This pre-sale will last from 10:00am September 11th until 10:00pm on September 16th to ensure that hometown fans have the chance to see their Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Illinois Fighting Illini on December 4th at KeyArena. Tickets are available in the following Ticketmaster locations:

Fred Meyer

400 S. Thor St.

Spokane, WA 99202

Fred Meyer

12120 N. Division

Spokane, WA 99208

Fred Meyer

E. 15609 Sprague Rd.

Veradale, WA 99037

The Seattle event will be the fourth all-time meeting between the teams, with Illinois currently leading the series 2-1. The teams played last season with the Zags winning 85-83 in overtime on a Elias Harris layup with :12 to play. Illinois trailed by as many as 21 in the first half of that game and led by eight in the second but needed a 3-pointer by Dominique Keller in the closing seconds of regulation after a miss by Demetri McCamey to tie it 79-79.

Illinois’ appearance in the Emerald City will mark the first time the Big Ten team will play in Seattle since the 1989 Final Four.

Weber talked about this year’s team Thursday night. He says he’s seen his team picked as high as ninth in the country and he’s more excited about Illinois’ prospects than he’s been in a while.

Illinois finished 21-15 last season and wound up in the NIT.

Weber says both Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis should be stronger players this season. And Weber says 6-8 freshman Jereme Richmond could be very good.

Illinois opens its season Nov. 8 against UC-Irvine.

ESPN’s coverage in 2010 will mark the fourth time this annual event has been on the ESPN family of networks. All seven previous games have been featured on national television.

Tickets for the Comcast Battle in Seattle will go on sale September 18th at all Ticketmaster outlets. There will be a Spokane only pre-sale on September 11th through Spokane-area Ticketmaster outlets.

The Seattle event will be the fourth all time meeting between the teams, with Illinois currently leading the series 2-1. The teams played last season with the Zags winning 85-83 in overtime on a Elias Harris layup with :12 to play. Illinois trailed by as many as 21 in the first half of that game and led by eight in the second but needed a 3-pointer by Dominique Keller in the closing seconds of regulation after a miss by Demetri McCamey to tie it 79-79.

Mark Few and company have won four games in the seven year history of the Comcast Battle in Seattle. Last season the 20th ranked Bulldogs scored 103 points to defeat the Davidson Wildcats. Harris led the way with 27 points and 5 rebounds. The Bulldog’s other victories have come against Missouri (2003), UMass (2004), and Oklahoma State (2005).

In Spokane, the spring of 2010 was one of the more creative, destructive, but perhaps auspicious moments in Gonzaga hoops history. And, at least for some once-prized recruits now playing elsewhere, that “destruction” will amount to playing time the Bulldogs and coach Mark Few simply couldn’t offer.

So while fans around the program might see the recent transfers of Andy Poling, Grant Gibbs and G.J. Vilarino — a former Kentucky commit — as a sign of instability or a blow to depth, Few sees it differently. “You want kids to be able to reach goals, and when they come to us and want an assessment on where they stand within the program — not just based on who is here, but who is coming in — we’re honest with them,” says Few. “But this was amicable on both sides. We want these guys to be successful, and they understand that.”

In the meantime, fans of the program who often wanted small-major charm with high-major results will get a better understanding of the competition level maintained within big-time programs. North Carolina saw a pair of former McDonald’s All-Americans transfer this spring, but nobody is worried about the state of the program. And, as Few reminds, “The benchmark in this program is still hard work. We bring in guys that work hard and expect them to push the established guys.”

Creative destruction means that even good products must improve to keep up with the flood of talent on the way in. And the faucet is running at the The Kennel.

Welcome to Campus

Marquise Carter, 6-foot-4 combo guard (juco transfer)

When Few describes what Carter can do well, it sounds like a description of what Gonzaga will be missing from Matt Bouldin, who led the team in scoring last season at 15.7 points per game. While Bouldin is trying to latch on with the Chicago Bulls, Carter could be filling multiple roles. “He shoots it well from 3, he’s a good passer, a solid penetrator,” said Few. “He really has a complete game. He should shore up a lot of areas.”

While Carter was a late find in the recruiting process — the Zags saw scholarships come open with the spring departures — he wasn’t some unknown. After he dominated at the junior college national tournament, Gonzaga had to fight off the likes of Oklahoma and other power programs for his services.

Sam Dower, 6-9 PF/C (redshirt)

“He could have helped us last year,” says Zags assistant Tommy Lloyd. “There’s no question.” One of the top 25 high school centers in the country in his 2009 recruiting class, Dower was chased by Big Ten, Big East and Pac-10 programs but instead came to Spokane. He has since pounded the weights — “He’s a lot stronger than he was when he got here,” says Few — and has been banging in practice with Elias Harris and Robert Sacre, the duo many consider among the top five C/PF combos in the college game. Expect Dower to back up both positions, finish well with his left hand — “he’s got a lot of offensive game all the way out to 18 feet” says Lloyd — and help Gonzaga dominate on the glass.

Keegan Hyland, 6-4 SG

It’s hard to project a ceiling for Hyland, who saw his recruiting from the majors fall off when a hip injury all but eliminated his senior year. But the staff sees a player with a great work ethic and shooting range out to Hamilton Ave. “He’s got Derek Raivio’s work ethic,” says Few. “He’s always working. And he makes shots.” Hyland is a redshirt candidate because, as Few says, there won’t be many times when Steven Gray isn’t on the court.

Mathis Keita, 6-5 SG

Keita was a classic mystery find by the Gonzaga staff, a European whose skills are difficult to project because of questions about the level of competition. That said, given what has happened in recent years with the likes of Ronny Turiaf and Harris, Few and overseas recruiting honcho Lloyd know what they’re looking at. (Lloyd was abroad three times this summer alone.) “Keita’s a guy that can do a lot of things, so we just need to get him in here and get a feel for where he can help,” says Lloyd. That could be anywhere across a three-guard backcourt.

Mathis Monninghoff, 6-7 SF

Few and his staff can neither confirm nor deny whether Monninghoff will be with the Zags in 2010, per NCAA rules. But the smart money says the Micah Downs clone, who played for the U-18 German national team, could be an impact player with the Zags. A long winger, he can shoot the 3, drive and finish at the rim, and given his experience recruiting Harris, Lloyd has a better feel for the level of competition abroad. Given the star Harris became almost overnight, excitement over Monninghoff should be real if he’s indeed on campus in September.

Hole to Fill: Outside shooting

According to Kenpom.com, the Zags were 309th out of 347 qualifying teams in the percentage of the team’s points scored on 3-pointers, and Bouldin accounted for a third of those triples as the most effective regular shooter. But aside from Carter, keep an eye on 6-7 Mangisto “Manny” Arop, who as a sophomore should be ready to start at small forward. “He’s improved his outside shooting,” says Few. “This is an opportunity for him.” Also keep an eye on 6-10 sophomore Kelly Olynyk, who has expanded both his game and his size. “He’s added some good weight,” says Few. The Zags need to be able to make 3s to keep teams from sagging too hard on their powerful front line. “I’m pretty confident teams won’t be able to play off us,” says Few. And if defenders back off Harris, he’ll also gladly pull the trigger from deep.

New Role: Steven Gray

Gray may not be the leading scorer on the Zags this season — he averaged 13.6 points last season to Harris’ 14.9 — but the lone starting senior will become both the top perimeter threat for the Bulldogs and the de facto leader of the team with Bouldin’s departure. Expect to see Gray with the ball in his hands a lot in 2010. While he often handed off ball-handling duties to natural point Demetri Goodson and the deft-passing Bouldin, Gray has the ability to attack defenders off the dribble and finish at the rim. When the Zags “go big” with a lineup of Carter, Gray, Arop or Olynyk, Harris and Sacre, you could see a lineup that will dominate the glass but also one that relies on Gray as both a deep threat, passer and floor-leader.

Summer School

A pair of players that might normally be spending the summer working on their respective national teams, Arop and Harris, have instead been getting fully healthy after injuries — and surgery, in the case of Arop. But Few expects both to be 100 percent when school starts. Olynyk has been working toward a full-time spot on the Canadian national team. According to the coaches, Goodson has been working hard on his shooting. While he’s a tremendous defender, Goodson’s ability to drive and pass has been hurt by defenses willing to back off and allow him to fire away from 3. Goodson was just 4-of-29 from 3 last season, and it’s clear that Carter’s presence puts his minutes in jeopardy.

Sacre is continuing to develop what was, at times, an extremely effective back-to-the-basket game. As a true 7-footer, with further offensive development, he could emerge as a legit NBA center prospect.

Then there’s the summer work for the coaches. Few knows he and his staff will also have to be creative in dishing out minutes to what could be another deep team. The Zags have emerged from Cinderella to the cemented elite. Now they’re facing the kinds of “problems” other majors deal with, such as expectations they could again lose a sophomore to the early portion of the NBA draft next spring — the course many scouts see Harris on.

But with possibly the program’s best recruiting class ever still a year away, there are already solutions being readied for the current reality — the knowledge that attrition isn’t just a symptom of the weak.

Chris Sprow is an editor for ESPN Insider.

Bulldog head coach Mark Few announced the remainder of the Bulldogs non-conference slate Wednesday, featuring the “Family Feud” opener.

LaFleur will not only be wearing the hat of a father, but that of Southern University athletic director when the Jaguars and the Bulldogs do battle.

“We’ve been talking about doing this for a couple of years, and this year it worked out,” Few said of the matchup.

Southern is located in Baton Rouge, La., and is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. It will be the inaugural meeting between the Bulldogs and the Jags.

The Bulldogs will play their lone exhibition game against a southern of another school – Southern Oregon University of Ashland, Ore., Nov. 5, at home.

Three 2010 NCAA Tournament teams also dot the remainder of the Bulldogs non-conference schedule.

One of the biggest games on the Bulldog schedule will be Dec. 11 in South Bend, Ind., against the University of Notre Dame. The two Catholic institutions will be meeting on the hardwood for the first time. Gonzaga is a member of the Society of Jesus, while The Fighting Irish are affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross. Notre Dame, a member of the Big East Conference, advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Xavier University, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, will meet the Bulldogs in the McCarthey Athletic Center Dec. 22. The Musketeers, who tied for the A-10 regular-season title with Temple University at 14-2, advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last season. Xavier, 26-9 in 2010, was ranked 14th in the final ESPN/USA Today poll and 25th in the final Associated Press balloting.

The Bulldogs will play their first game of 2011 nearly 2,100 miles from home Jan. 2 when they head to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face ACC foe Wake Forest University. Gonzaga will be out to avenge last season’s 77-75 loss to the Demon Deacons in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Wake Forest advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 1 seed University of Kentucky.

Gonzaga hosts nearby rival Eastern Washington University Nov. 30, the Bulldogs aiming for their 23rd straight victory over the Eagles and their 31st in the last 32 games.

Following final exams to end the first semester the Bulldogs will host Lewis-Clark State College Dec. 16. Gonzaga is 8-0 against the Warriors. Lafayette College of Easton, Pa., will provide the opposition Dec. 29 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Leopards, 19-13 overall and 8-6 for third place in the Patriot League a year ago, lost to Lehigh University in the title game of the Patriot League Tournament for the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The final non-conference game on the Gonzaga slate is Feb. 28 against Cal State-Bakersfield for Senior Night which will honor Steven Gray, the Bulldogs lone senior this season. The game will be the final tune-up for the Bulldogs prior to the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.

Nine games on the Gonzaga non-conference schedule had been announced earlier with the Bulldogs meeting IUPUI Nov. 14 and San Diego State University Nov. 16 in Regional Round games of the College Basketball Experience. Gonzaga will join defending national champion Duke University, Marquette University and Kansas State University Nov. 22-23 in Kansas City, Mo., for the Championship Round games of the CBE.

The Bulldogs will also face the University of Illinois Dec. 4 in the 8th annual Comcast Battle in Seattle; Washington State University in Pullman Dec. 8; Baylor University Dec. 18 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, in The Showcase; Oklahoma State University in the McCarthey Athletic Center Dec. 31, and the University of Memphis Feb. 5 in the Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic in the Spokane Arena.

All Bulldog Club members have been mailed an order form with ticket information for the Comcast Battle in Seattle, The Showcase, the RMHC Classic and the CBE Classic in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets to The Showcase also include the other half of the double-header event pitting the University of Arkansas against Texas A&M.

In addition to the Bulldog Club pre-sale currently underway, there will be a Spokane-only pre-sale for the Comcast Battle in Seattle beginning Sept. 11, with tickets to the general public going on sale Sept. 18, both sales through Ticketmaster.com. The ticket information mailed also explains how Bulldog Club members can order RMHC Classic tickets during a Bulldog Club pre-sale in November through TicketsWest.com. Tickets to the Memphis game are included in the men’s basketball season ticket package.

Due to the high demand and very limited quantities for tickets to the WSU game, Gonzaga’s allotment will be offered on a priority-points basis by invitation.

The WCC schedule is being finalized. All game times and television details will also be announced as they become available.

Story courtesy of Oliver Pierce – www.gozags.com

KeyArena events included within the poll are Elton John and Billy Joel concerts, two Bon Jovi concerts, Harlem Globetrotters, John Mayer, Muse, Michael Bublé, WWE Smackdown, Carole King and James Taylor, Eagles and Tim McGraw among others. Rankings do not include sporting events such as Seattle University Men’s Basketball and WNBA’s Seattle Storm games.

KeyArena also ranked in Pollstar’s Mid-Year Top 100 Concert Grosses as the 15th highest grossing concert(s) in the world with Elton John and Billy Joel’s two sold out February performances.

Events already booked for the remainder of 2010 include American Idol Live, Alice in Chains, WWE Monday Night Raw, Gorillaz, Women of Faith, Greg Laurie: Seattle Harvest, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Andre Rieu and many more to-be-announced.

KeyArena also hosted ten of Pollstar’s Mid Year Top 50 North American Tours including Bon Jovi, James Taylor and Carole King, John Mayer, Tim McGraw, Michael Bublé, Elton John and Billy Joel, Muse, Maxwell and Jill Scott, Eagles and Jeff Foxworthy/Bill Engvall/Larry the Cable Guy.

KeyArena will celebrate its 15th birthday on October 26, 2010 with over 15 million patrons entertained.

About KeyArena at Seattle Center

Opened in 1995, KeyArena at Seattle Center is Seattle’s premier venue for sports, concerts and family entertainment. The state-of-the-art facility has entertained over 15 million guests and is home to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and Seattle University Men’s Basketball. The venue provides a broad range of live music, entertainment, family shows and community programming for the City of Seattle.

The newest additions to the Bulldog schedule are the University of Illinois Dec. 4 in the 8th annual Comcast Battle in Seattle; Washington State University in Pullman Dec. 8; Baylor University Dec. 18 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, in The Showcase; Oklahoma State University in the McCarthey Athletic Center Dec. 31, and the University of Memphis Feb. 5 in the Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic in the Spokane Arena.

All Bulldog Club members will receive an order form which was mailed Wednesday with ticket information for the Battle in Seattle, The Showcase, the RMHC Classic and the previously announced CBE Classic Nov. 22-23 in Kansas City, Mo., which will feature defending national champion Duke University, Kansas State University and Marquette University. Gonzaga and those three schools will host Regional Round games leading up to the Championship Round, the Bulldogs hosting IUPUI Nov. 14 and San Diego State University Nov. 16.

Tickets to The Showcase also include the other half of the double-header event pitting the University of Arkansas against Texas A&M.

In addition to the Bulldog Club pre-sale there will be a Spokane-only pre-sale for the Comcast Battle in Seattle beginning Sept. 11, with tickets to the general public going on sale Sept. 18, both sales through Ticketmaster.com. The ticket information explains how Bulldog Club members can order RMHC Classic tickets during a Bulldog Club pre-sale in November through TicketsWest.com. Tickets to the Memphis game are included in the men’s basketball season ticket package.

Due to the high demand and very limited quantities for tickets to the WSU game, Gonzaga’s allotment will be offered on a priority-points basis by invitation.

Game times and television details will be announced when they become available.

The Bulldogs and Fighting Illini will be meeting for the second straight season and for the fourth time since 2002. The Bulldogs pulled out a hard-fought 85-83 overtime victory last year at the United Center in Chicago, Elias Harris nailing the game-winning basket with 12 seconds remaining then grabbing the decisive rebound as Illinois had one last 3-point attempt for the victory. It was the first victory for the Bulldogs in the series after dropping the first two meetings earlier this decade.

Gonzaga and WSU will continue their torrid rivalry after the Bulldogs rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit for a 74-69 victory last season in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga has now won nine of the last 11 meetings with the Cougars.

Gonzaga has not lost to Baylor in two previous meetings, downing the Bears in 1991 in the Coors Light Classic hosted by Fresno State University and in 2006 in the championship game of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT West Region played in the Spokane Arena, sending the Bulldogs to the NIT in Madison Square Garden.

The Bulldogs and OSU Cowboys have had some classic battles in their three previous meetings. The Bulldogs won 78-75 in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City during the 2004-05 season, claimed a 64-62 victory on Adam Morrison’s buzzer-beater trey in the 2005 Battle in Seattle and captured an 83-71 victory in the opening round of the 2008 Old Spice Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., at the Milk Bottle at the Disney Wild World of Sports Complex.

This season’s meeting will be the sixth straight year the Bulldogs and Memphis have met, the Zags snapping a four-game losing streak with last season’s 65-58 victory at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. Gonzaga won the inaugural meeting in 1998 in the Pre-Season NIT when the Tigers still played in The Pyramid.

The remainder of the Bulldogs schedule will be released as it becomes finalized.

http://www.gozags.com

Virtually the same group that swallowed the bitter pill of being the 66th-best team in 2009-10 is back on campus, and the hype surrounding UI is quietly growing. Illinois has been mentioned as a potential dark-horse candidate for the Big Ten title, a third option for those who don’t expect Purdue or Michigan State to quickly distance themselves once conference play begins. Illinois returns 91.7 percent of minutes per game as well as 91.8 percent of points per game — both highs in the conference. That, along with a stacked incoming class, should help spread the load this season.

“Last year we depended too much on one player and that didn’t work too well. We’ve gotten together as a team and have focused on becoming the unit and making the NCAA tournament,” McCamey says.

Ken Pomeroy’s stats underline McCamey’s statement; the guard used an astounding amount of the team’s possessions (28.3 percent). Weber and Co. noticed the disastrous effects a heavy load could have on their PG — and the combination of new blood, depth and veteran savvy has McCamey and senior forward Mike Davis dreaming of their first trip to the Sweet 16 in four seasons.

Jereme Richmond, 6-foot-8, SF

(No. 23 overall ESPNU 100)

The 2010 Mr. Basketball of Illinois, Richmond is the most versatile and athletic player Weber has coached in his eight years in Champaign. As a matter of fact, it’s conceivable that Richmond could be the most athletic player ever to wear the orange and blue uniform.

Though it’s still mid-summer, McCamey has already called Richmond the second-best player on the squad. Count senior Mike Davis among the impressed. “Jereme is a hell of a player,” Davis says. “Someone made him mad in an open gym and he just took over and scored the next six or seven points.”

Weber says he plans to use Davis at small forward to start off the season, but Richmond could see time at either of the two guard positions in a point forward role. “On USA’s U18 National Team, [coach] Jeff Capel used him at point guard and said he didn’t expect that to happen ahead of time,” Weber says. “He’s just that versatile.”

Meyers Leonard, 7-foot, C

(No. 47 overall ESPNU 100)

Already the strongest player — let alone big man — on the squad, the 18-year-old recently led the team with 14 bench-press reps. Weber hopes to use Leonard as both an interior presence and a motivator for Davis and Tisdale. “Meyers is as strong as anyone on our team, stronger than any of the big guys at this point,” Weber says.

Leonard should add a vastly needed boost of physicality to the Illini frontcourt, an aspect of the game that was lacking this past season. Davis and Tisdale only drew a combined 6.8 fouls per 40 minutes, third-lowest among Big Ten frontcourts. “He could definitely be a throwback Big Ten player,” Davis says. “Meyers adds toughness to our team.”

Two other newcomers to the squad are freshman guard Crandall Head and red-shirt sophomore Joseph Bertrand. The brother of former UI star Luther Head, Crandall tore his ACL during the fall of 2009 and Weber maintains that he is still on the mend and needs time before he can fully contribute. That does not mean, however, that Head has lost the athleticism that made him the 79th-ranked player in the nation according to the ESPNU 100: “Crandall and some of the guys were over my house and he was able to jump over a five-foot-high fence to retrieve a ball,” Weber says.

Bertrand’s addition should take pressure off McCamey’s shoulders, since the guard will definitely see some time (along with Richmond) in backing up the senior. McCamey was impressed with the amount of work Bertrand put in over his redshirt season. “Last year, he could barely read plays and didn’t know where he was supposed to be on the court, but now he’s getting plays drawn up for him,” McCamey says.

Hole to Fill: Leadership

When Chester Frazier graduated in the summer of 2009, the Illini not only lost their starting point guard, a Big Ten All-Defense selection and 484 career assists, but they also lost a player clearly defined by everyone connected to the program as the leader. “We needed someone like a Chester Frazier type of player last season,” Davis laments. Weber agrees, saying, “Last season, without Chester, the roles of Demetri, Mike [Tisdale], Mike [Davis] all changed, and they became the team leaders. It took them a while to adjust and, when they did, it wasn’t consistent.”

With three seniors in the starting lineup along with experienced sophomore D.J. Richardson (the guard started all 35 games last season), UI should be free of the lapses that plagued them a year ago. Most importantly, if there is a momentary goof, Weber can count on more than one player to get in people’s faces and hold them accountable for a mistake.

New Role: Demetri McCamey

Everyone knows that the 6-3 guard can score (team-high 15.1 ppg last season) and pass (7.1 apg and led the country in assists rate at 40.1 percent). This season, though, it’s all about the defense. “Demetri went to the Deron Williams Skills Academy and the LBJ Skills camp and he heard the same thing I told him all last season: you need to start guarding people,” Weber says.

A more distressing problem, however, is that as a team, Illinois’ normally stalwart defense slipped. Their defensive efficiency jumped from 86.5 to 92.7 OPPP and opposing teams went wild from long range, connecting on 32.1 percent of their 3s (as compared to 29.6 percent the previous season). McCamey said he is working to step up his game and has challenged himself to become a lockdown defender.

Summer School

Opposing teams were able to simply beat up on the Illini last season. Davis, Tisdale, Leonard and back-up big man Tyler Griffey have been relentless in the weight room throughout the spring and summer months, and the results are plainly visible. According to Weber, Tisdale has added 30 pounds to his frame, while Davis has toned his lanky frame. The hopeful end result? “We’ll be able to hold down the paint and be more physical than in the past,” Davis says.

The newfound strength should also help UI on the offensive side of the ball. “Coach Weber said we need to get to the free throw line more and by getting quicker and stronger, that can only help us,” Davis stressed. This past season, Illinois was one of the worst teams at getting to the free throw line; their free-throw rate was a paltry 27.3 percent, sixth-lowest in the country.

Matt Giles is a writer for Rumor Central and a contributor to ESPN Insider.

The game will match the West Coast Conference champion Bulldogs, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season and the Fighting Illini from the Big Ten Conference who made it to the 2010 NIT quarterfinals.

The Seattle event will be the forth all time meeting between the teams, with Illinois currently leading the series 2-1.  The teams played last season with the Zags winning 85-83 in overtime on a Elias Harris layup with :12 to play.  Illinois trailed by as many as 21 in the first half of that game and led by eight in the second but needed a 3-pointer by Dominique Keller in the closing seconds of regulation after a miss by Demetri McCamey to tie it 79-79.

Illinois’ appearance in the Emerald City will mark the first time a team from the Big Ten has played in the annual Seattle contest.

Led by head coach Bruce Weber, the Illini welcome back its top five scorers including first team All Big Ten performer Demetri McCamey.

The 6’3” point guard led the team with 15.1 points per game as a junior and led the Big Ten and ranked second in the nation in assists with school-record average of 7.1 apg.  McCamey was named to the USBWA All-District V Team, First-Team NABC All-District 7 and Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

The team from Champaign also features reigning conference Freshmen of the Year D.J. Richardson.  The Illinois native started 35 games, the most starts by a freshman in Illini history, and averaged 10.5 points and 2.7 rebounds.  Known for his outside shooting, the guard’s 69 three-pointers are second-most ever by an Illini freshman.

But Richardson won’t be the only impact freshmen from a season ago to take the floor at KeyArena.  Gonzaga’s Elias Harris was named West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year as well as All-WCC First Team.   The 6’8” forward from Germany averaged 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest as the Zags won their 10th-straight WCC regular-season title in 2009-2010.

Also leading the way for the Zags will be senior guard Steven Gray.  A native of Western Washington, Gray has thrived playing in the Comcast Battle in Seattle, averaging 15.6 points in his three games in Seattle.  Shooting 56 percent from the floor during those games, Gray clearly enjoys playing at KeyArena.

Tickets for the Comcast Battle in Seattle will go on sale Sept. 18^th at all Ticketmaster outlets. There will be a Spokane only pre-sale on Sept. 11^th through Spokane-area Ticketmaster outlets.

Mark Few and company have 4-3 record in Comcast Battle in Seattle games.  Last season the 20^th ranked Bulldogs scored 103 points to defeat the Davidson Wildcats.  Harris led the way with 27 points and 5 rebounds.  The Bulldog’s other victories in the history of the event have come over Missouri (2003), UMass (2004), and Oklahoma State (2005).

Scheduled Hoopfest/Comcast Battle in Seattle Autograph Session

Thursday, June 24th

6-7:30 p.m. Mangisto Arop, Sam Dower, David Stockton

Friday, June 25th

12-2 p.m. Janelle Bekkering, Tatri Lorenzo

4-6 p.m. Demetri Goodson, Kelly Olynyk

6-8 p.m. Meghan Winters, Carter Schick

Saturday, June 26th

10-12 p.m. Steven Gray, Robert Sacre

12-2 p.m. Courtney Vandersloot, Katelan Redmon

Players will be appearing in support of the 2010 Comcast Battle in Seattle which takes place this December in Seattle at the KeyArena. For updated information about the 2010 Comcast Battle in Seattle please visit the event website: www.battleinseattle.com.