Crookston, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston Men's Basketball team will kick off the 2021-22 season this Saturday with an exhibition game against Hamline University (MN) at Gary Senske Court inside Lysaker Gymnasium.
 
How to follow
Hamline University @ Minnesota Crookston
Crookston, Minn. / Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium
3 P.M.
Live Stats - https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Note: Saturday's game will not be live-streamed on the NSIC Network.
 
University of Minnesota Crookston
Head Coach: Dan Weisse (8^th Season)
Record at UMC: 56-118
 
Hamline University
Head Coach: Jim Hayes (8^th Season)
Record at Hamline: 70-113
 
Minnesota Crookston Preview
Coming off of a two win season a year ago, the Golden Eagles will lift the lid on the 2021-22 season this Saturday at 3 P.M., against Hamline University. Minnesota Crookston fans will see a whopping nine newcomers that will don Golden Eagle uniforms on Saturday for the first time.
 
A season ago, the Golden Eagles gave up 81.5 points per game defensively, which ranked 14^th in the conference, just ahead of Concordia-St. Paul and Upper Iowa. Offensively, the Golden Eagles made 124 three-point shots last season and 7.8 per game, which ranked eighth in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles will look to carry over that shooting from deep into this season.
 
The Golden Eagles will be led by the returning trio of Brian Sitzmann (R-Sr., G, Savage, Minn.), Leonard Dixon (R-Jr., F, Demascus, Ore.) and Ethan Channel (R-Jr., G, Beaverton, Ore.), all of which are expected to start. The trio all averaged in double-digit scoring on the season last year. They were three out of the four Golden Eagles to average double-figures in the shortened season. Sitzmann is the top returning scorer with 11.5 points per game, while Dixon led the team with 32 makes from deep and Channel led the team by shooting 49 percent from the field.
 
There are a number of newcomers expected to make a big impact this year for the maroon and gold as well. Uzo Dibiamaka (R-So., G, Adelaide, South Australia) is expected to be one of the main point guards after averaging 7.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game for Iowa Central CC a season ago. Dylan Hushaw (R-So., G, Las Vegas, Nev.), Ron Kirk, Jr. (Fr., G, Milwaukee, Wis.) and Jerome Mabry (R-So., G, Milwaukee, Wis.) are all expected to be a big part of the Golden Eagle backcourt this season. Nathaniel Powell (R-So., C, Nottingham, England) and Zen Goodridge (R-Jr., C, Orlando, Fla.) will help add size and rebounding to the frontcourt for Dan Weisse.
 
Hunter Lyman (R-Fr., C, West Fargo, N.D.) and Zach Westphal (R-Sr., G, West Fargo, N.D.) are returners who will bring a veteran presence to the Golden Eagles as well this season.
 
Head Coach Dan Weisse and his staff emphasized transfers this season. The Golden Eagles have ten college transfers on their roster this season, including Goodridge (Bethune-Cookman University) and Marcus Thompson (Lander University), who came from Division I and Division II schools, respectively.
 
Hamline University
St. Paul, Minn., is the home of Hamline University. The Pipers compete in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and finished last season's brief seven game schedule with a 2-5 record. The Pipers two wins were a 55-38 victory over Bethel University and an 88-74 victory over Concordia-Moorhead.
 
Under Hayes, Hamline's highest finish in the ultra-competitive MIAC was back in 2016-17, when the Pipers finished 5^th with an 11-9 record.
 
The Pipers return their two leading scorers in Luke Siwek and Jake Larson. Siwek, the Rosemount, Minn., native led the team with 15.7 points per game last season, including a 26-point output against St. Mary's and a 23-point output against the Cobbers of Concordia-Moorhead. Larson averaged 10.6 points per game and had a season-high 17 points against Augsburg.
 
Marshall Holland and Andrew Jackson each averaged over seven points per game a season ago and both should be key factors in the Piper rotation this season.
 
As a team, the Pipers averaged 64.7 points per game, but allowed just over 71 per game a season ago. On the 2020-21 roster, Hamline had a whopping 13 players that call the Land of 10,000 Lakes their home.