Men's Basketball | 11/01/24 | 9:31 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Men's Basketball team will officially begin their season this afternoon, hosting day one of the 2024 Comfort Suites Classic at the PE Center.

For the second time in as many seasons, the Fighting Saints will begin the year with a new Head Coach. Carroll Alumnus, Dan Pearson, who was hired to lead the Men in June, will lead a new-look Carroll team into battle this weekend, with games against a pair of CCC foes in Bushnell and Oregon Tech.

Another year of roster turnover saw the departure of several ket contributors to a Saints squad that qualified for the NAIA National tournament a season ago.

2023-24 Frontier Player of the Year Andrew Cook transferred to NCAA Division I Eastern Washington, while several other players left for various NAIA and Division II schools. 

The cupboard is not bare, however, as the Saints return four starters from last season and several underclassmen ready to make a jump.

James Lang (Portland, Ore. / R-JR) was the third-leading scorer on the roster last season, averaging 12.0 points per game. Big man Derek Kramer (Bellevue, Wash. / JR) averaged 4.7 ppg and 3.6 rebounds per game last season, and will look to add to the numbers in a fast-paced Carroll offense this season. Isaiah Moore (Fairfield, Calif. / JR) and Josiah Cuaresma (Missoula, Mont. / SO) have each seen plenty of valuable minutes, and both will be relied upon for their athleticism, shooting, and big play capabilities this year.

Isaiah Crane (Portland, Ore. / R-FR) will be a name that Saints fans will get used to hearing this season, as the crafty point guard is in line for a large role in an uptempo offense.

Several new additions to the roster will look to make an immediate impact, including Lorence De La Cruz (Winnipeg, Manitoba / JR) and Isaac Round (Southampton, England / Fr), both of which have prior experience with the new Carroll staff at their previous schools.

Kellen Harrison (Bozeman, Mont. / FR), perhaps the best all-around athlete in the state of Montana, will make his Carroll debut on Friday.

This weekend's Comfort Suites Classic features a pair of Frontier Schools (Carroll, Providence), and two CCC schools (Bushnell, Oregon Tech).

Friday afternoon will kick off with a 1 p.m. tilt between Providence and Oregon Tech, followed by the Carroll-Bushnell season-opener at 3 p.m.

On Saturday evening, the field will reverse, with Providence and Bushnell tipping at 5:30 p.m. and Carroll hosting Oregon Tech at 7:30.

All four games will be streamed free of charge HERE.

Live stats for Friday's Carroll game can be found HERE, and Saturday HERE.

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

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