The men’s basketball team kicked off the 2013-14 season with their first official practices of the year this past week, starting on Oct. 2.
Coming off a season that included 22 wins and a share of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title, the Pioneers, now in the Summit League, are preparing for another strong season that has the potential for an even better outcome than last year’s second round appearance in the NIT tournament.
The team returns three of five starters from last year’s squad, including sophomore Guard Jalen Love, junior Guard Brett Olson and senior Guard Chris Udofia. Not returning from last year are Guards Chase Hallam, who graduated, and Royce O’Neale who transferred to the University of Baylor to be closer to his family. The Pioneers have made some additions as well, including three freshmen and Forward Griffin McKenzie, a transfer from Xavier, who is eligible to play this year.
There are a great deal of expectations surrounding this team after two straight years with more than 20 wins, but Scott only cares about the team’s expectations of themselves.
“The only expectations that count are ours,” Scott said. “[Our players] know our own expectation is to do what we did last year; win the league”. Scott added that strong performances during the regular season will eventually translate into quality postseason victories.
A pivotal key to winning the league will be the performance of last year’s standout sixth man, Cam Griffin, who will be taking on greater responsibilities as a starter. After averaging 6.1 points per game off the bench last year, Scott is looking for Griffin to “go from a really, really, really good sixth man to a really, really, really good starter.”
Another crucial component to this year’s squad will be the performance and leadership of Udofia. Named preseason all mid-major, Udofia is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.3 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game.
Coach Scott has a great deal of faith in the senior.
“[Udofia] really exemplifies not trying to do too much… he just makes his teammates better.
