Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball opens its 18th season under head coach Mark Johnson on Friday (Nov. 9) against the University of Sioux Falls in the MIAA/NSIC Challenge. A day later, the Tigers take on the home team, No. 20/22 ranked Southwest Minnesota State. Tipoff is set for 4 pm from the R/A Facility each day.
The Tigers are coming off a 19-12 season in 2017-18 that saw them finish seventh in the MIAA. The Tigers reached the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament last year before seeing their season finish. Fort Hays State returns four of five starters from last year and 11 players total, looking to improve their finish in the always tough MIAA. The Tigers also seek to end a two-year absence from playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Fort Hays State faces Sioux Falls on Friday, a team it fell to in overtime in the second game of last season. The Cougars took a high-scoring affair by a 96-92 count last year in Emporia, Kansas. The teams meet on a neutral floor once again this year. This is the fourth consecutive year the Tigers open with Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota as their first two opponents of the season.
On Saturday, the Tigers look to knock off a nationally ranked Southwest Minnesota State team for the second straight year. FHSU won the season opener over SMSU last year in Emporia by a score of 85-66 when the Mustangs opened the year ranked No. 15 by the NABC. They enter this year ranked No. 20 in the NABC Poll and No. 22 in the D2SIDA Media Poll.
Last year’s regular starters returning to the team this year include Kyler Kinnamon, Trey O’Neil, Marcus Cooper, and Brady Werth. Werth is the top returning scorer on the team at 12.7 points per game, while adding 4.7 rebounds per game. Cooper is the top returning rebounder on the team, pulling down 4.9 boards per game last year while adding 8.6 points per game. As the team’s point guard, Kinnamon was the top assister for the Tigers last year at 4.2 per game, finishing with 130 for the season to go with 5.6 points per game. O’Neil drained the most 3-point field goals of any player on the team last year with 53, averaging 7.8 points per game. All four are seniors this year.
Another pair of seniors returning to the mix are Grant Holmes and Calvin Harrington. Holmes chipped in 4.5 points per game, while Harrington added 2.8 per game last year. Juniors returning include Aaron Nicholson and Payton Stephens. Nicholson led the Tigers in 3-point field goal percentage last year, draining 40.7 percent of his attempts and averaging 6.1 points per game. Stephens added 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as a reserve. Sophomores Jared Vitztum and Isaiah Nunnery also return, both local products from Hays, looking to add to the Tiger scoring punch. Vitztum averaged 4.2 points per game last year, while Nunnery chipped in 2.0 per game.
Transfers looking to make an impact for the Tigers this season are Freddy Bitondo and Devin Davis. Bitondo gives the Tigers depth in the post, coming to the program from Sam Houston State University, while Davis helps the depth on the perimeter, coming to the Tigers from Allen Hancock College. Gilbert Peters is the only true freshman on the squad after enjoying a successful prep career at South Gray High School.
