HELENA, Mont. - Head Coach Dan Pearson has officially announced the addition of seven players to the Carroll College Men's Basketball roster, set to join the team this August.

With his first full recruiting cycle officially complete, the second year Head Coach, Pearson, is confident in the prospects set to descend upon the Hilltop later this Fall.

The Fighting Saints (15-15, 9-6), found their footing in the later stages of the 2024-25 season, winning 10 of their final 15 games. A young group, led by a pair of All-Conference freshmen (Crane, Round), will add a bevy of prep talent with the 2025 class, looking to build around an already promising core.

"Going into this recruitment class, we had three priorities: target student-athletes who fit the culture of Carroll and ensure retention with four-year guys, add size without losing the skill sets we require in our system, and get players who love the process of development and competition." said Pearson "On these fronts, we feel like we had home runs with all seven of our guys. In the current transfer climate of college sports, we made an intentional decision to go young, building for a high-ceiling future, but we are hopeful that we will see a few of these guys coming in to make immediate impacts in the Frontier."

2025 RECRUITING CLASS

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Tevin Wetzel | 6-0 | Guard | Helena, Mont. | Helena HS

The first official commitment in the 2025 class, Wetzel made his choice to join the Saints last Fall. A durable playmaker, Wetzel was a three-time Montana Class AA All-State selection, who set the Helena High record for career three-pointers made. He finished Top-Seven in scoring in each of the last three seasons at the AA level. Last season for the Bengals, Tevin averaged 15.5 points, 3.72 assists, and 2.11 steals per game. Tevin recently represented Montana in the annual Montana-Wyoming All-Star game last weekend, leading the team in scoring with 21 points.

"Tevin was our first signing of this recruitment class, and we felt that he embodied all of the characteristics that we're aiming to solidify inside our culture." said Pearson "He's a hoop junkie who has shot the ball at a historic level in Montana, and his desire to play with pace will fit perfectly into our system."

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Jaxan Lieberg | 6-4 | Guard | Helena, Mont. | Helena HS

Another highly-sought after recruit from the Capital City, Lieberg joins fellow Bengal, Wetzel, in staying put to compete for the Purple and Gold.  Lieberg, the cousin of former Saint Jaedon Lieberg ('22), was a three-time Montana Class AA All-State selection, a two-time Helena All-Area Player of the Year, and four-time Academic All-State selection for the Bengals. The multi-sport star, recently named the Pat Donovan Award recipient as the top male athlete at HHS, ranked top-five in scoring in the State each of the last three years. He averaged 18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while knocking down 54 three-pointers this past season and shooting 41.2 percent from range. An All-State football player as well, Lieberg showed his all-around talent by winning the Class AA High Jump title this past month. 

"Jaxan making the decision to stay home and play basketball was a reflection of his passion both for the game, and his hometown school." said Pearson "As one of the best athletes in the state of Montana and someone who has a natural knack for scoring the basketball, we are excited to see him develop as he is able to focus in on just one sport, unlike his shared time throughout his high school career. His size, athleticism, and scoring ability are going to be a major piece of our puzzle moving forward."

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Dean Blair | 6-5 | Forward | Great Falls, Mont. | C. M. Russell HS

The third Treasure State product of the 2025 class hails from the Electric City. Blair was a First Team All-State selection for the Rustlers as a  Junior and awarded Academic All-State honors. He scored 14 points per game and averaged 8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game his Senior year, while shooting over 55 percent from the floor. The Forward flashed elite hand-eye coordination as Blair was also Top-10 in Montana Class AA in steals, averaging north of 2.0 per game.

"Dean is another perfect culture and system fit for our program." said Pearson "He'll be an immediate fit in what we want to do as a program. More importantly, Dean has demonstrated every chance he's had around our team, an energy and competitiveness that will immediately push our program's internal compete level into the next stage."

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Gavin Gross | 6-6 | Guard/Forward | West Linn, Ore. | West Linn HS

Another early commitment for the '25 class, Gross announced his decision following a visit last December. The son of a pair of coaches, Gross is no stranger to collegiate athletics. Gavin was a two-time All-TRL Honorable Mention selection. In a Senior campaign split up with injuries, Gross impressively averaged 12.3 points per game, helping his team earn a Bronze medal in the Oregon 6A State Tournament.

"Gavin, another early sign for us, was someone that we felt was an absolute steal for our program." said Pearson "He is someone who we expect his versatility to allow him to play multiple roles on our team and someone who could become one of the top defenders in the conference in short order. Like a few of our other signees, Gavin is obsessed with the weight room and court, and has everything needed to grow over multiple years into a truly great player."

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Nate Christy | 6-7 | Forward | Spokane, Wash. | Gonzaga Prep

A prominent big man, Christy was forced to sit out his senior year with a torn ACL for the Washington AAAA State Champion Gonzaga Prep Bullpups. During his Junior year, Christy was a Second Team All-GSL selection and Washington AAAA State Tournament Second Team selection as well. He averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game, while shooting 61 percent from the floor, 40 percent from beyond the arc, and 81 percent from the line. In the State Tournament, Christy averaged a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds per game.

"We feel as if the Helena community and the Frontier Conference will quickly find Nate Christy to be one of the elite sleepers of the last few years." said Pearson "With his unfortunate injury last summer, and his incapacity to play his senior year on a Gonzaga Prep team that won the Washington State Championship, it made him a (relatively) unseen talent. Culturally, Nate is going to be a great fit here at Carroll, and we expect great things from him early on."

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Drew Jones | 6-2 | Guard | Puyallup, Wash. | Puyallup HS

This Spring, Jones finished up a legendary career for the Washington AAAA State Championship Runner-Ups Puyallup Vikings, where he was named AAAA State Tournament MVP. Jones graduated as the only player in PHS history to score 1,000 points and tally and 300+ career assists. The talented guard was twice named a team captain, a two-time All-SPAL Selection, SPSL-North Most Valuable Player, and named to the Oregon vs Washington All-Star game. In an impressive senior campaign, Jones averaged 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.

"Drew is coming to Carroll after a historic high school career in Puyallup." said Pearson "As the only player in his program's history to score 1,000 alongside 300 assists, his accolades as the 4A State Tournament MVP were well deserved. Drew, as a competitor, was able to take an underdog program all the way to the state championship game and lost as tight of a contest as possible. He plays with incredible pop and has a chip on his shoulder that will fit completely perfectly into what we want to build at Carroll."

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Karan Sahin | 6-8 | Forward | Ankara, Turkey | 212 Academy

The most recent signee, and final member of the 2025 recruiting class joins a growing list of Turkish Saints. Sahin competed at the highest youth level in Turkey for three years prior moving to the United States and prepping at the Hilton School in New Hampshire and 212 Academy in Florida. Karan competed in nine international matches for the Turkish National Team and was selected as the MVP of Carroll legend Sinan Guler's National Camp.

"Karan will come to Carroll after a world-class youth development." said Pearson "As a member of the Turkish National Team, and one who competed at the top level of high school ball in the States, he will quickly find comfort at the collegiate level. With our desire to get size and skill, he will immediately fit into our team as an elite systematic fit." 

 

Several of the newest Saints are on campus this summer, participating in offseason workouts and getting acquainted with the rest of the team.

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Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com in the coming weeks for further information on the highly-anticipated 2025-26 full schedule, and to stay up to date on everything going on in Carroll Athletics.