Purple and Gold Tournament ushers in new season for Yellow Jackets
DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance Yellow Jackets men's basketball team embarks on the 2022-23 season beginning with the annual Purple and Gold Tournament this Friday (Nov 11) and Saturday (Nov 12). Defiance College along with the Purple and Gold Club will host the event for the 47th time with Spalding University, Wilmington College and Miami University-Middletown also competing at the Weaner Center this weekend.
Defiance and Miami-Middletown open the action on Friday night with a 6 p.m. tipoff followed by Spalding and Wilmington scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.
On Saturday, the action begins again at 1 p.m. for Spalding versus Miami-Middletown prior to Defiance and Wilmington at 3 p.m.
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The tournament field returns to its familiar four-team, two-day configuration after last year saw a round-robin between Defiance, Maranatha Baptist and Miami-Hamilton. The Yellow Jackets split their two games with a 78-50 win over Maranatha Baptist before falling to Miami-Hamilton, 89-84. Miami-Hamilton also downed Maranatha Baptist, 80-46, on the middle day of the tournament.
Wilmington and Spaulding each return to the Purple and Gold Tournament for the second time. Spalding visited for the 2019 edition while Wilmington's other Purple and Gold Tournament appearance was in 2006.
The Yellow Jackets have earned at least one win in every installment of the Purple and Gold Tournament with two exceptions in 2015 and 2017. Defiance has picked up two wins 22 times in their 46 previous appearances.
Defiance will be led by head coach Josh Gibson for the second year after going 11-11 last season. Defiance also finished third in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 9-6 record. The Yellow Jackets return three starters in Marell Jordan, Dejsani Beamon, and Landen Swanner in addition to five others that saw action in 15 games or more. This experienced group looks to exceed a sixth-place vote in the HCAC's preseason coaches poll.
The Yellow Jackets played in an exhibition at Oakland on Monday, falling 92-27 to the Division I program in Rochester, Mich.
Miami-Middletown enters the Purple and Gold Tournament with an 0-2 record after losses to IU Southeast (94-79) and Division I Eastern Kentucky (137-52). A branch of Miami University and a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, the ThunderHawks are coming off a 4-18 season. They are being led offensively by Dillon McCullough at 12.0 points per game and Lorenzo Sparks at 11.5 points per game. McCullough is a former Yellow Jacket from the 2020-21 season.
Wilmington opens its season against Spalding before playing Defiance on Saturday. The Fightin' Quakers went 6-19 overall last year and 4-14 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, finishing seventh. Under a new head coach, Micah Mills, Wilmington will be looking for some of their early identity with their two leading scorers from last season moving on. However, they will have their two leading rebounders back on the floor this year in Noah Dado (8.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Obed Achirem (10.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 9 games). Wilmington was picked to finish seventh in the OAC's preseason poll.
Spalding is the lone program coming from out of state by traveling from Louisville, Ky. The Golden Eagles hosted Hanover out of the HCAC on Wednesday night and lost, 73-42. Andre Crawford was their top scorer with 16 points. Spalding was 8-19 last year and 6-8 in their conference, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They were picked for an eighth-place finish in their preseason coaches poll.
The Purple and Gold Tournament is presented annually by the Purple and Gold Club. The organization has provided financial support to Defiance College athletics since the club's founding in 1974. To learn more about the Purple and Gold Club or to become a member, visit DCpurpleandgoldclub.com. More information about the Purple and Gold Tournament can be found here.
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