COLCHESTER, Vt. - Continuing a tradition begun during the 1957-58 season, the Saint Michael's College men's basketball team will host an in-season tournament later this week, with the Best Western Windjammer Doc Jacobs Classic taking place on Friday and Saturday in the Ross Sports Center. The Best Western Plus Windjammer Inn & Conference Center in South Burlington is the official hotel of Saint Michael's Athletics.
 
The Purple Knights host Bloomfield College of New Jersey on Friday at 5 p.m. before Northeast-10 Conference mate Assumption University takes on Felician University of New Jersey at 7 p.m. Assumption faces Bloomfield on Saturday at 2 p.m., and Saint Michael's closes the classic against Felician at 4 p.m. Bloomfield and Felician both hail from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), one of three leagues in the NCAA Division II East Region.
 
A balanced scoring effort under head coach Eric Eaton, now in his fifth year, saw five players average between 11.0 and 9.7 points last season, and three of those student-athletes return. Junior CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School) led the way with 11.0 points, 51 three-pointers, 42 assists and 29 steals, sophomore Alan Brzezinski (Örebro, Sweden/Western Reserve Academy) posted 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 43 threes and 28 steals, while senior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan) contributed 9.8 points and 62 assists. Junior Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy) paced the Purple Knights in rebounding (6.1), triples (53) and steals (33), and sophomore Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass./Brooks School) notched 49 assists and 32 steals for the season while averaging 11.1 points as a starter over the final 12 contests.
 
Three newcomers stood out in the Purple and Gold's exhibition contest at Division I University of Vermont last week. Sophomore Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago) totaled nine points and five rebounds, junior Jhamyl Fricas (Lawrence, Mass./Worcester Academy/Connors State) netted a team-best 15 points off the bench, and first-year TJ Henaghen (Hampden, Maine/Williston Northampton School) added five points and five boards. Reid led all returners with 12 points and four steals.
 
Saint Michael's hosted its first in-season tournament in 1957-58, the first of three straight years holding the Saint Michael's Invitational. Between 1975-76 and 2021-22, legendary head coach and director of athletics George "Doc" Jacobs was the namesake for the lion's share of the Purple Knights' tournaments. Last year's tournament, which took place during the week of Thanksgiving, was named for the national Eracism initiative.
 
Fans can purchase tickets that are good for both games each day at $7 for general admission, $5 for seniors (65 and over) and non-Saint Michael's students, and $3 for children 12 and younger. Saint Michael's students with a valid College ID receive free admission. In conjunction with the College's Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, fans who donate three non-perishable food or self-care items will also receive free admission. Visit SMCAthletics.com for a full list of requested items.