LOCK HAVEN, Pa.  – The Lock Haven University men's basketball team is set to open its 2012-13 season on Friday, November 16 at the Wolf's Bus Lines Classic hosted by Shippensburg University.

The Bald Eagles will open the Wolf's Bus Lines Classic with Salem International University on Friday and will take on Chestnut Hill on Saturday.

Lock Haven enters the season under second year head coach Mike Nestor (Shippensburg '99) and second year assistant coach Brian Oleksiak (Shippensburg '10), who have the Bald Eagles poised to make some noise this season.

“We are very excited about the start of the season,” said coach Nestor.  “We have been practicing for the past few weeks and our guys are really working hard and are ready for our opening tipoff.”

The Bald Eagles roster will consist of a mix of veterans and newcomers, both of which will be counted on for major contributions this season.

The Haven will be led by seniors Armandi Marshall (Philadelphia/Olney East) and Andre Rivers (Philadelphia/Girard College).  Coach Nestor knows that these two seniors provide valuable experience and leadership that will be crucial in the evolution of his team.

“Marshall and Rivers have done a very good job in terms of being leaders for this new group,” said Nestor.  “They both know what I expect from them and I make sure they both know that they are the ones that the guys will look to for guidance through this long and challenging season.”

Rivers started in all 25 games for The Haven last season and averaged 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds on the season.

Marshall made 20 starts last season and averaged 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

The Bald Eagles also return sophomore point guard Terrell Johnson (Philadelphia/Imhotep Charter), who will be looking to improve on a solid freshman campaign.  Johnson, who is the team's leading returning scorer from last year (10.8 ppg), will look to have a breakout season now that he has a full year of experience under his belt.  The speedy guard led the team with 65 total assists last season.

Forward Nate Walters (Reedsville, Pa./Indian Valley) returns for his sophomore season and coach Nestor can't say enough about what Walters means to this team. 

“Nate really came on once he was given an opportunity last year,” said Nestor.  “He does all the little things we need from him and works hard at all times.”

LHU also returns junior Sander Vanoutryve (Izegem, Belgium/Stko-Kortrijk). Sander is a very athletic guard and will battle for time at the position.

The Haven has a number of newcomers that will make a major impact this season, including Wali Hepburn (Philadelphia/Neumann-Goretti) and Kasheef Festus (Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll) who transferred to LHU this year.

Hepburn, a sophomore, is an athletic wing player who is not only skilled offensively, but can be a lockdown defender as well. 

Festus, a 6-foot-5-inch junior, gives the Bald Eagles a strong and physical presence around the rim and also has a very high basketball IQ.

Freshmen David Garcia (Scotrun, Pa./Pocono Mt. East), Elijah Cooper (Manchester, Pa./Northwestern) and Hunter Dick will all see minutes early this season and will be expected to develop and contribute as the year goes on.

Garcia is a tough wing who can stretch out the defense with his outside shot.  Cooper will see time at point guard and wing for The Haven and has done an excellent job of picking up the system.  Dick, a 6-foot-10-inch center, is learning and getting better every day he steps on the floor and will be a key contributor to the LHU front court.

Sophomores Greg Forstater (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata) and Tyler Hall (Carlisle, Pa./Cedar Cliff) will look to provide depth for LHU at the forward and guard positions.

Although coach Nestor is extremely excited about his team, he knows that they have a tough road ahead of them, as the PSAC has proven year-after-year to be one of the top conferences in all of Division II.  Nestor doesn't expect the tough schedule to tarnish his team's morale however, and expects his team to battle hard each and every night.

“This year is going to be a fun year for LHU men's basketball,” said Nestor.  “I know that our guys will be prepared for every game and will play as hard as they can for 40 minutes night in and night out.  All I ask as a coach is that we keep working hard and improve each and every day. If we do that I will be satisfied with this team.”

The Bald Eagles are scheduled for 25 regular season games this year, 22 of which will be PSAC conference games.  After the Wolf's Bus Lines Classic, LHU will host Penn State Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, November 20.  The Haven opens conference play on Saturday, December 1 when they host Millersville University.