ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Entering year four under Head Coach Will Martin, Griffon Men's Basketball begins the 2023-24 season on their home court this weekend at the Hillyard Tipoff Classic inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Missouri Western State is coming off a 14-16 season, going 9-13 in MIAA play. Martin's entire supporting staff is back this season, with third-year Assistant Coach Jon Hood and second-year Assistant Coaches Weston Smith and Tony Chukwuemeke ready to help lead a Griffon team tabbed seventh and eighth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. Martin started his head-coaching tenure in 2020-21 after being hired here as an assistant in 2018, leading MWSU to the NCAA Tournament that very season for the first time since 2010.

After making it to the MIAA Tournament Semifinals and falling to No. 1-seeded Northwest Missouri State to conclude the 2022-23 campaign in Kansas City, the Griffons start this season with 11 returners and four newcomers on board. With 10 upperclassmen to lead this team, Martin is confident in his squad's ability to grow from last year and turn the chapter one day at a time. 

"For me and my staff, you spend the entire summer going through last year," Martin said. "The positives, the negatives... I really self-assess things that I could have done differently as a coach where we could have been a lot better for our guys. [Our guys] are not focused on how things ended last year. The past only matters to educate you on the present so that you can try to build a better future. Right now, we're living in the present."

PRESEASON PREP
The Griffons played one exhibition this preseason, defeating Benedictine 83-71 on Oct. 20 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Redshirt freshman guard Josh Book turned heads in his unofficial Griffon debut, scoring 14 points off the bench.

ALL-CONFERENCE CATALYSTS
The Griffons return two All-MIAA selections from a season ago with junior guards Julius Dixon and Taye Fields. Both Griffons made the honorable mention team, with Dixon leading the Griffs with 13.6 points per game while Fields was third in the MIAA with 8.1 rebounds per game. Fields' RPG average is the second-best mark in a single Griffon MBB season, matching Lavonte Douglas' from 2011-12. 

 "They go from young guys to old, mature guys, "Martin said about his upperclassmen. "It's been really cool to kind of to watch them mature right before my eyes not just as basketball players, but as men. I'm excited to see them respond and to see them continually grow."

SENIOR STRENGTH
Back for their final years as Griffons are guard Reese Glover and forward JaRon Thames. Glover owns the MWSU MBB all-time 3-point record, making 258 threes in 101 games over the last four seasons. Thames enters his fifth season 11 points shy of 900, and he is also 10 rebounds away from hitting the 400 mark.

Fans can read more about all players later this week in position previews right here on GoGriffons.com.

CHAPTER ONE
Missouri Western is one of six teams competing in this weekend's Hillyard Tipoff Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse inside the Looney Complex. The full tournament schedule can be found here. 

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon Men's Basketball will grace the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac on the call for Friday night's game. Missouri Western Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer will be on the mic this Saturday in game two. The games will air on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream.

The games are also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. both nights, with pregame starting at 5. Game admission can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

11/10 - SCOUTING AUGUSTANA | 5:30 PM
The Vikings are coming off their 17th straight winning season, going 15-14 overall and 11-11 in the NSIC in 2022-23. Augustana was picked fifth in the conference after finishing sixth in the south division. The Vikings went 7-9 on the road last season, going 2-2 in neutral games while going 5-7 as the away team.

Who to Watch
Senior guard Isaac Fink is Augustana's lone All-NSIC selection from 2022-23, making the first team with 14.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG, good for 19th and sixth in the conference, respectively. Fellow senior guard Jaden Graves returns after notching 12.7 PPG, leading the team with 122 assists last season. Sophomore forward Caden Hinker blocked a team-high 12 shots last season, snagging 26 steals in the process.

Head Coach
Now in year 21 with Augustana, Tom Billete is 374-213 as a Viking. In his 26-year career, he is 471-263, coaching for five years at Division I North Dakota State. Since taking over for the Vikings in 2003, he is 0-1 vs. MWSU. He has never stepped foot inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Long-Time Rubber Match
The Griffons and Vikings have only met twice before, with Augustana winning in 2002 in St. Joseph before MWSU evened up the series in 2013 at Sioux Falls. The 2013-14 Griffons beat the Vikings 65-64 thanks to a pair of made free throws by Colbert Cortrrez with three seconds left to play. Augustana's Ethan Guskee missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

11/11 - SCOUTING NO. 21 NORTHERN STATE | 5:30 PM
Ranked No. 21 in the NABC Top-25 Poll, Northern State (24-7, 19-3 NSIC) is coming off its 11th consecutive winning season and an NSIC Championship. The Wolves went 10-6 when on the road last season, tallying a 9-3 away record and 1-3 neutral record. Northern plays No. 1-ranked Northwest Missouri State on Friday at 3:15 p.m. before playing MWSU on Saturday.

Who to Watch
Making the All-NSIC First Team last season, junior forward Jacksen Moni finished eighth in the conference with a clip of 48.5% from the field. While scoring 15.2 PPG, Moni was fifth in the NSIC with 34 blocks, also claiming a team-high 51 assists and 23 steals. Graduate student guard Augustin Reede is back after finishing fourth on the team with 11.6 PPG, leading the team with 87 made threes and a clip of 52.4% from downtown. Junior guard Josh Dilling put up 10.2 PPG and dished 96 assists in 2022-23.

Head Coach
Now in his fifth year, Saul Phillips has won the NSIC Championship with NSU three times. He is 89-29 at Northern and is 304-188 in his 17-year career, coaching DI programs such as North Dakota State (2007-14) and Ohio (2014-19).

MIAA vs. NSIC
These two teams have met just twice before, with NSU holding a 2-0 advantage. The Wolves beat the Griffons 68-57 in last season's Hillyard Tipoff Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Before that, NSU won 87-78 in 2013.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MBB HISTORY
Nov. 10 | Box Score
Also competing in the Hillyard Tipoff Classic, the 2018-19 Griffons won their third straight with a 75-67 decision vs. Upper Iowa at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Tyus Millhollin balled out for MWSU, leading the team with a game-high 22 points while hitting 6-of-11 shots from beyond the arc. Lavon Hightower chipped in 16 points and grabbed seven boards. Missouri Western held Upper Iowa to just 17.4% from deep and 35.5% from the field. 

Nov. 11 | Box Score
Just last season, the 2022-23 Griffons opened up their year at the Hillyard Tipoff Classic, defeating Minnesota Crookston 81-76 in overtime at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Then a sophomore, guard Zion Swader went off for a game-high and career-high 22 points while playing off the bench, sinking 5-of-5 shots from deep. Dixon diced up the Crookston defense with 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Fields made his presence known with 12 points and seven boards. Crookston shot poorly from the free-throw line, making 7-of-15 shots and shooting 46.7%. The Griffs were on fire from deep, making 12-of-26 (46.2%) shots.