Complete release in pdf format
This Week
The Westminster men's basketball team opens the 2009-10 campaign with two home games at the Westminster Tournament this weekend. Westminster will face in-state foe Dixie State on Friday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m. Then on Saturday, November 7, the Griffins will play Warner Pacific at 8:00 p.m. In other tournament action, Rocky Mountain will play Warner Pacific on Friday and face Dixie State on Saturday.
Westminster is coming off the most successful season in school history in 2008-09. The Griffins went 30-5, setting a school record for wins in a season, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championships for the first time. They return nine players from that squad, including one starter.
Westminster led the NAIA in field goal percentage last season, shooting 52.9% from the field. They also ranked fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (39.7%), seventh in scoring defense (63.00), and 10th in assist/turnover ratio (1.14).
Weston Anderson is the returning player with the highest scoring average from last season. Anderson scored 9.7 points per game in 28 games, all coming off the bench.
Jeramie Hopson averaged 8.3 points per game and was sixth in the Frontier Conference in steals.
Live Stats and Video Streaming
The Westminster Athletic Department now offers Live Stats and Video Streaming of all home basketball games. Fans can access the feeds by visiting westminstergriffins.com on game days.
Men's Basketball Fast Break
•Nine players return from the 2008-09 team that went 30-5 and won both the Frontier Conference regular season and tournament titles.
•Westminster is 8-1 in season openers under Coach Connor. They have won seven straight, last losing to Weber State in 2001.
•The Griffins went 13-1 at home last season and have won 10 straight non-conference home games dating back to the 2006-07 season.
About Dixie State
Dixie State finished last season at 16-11 and finished second in the Pac West Conference. They were selected to finish third in the conference this season by the conference coaches. Andy Palmer was selected to the Preseason All-Conference team after averaging 8.8 points and shooting 54.9% from the field last season.
About Warner Pacific
Warner Pacific is coming off a 21-9 season and a third place finish in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. They enter this season ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Division 2 Preseason Coaches Poll. They were selected to finish third in the conference this season according to the preseason coaches poll. The Knights have made four consecutive trips to the NAIA Division 2 National Tournament.
Inside the Dixie State Series
Series Record: Series tied, 2-2
Current Streak: Westminster 1 win
Last Meeting: Westminster def. Dixie State 77-66 (12/8/07)
First Meeting: Westminster def. Dixie State 67-65 (12/1/06)
Inside the Warner Pacific Series
Series Record: Westminster leads 1-0
Current Streak: Westminster 1 win
Last Meeting: Westminster def. Warner Pacific 93-73 (11/23/07)
First Meeting: Westminster def. Warner Pacific 93-73 (11/23/07)
Accurate Shooters
Westminster finished the 2008-09 season shooting 52.9% from the field to lead the NAIA. The Griffins shot above 50% in 25 of 35 games. They shot above 60% seven times. The team was also accurate from 3-point range, connecting on 39.7% of those attempts. That was good enough for fifth in the country.
Pass Happy
The 2008-09 Griffins liked to distribute the basketball. Westminster averaged 15.54 assists per game to lead the Frontier Conference and rank 13th nationally. They also were smart with the ball, posting a 1.14 assist/turnover ratio. That was tops in the conference and the 10th best ratio in the NAIA.
Westminster had three players in the top 20 in assists in the Frontier Conference last season.
Jordan Jacobs led the team with 2.80 assists per night, placing 11th in the conference.
Jeramie Hopson was 14th at 2.77 per game and
Weston Anderson dished out 2.71 assists per game to place 15th.
Michael Stockton had a 2.64 assist/turnover ratio to lead the Frontier and place fifth in the NAIA.
Home Cooking
Westminster has been exceptional when it comes to playing at home in the Behnken Field House. The Griffins have gone 41-4 all-time in the Behnken Field House and 16-1 against non-conference opponents. The only non-conference team to win in the facility in Dixie State. Dixie beat Westminster 67-64 on December 7, 2006. The .911 winning percentage is tops among all Frontier Conference teams at home during that span, and the 25-3 mark in conference games is tied with Carroll for tops among the eight teams.
Coaches Like the Griffins
The Westminster men's basketball team was selected to win the Frontier Conference according to a poll of the conference coaches. The Griffins received 47 total points and five first-place votes in the poll of the eight conference coaches. Defending NAIA national champion Rocky Mountain College finished second with 44 points and three first-place votes.
Montana Western was picked to finish third followed by Lewis-Clark and Montana State-Northern in a tie for fourth, Carroll College sixth, University of Great Fall Falls seventh and Montana Tech eighth. Teams were awarded seven points for first, six points for second, five points for third, four points for fourth, three points for fifth, two points for sixth, and one point for seventh. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
In the Polls
The Westminster men's basketball team received a No. 9 national ranking in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll that was released on October 26. The Griffins received 232 total points in the poll. The No. 9 ranking is the highest for the team to start a season ever, and the 12th consecutive poll they have been in the top 10. The previous high to start a season was 13th in 2006 and 2008.
Next Week
Westminster heads south for two games against teams from the Golden State Athletic Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Griffins face No. 8 Concordia (Calif.) on Friday, November 13. That is followed on Saturday, November 14 with a game against No. 3 Fresno Pacific.
