Men's Basketball | 10/28/22 | 12:14 PM

HELENA, Mont. - The No. 16 Carroll College Men's Basketball team will begin play in the 2022-23 season tonight, hosting the University of Lethbridge at the Carroll College PE Center in Helena at 5 p.m.

The Carroll Men will look a little different to Saints fans this season. Head Coach Kurt Paulson was faced with the task of replacing six players from a 2021-22 team that advanced to the round of 32 in the NAIA National Tournament, won 29 games, and finished the season with a rank of No. 11 in the final NAIA Coaches' Poll. The Saints saw the departure of several four year starters, and impact players, Shamrock Campbell, who was a 2021-22 First Team All-Frontier Conference selection and Third Team NAIA All-American, and Jovan Sljivancanin, the 2021-22 Frontier Conference Player of the Year and First Team NAIA All-American. 

In addition to losing on-court performers, Paulson hired Seth Yates as his Lead Assistant Coach, replacing the departed Ronn See, who moved into an Assistant Director of Basketball Operations at NCAA Division I USC-Upstate this past summer. Yates joined the Carroll staff after serving as the Director of Video at Oregon State University.

Paulson, the 2021-22 Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and Yates hit the recruiting trail hard this summer, bringing in six Freshman and one Junior transfer to the Saints.

A headliner for the 2022 class is local standout, Brayden Koch (Helena, Mont. / FR) who led Capital High School to a Class-AA State Championship. Koch was named Mr. basketball for the State of Montana, and was also named Montana's Gatorade Player of the Year. Jordan Bryant (Carmichael, Calif. / JR) transferred in from Yuba College where he averaged 6.6 points in 28 games played last season. Bryant brings a veteran presence to a young-but-experienced Carroll Roster. Another Californian, Isaiah Moore (Fairfield, Calif. / FR) alongside Bryant add some premier athleticism, and length to the Saints. Derek Kramer (Bellevue, Wash. / FR) is a 6-9 Forward that will look to provide valuable minutes in the paint.

The newcomers join the likes of Frontier Conference Preseason All-Conference selection Brendan Temple (Castle Rock, Colo. / SR), who averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 21-22,  and Jonny Hillman (Post Falls, Idaho / SR), a 21-22 Frontier Conference All-Defensive Team selection who averaged 6.0 points per game and tallied 35 steals last season. Carroll also retains a pair of Sophomore guards, Andrew Cook (Huntington Beach, Calif. / SO) and Garrett Long (Wenatchee, Wash. / SO) who grew into valuable contributors down the stretch of the 21-22 season, and will look to continue to grow in their roles in 22-23.

The Carroll Men were picked to finish first in the Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, and appear on the initial NAIA Coaches Poll at No. 16 in the Nation.

The Saints will open play tonight when they host the University of Lethbridge at 5 p.m. in the Carroll College PE Center. Tonight's game will be streamed live on the Fighting Saints Network, presented by Point S Tire & Auto Service, and live stats for the game can be found HERE.

Visit www.carollathletics.com for a full recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.