Posted: Jan 20, 2021
FREELAND, MICH. -- The Trine University men's basketball team was picked to finish third in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association preseason poll that was released today.
The Thunder finished with 38 points and two first-place votes to earn third place. Albion (Mich.) College was picked as the favorite with 43 points and four first-place votes, while Hope (Mich.) College was tabbed second with 40 points and one first-place vote.
Last season, the Thunder posted a 16-12 overall record and finished in a tie for third in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with an 8-6 mark. Trine claimed a spot in the MIAA Tournament last season and advanced to the tournament title game for the third time in the last five years.
Trine will be led by a host of juniors this season including Bryce Williams who saw playing time as a starter a year ago. Williams played in all 28 games and started 13 games. He scored 5.7 ppg. and led the team in three-point shooting percentage at 42.4 pecent (42-of-99). He was also among the leaders in both assists (30) and steals (23).
Additionally, juniors Nick Bowman, Aiden Warzecha, Reese McGinsie, Mitchell Geller and Griffin Lorimer return to the roster this winter. Bowman, Warzecha and Geller all saw significant playing time as sophomores with all three playing in 15 or more games.
Other players to watch include sophomores Brent Cox and Jake Schuler. Cox saw significant playing time as a freshman, playing in all 28 games and made 11 starts. He averaged 8.0 points per game as a forward and was among the team leaders in rebounding at 4.9 boards per game.
As a team, Trine finished second in the MIAA in field goal percentage at 45.4 percent (74-of-1726) and third in three-point shooting at 36.8 percent (222-of-603). The Thunder also ranked third in assists per game (14.1) and blocks per game (2.3).
Defensively, the Thunder allowed 72.9 ppg. which ranked as the third lowest in the conference.
Trine will continue the season on Thursday (Jan. 21) at Alma College in Alma, Mich. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.