learn."

The winner of Friday's matchup will face either York College (N.Y.) or Rutgers-Newark at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, while the team loses play in the consolation game at 12 p.m. CT.