Men's Basketball | 11/03/23 | 10:18 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Basketball team will officially tip-off a new season this afternoon in Arizona, taking on (RV) Ottawa (Ariz,) at 12 p.m. as part of the Fultz Memorial Classic in Glendale, Ariz.

The Fighting Saints (2022-23 - 13-14, 7-8), under the new leadership of Head Coach Ryan Lundgren, will make their long-awaited 2023-24 season debut this afternoon in sunny Arizona, opening the year with OUAZ at high-noon.

Lundgren was hired in late June to replace Kurt Paulson who resigned after five outstanding seasons at his alma mater. Lundgren separated himself from the pack during an extensive interview process, and got right to work on finalizing a 2023 roster that had some holes to fill.

The Saints returned a fair amount of their core, but graduations and departures provided Lundgren with some pressing issues to put a competitive team out on the court this season.

Three transfers, Kendall Moore (Dayton, Ohio / JR), Shaheed Muhammad (Abor Hills, Minn. / JR), Zane Foster (Puyallup, Wash. / JR) joined the program over the summer, bringing with them experience at various different levels of collegiate competition and helped fill some areas of need heading into the season.

Moore is no stranger to the NAIA, and more importantly, Carroll. Moore started his collegiate career at Corban (Ore.) and was an instrumental piece of the Warriors success in his first season. Moore was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Freshman of the Year, and was the leading scorer in a tightly-contested game between the Warriors and Saints in the 2021-22 season. Moore is a true point guard, and will lead a new-look Carroll offense that features plenty of weapons.

One such weapon is Shaheed Muhammad, a transfer guard from Williston State. Muhhamad is a highly-capable scorer, having averaged over 20 points per game in high school, and 17.6 points per game during his last season at Williston State.

A huge, literally, addition to the 2023-24 squad is Zane Foster. Foster is a true seven-footer, and proven rim protector. Foster spent the spring and summer as a member of NCAA Division I Central Michigan's roster, but decided that Helena would be a better fit and joined the team in late July. During his last season of play, Foster averaged 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game en route to First-Team All-League honors and NWAC Defensive Player of the Year honors at Green River Community College.

The three transfers will join a team that is looking to return to the top of the Frontier Conference.

Seniors Gui Pedra (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Jordan Bryant (Carmichael, Calif.) and Murat Guzelocak (Istanbul, Turkey) have all seen substantial minutes in their time on the hilltop, and want to finish their Carroll careers strong.

Isaiah Moore (Fairfield, Calif. / SO) and Derek Kramer (Bellevue, Wash. / SO) are a pair of sophomores that will look to take the next step and will both likely see increased roles in their second year at the PE Center.

Andrew Cook (Huntington Beach, Calif. / JR) is one of the best in the Frontier Conference. The junior do-it-all player has been outstanding in his two seasons at Carroll. Last year, Cook averaged 18.6 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game to lead the Saints. He was named an All-Conference performer last season, and is Carroll's lone representative on the 23-24 preseason All-Conference team.

The Saints will have their hands full to start the year, beginning the season with back-to-back games against Arizona teams that appear on the preseason NAIA Coaches' Poll.

Friday's opener with OUAZ will tip off at 12 p.m., and the Saints will have a quick turnaround before taking on the NAIA's No. 3-ranked team at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Arizona Christian.

Both games will be streamed live HERE, and live stats for each game can be found HERE.

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