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CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois basketball opens its 111th season of basketball and the Scott Nagy Era on Monday, November 4 when the Salukis take on College of Charleston in Sioux Falls, S.D. in the opening game of The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase. The game will tip at 11 a.m. CT from the iconic Sanford Pentagon. Television Broadcast | Radio Broadcast | Live Stats | Live Updates on X | Roster HOW TO FOLLOW The radio broadcast can be heard on the Saluki Radio Network, SIUSalukis.com/Listen, the Saluki Mobile App, and the Varsity Network App with Luke Martin and Rodney Watson calling the action. Fans can follow Live Stats at SIUSalukis.com. The game will air on The Field of 68's YouTube channel free of charge. QUICK HITS LAST TIME OUT Five Salukis scored in double-figures in a scrimmage against North Park led by transfer guard Elijah Elliott who paced Southern with a game-high 21 points. Returners Kennard Davis Jr. and Jarrett Hensley added 13 points while Ali Dibba and Rolyns Aligbe scored 10 each. SIU shot 59.4 percent from the field, had a 53-24 rebound advantage, and recorded 10 blocks in the 106-71 win. DAVIS BACK AFTER STRONG FRESHMAN SEASON Saluki guard Kennard Davis Jr. returned to Southern after seeing action in 32 games last season, including 10 starts as a true freshman. He averaged 21.3 minutes a game and scored 4.2 points per game but made his mark on the defensive end where he was tasked with defending the top player much of his time on the court. HENSLEY LOOKS TO MAKE IMPACT IN YEAR TWO After missing nearly all of the nonconference season a year ago due to NCAA transfer rules, Jarrett Hensley made his Saluki debut at Wichita State when he scored eight points in 16 minutes. He finished the season playing in 23 games and averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The forward had a trio of three block games and scored in double-digits in five games including a pair of 15-point outings against Murray State and Bradley. NEW DAWGS ON THE BLOCK Eleven new faces will wear the Saluki uniform for the first time this season. SIU added three double-digit scoring transfers in Elijah Elliott (16.6 ppg) from Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Ali Dibba (15.5 ppg) from Abilene Christian, and Davion Sykes (11.2 ppg) from Texas State. Also joining Southern in the transfer portal is a Missouri State duo of guards in Damien Mayo Jr. and Tyler Bey. Guard Drew Steffe comes to SIU from Texas Tech while big men Jorge Moreno (Lee College) and Antwaun Massey (New Mexico JC) also signed with the Salukis. SIU added three freshmen to the roster in big men Rolyns Aligbe and Jaheem Webber as well as Benton guard Isaac Billington. EXPERIENCE ON THE BENCH FOR THE SALUKIS One thing that Southern Illinois does not lack on the bench is experience within the coaching staff. SIU boasts over 100 years of total coaching experience between six coaches, as well as over 50 years of head coaching experience between Scott Nagy (30) and Steve Hawkins (28). Nagy (577) and Hawkins (453) have won a combined 1,030 games while at the help of their programs respectively. LOOKING AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON The Cougars were picked second in the CAA while senior Ante Brzovic was named the Preseason Player of the Year in the CAA. CJ Fulton earned CAA Preseason Second Team honors. Charleston won 27 games a year ago en route to an outright CAA Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament where it faced off with Alabama. Charleston will be under the direction of Chris Mack, who enters his first season with the program. CHRIS MACK AND THE SALUKIS Chris Mack isn't unfamiliar with Saluki Basketball as he played two seasons at the University of Evansville from 1988-90. Mack went 0-2 inside SIU Arena as a player at Evansville, starting both games in his freshman and sophomore seasons before he transferred to Xavier. Mack's freshman season in 1988-89, he started for the Purple Aces against Southern Illinois in SIU Arena. He played 35 minutes and nearly had a double-double with 13 points, and nine rebounds. SIU snuck out a 73-71 win. Mack's Sophomore year he started again in the Arena with eight points and eight rebounds in 39 minutes played. SIU held on again to win a close 77-73 contest. Mack's Sophomore year in 1989-90 was the season SIU won its first MVC Championship since 1977. Mack also coached against SIU when he was the head coach at Xavier in the Diamond Head Classic in 2011, when #14 Xavier beat SIU 87-77 on Christmas Day. NCAA NAGY, THE PLAYER As a player at NCAA Division II Delta State, Scott Nagy was a part of two Regional Championships with the Statesmen in 1987 and 1988. A guard from 1985-1988, Nagy started 122 straight games and is Delta State's career assist leader (549) and the program leader for most assists in a season (234, 1986-87). The Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year in 1985, he was the Gulf South's Athlete of the Year in 1988, and a three-time member of the Gulf South All-Academic Team (1986, 1987, 1988). LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON SIU head coach Scott Nagy has made five trips to the NCAA Tournament, a place his father was very familiar with. Dick Nagy spent 33 years in coaching, mostly as a top assistant. He worked for the legendary Lou Henson at Illinois for 17 years, helping the Illini reach the NCAA tourney 14 times and advance to the Final Four in 1989. He also was on the bench for Wright State's Horizon League foe UIC when it won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1998. RESPECT THE VALLEY Notably, MVC teams are 12-4 in their first game in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2012. The league has now combined for 20 wins in the NCAA Tournament in the past 11 NCAA championships and has earned multiple bids 16 times since 1994. From 2012 to 2019, MVC teams won 10-straight, first-round games in the NCAA Tournament, tying a league record that was set from 1941-55. MVC teams have 42 total wins in the NCAA Tournament since 1994 with 12 Sweet 16 trips and two Final Four appearances. Notably, 31 of 42 victories have been against Power conferences, and the league has a winning record in that span against Big 12 and SEC schools. During the last decade, the MVC has ranked in the Top 10 nine times for all conferences in average home attendance. FOLLOW THE SALUKIS Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by visiting SIUSalukis.com as well as following the team on X at @SIU_Basketball, Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and Facebook at Facebook.com/SIUBasketball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store. 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