By DON O'BRIEN
Herald-Whig Sports Editor
Marty Bell freely admits there's a method to his scheduling madness.
After a light warmup last year that included just one exhibition game against NCAA Division I competition, the Quincy University men's basketball coach is ready to give his team a stern test in the preseason this fall.
The Hawks will open the 2009-10 campaign with three Division I exhibitions, facing Notre Dame, Illinois and Illinois State.
"I think it's better for my team this year to play an exhibition schedule like this," said Bell, who is entering his seventh season at QU. "It would have been tough to do this last year with so many new guys. But with so many guys back, I feel good about playing an exhibition schedule like this."
The Hawks will have seven of their top eight
scorers from last year's 16-12 team back, including five players who started at least half of the team's games last winter.
QU has been to each of its exhibition destinations before. The Hawks will be making their third trips to Notre Dame and Illinois and their second trip to Illinois State. QU is 0-11 in Division I exhibitions, the closest call coming in a 2006 game at Southern Illinois, a 70-64 setback.
Not only does Bell like the fact his team will be test in the preseason, but the Hawks will also get to play plenty of home games. QU will play 16 of its 27 regular-season games at Pepsi Arena.
Included in that run of home games are two in the annual QU/Subway Holiday Tournament. The event will be run as a true tournament format this year. The Hawks will face Truman State (6-21 in 2008-09) in an opening round game. The other game will pit Central State (19-8) against Mesa State (16-12).
"Next to recruiting, scheduling is everything," Bell said. "You can have a great team, but if you don't have a good schedule, it doesn't mean much. You want your schedule to be tough, but you want to be able to give your team some confidence, too. I think this one does that."
With the Great Lakes Valley Conference expanding by two teams with the additions of Maryville and Illinois-Springfield, the Hawks' league schedule has a bit different look. QU is now part of the five-team GLVC North Division with UIS, Lewis, Wisconsin-Parkside and St. Joseph's. The league will hold the GLVC Tournament over two weekends this year so that 12 teams can make the field. As a result, the league schedule will be done a week earlier than normal to accommodate that.
That also means all teams will have to play three league games in a five-day span twice during the season.
"I'd prefer not to have to play three games in five days, but I don't think we'll be at a competitive disadvantage because every other team in the league has to do it, too," Bell said. "As long as everyone else has to do it, I'm fine with it."
The Hawks will open the regular season against Upper Iowa on Nov. 15 at Pepsi Arena.
-- dobrien@whig.com/221-3365
