HELENA, Mont. – Carroll College men's basketball returns four starters and 10 veteran players off of the 2016-17 Frontier Conference regular-season champion team including leading scorer and rebounder, Third-Team All-American Ryan Imhoff and Honorable Mention All-Frontier honorees Match Burnham and Matt Wyman.
 
Despite the loaded talent pool that Carroll returns, the question on everyone's mind is how do you replace Zach Taylor, a statistical dynamo and the second First Team All-American in school history. Head coach Carson Cunningham doesn't focus on missing Taylor, but the tools that he helped the rest of the team develop 
 
"Zach, fortunately, was a great leader and a great example," Cunningham said. "There's a lot that now our veterans were able to learn from him. So, we feel like he's still a part of the squad."
 
The clear leader for this team is Imhoff. The senior led the Saints with 17.4 point and 6.2 rebounds per game. He also had a team-high 36 blocks and was second on the squad with 99 assists and 41 steals. He shot 55 percent from the field and his midrange jumper was deadly. He was also huge for the Saints on defense where he can check any player on the court.
 
"We feel like we have a clear candidate for national player of the year, Ryan Imhoff, that's exciting," Cunningham said. "Ryan gives us a ton of versatility because he guards a lot of positions, he blocks a lot of shots, and he gets a lot of steals. He can play anywhere for us."
 
Senior center Oliver Carr returns from an ACL tear that cut his season short last year, and Cunningham says that he looks ready to go.
 
"Oli Carr is looking great, he's strong, and he's a fearless player," Cunningham said. "He was champing at the proverbial bit to get back on the court. The trainers had to try to keep him off for as long as they could. He's been going full board here for a bit. He attacked rehab as he attacked mostly anything, and we're excited to have him back."
 
Lorel Johnson who started 10 games and averaged 4.4 points a game and Patrick Colberg who has one start under his belt and averaged two points per game are the other seniors. Johnson will look to play a key role in replacing Taylor at the point guard position, and Colberg's role will increase after a strong offseason.
 
"Our seniors are super motivated," Cunningham said. "Their first year at Carroll, they were picked to finish last in the conference. They didn't finish anywhere near last. We finished in the top half of the league. Their second year in the league, they were picked by the coaches to in the bottom half of the league. They finished second. Last year, they were able to win the league and so now, they're not picked to win the league. They're not likely to be picked in the top ten, even though when they were sophomores and juniors, they finished in the top ten. So, I think they're extremely motivated. I think they've been underrated virtually their entire lives."
 
The talented junior squad made an impact on the squad as freshmen, helping push the Saints to the NAIA Quarterfinals. A feat they duplicated as sophomores. The group now adds to the veteran leadership of the Saints.
 
Match Burnham the former Frontier Freshman of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American returned from a wrist injury to help the Saints in the NAIA Championship, but he is back in full basketball shape, and his 11.4 points per game will likely balloon this season.
 
"We're excited to have Match back," Cunningham said. He did come back for the national tournament, but he missed about eleven games before that, so we're hoping that we can have Match and Oliver for the year, they have a big impact on the way we play."
 
Matt Wyman averaged 8.7 points per game and was one of the most efficient players in the country, shooting 64 percent from the field. His defense was also stellar, and like Imhoff, his versatility is the key.
 
"Defensively, Matt guards all five positions," Cunningham said. "Offensively, he is about as efficient as they come. He is going to play more point guard this season, and I am glad that he had the opportunity to play with Zach and learn from him."
 
Alejandro Santos Piqueras is also looking to contribute at the point guard position this season, but again versatility is the name of the game and Cunningham will play the Spaniard at every position 1-5.
 
Ife Kalejaiye adds a dynamic defensive presence for Carroll. His athletic ability and strength are keys for the Saints, as is his timely shooting.
 
Kyle Nickol will hope to see an increased roll in 17-18. He started three games and averaged 1.5 PPG.
 
Dane Warp is the lone sophomore on the team with the departure of Steven Helm III for his LDS Mission.
 
Warp contributed 5.3 points per game in just 10 minutes on the court per game. With the development of his defensive game, look for him to make a big impact on the court for the Saint this year.
 
Three freshmen are in the squad for the Saints.
 
Emilio Mancol from Kennedy Catholic High School brings playmaking ability to the guard position. What he lacks in height (5-foot-9), he makes up in speed and skill. 

'Emilio is a ball-handling sensation," Cunningham said. ". He's got a nice touch, quick pick-and-roll game. We're excited to have him. He's coming off an injury— surgery to his knee—so he'll be available about late November."
 
Joining his brother on the squad is Chase Burnham. Like Warp a season before, he was being recruited by many schools for football before coming back to what he wanted to do, and that is play basketball. His football background shines through in his physical brand of basketball.
The final freshman is Brad King from Austrailia. He stretches defenses with his versatility on the ball. He has a 6-8 frame but can shoot the ball with tremendous accuracy and has shown skill on the glass.
 
"We're excited to see those, all three, develop," Cunningham said. "Unlike some of our recent years, they have a lot of veterans to learn. We're a veteran team now with guys with a lot of experience who are veterans.  That wasn't always the case the last few years, and so this'll be a great opportunity for them to develop."
 
The Carroll coaching staff also saw some drastic changes this offseason with the lead assistant coach Carolito Labarda Jr. being named the head coach at Eastern Oregon. Jessy Repay will take over the role as lead assistant.
 
"Jesse had a great year to train under Carlito," Cunningham said. "Carlito did a great job of training him up, and Jesse is ready to rock and roll. He's been around the game his entire life. And fortunately, we have a very veteran-laden squad now, so as coaches, in some respects, we're more like steering the ship. We're hands-on, but luckily we have guys who are leaders and experienced and are doing very well in school. And we're excited about having the type of, what it's referred to as in the business, world, 'corporate knowledge' that we've been able to develop as a group over time."
 
The Saints open with a pair of non-conference games on the weekend, beginning Saturday against Yellowstone Christian. The Centurions are a hard to pin down with a roster of international players and a first-year coach.
 
Sunday, the Saints travel to Pablo, Montana, for a game against Salish Kootenai College. Carroll is the NAIA varsity team to play SKC on their home court.

Saturday's game is slated for 7 p.m. at the PE Center, and Sunday's game is slated for 7 p.m. Sunday's road game is on the docket at 4 p.m.