The Basics
The West Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball team is scheduled to tip off the 2020-21 season at home inside the Rockefeller Center against Fairmont State on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. The early season slate continues into the weekend on Sunday (Jan. 10) with the first road contest of the season at Frostburg State scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off. 
 
The West Virginia Wesleyan College Athletics Department in conjunction with the Mountain East Conference, University, local and state officials, has determined that home basketball games will begin the season with a no spectator policy. The no spectator policy will be followed at each of the 12 Mountain East Conference institutions. The conference's Board of Directors will evaluate the no spectator policy no earlier than January 19, 2021. If changes to the policy are approved later this month, the Athletics Department will provide an update at that time.
 
Quick Hits
• Ross Young returns for his senior season after averaging 9.5 points per game and hauling in 4.4 rebounds a night during the 2019-20 campaign.
• Daylin Lee is Wesleyan's leading scorer among returning players (13.5 points per game). He shot 46.7 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. 
• Top scorers Dusan Vicentic (16.9 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game) and Luka Petrovic (14.0 points per game, 164 total assists) have graduated. Both Vicentic and Petrovic signed professional contracts overseas. 
• Nick Patella enters his second season as the West Virginia Wesleyan head coach. Prior to WVWC, Patella served as the head coach of nearby Davis & Elkins for four years. The Elkins, W. Va., native played basketball at West Virginia University under John Beilein from 2002-05 and was a member of the 2004-05 Mountaineers Elite Eight team. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at WVWC. 
 
Scouting Fairmont State
The Falcons finished the 2019-20 campaign 23-7 overall and 16-6 in Mountain East play. 
 
Fairmont State returns four of its five starters and seven of its top nine scorers from a season ago. Leading scorer and MEC Fresheman of the Year, Dale Bonner averaged 17.8 points per game along with 5.3 assists per game. 
 
Another MEC First Team returner is Cole VonHandorf, who averaged 16.3 points per contest last season and shot 62.3 percent from the field. The Falcons welcome two Division-I transfers: Zyon Dobbs from James Madison and Brendan Paul from Syracuse. 
 
Tim Koenig enters his second season as the head coach at Fairmont State.. Before arriving in Fairmont, he spent six years as the head coach at fellow MEC member, Notre Dame (Ohio). His overall record stands at 116-95. 
 
Scouting Frostburg State
Frostburg State finished its first season as a Mountain East Conference and NCAA Division II member at 10-18 overall and 7-15 against MEC competition. 
 
Guard Joe Adedayo is back for his senior season after averaging 10.7 points per game last year. 
 
Sean E. Brown Sr. enters her second season as the head coach of the FSU Bobcats and carries a 20-34 record. The Frostburg State alumnus served as the head coach at Pitt-Bradford from 2015-18. Brown was an assistant at Frostburg State from 2007-15. 
 
Last Season vs. Fairmont State
The Falcons edged the Bobcats 75-72 on November 26, 2019 in Buckhannon and Wesleyan led at halftime by a score of 45-40. Young provided a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Bobcats. 
 
WVWC fell at Joe Retton Arena on Febuary 26, 2020 in the second meeting of last season, 80-69. Lee registered 17 points and eight rebounds. 
 
Last Season vs. Frostburg State
Wesleyan topped FSU in Maryland last season on November 23, 2019 by a final mark of 85-73. Young put up 18 points with seven rebounds. 
 
During the second game last year (Jan. 22, 2020), Frostburg State ripped off a second half comeback to edge WVWC, 76-74. Vicentic poured in a game-high 34 points in that contest. 
 
Up Next
West Virginia Wesleyan men's basketball is scheduled to continue its MEC slate next week at Concord in Athens, W. Va. on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. before heading back to Buckhannon on Saturday, Jan. 16 to play host to Glenville State at 4 p.m.