Preview The Falcons As Orange And Brown Scrimmage Takes Place Saturday

The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will be tipping off its season with the Orange and Brown Scrimmage Saturday at 12 p.m.

This will be the first time the public will be able to see the 2013-14 men's basketball team in action.

This season, the Falcons are led by seniors Cameron Black and Craig Sealey. Black and Sealey have played in 176 combined games and started in a combined 80 games in their three years at BGSU.

"We have two classy seniors," head coach Louis Orr said. "Guys who have been through the wars, who are really good teammates. They have been team players, have sacrificed for the team and put team first their whole careers. They have been a pleasure to coach and they have high expectations for this year. They're going to give it all they have."

Black averaged 3.4 points and 4.3 rebounds during the 2012-13 season and his 102 career blocks puts him in sixth place on the BGSU all-time blocks list.

"Bowling Green has been great to me," Black said. "I've had a great three years so far. I've been working hard and have been working on my game. This year is really my chance to step up as a leader on the team and be the best I can be."

Sealey averaged 3.1 points in just 10 minutes per game during the 2012-13 campaign. He has continued to improve over his career at BGSU and it is highlighted by his free-throw shooting percentage, which has improved from 36 percent to 51 percent to 63 percent in his three seasons.

"My past few years have been good," Sealey said. "I'm getting more and more playing time each year, really learning the game and getting a better IQ for the game."

The senior Falcons are backed up by a talented supporting class made up of five juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.

The 2013-14 junior class is comprised of four players who contribute much to the team. One of the team's two returning starters is junior guard/forward Chauncey Orr.

The son of head coach Louis Orr, Chauncey started 31 of the Falcons' 32 games this past season and played in all 32 games. He recorded an average of 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Orr also had 33 steals during the season and shot 81.5 percent from the free-throw line.

"We've got a team chemistry going on right now that's better than in the three years that I've been here," Orr said. "We're all putting in work and staying late, coming in early, playing as much as we can and we just have a good group here. It's hard work every day."

Another returning junior who made a big impact for the Falcons during the 2012-13 campaign is 6-foot-8 forward Richaun Holmes. In his first year as a Falcon, Holmes shattered the single-season blocked shots record with 73 blocked shots in 31 games. Cornelius Cash's record of 59 blocked shots stood for 39 years but Holmes looks to break that and his own record again this season.

"I'm definitely trying to continue to be the force on defense that I was last year," Holmes said. "I always try to do better than I did the previous season. So I broke the record last year, my goal is to do even better this year and set a new record. I always look to improve year-to-year."

Other returning juniors include guard Anthony Henderson, guard Jehvon Clarke and guard Damarkeo Lyshe. Henderson and Clarke should both be in the mix to start at the two guard positions.

The sophomore class is made up of forward Spencer Parker and center Josh Gomez, who had to sit out the 2012-13 after transferring from Iona.

The Falcons welcome three new freshmen to the team this season including guard JD Tisdale, guard Zack Denny and forward Garrett Mayleben.

Tisdale is a native of Flint, Mich., and was a two-year varsity letter winner at Swartz Creek High School and Flint Northern High School, where he earned all-state and was named to the first team all-conference as a senior and second team all-conference as a junior.

Denny is a Germantown native where he was a four-year letter winner at Valley View High School. He was named the Division II Player of the Year by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association this past season and also district player of the year in both his junior and senior seasons. At Valley View, he averaged a state-best 33 points per game in his senior season.

Mayleben comes to BGSU from Milford High School, where he was a three-year letter winner. The 6-foot-9 forward was named to the Eastern Cincinnati Conference All-Conference team this past season.

"I think we're developing a very good chemistry as a team," Coach Orr said. "We have a lot of different pieces. We have size, we have athleticism and we have shooters. We've got a good balance and I think that's going to be a big key. We the potential to have great chemistry and everybody here has the ability to step up."

The Falcons' first opportunity to showcase their talent is at the Orange and Brown Scrimmage at the Stroh Center, Saturday at noon. The scrimmage is free to the public.

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