Men's Basketball 10/31/2022 5:00:00 PM

2022-23 Men's Basketball Notes -- Week 1

THE WEEK AHEAD
The 2022-23 OUAZ men's basketball season will tipoff this week with three games in four days. OUAZ begins the week in Provo, Utah, to face BYU in an exhibition at the Marriott Center. The Spirit will then return to Arizona to compete in the ACU Fultz Classic, where they open with Oklahoma City on Friday at 2 p.m. They will close the week on Saturday at noon against third-ranked The College of Idaho in a rematch of the NAIA Second Round game from last season.

The two games of the Fultz Classic will be played at the ACU Events Center in Glendale.

OPENING TIP
Expectations are high for this year's team as OUAZ returns 10 players from the team that recorded the best season in program history with a 25-9 record. That record included winning the GSAC Tournament and its Opening Round game in the program's first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship.

The returning group includes all five regular starters and the top seven leading scorers. Overall, the players on the roster that played last season accounted for 95 percent of the team's points and 87 percent of the rebounds.

There are four newcomers and one redshirt joining the roster this season. The new four features two transfers – one JC and one graduate transfer – along with two freshmen.

Of the 15 players on the roster entering the opening week of games, there are two graduates, seven seniors, one junior, three sophomores, and two freshmen.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
OUAZ was picked to finish fourth in the Olden State Athletic Conference by the coaches. The team was awarded 70 points in the poll to end one point behind Hope International.

Along with the conference selection, the Spirit received 35 points in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Poll to sit among the others receiving votes in 34th. That is the first time the voters have recognized the team to start a season.

PLAY FAST
It is no secret that the Spirit like to push the tempo, and they are coming off a season in which they averaged 77.5 points per game.

The key to success for the Spirit is reaching 80 points in a game. In the program's five-year history, they are 39-20 with 12 consecutive wins when scoring at least 80 points.

UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Wednesday's game at BYU is the first of two exhibition games against NCAA DI opponents. The second is on November 29, when they play at Northern Arizona.

OUAZ defeated Denver 72-71 in an NCAA DI exhibition game last season. In that win, the Spirit used a 21-4 run in just under nine minutes to help build a 39-24 halftime lead. They then sealed the win with a pair of offensive rebounds in the final minute.

SPIRIT LEADERS
Josiah De'laCerda leads five players returning that averaged double figures last season. The No. 3 scorer in the GSAC last season, De'laCerda, scored 20-plus points in a game 16 times at OUAZ.

De'laCerda shot 55.0 percent from the field, and he was fourth in the conference by getting 7.1 rebounds per game with six double-doubles.

Kam Malbrough averaged 12.4 points per game while placing fifth in the GSAC by posting 4.1 assists per outing. Malbrough shot 91.0 percent at the foul line to finish fourth in the NAIA.

Keshawn Bruner added 11.4 points per game, with 20 games scoring in double figures. He was vital to the team's run in the GSAC Tournament by scoring 19.0 points per game in the three wins.

Devin Collins was the top rebounder in the GSAC, leading the conference in offensive (2.8), defensive (6.1), and total rebounds (8.8) per game. Collins had 10-plus rebounds in a game 11 times while averaging 9.3 points with five double-doubles.

Kolten Hitt gave the Spirit 10.2 points per game while adding 1.8 steals per night to finish 64th in the NAIA. He shot 33.8 percent from beyond the arc with a team-high 49 made 3-pointers.

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