BISMARCK, ND – A new look University of Mary men's basketball team is ready for the new year. Not backing into the upcoming season, the Marauders finish their exhibition season Sunday facing a team featuring an NBA prospect and fresh off an NCAA Division I tournament appearance before opening the regular season Monday against a team that has already played eight games.
The Marauders face their biggest challenge of the year when they visit NCAA Division I South Dakota State University on Sunday, Nov. 12. Game time is 2 pm at Frost Arena in Brookings, SD. An exhibition game for the Marauders, this is a regular season game for the Jackrabbits.
The Jackrabbits, who qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament last season, is ranked 14
th in the country in the mid-major preseason poll. SDSU is the preseason pick to win the Summit League.
Mike Daum was named to the watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year, the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year and Lute Olson Player of the Year awards. Also the Summit's preseason player of the year, the 6-9 junior forward averaged over 25 points and eight rebounds a game last season, making over 41 percent of his 3-point attempts. Daum scored 17 points against Gonzaga in last year's NCAA tournament game.
The Marauders regular season tips off on Monday, Nov. 13, against the University of Jamestown. Game time is 7 pm at the McDowell Activity Center.
The Jimmies come into the Marauders game with a record of 6-2, including a victory over the NAIA's 10
th ranked Dakota Wesleyan. Jamestown also had a narrow 81-80 loss to #5 Northwestern (IA). Led by Leighton Sampson's 20.1 points per game and 17.1 ppg from Jon Purintun, the Jimmies average 101.5 ppg.
While the Marauders enter the year with new faces for fans, much of the UMary roster is very familiar to head coach
Joe Kittell and his coaching staff.
UMary returns three players who saw court time last year. Senior forward
Trevor Zacher is the Marauders leading returning scorer. A starter in 13 games last season, the Beulah, ND, native averaged 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He was second on the squad with 37 3-pointers.
Fellow senior forward
Michael Gorder is the team veteran, playing 67 games for the Marauders in three seasons as a key reserve. Sophomore guard
Jaylan White played a key roll off the bench in the backcourt.
Junior forward
Tom Kubank, sophomore guard
Evan Anderson, and redshirt freshmen
Connor Hellebust,
Levi Clagett and
Matthew Kreklow were all with the Marauders last season but sat out the year as the Marauders featured six seniors that played the bulk of the minutes.
Newcomers include junior college transfers
Keith Hunter,
Brody Sharkey and
Melvin Collins and freshmen
Wyatt Carr and
Lucas Mayer.
The Marauders expect to open the year with a starting lineup of Hunter and Sharkey at the guards, Zacher and Kubank handling the wing and forward and
Matthew Kreklow in the post.
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