ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul men's basketball team opens up the 2018-19 season this weekend at Gangelhoff Center as they host Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday and Arkansas Tech on Sunday in the NSIC/GAC Crossover Challenge.
 
THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
The Golden Bears tip off the season with a pair of contests against solid in-region opponents as Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech come to town. CSP kicks things off on Saturday at 2 p.m. against UAM before concluding the weekend against ATU at 2 p.m. on Sunday. ATU will also take on Minnesota Crookston on Saturday at noon while UAM will face the Golden Eagles at noon on Sunday, both games also being played at Gangelhoff Center.
 
A year removed from a 23-win season in which they earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament, Arkansas-Monticello finished the 2017-18 season at 19-12 overall and 12-10 in the Great American Conference to finish sixth. The Weevils will feature a new look this year with their top four scorers from last season's squad no longer on the roster. Top returner Keelin Jackson tallied 7.3 points and 3.5 boards in his 26.7 minutes per game last year.
 
Also a tourney team in 2016-17, Arkansas Tech put up an 18-11 mark last year while matching UAM's 12-10 record in league play to finish fifth in the GAC. The Wonder Boys will once again be led by standout sophomore RJ Glasper. The reigning GAC Freshman of the Year, Gasper contributed a massive 19.9 points per game to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his first season in Russellville.
 
Concordia met both schools for the first time last season, falling to Arkansas-Monticello 97-88 and Arkansas Tech 86-67.
 
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
After facing the two GAC schools over the first weekend of the season, the Golden Bears remain at home for a meeting with Edgewood next weekend before heading to Florida for a pair of games. Concordia then begins NSIC play with five games before wrapping up their non-conference schedule with a mid-December meeting with Presentation.
 
When talking about the team's expectations for non-conference play, head coach Joey James said, "We need to get off to a good start. We've struggled to get off to good starts since we've been here." He added, "I want us to be solid on the offensive end of the floor and want to see us mesh better and learn to communicate better on the defensive end. The biggest question mark is can we rebound at the level we need to on the defensive end."
 
NSIC AT A GLANCE
With some dominant teams in the Northern Sun over the past several seasons, including representatives in the national championship in two of the past three years, this season's landscape figures to be more open than in the past with teams jostling for spots throughout the conference. The NSIC South looks to be especially competitive with seven of the league's top 12 teams in the conference preseason poll coming from CSP's division. "It's a very good league and always has been. The two teams that were picked to win the league have a ton of veteran players back while several other teams also bring back a lot of talent as well," said James.
 
The Minnesota State Mavericks and St. Cloud State Huskies shared the top spot as both garnered 209 points to finish in a tie at #1. MSU was also picked to finish atop the NSIC South Division standings while SCSU was picked to win the NSIC North. The Mavericks led the way with eight first place votes, the Huskies followed with five, while Sioux Falls, picked to finish third with 191 points, grabbed the final three first place votes. Winona State followed close behind in fourth place while last season's national runner-up, Northern State, rounds out the top five.
 
James added that while the conference is always tough, the region is filled with even more talent, saying, "The region as a whole is unbelievable. Two out of the last three national champions have come out of our region."
 
PRESEASON UPDATE
A big key to success for the Golden Bears is getting everyone familiarized with one another on the court with eight returners and seven newcomers. Coach James said of where the team is at in that regard, "We like the chemistry of the group and feel like we're improving daily. We just have to get everybody acclimated which is going to take a little bit of time."
 
With an acclimation process expected early in the year, the coaching staff will look to keep things simple and return to the identity that led the program to one of their best seasons ever back in 2014-15. "We want to be a tough-minded group that can really defend at a high level," James said of what he wants to see from the team. He added, "On the offensive end we want to be incredibly balanced with four or five guys scoring in double figures."
 
Heading into the season, head coach Joey James will have a few more options to mix-and-match his lineup depending on matchups with a wider variety of personnel than he has had at his disposal over the past few years. Talking about the team's positional flexibility, James stated, "If we need to go big, we can, but we can also play small ball. We have options."
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS
With a wider range of options available for the Golden Bears this season, perhaps the deepest unit on the court is the guards. With three seniors, a junior, a sophomore and three freshman at the position, the unit features a good mix of youth and veteran experience.
 
One of the newcomers expected to play a key role is junior Jalen Mobley. A St. Paul Johnson grad, Mobley spent two seasons at Northeast Community before transferring to CSP. "He's strong, physical player with great vision and good leadership skills. He likes to get downhill and shoots it consistent enough that you have to guard him on the perimeter," said James of Mobley. The junior put up 12.3 points, 6.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in his last season at Northeast CC.
 
Another transfer brought in to give the Golden Bears some experience at the guard position is senior Isaiah McKay. The combo guard from Nebraska-Kearney was a regular starter in his three full seasons for the Lopers as he earned All-MIAA honorable mention honors during his junior year. James said of the Brooklyn Park native, "He's a great talent with an incredible basketball IQ that can really shoot the ball from three-point range. We need him to be a consistent contributor for us."
 
One of the three true freshman on the roster, Noah Kannegiesser joins Concordia after putting together a historic high school career at Hancock High School. With 2,723 points in his high school career, Kannegiesser led the state in scoring as a senior with 36.0 points per game. "He's a player with all kinds of ability, especially as a scorer. He's wired differently and is a super competitor that wants to win every drill at practice. He could be a heck of a player for us," James stated about the freshman guard.
 
Elliot Kane gives CSP a returner in the backcourt mix as the senior was a regular in the Golden Bear rotation in his first year on campus last year. Speaking about Kane, James said, "He can play both the two and the three for us and gives us another shooter from the perimeter. He was a little inconsistent for us last year but he's shooting it much better this year. He's a great glue guy for us." The Osseo High School grad played 25.7 minutes per night last season while chipping in 4.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
 
Lee Higgins gives Concordia a third transfer guard in the rotation as he joins CSP after a strong redshirt freshman campaign at Des Moines Area Community College. The Chicago native scored in double figures in 23 games on the season to finish at 15.7 points per game on 44.6% from the floor. "He has a chance to be a good player for us here. He scores it well and could be a double-digit guy for us, but I think he has a chance to be a big-time defender," said James of the sophomore.
 
Redshirt freshman Kenny Holz and true freshman Nathan Oakes give the Golden Bears a couple more options as they fight for minutes at the guard position as well. Holz enters his second year at CSP while Oakes joins from Kingwood Park High School in Texas. Speaking of the duo, James said, "They are both terrific kids to have in our program that we love having around."
 
The key to Concordia's lineup versatility is senior Bryndan Matthews. Matthews has been a key cog in the Golden Bear lineup over the past three season, spending time playing nearly every position. The Eagan native enters the season ranked eighth with 1,267 points and fourth with 581 rebounds in program history as he looks to further climb the ranks in his fourth season in navy and gold. Matthews is coming off his highest scoring season as a Golden Bear with 16.9 points per game to go along with 6.8 boards per game as he led the squad in both. James said of Matthews, "Bryndan does everything for us. He led us in basically every category last year and is a good all-around player. I hope to see more leadership out of him this year."
 
While Matthews will spend some time playing in the front court this season, Concordia's primary group of forwards includes four returners, including three upperclassmen, along with a freshman.
 
One of the returning veterans is junior Max Keefe. The Germantown High School grad has been a regular in the Concordia rotation over his first two seasons. In his 57 appearances for the Golden Bears, Keefe has contributed 6.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in his 18.8 minutes per game as he knocked down 44.3% of his shots during that span. "Max has a chance to take off in his third year here. He needs to get better defensively for us and needs to add a little weight, but he can shoot the ball and score some in the post. He's a great person and we hope to see him take a step forward this year," said James.
 
A high school teammate of Keefe at Germantown High School, Evan Wesenberg gives the Golden Bears some more experience down low as he enters his fifth year of college basketball. After joining the program last year from North Dakota State, Wesenberg finished fourth on the team with 6.0 points per game while also ranking third with 4.4 rebounds per game in his first year at CSP. Talking about Wesenberg's keys to success, James said, "Evan has the tools, he just needs to stay confident in himself. He brings leaderships skills and is a guy we're going to lean on as a physical presence down low."
 
Another returner looking to improve his game after a solid debut season is sophomore Cody Carlson. The Duluth native was thrown into the fire in his first year at Concordia as he made 28 appearances and picked up 4.0 points and 3.0 boards per night as a freshman. When looking at Carlson's upside, James pointed out, "Cody has improved his game from a year ago and has all the tools to be a very, very good player in this league. We hope that he takes a big step for us this season."
 
Continuing the theme of veterans in the frontcourt, senior Brandon McRoy enters his fourth year in the program this season. Making 83 appearances in his first three years, the Chicago native has increased his role each year as he has bumped up his minutes per game, and points per game each season. Last year, McRoy contributed 4.9 points and 2.8 boards in his 17.0 minutes a game. "When Brandon sticks to what he is good at, he can be a good player for us. He just needs to keep his game simple and he can help us," said James.
 
The lone newcomer in the forward unit is freshman Hayden Baughman. A sharpshooter from McDonnell Central Catholic High School, Baughman was a two-time All-State selection before joining the Golden Bears. James said of the freshman, "Hayden can really shoot it. He gets his shot off quick and has an incredible feel for the game. His ability to stretch the floor will help us do what we're looking to do as a team."
 
To follow the Golden Bears throughout the season, please visit cspbears.com to find game previews and recaps, schedules, live stats, live video and more.