UNK MBB: Lopers Start 2023-24 in OKC

The Nebraska Kearney men’s basketball team begins the 2023-24 season Friday night in the Oklahoma City metro area with a game against the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm.

The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. and can be heard live on The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM, viewed via SNU’s YouTube channel with live stats also available.

A member of the Great American Conference (GAC), the Crimson Storm have been one of the top teams in the Central Region the past few seasons. SNU posted a 27-5 (21-1 GAC) record last year and upset Northwest Missouri State in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Sweet 16.

However, head coach Adam Bohac moved over to Central Missouri with most of the roster having departed as well. New head coach BJ Foster previously led Cal State San Marcos and has a roster with three Division I transfers, four Division II transfers and five foreigners. The top returner is junior guard Eain Mowat (5.3 points & 1.3 rebounds per game). UNK lost at SNU in both 2017 and 2018 and beat the Storm at a neutral stie in 2015.

Loper head coach Kevin Lofton and assistant Antoine Young have a roster with six returners and eight newcomers. While UNK must replace leading scorer Darrian Nebeker (1,043 career points), most of the new faces have collegiate experience under their belt.

Junior guard Sean Evans (Parker, Colo.) was the team’s second leading scorer last season (14.2) and among the MIAA’s top three-point shooters (.438 pct.). Next, redshirt senior forward Winston Cook (Wahoo) and redshirt junior forward Ryder Kirsch (Rapid City, S.D.) combined for about 16 points and 10 rebounds a game last winter with true junior forward Sean Murphy (New Zealand) having started 35 times over the past two years.

On the wing, junior Tom Connelly (Denver East) sunk 47 threes last year while pulling down five boards per game. Finally, forward Austin Treece (Wyoming Mich.) redshirted in 2022-23.

The new faces include lefty shooter Taden King (North Idaho College), point guard Miguel Robles (Chaffey College) and dynamic freshmen guards Bryson Goldsmith (El Paso) and D’Aundre Samuels (Denver). Freshman wing Clayton Moore (Mullen) will redshirt with 6-5 redshirt junior Damiri Lindo (Holy Names U.) coming in with two years of D2 playing experience. Next Finally, post Donavan Short (UW-Green Bay) and forward Remington Rofer (MiraCosta College) both have three years of eligibility remaining and give UNK some additional height it has lacked in previous years.

UNK hosts Chadron State (Nov. 18) and Western Colorado (Nov. 21) once it returns from OKC.