ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team opens up the regular season this weekend as they travel to Puerto Rico to take on UPR Bayamon on Friday, UPR Rio Piedras on Saturday and University of Metropolitana on Sunday.
 
The Golden Bears will be off and running to begin the regular season as they play three games in three consecutive days against opponents from Puerto Rico as they look to get off to a fast start. Head Coach Joey James said, "What an incredible experience it's going to be for our guys. To be able to go something like that is a remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Adding to that, James pointed out, "Despite the excitement, we're going to go down there and try to win three games. We'll have to adjust to the climate along with several other factors that we aren't used to down there which will be a good test for us."
 
Concordia won't have much time to rest when they return as they are back in action right away next Thursday as Bemidji State comes to town for the home opener at Gangelhoff Center. "We're looking forward to competing with a conference opponent in a big in-region game in front of our home crowd," James said of the contest.
 
CSP enters regular season action after getting a pair of exhibition contests under their belt as they hosted Northland College last Wednesday before travelling to Drake last Saturday. CSP picked up a season-opening 73-65 win against the Lumberjacks on their home court before dropping a hard fought contest 81-75 on the road at Drake in preparation for the regular season. Coach James said, "The Northland game gave us a chance to get everyone into the game to see where they are at right now and to help try to figure out a rotation." When speaking of the Drake game, James stated, "It was a tale of two different games as we really came out and competed and we gave them a game. That being said, there are still things we can clean up and get better at moving forward."
 
After finishing in a tie for 10^th in the NSIC last season, Concordia will look to build off of a strong finish that saw them win 10 of their final 14 games of the season last year. The Golden Bears turned things around after a slow start with five straight wins to close out the regular season as well as picking up wins in seven of their final eight at home to enter this season on a high note.
 
Following the late season push, the Golden Bears were picked to finish right around the same place they finished last year as they were picked to finished 11^th in the conference and seventh in the NSIC South in this season's NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. When speaking about the NSIC, James said, "It's a really good league with a lot of great coaches that could be wide open this year with a lot of different teams fighting to be near the top." He added, "Minnesota State, Augie, MSU Moorhead, St. Cloud State, Winona State and Sioux Falls are a bunch of solid teams that are loaded with upperclassmen, but our expectations are to work our way into that group."
 
The product on the court could look quite a bit different this season as the roster features plenty of new faces as Concordia added a solid crew of five freshmen to go along with a pair of transfers to fill out the roster. The early returns have been positive as head coach Joey James pointed out, "The thing that I like the most about this group has been the unselfishness." He added, "We're young in a lot of areas, but our chemistry has been good, and our talent level is something we're excited about."
 
With all the new faces along with the team's seven returners, depth figures to be an area of strength for the Golden Bears with 12 players all vying for spots in the rotation. "Going back to our first year I thought our depth was really good and I think that's something we're going to lean on again this year," said Coach Joey James. "We can play 10 guys if we need to and we feel comfortable and confident in all of our guys." Another big aspect that James hopes having a deeper stable of athletes can be advantageous for CSP is on the defensive side of the ball.
 
An area that Coach James would like to see improvement heading into the conference season is limiting turnovers. Through two exhibition games, the Golden Bears turned it over an average of 19.5 times per game. "We have to get better at taking care of the basketball," said James. He went on to add, "That is something that we have harped on and hope to see improve heading into the conference season."
 
While the team as a whole features young roster, Concordia's guards enter the year as the most seasoned group on the squad. Senior Diallo Powell and junior Ahmad Newsome are the elder statesmen as the only two upperclassmen on the team while sophomore Matt Ambriz, in his third year on campus, and sophomores Bryndan Matthews and OC Omoregie also bring experience to the backcourt. Sam Siganos rounds out the guards as the lone freshman contributor.
 
Newsome, a transfer from Southwestern Community College, could step into a large role at the point guard position in his first year on campus. The junior is coming off a season in which he earned All-Region honorable mention while averaging 6.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a primary distributor for the Spartans. "Ahmad is a kid that can defend and can really get downhill in a hurry. He's a smart guard with the ability to push the ball and gives our team some solid leadership," said Joey James of Newsome.
 
Siganos provides the Golden Bears another strong option at the point as he projects to compete with Newsome for playing time. The freshman was an All-State performer in his senior year at Washington High School in Sioux Falls after leading his team to back-to-back state runner-up finishes. James said of the South Dakota native, "Sam is going to be a really good player for us. He's still adjusting to the college game, but we love his playmaking ability along with his ability to stretch the floor."
 
Moving over to the other guard, Diallo Powell, the lone senior on the team, will play a key role as a leader on the team in his second year at CSP. In his first year after transferring from Lake Region State College, Powell put up 9.9 points per game to go along with 54 assists and 36 steals. The St. Paul native finished in double figures in scoring 14 times on the year as he finished the year at 37.3% from the floor. "We expect Diallo to have a great year this year. Junior college guys tend to have a better year their second year and we hope to see that from him," said Coach James.
 
Ambriz will also be counted on to provide production for the Golden Bears in the backcourt after knocking down an impressive 45.6% from three last year. The sophomore from Woodbury had a breakout season as a redshirt freshman as he finished fifth in the NSIC in three-point percentage as he picked up 7.8 points per game. Ambriz hit 54 threes on the season. James said of the sharp-shooter, "Matt is starting to put the ball on the floor more and is improving on the defensive end, but I love his ability to shoot the ball. He's become a good player for us."
 
Matthews will to return to a prominent role bouncing around to several different positions after bursting onto the scene as a key player as a freshman for Concordia. The Eagan native started 26 of 29 games last year and finished third on the team in both scoring (11.6) and rebounding (5.5) while connecting on 46.8% from the field. Matthews finished in double figures scoring in 18 games, including seven consecutive games late in the year. James said, "Bryndan is versatile guy that we expect to have a great year. As he has shown in the exhibition games, he scores and rebounds and does a lot of things that don't show up in the stat sheet."
 
OC Omoregie will also be in the mix on the wing after making 21 appearances in his freshman campaign last year. The Pickering, Ontario native collected 3.4 points in 11.0 minutes per game as he picked up a career-best 15 points at Wayne State on Dec. 4. "OC is a guy we're waiting on to have a breakout year so we're hoping he gets to that point. He rebounded well in the exhibition opener and gives us an electric athlete, but he just need to slow down a bit," said Coach James.
 
In the front court, the Golden Bears will feature a new-look lineup as the six players competing for time have combined for just two starts at Concordia. The group consists of three returners in Brandon McRoy, Steven Kragt and Cole Peters as well as freshmen Carter Brooks, Max Keefe and Ted Brown.
 
In what is an open competition at the four spot, Brandon McRoy represents the veteran of the group with a pair of starts and 28 appearances under his belt as he enters his second year. The sophomore from Chicago picked up 3.1 points per game in 11.9 minutes of action as he set a career high with 11 points against St. John's on Dec. 30. James said of the St. Rita HS grad, "Brandon is a strong and physical player that does a nice job for us when he keeps things simple."
 
Carter Brooks joins the Golden Bears after winning a state title at Lakeville North HS and will be competing for time right away between the three and the four. Brooks was an All-South Suburban Conference Defensive Team selection that put up 9.8 points, 7.0 boards and 4.0 assists as a junior for the Panthers. "Carter is a long, athletic kid that can shoot it pretty well. He's a smart player that can help us on the offensive glass and is a kid that we see having a really high upside for us," pointed out James of the 6-7 forward.
 
Max Keefe is another newcomer that will split time between the four and the five and give Concordia a solid option at both positions. Keefe was a standout two-sport athlete at Germantown HS as he was an All-Conference performer in basketball and an All-State selection in volleyball. Coach James said, "Max played well at Drake and showed his ability to play inside and out. He's a smart kid that will be another versatile player for us."
 
Big man Ted Brown will be asked to play a big role in his first year on campus as he projects to be a regular down low. The West Des Moines native earned four varsity letters at Dowling Catholic HS as he helped the team to a state tournament appearance with 9.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. "We all know that Ted does not look like an 18 year old kid and has a grown man's body, but he's still a young kid. He's a physical player that is getting more skilled and he's been a lot of fun to coach so far."
 
Also in the mix at the five spot is Steven Kragt. The 6-8 sophomore from Sioux Center, Iowa appeared in 19 games and provided 2.3 points in 6.9 minutes per game in his first year at Concordia. James said, "Steven is arguably the most skilled big kid we have, he just has to work on rebounding and defending better for us. He also gives us another player that can play both inside and out."
 
Cole Peters joins the mix this season after redshirting last season at CSP. Peters lettered in both baseball and basketball at Waconia HS prior to coming to Concordia. "Cole has come a long way since his first year and gives us a super athletic big that can rebound and defend," added Coach James.
 
Follow along to the live stats this weekend in Concordia's season-opening action in Puerto Rico and check back to cspbears.com throughout the season for more men's basketball content.