SALT LAKE CITY – The 15th-ranked Westminster men's basketball team will open the 2014-15 season this Friday when they host Colorado Mines at 5:30 p.m. MT in the Behnken Field House. The game will feature a pregame Halloween kid's carnival and a costume parade at halftime.
On the Web: Friday's game will be broadcast live on Griffins TV with Mike Lageschulte on the play-by-play and Lance Barton as the analyst. Griffins TV is available online and on mobile devices and Roku players though the Livestream app. There will also be live stats available during the game.
Griffin Notebook: Westminster enters a new season after posting a 19-13 record last season and qualifying for the NAIA National Championships. It was the team's first trip to the NAIA tournament since 2010 and came after the team finished second in the Frontier Conference with an 11-5 mark in league games. The Griffins closed last season with a No. 24 ranking in the postseason NAIA Coaches' Poll.
What's Returning: This year's team returns six players from the previous season, including three starters. The group of returnees combined to average 33.3 points per game last season and they accounted for 45 percent of the team's total scoring. They also grabbed 42.9 percent of the team's total rebounds and also handing out 50.5 percent of the assists while playing 51.6 percent of the total minutes.
What's New: The 2014-15 squad welcomes seven newcomers and two redshirts to the roster. That group features five transfers from both the NCAA D-I and junior college levels.
In the Polls: Westminster will begin the year with a No. 15 national ranking according to the 2014 - 15 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Griffins received 115 points to sit tied with Dalton State (Ga.).
Frontier Favorites: In a poll of the Frontier Conference coaches, Westminster was selected as the favorite to win the conference title this season. They received four first-place votes and finished with 42 total points to take the top spot. Defending regular season and tournament champion Rocky Mountain (Mont.) was picked to finish second after receiving 41 points and two first-place votes. Montana State-Northern and Montana Western each received one first-place vote.
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| Preseason Frontier Coaches' Poll |
|---|
| 1. | Westminster (4) | 42 |
| 2. | Rocky Mountain (2)Â | 41 |
| 3. | MSU-Northern (1)Â | 37 |
| 4t. | Lewis-Clark State | 32 |
| 4t. | Montana Western (1) | 32 |
| 6. | Montana Tech | 17 |
| 7. | Great Falls | 13 |
| 8. | Carroll | 10 |
Busy Home Slate: Head Coach
Adam Hiatt has put together a challenging schedule that features 16 home games and four teams that made the 2014 NAIA National Championships. Nine of those 16 home contests come before the end of 2014, including a span of six straight from Nov. 28 – Dec. 20. The home opener will hit on Oct. 31 at 5:30 p.m. MT against Colorado Mines.
Home Dominance: Westminster has been tough to beat in the Behnken Field House since it opened in 2006. While the Griffins have always been good at home, going 164-30 (.845) since the program was reinstated in 1999, they have compiled a 99-15 (.868) mark in their current home. They enter this season having won six straight home games and four consecutive against ranked teams in the Behnken Field House.
Performance from Pryor: After scoring a career-high 312 points last season, expectations are high this season for
Jordan Pryor. The junior was named the preseason all-conference after being selected as the Frontier Sixth-Man of the Year last season. Pryor averaged 9.8 points per game and shooting 37.2 percent from 3-point range. Pryor enters this season with 69 career threes which ranks 16th in school history. He has scored in double figures 19 times during his first two seasons with the team going 12-7 in those outings.
Shoot the Moon: Colton Moon begins his senior season among the top 10 in school history in six statistical categories. His 113 career made threes are the sixth-most in school history while he sits seventh with 288 attempted triples. Moon averaged seven points per game last season and led the team with 104 assists and 61 steals. He is currently 10th in school history with 172 career assists and tied for fifth with 107 steals. He would need to average 1.87 steals per game this season to become the school's all-time leader.
Crashing Jenson: Nick Jenson scored 7.2 points per game last season, but he made his biggest impact on the glass. He finished 11th in the Frontier Conference by pulling down 5.78 rebounds per game last season. Jenson collected 2.28 boards on the offensive end to rank fourth in the league. The senior enters the season 15th in school history with 73 offensive rebounds.
Follow the Griffins: Fans are encouraged to folow the Westminster men's basketball team on their Instagram and Twitter feeds for fun beind the scenes information from the team. You can also get all of the latest news about the Griffins through the Westminster Athletics social media outlets. You can find all of the social media information at WestminsterGriffins.com.
Looking Ahead: Westminster will return to action next weekend as they play host to the Westminster Tipoff Classic. The Griffins will face Colorado State-Pueblo on Nov. 7 and then Fort Lewis (Colo.) on Nov. 8. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. MT in the Behnken Field House.
