Coming Up – Fresno Pacific (November 10, Monmouth, Oregon, 5:00 p.m.), Point Loma (November 11, Monmouth, Oregon, 5:00 p.m.).
COMPLETE MEDIA GUIDE
Live Stats/Live Video – Live Stats and Live Video of both of SMU's Basketball Games will be available with links found on smusaints.com. Live stats and video will be produced by the Host School.
Social Media – Follow the Saints on Twitter (@SMUSaints_MBB) and follow SMU Athletics on Facebook (Saint Martin's Saints), Twitter (SMUAthletics), Instagram (saints_athletics) and YouTube (SMU Athletics).
Ticket Information - SMU students get in free to all SMU home games with a valid student ID card and tickets are available for only five dollars. Seniors/Military/Non-SMU Students get in for three dollars. Children under the age of 11 get in free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling
Abbey Bergquist at 360-438-4305.
Season Preview - Coming off one of the most successful season in Saint Martin's Men's Basketball history, the Saints look to build on the success of last year in 2017-18.
After appearing in the 2017 GNAC Tournament, the school first victory in the Tournament and two all-conference selections, the Saints look poised to grow under third year head coach
Alex Pribble. The Saints will have to replace many key pieces from last year including second team all-conference selections
Tyler Copp and Cole Preston, along with center Fred Jorg and Forward Brandon Kenilvort. However, returners Rhett Baerlocher and Jordan Kitchen along with multiple transfers and key freshman recruits, appear ready to lead the Saints.
"We're proud of the foundation that's been built here over the last few seasons, but our players and coaches are motivated to take the next step," said head coach
Alex Pribble. "Every team is on its own individual journey toward reaching their potential, and I believe this team has a very high ceiling. With that said, there are a lot of new faces in our program, and we are still building the trust and brotherhood that it's going to take to be successful this season."
Guards
Leading the Saints out on the perimeter is junior Baerlocher after making 21 starts in 26 games played last year. Baerlocher averaged 7.7 points per game and is the leading returning rebounder at 5.8 rebounds per game. While playing in nearly 27 minutes per game, Baerlocher shot 43.1 percent from the field. Baerlocher set a new career-high in points after scoring 20 against Central Washington on Feb. 9 along with his first double-double with a 17 point, 10 rebound performance against Northwest Nazarene on Feb 11. Joining Baerlocher on the wing is Michael Painter (4.0 ppg, 58.3 FG percent), Robert Little (2.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg), Logan Adams (2.6 ppg, 22 games), and Kazuma Lane (1.8 ppg, 20 games). Painter played in five games, including a nine-point performance against Northwest Indian College on Nov 19 before having to medically redshirt last season. Adams, Lane and Little each set career-highs in scoring against Northwest Indian College with 30, 16, and 15 point outings respectively.
Joining the five returning Saints is transfers EJ Boyce (San Jose State), Luke Chavez (South Puget Sound CC) and Mikko Balmes (Umpqua CC) along with freshman Caden Smith (Pendleton, Ore.) and BJ Standley (Benicia, Calif.). E.J. Boyce joins the Saints after playing for San Jose State University last season where he averaged 13 minutes per game and started two games for the Spartans. Boyce averaged 3.9 ppg on 39.4 percent shooting and 39.0 percent from beyond the arc. Luke Chavez led the South Puget Sound Community College to a first-place finish in the West Region. Chavez, who averaged 15.4 points per game, shot the ball efficiently at 48 percent from the floor and 47 percent at the 3-point line and was named the West Region MVP last year. Smith accomplished a great deal in his four years at Pendleton High School, taking the program to new heights with a fourth-place finish in the 5A State Tournament, the first-place finish since 1959. Smith was recognized as the Columbia River Conference's Most Valuable Player twice and was a three time first team All-State selection. Standley averaged 15.5 points per game in his senior season with St. Patrick St. Vincent high school in Vallejo, California, which ended with a Division IIII State Championship, the first in school history. He capped off his senior season by averaging 5.9 assists per game, 3.4 rebounds per game and 3.0 steals per game in 33 games.
"Guard play has been a strength of this team over the last two years, and we will need to continue that," Pribble said. "We have some returners who are doing a good job of setting the tone every day in practice, but we will also rely on our new guys to have an immediate impact. We believe that our freshman and our transfers will be ready to compete right away."
Forwards
The junior Jordan Kitchen, who gives the Saints size at both outside and inside will look to take the next step forward after a successful 2016-17 campaign. Kitchen returns to the Saints as the leading scorer, average 8.8 points per game last year. Kitchen ranks second among returns in rebounds at 5.3 rebounds per game after starting 27 games and playing in 29 games. In his 21.1 minutes of action per game, Kitchen shot the ball efficiently, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. Kitchen also proved to be a force on the defense, recording 31 blocks and 21 steals. He set a new career-high in scoring with 23 points against Quest on Jan 23 and rebounds at 11 against Point Loma on Nov 12. Joining Kitchen as a returner is Cameron Chatwin, who played for the Saints during the 2014-15 season. Chatwin saw action in 25 games and started 24 for the Saints as a freshman, scoring 113 points and grabbing 100 rebounds over the course of the season. He proved to be an effective scorer, averaging 44.1 percent (41-93) and 36.4 percent (20-55) from beyond the arc.
The Saints will feature transfers Matt Dahlen (Oregon State) and Jared Mathews (Blue Mountain CC) along with Guard/Forward combo Tavian Henderson (Vallejo, Calif.). Dahlen developed into a key piece of the Beavers' basketball team last season, playing in 30 games and making 10 starts for OSU. Dahlen saw action on the court for more than 10 minutes per game and scored 46 total points while converting 50 percent of his shots. He grabbed a career-high six rebounds twice last season and scored a career-high eight points against Charlotte. Mathews averaged an impressive double-double for the Timberwolves at 15.8 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game in less than 30 minutes per contest. Because of his efforts on the court, Mathews was voted to the second team All-League in the NWAC. Highlights from this last season included a 36-point performance against Tacoma Community College and 20 rebounds versus Clackamas Community College. Henderson earned success both on and off the court in Vallejo, California, winning the Division 4 State Championship, while maintaining a 3.71 GPA. In his senior year, he averaged 16 points per game and over eight rebounds per game. Henderson received many awards in his four years, being named to the first team All-League as a sophomore, junior and senior, first team All-State as a sophomore and fourth team All-metro.
"There is great versatility within this group," said Pribble. "We have a lot of different guys who are battling it out on the floor, and they are making each other better every day. We have more depth than previous years, and it will be excited to watch these guys develop throughout the season."
A year removed from winning 17 games, the most since 2008-09, the Saints open the season against the University of Washington on Nov 2 before traveling to Washington State on Nov 5. SMU will compete in the GNAC/PAC West Challenge and the Cal Baptist Thanksgiving Classic in non-conference along with a date against Seattle University on Dec 13. The Saints first home game is Nov 14 against Hawaii-Hilo. Notable conference home games are Western Washington (Dec 30), Western Oregon (Jan 11), Alaska Anchorage (Feb 3) and Central Washington (Feb 24). The full schedule can be found on smusaints.com.
"We know it's going to be tough," Pribble said. "Every night in the GNAC is a war. We have built a very difficult preseason schedule, which we hope will prepare our guys for league play. At this point we are truly focused on daily improvement, on setting the right tone in practice, and on the development of our brotherhood within the team. We have a great group of young men, and they are working very hard to represent our great university with pride."
