2023-24 Davenport Season Preview
With basketball season on the horizon, the Davenport University men’s basketball team prepares for its seventh season in NCAA Division II and 16th season with head coach Burt Paddock at the helm. Last season, the Panthers finished with a 7-21 overall record while going 3-15 in GLIAC play.
“I don’t know if I could be more excited about where our team is right now,” Paddock said. “I know we have had some success in the league, and we had another up-and-down year last season. But this team just feels different. I can’t explain it exactly.“
On Tuesday afternoon, the GLIAC released its annual preseason rankings. The Panthers came in slotted at No. 7 in the standings, while Marcedus Leech Jr. was named GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year. Redshirt senior Myles Belyeu was named Preseason Second Team All-GLIAC.
Top Returners
Marcedus Leech Jr. leads the way in the list of returners for the Panthers in 2023-24. The Redshirt junior had a breakout campaign a season ago, averaging 20 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. The Caruthersville, Mo. native was named First Team All-GLIAC and Second Team All-Region (D2CCA).
Although he hasn’t played in a DU uniform yet, Myles Belyeu will look to have an immediate impact after redshirting with the Panthers last season. The Redshirt senior spent three seasons at Saginaw Valley State, where he was a two-time Second Team All-GLIAC honoree while being named First Team All-GLIAC as a sophomore (2019-20).
With back-to-back seasons being cut short due to injuries, Jakub Dombek is now back to full health and looking to pick up where he left off a year ago. In 11 games as a redshirt junior, he averaged 14.6 points, seven boards, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor.
Newcomers
Davenport added eight new players to this season's roster: four transfers and four freshmen. Paddock said that every newcomer will have an impact on the team, each in a unique way.
“We look for all of those guys to make a huge contribution for us,” Paddock said.”When I say that, some will be on the floor, some will be on the bench and some will be in a redshirt role. But just like I tell every kid on our team, ‘you all have a major role and can make an impact on where we are going,’ and I feel good about all the kids on our team and where their mindsets are at.”
The transfers include Raishaun Brown (Cowley CC), Jovan Tucker (Central Georgia Tech), Myron Brewer (Grand Rapids CC) and Matas Deksnys (Morton CC). Isaiah Foster, Bernie Varnesdeel, Jakhary Towns and Aidan Moon make up this year’s freshman class.
Schedule Breakdown
The Panthers will start their out-of-conference schedule at the annual GLIAC/GLVC Crossover Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. DU will match up against Willam Jewell on Friday, Nov. 10, to begin the season, followed by a showdown with Rockhurst on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Following the season-opening weekend in Missouri, the squad will head to Kenosha, Wis. for its second non-conference tournament. The Panthers will battle Minnesota Crookston and Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Nov. 17, and Saturday, Nov. 18.
On a quick turnaround, DU will have its home opener at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, against Great Lakes Christian.
Davenport will then hit the road again, traveling to the Gary Miller Classic in Erie, Pa. over Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 24-25). Lincoln will be the first opponent on Friday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m. while the second opponent (Nov. 25) will depend on the results of the first day of action.
Former GLIAC foe Northwood is the next opponent on the list, as Davenport will travel to Midland, Mich. on Dec. 6, with tipoff set for 8 p.m.
Conference play will officially begin on Friday, Dec. 8, against crosstown rival Grand Valley State at the GVSU Fieldhouse in Allendale, Mich. at 8 p.m.
Non-conference play resumes with a pair of home contests against Kuyper (Dec. 16) and East-West (Jan 2). It will be all GLIAC action the rest of the way forward, starting with Northern Michigan at home on Thursday, Jan. 4, and capped off in early March at NMU before the start of the conference tournament (March 6).