ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The third season of the #FLOW Era is here, as Griffon Men's Basketball opens up its 2022-23 season in the 29th Annual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic inside the friendly confines of the MWSU Fieldhouse.

COACHES CORNER
Missouri Western Head Coach Will Martin returns with a staff full of familiar faces, as Jon Hood and Perry Stevenson are back for their second season as assistant coaches. Meanwhile, former team manager and graduate assistant Weston Smith was promoted to assistant coach this summer, and former player Tony Chukwuemeke rejoins the team as a grad assistant. Under Martin in the last two seasons, the Griffons are 28-28 overall 23-21 in the MIAA, making the NCAA Central Region Tournament in 2020-21 -- the first time MWSU has done so since 2009-10. 

This winter also signals the first season with normalcy setting back in after two years snake bitten by COVID-19. 

"I like the balance of our team," Martin said. "We have a few upperclassmen, and we also brought in some new guys. We have a good balance of transfers students to high school students, which I like a lot. I'm really excited about the guys that we retained. I think that our guys are bought into the defensive side of the floor, which you have to be to have success in our league. We're taking it one day at a time. But I think if we can stay locked into our mission and be about flow and faith, love ownership, work and really have an identity of being a tough, gritty, defensive-minded team. We have the pieces to be pretty successful."

2022-23 SEASON OUTLOOK
After a 14-17 season last year where the Griffons went 10-12 in the MIAA, they were picked seventh in the conferences coaches' poll and sixth by the media -- a step up from their ninth-place finish last spring. Core, experienced players like Will Eames, Alex John and Reese Glover are back, while three Division I transfers are turning heads thanks to standout preseason play by Julius Dixon. Missouri Western went 1-1 in its exhibition games, beating Benedictine at the Looney Complex, 72-67, and losing to No. 4 Kentucky at Rupp Arena, 56-38. 

Martin's expectations for his guys always remains the same with his esoteric mindset, and that's for them to become better people once it's all said in done.

"That's how I gauge success," Martin said. "For me as a head coach and for our program, it's not what guys accomplish while they're here, but what they're able to accomplish once they leave here."

That being said, Martin's team is in the hunt for late-season heroics, especially after getting a taste of the NCAA Tournament nearly two years ago.

"In terms of team goals, we want to win," Martin said. "We play to win, we practice to win. I'm never going be satisfied until we're cutting down nets. That's not me making a proclamation that is what's going to happen. We're striving towards that. We're also aware of where we are and the mountain that we have to climb to get there, and it's a daunting mountain. It's not an easy climb, but I won't be satisfied with top two, top three, top four, top-five finish ever. We want to cut the nets down. We want to win championships. That's what we're about."

Pieces of that 2020-21 Central Region run includes Eames and Glover, who both have All-MIAA honors under their belts. Eames was All-MIAA Third Team last season after, an honorable mention in 2021 and was the 2020 MIAA Freshman of the Year. The fifth-year Griffon also set career-high for rebounds in a single season with 244 last winter. Glover made the All-MIAA Honorable Mention Team in 2021. 

Versatile players like JaRon Thames and Alex John are also back in the Black & Gold. John is dealing with back injuries but muscling through it, while Thames will miss the first few weeks with a finger injury. Thames averaged a career-high 9.3 points per game, and John was always reliable for attacking the rack and creating highlight plays.

11/11 - SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
Led by first-year Head Coach Bryan Beamish, the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles were picked last (16th) in the NSIC and eighth in the North Division in the preseason coaches' poll. This is Beamish's eighth year overall with Crookston, giving him plenty of time to know this program. Missing the postseason at 8-19 in last year, Crookston brings in 10 new players, including the program's "Player to Watch" Blaize Sagna. 

Martin knows what it's like to be in your first year as head coach, both from a secondary point of view and first-person view as well.

"It's scary when you play first year head coaches, because I've experienced that" Martin said. "When Sundance Wicks took over (MWSU's) program and I was an assistant, I was in the trenches with Sunny every day. I lived with him that year at his house. When you're a first year guy, there's a lot of excitement. There's a lot of passion and purpose, and you don't know what you don't know. You don't really know what to fear, so you're a little more fearless." 

Missouri Western is 0-1 vs. Crookston since 2000, losing on Nov. 19, 2019, 83-74, at St. Joseph Civic Arena. Tip-off vs. Crookston is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Projected Starters
#4: Jr. G  Xzavier Jones (6-4, Milwaukee, Wis.)
#1: So. G  Blaize Sagna (6-3, London, England)
#11: R-Jr. G/F Matthew Allman (6-6, London, England)
#24: Jr. G/F Dezmond Washington (6-6, Morrilton, Ark.)
#14: So. F Pedro Rossi (6-8, Bahia Blanca, Argentina)

11/12 - SCOUTING NORTHERN STATE
On the opposite end of the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll is Northern State, picked fourth overall and third in the North Division. Led by fourth-year mean Saul Phillips, the Wolves went 20-12 overall and 13-9 in the conference, receiving 53 votes -- the most out of any teams outside of the NABC Coaches Top-25 Poll. After leading the team 15.6 PPG a season ago, Sam Masten was picked as the team's player to watch in the NSIC, earning All-Conference honors in 21-22 alongside Jordan Belka and Jacksen Moni. 

"What I respect about Northern is their tradition," Martin said. "I worked for Sundance Wicks, who played for Don Meyer. I know a lot now about just the culture of Northern because of my time working with Sundance, Saul Phillips has done a tremendous job of making sure that that tradition and that culture lives on. Obviously, he's going to run his own offense in his own defense, but they have a true moxie when it comes to their identity as a successful DII program because of what Don Meyer built there."

Missouri Western last played Northern State on Nov. 10, 2013, losing to the Wolves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 87-78. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 6 p.m.