Oct. 13, 2003

Romeoville, Ill. - Lewis University has been selected to finish third in the 2003-04 Great Lakes Valley Conference men's basketball race by league head coaches in their annual preseason poll.

Lewis received one first-place vote and tallied 85 points. Southern Indiana (99 points, nine first-place votes) was tabbed the preseason favorite, and Kentucky Wesleyan (87 points, one first-place vote) was picked second.

Indianapolis (68) and Northern Kentucky (64), teams that joined Lewis, Southern Indiana and Kentucky Wesleyan at last year's NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional, were selected fourth and fifth, respectively.

Southern Illinois Edwardsville (59) was sixth, followed by Bellarmine (45), Saint Joseph's (38), Quincy (30), Wisconsin-Parkside (19) and Missouri-St. Louis (11).

The Flyers return four starters, all seniors, from last year's team that posted a 23-8 record, placed fourth in the GLVC regular-season standings, finished second at the GLVC Tournament and made the program's fourth NCAA Division II Championship tournament appearance in six years.

Forward Monta McGhee (16.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg), who was named to the 2002-03 All-Great Lakes Region and All-GLVC first teams, heads the list of returning starters.

Guard Demitrius Hunter (10.5 ppg, 4.9 apg) and post Austin Real (10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg), a pair of three-year starters and 2002-03 All-GLVC honorable-mention selections, also return, as does post Sidney Holmes (10.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg), the GLVC's leading rebounder a year ago.

Lewis opens the season at home Nov. 15 against Ferris State.