The Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's basketball team will host the 1999 Food for the Hungry Holiday Invitational this weekend as part of the annual Food for the Hungry drive in Knox County.
The Cougars, who are ranked #19 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll, are off to a 6-1 start. MVNC is led by senior forward Adam Stevens, who averages 17.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Sophomore post Kenny Chaffin adds 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest, while freshman guard Phil Argento is chipping in with 12.0 points per game. Senior point guard Kyle Gerhart leads the team with 40 assists to go along with his 8.6 points per game average.
The Cougars will square off against the Grenadiers of Indiana University Southeast in Friday's first round action at 8:00 p.m. The Grenadiers are currently 1-5 on the season, and they are led by junior guard Sean Smith.
Friday's other first round game, which tips off at 6:00 p.m., will feature Berea (KY) College versus Madonna (MI) University. Berea, who is ranked #7 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll, is currently 5-2 overall. The Mountaineers are led in scoring by senior forward Scott Moore (22.4 ppg), junior guard Greg Laws (18.3 ppg), and senior center Greg Burns (14.3 ppg). Burns also leads the team in rebounding by averaging 10.9 boards per contest.
The Crusaders of Madonna have posted a 1-6 record heading into their game at Albion (MI) College on Wednesday night. The team is led in scoring by sophomore guard Mike Massey (21.5 ppg) and senior forward Chad Putnam (10.0 ppg). Putnam is also the team leader in rebounds with an average of 7.8 boards per game.
Friday's winners will meet at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday for the championship game, while the consolation game will tip-off at 1:00 p.m.
Admission for each day is six cans of food or $2 for students and $4 for adults. All proceeds will go to the Food for the Hungry drive to help eliminate hunger in Knox County.
