Oct. 16, 2009

DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis men's basketball team will take part in its first official practice of the 2009-10 season Friday. The Aggies begin their regular season in just four weeks and return plenty of firepower from a team that advanced to the second round of the Big West Tournament last March.

Among the team's returning starters are senior Dominic Calegari and juniors Joe Harden and Mark Payne. Calegari returns for his fifth year in the program and is coming off a junior campaign in which he averaged 11.0 ppg. Over the past two years, Calegari has collectively averaged 10.3 points per game.

Harden and Payne both were named Second-Team All-Big West last year as sophomores. Harden averaged 14.8 points and led the team with 7.2 rebounds per game. Payne finished with 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also led the team in field goal percentage, assists and steals. Earlier this fall, Payne was named the preseason Big West Player of the Year by the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

Fans will have their first chance to see the Aggies in action when they host Cal State East Bay on Nov. 4 in an exhibition. UC Davis begins its regular season Nov. 13 against Colorado State at the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off in Eugene, Ore. The Aggies will take on host Oregon the following day before concluding the tournament Nov. 15 against Winston-Salem State.