It was one of those "secret" scrimmages, so we might not find out exactly how things went, but Marshall twin towers Hassan Whiteside and Nigel Spikes no doubt got a good workout Saturday against the 2009 NCAA tournament team from Radford.

Marshall and Radford met at Concord College to scrimmage behind closed doors. The score and statistics were kept, but aren't supposed to be reported to anyone.

The 7-foot Whiteside and 6-foot-10 Spikes needed a stern preseason test.

Radford probably provided one with a front line of 6-11, 260-pound Art Parakhouski, 6-8 Joey Lynch-Flohr and 6-8 Lazar Trifunovic.

GAME TIME: The season is here.

Marshall plays a 7 p.m., Tuesday, exhibition game against West Virginia Wesleyan in Cam Henderson Center. The regular season home opener is 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, against North Carolina A&T.

NCAA Division I teams losing exhibition games against lower-level opponents is rare, but it does happen. Already this season LeMoyne (DII) won at Syracuse and Northwood (NAIA) beat Florida International.

"It means a lot more to those kids and your kids disrespect them," Marshall head coach Donnie Jones said.

Here's betting Marshall won't disrespect the Bobcats, a Division II member of the West Virginia Conference.

West Virginia Wesleyan, 10-18 last season, is led by 6-foot-9 Neven Zeravica from Croatia who averaged 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds. Justin Caldwell, a 6-2 junior, averaged 14.7 points while 6-5 senior Ryan Hoener scored 13.1.

RECRUITING: National Letter of Intent signing day is Wednesday.

Marshall is still eying point guard Cory Stanton from Springfield, Tenn., who had a weekend visit scheduled at Wright State.

Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons guard Sam Mills has Marshall and Georgia Tech on his list.

Chipola College 6-9 forward Steadman Short, who is verbally committed to the Thundering Herd, has an injured ankle and wasn't expected to be on the court this weekend when the Indians opened the season. The Indians from Marianna, Fla., are No. 13 in the national junior college rankings.

PROSPECT WATCH: The new Huntington Prep team is loaded with college prospects, including some that already attracted recruiting interest from Marshall, West Virginia, Kentucky and others.

Coach Rob Fulford's team nicknamed "Express" is practicing at the Marshall Recreation Center, which is right beside Cam Henderson Center arena where the Marshall team works out. Huntington Prep is a privately-owned basketball academy that rents the facility.

At first glance it seems like a natural thing for Marshall coaches to walk over and watch the players any time they feel like it.

Actually, it's not OK. NCAA rules limit the number of prospect evaluations, and a visit to the Rec Center is no different than going to California to see a player.

SHOE-GATE: UCF freshman guard Marcus Jordan has a famous father. The father wears the Nike brand exclusively.

Therefore, Michael Jordan's son also wears Nike, even if costs his school a $3 million apparel deal. Marcus Jordan wore a pair of Nike Air Jordan sneakers for a UCF exhibition game, saying they hold special meaning to his family.

UCF is in the final year of a five-year contract with Adidas that requires coaches and athletes to use the company's apparel and equipment, and they promptly dropped the Knights.

Sports editor Rick McCann covers Marshall men's basketball for The Herald-Dispatch. Contact him at 304-526-2759 or hedge@herald-dispatch.com.

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