Preview: 2010-11 Men's Basketball

When the University of Dallas men's basketball team takes the court for their season opener on Monday, Nov. 15, against Southwestern University, they'll look considerably different than than they did a year ago. 

Over the course of the offseason, the Crusaders lost six players to graduation, meaning the team is in search of new leadership.

A natural group of players to assume the leadership role will be the returning upperclassmen. The four upperclassmen returning include senior guard/forward Noah Pettit (Fairfax, Cali./Sir Francis Drake), senior guard Joe Edison (Tulsa, Okla./Metro Christian Academy), junior guard Barrett Brown (Phoenix, Ariz./Mountain Pointe H.S.), and junior guard Dan Streett (Novato, Cali./Trinity Prep). 

Brown's experience and ability to score should prove beneficial to the Crusaders. In a recent scrimmage versus Mary Hardin-Baylor, Brown ammased ten points in the first half. 

UD head coach Jarred Samples stated the 2010-11 team is a "great group," and the freshmen have a lot of energy and excitement. This should be good news, as this year's squad features seven freshman, or half of the entire team. "They have brought a new energy to the program," Samples said.

Speaking of an energetic freshman, Braeton Hightower (Sperry, Okla./Owasso H.S.), a freshman guard, put home 18-points in the aforementioned scrimmage, which caught his coach's attention. 

"He played really well," said coach Samples. "He has basketball genes -- his dad is a high school coach, and his brother played Division-III basketball." 

Another source of Samples' enthusiasm is from his faith in his young point guard, Drew Assinesi (Pasadena, Cali./La Salle H.S.). "He was tremendous in the offseason," stated Samples. "He is one of the hardest workers on the team." As a freshman last season, Assinesi played the fourth most minutes of anyone on the team. This experience should prove invaluable as the sophomore guard runs the offense this season. 

When asked to detail the effort put forth in his team's practices, which began on Oct. 15, coach Samples returned to the theme of "energy."

"Energy has been a really big thing for us," coach Samples stated. "The younger guys are excited because they get a chance to come in and compete." Samples then asserted that this experience the freshmen will receive will make them better down the road.

Another one of the things coach Samples expressed excitement about is the Crusaders' schedule, which includes traveling to Colorado, New York City, and California. With that said, he is most excited about the home court advantage. 

"Everyone loves playing in front of a rowdy, raucous crowd," stated coach Samples. "We need to do our part by playing hard." Coach Samples concluded his assessment of home-court advantage, stating that it will be a better atmosphere for everyone when people show up.

Come support both the UD men's and women's basketball teams on Monday, Nov. 15, as they battle Southwestern University to open their respective seasons. The women play at 5:30 p.m., while the men play at 7:30 p.m. in the Maher Athletic Gym.