Men's Basketball | 03/20/20 | 6:25 PM

In an unusual and disappointing end to the season, the Carroll College men's basketball team learned they would not travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to compete in the national tournament amid heightened caution due to the coronavirus. The Saints performed well above outsiders' expectations, to some, this season and were set to embark on another run in the postseason. This is a recap of a season that ended too soon.

Uncertainty surrounded the Carroll College men's basketball program entering 2019-20. 

The program had entrenched itself as a national championship runner-up, capping off a magical postseason run as the No. 2 team in the NAIA, falling in the title game to a Georgetown juggernaut. It was the deepest run in Saints history, marking a new high for the program. 

Most of the key contributors to that team -- All-Americans Match Burnham, Matt Wyman and Ife Kalejaiye -- graduated. All-American Dane Warp and starter Shamrock Campbell returned, while sophomore Jovan Sljivancanin and freshman Eetu Villa had valuable experience in big games to now give to the Saints. 

It set up a big year for coach Kurt Paulson, too, who in his first year had taken the fruits of former coach Carson Cunningham's labor and delivered the program to a new level. Now, instead of leaning on a crop of veterans, Paulson would have to mold eight freshmen into big-time contributors.  

Paulson's first recruiting class had been immediately impactful the year prior. He expected the same out of this second group for the Saints to maintain their level of success. The coach scoured the western United States to find talent and tapped into the high school all-stars in Montana's backyard to bring in a quality group. The class was comprised of Malachi Afework of Federal Way, Washington; Dennis Flowers III of Woodland Hills, California; Ifeanyi Okeke of Rancho Cucamonga, California; Sayer Patton of Choteau, Montana; Gaven Ramirez of Corona, California; Jonny Hillman of Post Falls, Idaho; Brady Duvall of Geraldine, Montana; and Brendan Temple of Castle Rock, Colorado.

Most teams are excited when they bring in a single freshman that could win the coveted Freshman of the Year Award in the Frontier Conference. The Saints had multiple candidates.

Had it not been for injuries, the Saints would have packed some interior depth in 2019-20, too. But, forwards Brad King and Thomas Austejford both suffered knee injuries and would not be healthy to shepherd a team of mostly teenagers. 

As Paulson continued to ramp up and further make the program his own, his coaching corps grew, too. Joining Paulson and lead assistants Jack Misell and Hasani Simmons on the sideline this season would be Bob Ridgeway. 

Even if the Saints were going to be young, they were going to be well prepared.

Coaches deemed Warp the Frontier Conference Preseason Player of the Year, but didn't know what to make of the Saints. Frontier coaches picked the Saints to finish fourth in the conference behind Providence, Montana State-Northern and Lewis-Clark State College. 

The Saints started off the season by taking a trip to Corvallis, Oregon, in October to take on the Oregon State Beavers. Paulson's ties to OSU and coach Wayne Tinkle made for a special trip and a very good experience for the Saints' squad, getting a chance to familiarize themselves with a Pac-12 opponent. 

In November, the Saints took down a pair of Cascade Collegiate Conference opponents in Butte, Montana, handily defeating Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon. Another road win over Walla Walla had the Saints off to a great start in November. 

The Saints would take a California road swing and fall twice to Hope and Westmont, but then return to the PE Center with success. The Saints finished off the preseason with a win over Whitworth and then shook up the Frontier in early December.

Warp showed his senior poise when he drew a foul with seconds left to earn three free throws and force overtime to defeat Montana Tech to open up the conference schedule. Then, the Saints put everybody on notice. They defeated previously unbeaten Lewis-Clark State, earning national attention in the process. 

The Saints would go 2-1 during the holiday season at the Cactus Classic down in Chandler, Arizona, earning a win over Top 25 opponent Arizona Christian to close out the event.

Carroll started the season unranked in the national polls, but by December, NAIA coaches began to take notice. The Saints debuted at No. 23 and weren't done there. The Saints would climb to No. 9 after signature wins against conference opponents, but slip-ups in January dropped the Saints back to No. 17. The Saints' rank would serve as an elevator for the rest of the way, dropping to No. 19 before rising to No. 16 and then No. 12 in March. 

The Saints owned winning records against every opponent in the conference and notably avenged a tough loss at LCSC with a momentous win in February. The Saints went into Lewiston and left victorious 68-57.

Carroll wouldn't lose again until heading back to Lewiston to face the Warriors in the Frontier Conference Championship. 

When the dust settled, the Saints compiled a 24-9 record and a Frontier Conference runner-up finish. They had climbed up to No. 12 in the NAIA in the final poll of the season and were chomping at the bit to return to nationals.
Warp would become the No. 13 all-time leading scorer in Saints history with his 1,545 points while becoming the all-time winningest Saint in program history. He would be honored as a first team all-conference performer and awaits to learn of All-American status. 

Jovan Sljivancanin would show his knack for filling up a stat sheet all season, earning six Frontier Conference Player of the Week awards and becoming one of the premier rebounders in the NAIA. 

Sljivancanin became a second team all-conference performer, while Shamrock Campbell was an honorable mention. Flowers III earned Freshman of the Year honors. 

The national tournament was so close. It would be a first for so many freshmen, and a second for the sophomores. For Dane, it would be his final ride. 

The Saints gathered in the PE Center to see the unveiling of their seed: A third seed to face No. 6-seed Texas Wesleyan, a former national champion and a big test in the first round of the tournament.

Instead, the Saints learned of a new fate: coronavirus spread rapidly internationally, so quick that athletic associations began to postpone or cancel their seasons.

Twenty four hours after feeling the rush of the reveal, the Saints were told their season had ended. The NAIA canceled all postseason championships, and days later canceled all of the spring sports. 

The season that was filled with so much promise had come to a halt. All that remained was mystery and hope for a fuller season in 2020-21.