The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Men’s basketball team has been picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams in the Northern Sun Conference preseason coaches poll. UMC was picked to finish seventh out of eight teams in the NSIC North division.
Southwest Minnesota State was tabbed the top team in the poll, followed by St. Cloud State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Concordia-St. Paul, and Augustana rounded out the top five.
In the North, Minnesota Duluth is picked to finish at the top of the division.
Jakob Braaten of Southwest Minnesota State and Caleb Siwek of Minnesota Duluth are the NSIC Preseason Players of the Year.
Heading into his fourth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles, head coach Bryan Beamish likes what he has heading into the season. “This year’s roster has good length, versatility, and speed. After graduating 6 seniors, my staff did a great job filling those positions,” mentioned Beamish. “We have had good competition and energy so far in workouts. Building our team chemistry and trust will be important as we gear up for the season.”
The most experienced Golden Eagle, Chandler Meeks (Jr., G, Omaha, Neb.) played in 15 games last season before missing the rest of the year with injury. He averaged 9.7 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game. “Chandler has been a leader in our program since his freshman year. He’s had to battle some adversity but his work ethic is unmatched and I’m really looking forward to getting him on the court again.”Coach Beamish also likes what Meeks brings on both ends of the floor.
UMC will officially open practice for the season on Monday, October 13 and the first game will be on Friday, November 14 at 7:30 P.M., against Central Oklahoma.
