Head men's basketball coach Wes Long released his program's 2011-12 schedule this afternoon, and the fourth-year leader is excited about the opportunities that make up this historic slate. Queens will close a memorable era in its basketball history on December 6, when the Royals host Davis & Elkins in the program's final game to be played at Ovens Athletic Center.
“The Oven” has been home to Queens Basketball for the past 22 seasons, and the only venue in which the Royals have ever competed at the NCAA level. Ovens will be demolished in mid-December to make way for construction of Queens' new 32-million dollar Levine Center for Wellness and Recreation, set to open in 2013.
“Queens and its community have shared a multitude of wonderful memories in this building, and it holds a special place in a lot of people's hearts,” said Long. “A lot of great players and great coaches have competed in terrific games in this gym, and we will continue to honor its significance by playing hard until the final buzzer sounds on December 6.”
Other noteworthy matchups await the Royals long before the historical finale, including two preseason exhibitions against marquee Division I programs. Queens will travel to Charleston, S.C., to take on the Cougars of College of Charleston on October 29, and the Royals will travel south on Interstate 85 one week later and tangle with Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday, November 5, 2011.
“We have the unique opportunity to increase our university's exposure with contests against high profile opponents, so we are thrilled to be able to play these ballgames. Our preseason schedule offers two great experiences for our players and fans, and large-scale benefits to Queens as a whole.”
The Royals will tip-off the regular season against Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday, November 11, 2011, in the Conference Carolinas/South Atlantic Conference Challenge being held at Limestone, and take on local rival Wingate the following evening. The next weekend Queens will host the Final Fire Classic, in tribute to the approaching close of “The Oven.” Long's Royals will take on southeast region foe Georgia College & State and in-state rival Winston-Salem State on November 18 and 19, before hitting the road to play interstate rival Catawba on November 22.
After the Thanksgiving break, Queens will renew one of the Queen City's best rivalries when Johnson C. Smith travels around I-277 to play Queens on November 30. Following a return trip to Winston-Salem on December 3rd, and the final game at Ovens on December 6, the Royal cagers will break for exams before heading to Florida to wrap up the pre-Christmas schedule. Queens will take on Sunshine Conference members Lynn University and Barry University on December 18 and 19 in the Courtyard by Marriott Classic at Lynn. A non-conference matchup in Fayetteville versus Fayetteville State finishes the Royals' 2011 portion of the schedule on December 30.
The New Year will present a challenging 16-game Conference Carolinas lineup, which for the first time in over a decade includes two divisions. Queens will compete in the East division and will play home-and-home sets with Barton, Coker, Mount Olive, Pfeiffer, and Saint Andrews. The Royals will compete against members of the West division once, with home games versus King, Lees-McRae and North Greenville, and road contests at Belmont Abbey, Erskine, and 2011 regular season runner-up Limestone. Queens will also make a return trip to West Virginia to take on the Senators of Davis & Elkins on February 6. In all, the Royals will play 28 regular season contests in defense of their 2011 Conference Carolinas regular season championship.
“I wanted to give our players and fans a schedule that would be exciting and offer us a chance to play in some terrific environments against top competition,” said Long. “I believe this schedule will enable us to compete at a high level while giving us numerous opportunities to have a lot of fun – so we are definitely excited about it and are looking forward to preparing for the season.”
