HELENA, Mont. -- Last season brought with it a year of firsts for the Carroll College Fighting Saints men's basketball team. 

First year under head coach Kurt Paulson.

First ever national championship appearance. 

And inevitably, first full offseason for Paulson's program.

Now, as the Saints move onto seconds, the energy is high as the Saints look to once again make waves in the Frontier Conference and nationwide. 

"We're excited about the group," Saints coach Kurt Paulson said. "There are a lot of unknowns. Because of our situation last year, a lot of these returning guys got a ton of experience. They were playing a ton all year, but really down the stretch in the conference and in Kansas City. These four guys have a lot of experience."

A season ago, the men won the Frontier Conference regular-season title, posted a 29-8 record overall and battled their way through the NAIA tournament to the grand finale. Some big pieces from that championship-contending team are gone, but the Saints are ecstatic about their returners and talented freshmen that could once again make up the right formula to make a big run. 

"This group coming back, basically, got significant playing time and played really well," Paulson said. "All four of them played really well last season. We're leaning on those guys for their leadership."

Players returning with in-game experience from last season include the lone senior Dane Warp, who was selected as the preseason MVP by coaches. 

"That is a nice nod," Paulson said. "He's earned it. He's obviously a lethal scorer. He has nights where he goes for 20-plus easy. He'll do that this year a lot. I had a talk with him about the responsibility with that honor in the preseason and what it means. He's the top of everyone's scouting report. He's the fall guy for double teams and triple teams. He has to use that as motivation in the weight room and for extra shots." 

He's joined by sophomores Shamrock Campbell, Jovan Sljivancanin and Eetu Villa as players who played big roles last season. Beyond that, the Saints pack eight freshmen and one redshirt freshman on the roster. 

"Our only senior, technically, is Dane," Paulson said. "Dane has as much experience as anybody returning in our conference. He's contributed on a lot of championship teams and wins in our conference. He's our leader. Those sophomore guys got tons of experience and now we have to lean on them for this season." 

A few injuries will keep out a pair of returners, Brad King and Thomas Austefjord. The roster turnover is part of the reason the Frontier Conference coaches picked the Saints to finish fourth in the conference. 

"I think it's going to be an interesting year because there's going to be a lot of new faces in the league," Paulson said. "It's a turnover year. Most teams have new faces. It's really hard to say who's going to end up on top. Time will tell."
 
What follows is a player-by-player breakdown of the 2019-20 Saints roster.

SENIOR

Dane Warp
Havre, Montana
6-5 guard
Past accolades: 2019-20 Frontier Conference Preseason Player of the Year, 2019 NAIA Honorable Mention All-American, 2018-19 First Team All-Conference
Last season: 37 GP, 36 GS, 16.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 53% FG, 44% 3-pt, 74% FT

Coach's thoughts: "He's working really hard. He's in great shape right now. He's really bought into the weight room. He's one of our best lifters. His body is so strong right now. He's ready to take on all the double teams he's' about to see -- physically. As far as leadership, he really likes this group of young guys. He knows they're good and he knows he needs them to step up so he has a great senior year. He has a lot of responsibilities that come with that preseason player of the year award. He's such a steady kid that he'll have another fantastic season. He'll be right there at the end getting that award, in my opinion." 

JUNIORS/REDSHIRTS

Thomas Austefjord
Rocklin, California
6-4 forward
Last season: 34 GP, 3 GS, 14.1 mpg, 2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 44% FG, 79% FT

Coach's thoughts: "He's unfortunately injured so he'll redshirt this year. He'll still be a team captain and do as much leading from the sidelines as he can. He'll do a great job in that role."

Brad King
Dromana, Australia
6-8 forward
Last season: 16 GP, 3 GS, 5.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 53% FG, 90% FT
Coach's thoughts: "Brad King is in a similar boat. Brad has to sit out this year as well with an ACL injury."

SOPHOMORES

Shamrock Campbell
Spokane, Washington
6-1 guard
Past accolades: 2018-19 Conference Co-Freshman of the Year
Last season: 37 GP, 35 GS, 8.1 ppg, 2.4 apg, 48% FG, 44% 3-pt, 81% FT

Coach's thoughts: "Shamrock got named a team captain. He's going to have a breakout year. When he got inserted into the starting lineup last year in about game three, we just took off. He always makes the right play and for a point guard that's what you want. On the flip side defensively he kind of sets the tone for our defense. He sets the tone with his stance and talk. That kind of leadership on the court spreads. This year he'll have the ability to shoot a lot more. We now have some ballhandlers besides him that he can sometimes take a breather or sometimes get moved to the off-guard position to run him off screens for shots. This year he'll score a lot more."

Jovan Sljivancanin
Belgrade, Serbia
6-5 forward
Last season: 35 GP, 5 GS, 7.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 50% FG, 36% 3-pt, 81% FT

Coach's thoughts: "Jovan I think is going to have a breakout year. I think he's a mismatch in our conference. He's too big for guards to guard him and he's too quick for bigs. He's probably the best rebounder in the league at 6-5. We love what he brings. He's just a basketball player. He cut out sugar from his diet last April. He's a new person. He looks the part. He's got some shoulders and a six-pack. He's ready for an unbelievable season. He's hard to handle because he can do so many things. He's an underrated defender. He has a very strong lower body. He can body up."

Eetu Villa
Helsinki, Finland
6-7 forward
Last season: 28 GP, 2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 50% Fg, 39% 3-pt, 75% FT

Coach's thoughts: "He really came on at the end of last season. He had some injuries early and then got into that rotation down the stretch in league. He helped us win a lot of games in the last 10 games of the year. He stepped up. He's a threat from three. He's very athletic vertically. He gets up around the rim and can dunk it. He's long with his length. He knows the game. He's played a lot of international competition. He's got a good feel for the game. We need him to be big for us."

FRESHMEN 

Jaedon Lieberg
Helena, Montana
6-3 guard
Last season: Redshirt

Coach's thoughts: "He will be coming off a redshirt. Jaedon is working his tail off. He brings a lot of leadership. He's a mature kid for being a redshirt freshman. We love what he brings. He brings a great knack for cutting to the hoop. He has a very quick first step off the dribble. He has the respect of his teammates and coaches and we all know how much pride he has in playing at Carroll being a local product."

Jonny Hillman
Post Falls, Idaho
6-2 guard

Coach's thoughts: "Hillman was our first signee for this '19 class. Two-time state champ. He would have been a three-time state champ but he hurt his meniscus in January so he couldn't play the end of his senior year. He's a winner. He's tough. He really shoots the ball from deep. He's very strong. He's over 205 pounds for a shooting guard. He's mean and he's tough. We love what he brings to the table as far as defense and hustle and competitive spirit. He's a big-time shooter from deep. He handles the ball. He's a 4.0 student. He's our type of kid. I knew I had to get him just to set the culture and fit in with the guys we have." 

Gaven Ramirez
Corona, California
6-6 guard

Coach's thoughts: "We think he's going to be special. He's a 6-6, 6-7 forward with a knack for scoring. He averaged nearly 25 a game last year in California. He brings athleticism. He loves to play defense. He's a two-way player. He can guard and he's a scorer as well. He rebounds the ball. He's got a great feel for drive and kick. He's a tough kid. We know he's going to step up in right away and play a lot of minutes as a true freshman." 


Sayer Patton 
Choteau, Montana
6-3 guard

Coach's thoughts: "He was the leading scorer in the state of Montana last year. He played in the Montana-Wyoming game. He's studying pre-med. He's a perfect fit at Carroll. He's a 4.0-type of kid as well. He can do a lot. He's known as a scorer, but he's also a tough defender and he's really a great rebounding guard. He gets it off the glass and can push it in transition. He's a big guard. He's working hard in the weight room. We expect big things out of Sayer in his career at Carroll."

Brendan Temple
Castle Rock, Colorado
6-7 forward

Coach's thoughts: "Brendan is a sleeper kid. He's 6-7 but every day it seems like he's growing another quarter of an inch. He's going to be about 6-8 or 6-9 when it's all said and done. He's working hard in the weight room. He's a skilled forward. He can pass. He can dribble. He rebounds well. He can shoot well. He can post up. He's got a great left-handed hook shot for a freshman. He's multidimensional. He can play so many positions. He'll have to play inside for us, but he'll be kind of like a Match Burnham type where he can step out and shoot the three and stretch the defense with his ability to shoot. He's just going to get better and better and better. He's going to get in there right away. We need him to step up right away." 


Dennis Flowers III
Woodland Hills, California
6-2 guard

Coach's thoughts: "Dennis is a jet. He's got next-level quickness. He handles the ball. He's a very, very good shooter from three-point range but also has the ability to break down the defense. He loves to play defense and fight over the screen. He's very long. He's 6-2, 6-3 with really long active arms and hands. He competes every day. He comes in and wants to practice. He's usually the first kid in the gym. He loves to work. He comes from a great high school program down in California. Another kid with a fantastic background. He's just a joy to be around. We love Dennis. We're glad he chose Carroll College. He'll bring an ability to draw and kick that we're very excited about."

Ifeanyi Okeke
Rancho Cucamonga, California
6-7 forward

Coach's thoughts: "Ifeanyi is just going to get better and better. His athleticism is as good as anybody in our conference up and around the rim. His defense and shot-blocking. His ability to get to the rim quickly and run at the court at a very high level. He'll be a fan favorite with this ability to get out and explode offensively. He brings energy and has a big beautiful smile. We need him to get better each day. He comes from a great background as well."

Brady Duvall
Geraldine, Montana
6-1 guard

Coach's thoughts: "He's from Geraldine High School, so he comes from the class-C ranks. He's working hard. He's a very good shooter from three. He had a nice career at Geraldine. We love having him in the program. We love having him in the program. He fits in perfectly with our culture of hard work and putting academics first." 

Malachi Afework 
Federal Way, Washington
6-1 guard

Coach's thoughts: "We think we lucked out getting him so late. He's a pure point guard. He runs the team and is just a very competitive kid. He loves to play defense, quick hands. Always in the right spot. Offensively he always makes the right play, a lot like Shamrock in that sense. He finds his open teammates. Guys have totally embraced him coming in late. He's a kid that's going to keep getting better. He needs to keep working on strength and conditioning. He averaged 20 points in a tough Washington league at Fife. He's really well-coached and has a great feel for the game. He can hit the three-point shot and can really defend. He's going to get a lot of steals in his career at Carroll."