October 27, 2010 – Even though we are right in the middle of an exciting football season, basketballs have been bouncing in Savage Arena for most of October as both the men’s and women’s roundball teams prepare for the 2010-11 season. With exhibition games looming in the very near future, the Rocket Report would like to give its readers a brief look at the three preseason opponents that will be traveling to Toledo for these contests.

The men get things going first on Saturday, October 30 at noon when they square off against the Siena Heights Saints of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Last season the Saints posted an over-all record of 21-11, going 7-7 in conference play, good enough for a fourth place finish. This year they are being projected as a top-25 NAIA team. By most standards Siena Heights is vertically challenged, with the tallest players listed at 6-6. The team is led by a pair of senior guards, 6-2 Brent Reynolds (15.8ppg), 6-0 Mark Snipes (13.8ppg), and 6-5 senior forward Logan Matthews (9.8ppg).

The Rockets play their second and final exhibition game on November 3, at 7:00 pm when they take on the Wolves from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. UMD, like Siena Heights, is also a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference but didn’t fare nearly as well as the Saints last season, winning just one time in 30 outings. Incidentally, UMD’s lone win came against Siena Heights.

On the women’s side, Tricia Cullop’s team appears to have a much stiffer task then the men when the Rockets go up against the University of Alaska-Anchorage on Thursday, November 4.

The Seawolves are affiliated with the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, a 10-member Division-II league with teams in the continental United States, Alaska, and Canada. UAA is a D-II power having made it to the semifinals of the post season tournament the last two seasons. Anchorage owns an eye-popping 108-24 record over the last four seasons and was good enough to claim a one-point 49-48 victory over Cincinnati of the Big East Conference last season.

UAA lost its top two scorers from 2009-10 but returns 6-2 junior forward/center Hanna Johansson who averaged 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season and senior wing Nikki Aden (9.0 ppg, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists). Also returning for their final seasons are shooting guard Sarah Herrin and point guard Kaitlin McBride.

The Seawolves have a 19-player roster that includes eight players who are six feet in height or taller.

Before venturing into Savage Arena, UAA will play an exhibition game against Indiana University in Bloomington, IN on Nov. 2.