FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, October 31, 2016 Season Preview: MSUB men’s basketball heavy with experience in 2016-17
A group of 10 returning players, including preseason all-conference selections Preston Beverly and Marc Matthews, gives MSUB’s men’s basketball team a positive outlook for the upcoming 2016-17 season. BILLINGS, Mont. – With a strong cast of 10 returning players, the Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team enters the 2016-17 season with a high sense of optimism and a return to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on its mind. The Yellowjackets are coming off of an eighth-place finish in the GNAC in 2015-16, when the team went 11-17 overall and 8-12 in league play. Back from that squad are a pair of seniors, three juniors, and five sophomores who represent a core of experienced players. “We are excited about having 10 returners in our program, and we haven’t had that stability since I have been here,” said sixth-year head coach Jamie Stevens. “To have 10 guys back, off of a team that had a really solid season, makes this the group I have been most excited about going into a season.”
Despite its losing record, MSUB closed the year by winning five of its final nine conference games including an inspirational, 86-85 win over Concordia at home on Senior Night. Ranking second on the team in scoring last year, Marc Matthews returns for his senior season as a preseason all-conference selection. The Sierra Vista, Ariz., native averaged 14.0 points per game and led the GNAC with a free-throw percentage of 85.5 (65-for-76). Known for his shooting ability at the perimeter, Matthews hit from beyond the arc at a clip of 40.4 percent while leading the team with 67 made 3-pointers. A fifth-year player after redshirting as a freshman, Matthews will be counted on as a starter and senior leader on the team. “Marc is playing at an incredibly high level right now, and he has a chance to hit some milestones this season,” Stevens commented on a player who needs 144 more points to become the 22nd player in MSUB history to reach 1,000 career points. “He is explosive offensively and can score in a variety of ways. When Marc sets his feet and shoots, it is almost a surprise when he misses. I am really excited about the senior year he can have.” MSUB’s other returning all-conference selection is sophomore Preston Beverly, who was given the nod as the GNAC Freshman of 2015-16 GNAC Freshman of the Year Preston Beverly returns the Year in 2015-16. Ranking second in the GNAC with seven doubleas a unanimous preseason all-GNAC selection. doubles, Beverly averaged 13.0 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds in his debut collegiate season. A 6-foot-7 forward, Beverly showed that he could score in the paint and from the perimeter, as he shot 36.5 percent from long range and 42.6 percent overall from the floor. The ‘Jackets will look to the sophomore to build off of his stellar freshman season, as he was one of five players in the GNAC to be unanimously selected to the preseason all-conference team. “For Preston to come out and put up the numbers he did last year shows what kind of talent he has,” Stevens said. “He can score any way you want, is one of our better passers, and he is an elite defensive rebounder. If he has the kind of year that I think he can, he is a guy who can be first-team all-league.” Joining Matthews among the top returning veterans is senior guard Jace Anderson, who is back after a mid-season knee injury that cut his junior campaign short. In 12 games last year, Anderson led the team with 14.1 points and shot 48.7 percent from the field. He converted 29 of 67 3-pointers (43.3 percent) and was a premier foul shooter at 83.9 percent as well. Though Anderson’s role may be limited early on as he continues to recover from knee surgery, he will be a key player for the ‘Jackets in his fifth year after graduating from Saco-Whitewater High School. “It’s going to take some time before we see the Jace that we saw last year, but he is still shooting the ball unbelievably well in practice,” Stevens said. “He is another fifth-year senior who has been through the rigors of the GNAC, and we think he’s going to have a really good second half to the season when he gets back to full strength.”
Also returning as experienced veterans will be guards Kendall Denham and Jordan Perry, who are both juniors this season. Calling the shots for the ‘Jackets last year at point guard, Denham led the team with 72 assists (3.0 per game) and averaged 8.3 points with 2.6 rebounds. Playing in 24 games, Denham shot 43.9 percent from the floor and was one of four players on the team to shoot above 80 percent from the foul line at 80.9. “Kendall has had an awesome preseason, and he brings tons of experience to the program,” Stevens said. “He really wants to win, and I believe we are going to see him take another step forward and build on his sophomore season.” One of MSUB’s most versatile players, Perry played in all 28 games and averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 rebounds last season. The Gilbert, Ariz., native also led the team in steals (33), and ranked second in assists (59) while shooting 40.0 percent from the floor. Perry ended the year on a high note, with his top-two point totals of the year with 19 points against Western Oregon on Feb. 25 and 20 against Concordia on Feb. 27. “Jordan is the type of guy who can will his team to victory,” Stevens said. “He plays with great energy, and has a lot of skills that are hard to teach. He’s another guy who has been here four years, and has been a big part of the continuity of our program.” Sophomore Christian Evans will be back in the lineup as a
Another junior on the floor for MSUB will be 6-foot-8 forward Kamal versatile scorer for MSUB this season. Tall, who starts his second season in the program. A native of Leuven, Belgium, Tall saw action in 18 games last season and had a personal best game of 10 points and four rebounds at Simon Fraser on Jan. 30. “Kamal had a great summer, and is going to be a different player than what we saw last year,” Stevens commented optimistically. “He has made a major adjustment, and is twice the player he was last year in practice so far. He has a chance to have a very competitive season within the GNAC.” Leading a talented sophomore class along with Beverly will be Bigfork, Mont., native Christian Evans back for his second year. The 6-foot-6 forward showed flashes of brilliance in eight games last season, including a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double at the University of Mary on Nov. 23. Overall Evans averaged 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, while shooting 48.9 percent from the field. “Chris is probably our most steady player, and he can play three different positions,” said Stevens. “He can rebound, score with his back to the basket, and is a great shooter from beyond the arc. He will definitely find his way into our lineup this year.” Providing further depth as a guard will be sophomore Sven Jeuschede, who earned three starts and played in 18 games in his debut collegiate season last year. Jeuschede had a season-best four assists at Northwest Nazarene last January, and will look to improve on his scoring average of 2.4 points. “Similar to Kamal, Sven came in last year and had to make an adjustment playing in the U.S.,” Stevens commented on the Roesrath, Germany native. “He is a very different player
than he was last year, and I really like how hard he plays. He is going to get some opportunities this year, and he just needs to knock down shots.” Another effective freshman from last year is Cade Alcorn, who returns after starting eight games and playing in 26 in 2015-16. Alcorn made his presence known immediately within the conference, with a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double in his first-ever GNAC game at Concordia last December. Overall he finished the year with 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 points per game, and was invaluable with his defensive presence on the floor. “Cade was thrown into a position where he played a lot of minutes last year, and he is a seasoned guy who does all of the little things for us,” Stevens said. “Defensively, he is as good at taking charges as any player I have seen. He knows how to guard guys, and if he can finish better around the basket he will take his game to the next level.” A broken foot in an early-season practice spelled the end of the year for Zack Lessinger in 2015-16, but the 6-foot-8 forward returns to MSUB’s lineup as a redshirt freshman this season with high expectations. “There is no question that Zack is the most offensively skilled of our bigs, and he has a wide variety of post moves with his back to the basket,” Stevens said. “He also has the ability to step out Freshman point guard Cinco Durr enters the season ready to and shoot the three. As he makes an adjustment to the speed of play make an immediate impact for the Yellowjackets. in his first college season, Zack can have an unbelievable career here.” Joining the proven group of returners will be three new players, who have all shown during the preseason that they are ready to take to the court immediately. Sophomore transfer Hafeez Abdul brings an average of 24.3 points and 9.3 rebounds with him from Little Big Horn College. He started 22 games and shot 37.5 percent from the field as a true freshman, and provides versatility with his 6-foot-7 frame. “Hafeez is a big-time talent offensively, and he is a relentless offensive rebounder,” said Stevens. “He can run all day long and has one of the best motors on the team. Talent wise, we are really excited about Hafeez’s potential.” True freshmen and Sacramento, Calif., natives Ryan Chappell and Cinco Durr round out MSUB’s roster, and have a chance to earn major minutes immediately. Chappell is a 6-foot-4 guard out of Capital Christian High School, and also competed for Team Superstar on the AAU circuit with Beverly. “Ryan does things in practice above the rim that no one else can, and his ability to jump and get to the basket is really good,” Stevens said. “He is one of our better passers, and has really good vision. He has a chance to be a great college basketball player.” A teammate of Chappell’s in travel ball, Durr is a 6-foot point guard who graduated from Sacramento Charter High School last spring. A four-year starter, Durr was an all-league selection and captained his prep team to a 30-2 record as a senior. “Cinco is better than we thought he would be, and he is the fastest point guard we have had since I’ve been here,” Stevens said. “He can guard for 94 feet, he has really good vision, and he is a better shooter than I thought he would be. He gives us that extra gear that we didn’t have before.”
The Yellowjackets were selected to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll. The team begins its preseason exhibition schedule this week, hosting Carroll College on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m., and Montana Tech on Friday at 7:30 p.m. on EMC Throwback Night at Alterowitz Gym. All home games and select road games this season will be broadcast live on GNAC.tv through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. Jeff Rosenberry and Aaron Like will return as MSUB’s commentators for the live internet stream. New this season, a dozen MSUB men’s and women’s games will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 910 KBLG in Billings, with Dustin Daniel on the play-by-play call. Fans can listen live by tuning their radio to 910 AM in Billings, or listen online at www.espn910.com.
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