Season Preview: Warriors Ready to Defend Title

 

"The team has a lot of new faces mixed with a nice group of returners that all have a chip on their shoulder," shared head coach Jerred Cook. "Our ability to build cohesiveness and live out true brotherhood on and off the court will give us the chance to max out this team's true potential. 

 

"Talented from top to bottom, we show signs of being able to compete and win in multiple ways."

 

With the right balance of returners with NAIA postseason experience and new emerging talent, the Warriors feel confident in their chances of being the top team this year.

 

"Our expectations and goals are in alignment with last year's outcome," Cook said. "We have high aspirations of winning the regular season conference championship and conference tournament championship giving ourselves the best opportunity to win the National Championship. 

 

"Although we doubled our win total last year, I have a personal goal of winning 20 + games this year."

 

Let's talk about some of the key players that make up the Warrior roster.

 

The returners: Micaiah Hankins is a sophomore who comes back as a walking double-digit scorer. He is a crafty guard who played lots of starter minutes last season.

 

Marius Ntwari is a 6'11 forward who has worked a lot on his mobility in the offseason. He has also improved on his catching and finishing around the rim.

 

Ray Witt Jr. is a sharpshooting wing that helps spread the floor for the Warriors. 

Adofo Thomas is a two-way guard who makes plays offensively and defensively.

 

Cameron Snyder is a sharpshooting guard with a high basketball IQ who is always in the right place at the right time. 

 

Now for the newcomers: Rayven Turner stands at 6'6 and is a scoring wing who can score from all three levels.

 

Marques Sales is an old-school wing that impacts winning on both sides of the court.

 

Justin Boateng redshirted last year and is ready to make an impact this time around. 

 

At 6'3, Jamal Briscoe is an athletic guard who will be expected to make consistent plays for the team.

 

John Duff stands at 6'10 and plays inside and outside while defending the rim and controlling the glass.

 

Korey Hess is a grad transfer who is very good at playmaking and ready to make a big impact at Westcliff.

There is a lot of talent on the roster this year and that also means that there is an abundance of leadership and guys that will want to step up.

"I did things differently and allowed for leaders to emerge," Cook said. "We followed up with a team vote as Cameron Snyder, who was our coach's pick for captain, was also the unanimous choice from players. Our staff will appoint one other player to join in leadership."

Cook had lots of praises for Snyder and the work he puts on and off the court as a student-athlete. 

"Cameron was the best choice because he exudes 5Cs, adds tremendous value to our program on and off the court, and leads by example of being a true student-athlete," Cook said. "He has shown trust in our system since his arrival and we are expecting a huge year from him."

 

The Warriors will kick off their season on Tuesday, November 7th when they face off against D1 LMU for the first time in the program's history.

 

Westcliff's schedule will feature three D1 schools who are LMU, Pepperdine, and UCSD.

There will also be some non-conference NAIA opponents like Multnomah, Warner Pacific, Northwestern University, and Vanguard.

 

"Per tradition, I put together one of the most competitive schedules across the levels to get us prepared for our season," Cook said. "In an effort to beef up our NAIA rankings, we also will be competing against opponents from three other NAIA conferences.

"The approach is the same. The players are different but the message is the same. There's a standard that has been set and this year's team has shown less resistance in trusting the principles because results showed proof with us winning rings last year. It's always on us. An expectation to bring the best version of yourself to add value to the team. We over Me."

The mantra for this year's team: 'Keep that chip on your shoulder'

Cook and his coaching staff are determined to have this team ready to perform at the highest level when it matters most and trust in the work that was put in the offseason.

"Being disciplined in our principles will provide the freedom they desire," Cook said. "It won't be a matter of skill or gameplan most of the time, it will be determined by who wants it more."

 

And Cook will make sure he is always reminding the team of the following: "Keep your pivot. Adversity will come, will you be easily moved off your pivot and travel, or will you stay strong pivoting out to find the next best plan of action?"

 

Follow the Warriors this season on their social media accounts as well as the athletics page where all results will be followed live throughout the season.