Kevin Reinhardt

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball team will play an exhibition against Xavier this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The game will be broadcast live on WIOK (107.5 FM) and can also be heard on the Internet at www.nku.edu/~athletics.

NKU enters the 2005-06 campaign without any returning starters from last season’s 14-15 squad. The Norse must replace leading scorer Mike Kelsey, who averaged 16 points per game last season. Kelsey also finished his career No. 7 on the NKU all-time scoring list with 1,595 career points.

NKU welcomes back five letterwinners from last season, including 6-foot-4 junior forward Kevin Reinhardt (8.4 ppg). Reinhardt appeared in all 29 games last season and shot 55.7 percent from the field.

NKU/XAVIER SERIES: Xavier owns a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with NKU. The Norse, however, have won the past two games with the Musketeers.

The two schools have not met since Jan. 6, 1979, when Tom Schneider came off the bench and scored 25 points as NKU stunned Xavier, 63-61, in overtime at Schmidt Fieldhouse.

The previous season, NKU upset the Musketeers, 59-58, as Mike Hofmeyer tipped in a shot at the buzzer to give the Norse the win.

FAMILY TIES: Xavier junior forward Justin Doellman is the son of former NKU basketball standout Dan Doellman, who played for the Norse from 1975-79. Dan Doellman averaged 18.6 points per game during his career at NKU and finished with 1,920 career points. He also led NKU to the 1978 NCAA Division II Tournament.

The elder Doellman was also a charter member of the NKU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

A NEAR MISS: NKU advanced to the championship game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament last season before losing to Southern Indiana, 79-49, in the finals. The Norse upset third-seeded Indianapolis and second-seeded Southern Illinois at Edwardsville to reach the championship game of the GLVC Tournament.

NEW-LOOK GLVC: The GLVC has added three schools from the state of Missouri - Rockhurst, Drury and Missouri-Rolla - for the 2005-06 season. The 14-team GLVC is now split into two divisions, the East and West.

NKU is in the GLVC East along with Indianapolis, Saint Joseph’s, Lewis, Wisconsin-Parkside, Bellarmine and Kentucky Wesleyan. The GLVC West features Southern Indiana, SIUE, Missouri-St. Louis, Quincy, Rockhurst, Drury and Missouri-Rolla.

NORSE PICKED SECOND IN GLVC: NKU is picked to finish second in the GLVC East in the 2005-06 preseason poll. Saint Joseph’s is the preseason favorite in the GLVC East. The Pumas received six first-place votes and 36 total points.

NKU received one first-place vote and 26 total points. Kentucky Wesleyan (25 points), Bellarmine (21 points) and Wisconsin-Parkside (16 points) round out the top five in the GLVC East.

Southern Indiana is picked to win the GLVC West, while Southern Illinois at Edwardsville is second in that poll. The top three teams from each of the divisional standings and two wild card teams will qualify for the GLVC Tournament in March.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Three transfers - center Gavin Ludgood, guard Aaron Smith and forward Vincent Humphrey - figure to make immediate impacts for NKU this season. Ludgood, a 6-8, 235-pound transfer from Division I Florida Atlantic and former prep standout in Arkansas, should give NKU a powerful presence in the post.

Smith, a 6-3 guard, is a long-range shooting specialist who averaged 14 ppg in junior college last season. He is expected to help replace Kelsey’s scoring in the backcourt. Humphrey, a 6-4 wing player who spent last season at Division I Valparaiso, is a versatile performer who will contribute.

CINCINNATI CONNECTION: Kevin Schappell (Loveland), Mark Hawkins (Finneytown), Mike Kimmey (Sycamore) and Billy Finnell (Purcell Marian) all played their high school basketball in Cincinnati.

Schappell was one of the top scorers in the area and earned All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference honors for the Tigers. Hawkins finished his career as Finneytown’s all-time leading scorer (1,435 points) and averaged 20.2 ppg as a senior.

Kimmey averaged 21.0 ppg as a senior last season at Sycamore and is a threat from long range. Finnell averaged 16 ppg as a senior at Purcell Marian and was named the Greater Catholic League Player of the Year.

NKU EXHIBITIONS AGAINST DIVISION I OPPONENTS: NKU is 0-6 against Division I opponents since 2001. The Norse are 0-4 against Cincinnati, 0-1 against Kentucky and 0-1 against Ohio State. Last season, NKU lost exhibition games at Kentucky (91-73), Cincinnati (103-64) and Ohio State (77-67).

UC NEXT FOR NKU: The Norse will make a second trip across the Ohio River on Nov. 12 for a 7 p.m. exhibition game against Cincinnati at the Fifth Third Arena.

NORSE OPEN REGULAR SEASON AGAINST FINDLAY: NKU begins the regular season at 7:45 p.m. Nov. 18 against Findlay in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic in Regents Hall. Findlay is ranked sixth nationally in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll, and the Oilers advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Findlay posted a 30-4 record last season.

NKU will meet Saginaw Valley State at 7:45 p.m. Nov. 19 in the final game of the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. The Norse will also play host to Grand Valley State on Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 23) at 6:30 p.m. in Regents Hall.

Great Lakes Valley Conference
2005-06 men’s basketball preseason poll
GLVC East
1. Saint Joseph’s (6) 36
2. Northern Kentucky (1) 26
3. Kentucky Wesleyan 25
4. Bellarmine 21
5. UW-Parkside 16
6. Indianapolis 15
7. Lewis 8

GLVC West
1. Southern Indiana (4) 34
2. SIU-Edwardsville (1) 30
3. Quincy (1) 26
4. Drury (1) 23
5. Missouri-St. Louis 14
6. Missouri-Rolla 11
7. Rockhurst 9