CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina University men's basketball team will continue its 2021-22 season with The Basketball Classic, presented by ERACISM, on Wednesday, March 16. The Chanticleers will host Maryland Eastern Shore in the first-round contest with the opening tip set for 7 p.m. ET from the HTC Center.
It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the hardwood.
The Basketball Classic, formerly the CIT, is run by College Insiders and is a postseason event with all games taking place on campus sites. The first round begins on March 14, the semifinals are scheduled for March 29, and the Championship game will take place on March 31.
The Classic will honor HBCU Legends with the opening games of the tournament with the CCU game honoring Zelmo Beaty, a two-time NAIA All-American during his collegiate career at Prairie View A&M University (1958-62).
Beaty averaged 25 points and 20 rebounds per game during his career and led the Panthers to an NAIA National Championship in 1962, while earning tournament MVP honors and setting a rebounding record with 96.
He was the third overall pick in the NBA draft and played 12 seasons of professional basketball in both the NBA and the ABA, averaging 20 points per game. He scored more than 15,000 points and grabbed 10,000 rebounds during his professional career.
The Chanticleers completed the 2021-22 season with a 16-13 overall record and had an 8-8 record during Sun Belt Conference play. Second-team All-Sun Belt pick
Vince Cole led the Chants on offense averaging over 15 points per game.
Rudi Williams averaged 13.9 points per game and
Essam Mostafa averaged 13.3 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game. He completed the season with 12 double-doubles.
Maryland Eastern Shore went 11-15 overall and 6-8 overall in the MEAC. The Shorehawks are led by the duo of Dom London (10.8 points) and Zion Styles (10.0 points) who are both averaging 10 points or more on the season. The Shorehawks are averaging 66.8 points per game and are holding their opponents to 66.4 points per game this season.
Tickets for the Basketball Classic are $15 each. All season ticket holders can contact the Chanticleers Athletics Ticket Office for more information as your seats will be on hold for the game.
Wednesday's game can be heard on WRNN Hot Talk 99.5 FM and watched live on ESPN+. Links for both along with live stats can be found at
www.GoCCUSports.com.
For complete coverage of CCU men's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalMBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUSports.com.
