Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport men's basketball team is on its way to Daytona Beach, Florida for the upcoming annual Mauro Panaggio Tournament, hosted at the DME Academy. Brockport will be joined by Penn State Altoona and Piedmont University for this three-day event down south.
 
Mauro Panaggio: The Mauro Panaggio Tournament is thrown in honor of Brockport alumnus, player, and coach, Mauro Panaggio. Mauro Panaggio, who passed away in 2018, was a lifelong teacher. Whether it was in health and physical education, sports science, sports management, as an author and ultimately on the basketball court, Panaggio's philosophy always placed a strong emphasis on educating his students and players. It was his belief that the coach cannot be separated from his role as a teacher if he is to be consistently successful.
 
After a successful playing career and over 40 years of coaching at the high school, college, and professional level, Panaggio has been honored as a SUNY Brockport Hall of Fame Player & Coach (1978), NY State Section V Hall of Fame Player & Coach (2002), and NYS Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Famer (2002).
 
Hosted by DME Academy: This year will be the fourth Mauro Panaggio Tournament hosted by the DME Sports Academy. The DME Sports Academy down in Florida is owned and was founded by Mauro Panaggio's sons, and also successful Brockport basketball alumni, Mike and Dan. The top-end quality facility has hosted the tournament for all four years now, helping to keep the Panaggio's united with the Brockport basketball family. For more information about the event or the DME Sports Academy, visit the official website at: https://dmesportsacademy.com/.
 
Tournament Schedule: Penn State Altoona will be recognized as the home team for Sunday's 12 pm game against Piedmont for the first action of the tournament. The Golden Eagles will then step on the court on Monday at 12 pm as the home team against Altoona. Finally, they will get the chance to play Piedmont, who will be recognized as the home team, on Tuesday at 12 pm for the final game of the trip. Each team will play two games, getting the chance to play each team making the journey to Florida.
 
History at the Tournament: Wooster College won the first ever Mauro Panaggio Tournament in 2017 and then took the crown again in 2019, while Washington & Lee won it all in 2018. Brockport has gone 1-1 at the tournament every year, winning game number one but falling in the finals. Last go around the squad fell short against Wooster in a tight, 94-90, game for the championship. Jahidi Wallace was selected to the All-Tournament Team in 2019, averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 boards on 57.9% shooting.
 
Follow Along: Live video and statistics will be available for all three games down at the Mauro Panaggio Tournament. Check the following links to keep up with all the action down in Florida.
 
Live Video: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/dme-academy-daytona-beach-fl
Live Stats: https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
 
The Road so Far: Brockport flys to Florida owning a 6-2 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the conference. After falling in the season opener against Alfred, the squad went on to win five in a row which included four double-digit victories. Oswego interrupted the winning streak and gave Brockport its first SUNYAC loss of the year back on December 4^th. The team bounced back in its last contest for a convincing, 99-73, win over Buffalo State on the road. The defending 2019 SUNYAC Champions will jump into the thick of conference play following the start of the 2022 calendar year.
 
Team Leaders: Jahidi Wallace is leading the Golden Eagles with averages of 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Wallace is ranked eighth in the SUNYAC in scoring and 13^th in rebounding early on. He posted 21 points and 14 rebounds in the last game, notching his second double-double of the season. David Grady III (12.3 ppg) and Mekhi Beckett (12.1 ppg) are both scoring at least 10 points a game as well. Beckett has been trouble from long range for opposing teams, shooting 50% from deep to this point. Brandon Kennedy-Gay leads the team in assists (4.5 apg), while Devante Hagins is the leader in steals (2.9 spg). David Grady III also does a great job protecting the rim as the leading shot blocker (2.6 bpg).
 
Looking at Altoona: The Penn State Altoona Lions are on fire heading into the tournament, as they have won seven straight to earn a 9-1 mark on the season. The squad is accustomed to high scoring games, as it has only been held to under 80 points twice this season. Most recently, the Lions defeated Pitt-Bradford, 112-85. Averaging 90.8 points per game, they have broken the century mark on three separate occasions this year. #11 Robbie Hicks is the team's top scorer at 14.9 points a game. However, the team has three other double-digit scorers as #3 Varun Ajjarapu, #00 Andruw Harman, and #12 Saivon Word are also threats offensively.
 
Looking at Piedmont: The Piedmont University Lions are entering the weekend with a 5-3 record overall. The Lions have lost two of their last three, after a recent 79-70 loss against North Carolina Wesleyan College. They are used to close games, winning by an average margin of 4.5 points this season. Averaging 72.5 points per game, the team is shooting 48.5% from the field, 35.3% from downtown, and 62.7% at the free throw line. #35 Jordan Foote leads the squad, posting 19 points and 10 rebounds per game. #21 Justin Quick and #2 Orry Clements-Owens are scoring 14.9 points and 11.7 points a night respectively.
 
Coming Back Home: After the calendar turns to 2022, the Green and Gold gets back to The Vlog for three straight home contests. The quick homestand begins at 3 pm on Monday, January 3^rd against Medaille College. Later that week Brockport will host Oneonta and New Paltz for a Friday/Saturday slate to get back into SUNYAC play.