Santa Fe Men’s Hoops Opens Season

The Santa Fe men’s basketball team begins season play tonight. The Saints went 21-11 last season, averaging 80.5 points a game. But it’s a new season, and there are twelve new players on the roster. Only two returners are currently practicing. Head coach Chris Mowry is excited for what his new players can bring to the court. Here are some things to note about the team with basketball season now upon us.

There’s huge flexibility in the roster.

One of the big reasons Mowry is looking forward to the season is because of the number of players he can utilize – there are 14 active players on the roster. Five of those men are six-feet-seven-inches or taller. One of those players Mowry is excited to see in action is Admir Besovic, a seven-foot transfer from Montana University.  The height the Saints have gives them a unique advantage. They have the opportunity to play big, with a couple power forwards, as well as the chance to scatter the court with guards playing on the wing. With a dynamic offense able to shift around, defenses will have a tough time matching up. Mowry thinks this will be one of their best assets as the season progresses.

The new players will be stepping up, early.

The Saints have 12 new players to the roster, almost all freshman. While there should be three returners, only two of them are practicing. That’s because sophomore Ivan Smith is out with an injury. Mowry is hopeful he’ll be back sometime in November. Smith had 19 double-figure games last season, and stepped up as a leader on the court. Now, Mowry says it’ll be up to the new players to step up on the court.

Miles Coleman, a six-foot-five freshman, is a player Mowry is looking forward to seeing on the court. He describes him as a player who can play at multiple positions, a danger to opposing teams.

Last year’s season ended with a loss in the in the Conference Tournament Championship game, which prevented the team from a spot in the State Tournament. Mowry is looking to improve upon that this year. With a tough conference schedule, this season should still be as competitive and fun to watch as ever.

We’ve got home basketball games tonight!!

Men at 5 pm
Women at 7 pm pic.twitter.com/ALFh3d7div

— Santa Fe Saints (@santafesaints) November 1, 2018

The Saint’s home opener is tonight at 5 against the Red Devils Basketball Academy. They’ll be back at home on November 17, and will play at home for the remainder of the month.