MBB Preview: Young Blue Devils to get season underway Saturday

vs. UM-Crookston: Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | WEAU TV-13 Preview

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (0-0, 0-0 WIAC) will open their season Saturday, Nov. 14 when they host NCAA Division II Minnesota Crookston (0-1, 0-0 NSIC) at 5 p.m. The Golden Eagles lost, 75-69, at Waldorf College Friday night.

EDDIE ANDRIST INTERVIEWS: Throughout the season, Pete Knutson of Sports Radio 1400 AM will speak with men's basketball head coach Eddie Andrist.

WEBCASTS: All UW-Stout home games will be available in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video, with Sam Ripp on the call. WMEQ 880 Radio, with Pete Knutson, Jay Fahl or Jake Bostrom, will broadcast and provide a live audio stream of away conference games and a select number of home games. Stout will provide Live Stats for all home games. Check the Blue Devil Webcast page or on the schedule page to see broadcasts and Live Stats available when Stout is on the road.

CAREER STATS: Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to check out the UW-Stout career high for points, rebounds, and assists of each Blue Devil player.

A LOOK AT THE BLUE DEVILS: UW-Stout returns eight of its top-10 scorers from last year, including junior guard Brett Ahsenmacher who was second on the team with 8.9 points per contest. The roster includes two seniors, seven juniors, seven sophomores and 10 freshmen - of the newcomers, four are transfers. Due to injuries last season, the Blue Devils had only three players that participated in all 25 games, and utilized 12 different starting lineups. UW-Stout will play just four of its first 10 games at Johnson Fieldhouse. The Blue Devils will look to shake off a 3-22 season.

Until Hank and Reggie Kujak join the squad at the conclusion of the football season, junior guard Brett Ahsenmacher brings the most experience to the Blue Devils. Ahsenmacher has played in 50-of-52 games over his career, and started 22 of the 24 games her played in last year. Ahsenmacher averaged 8.9 points last season and scored a career-best 22 points against John Carroll University last season. Ahsenmacher was second on the team in assists and led the team in in 3-pointers made.

Jalen Patterson showed flashes last season, finishing the year averaging 6.8 points. Patterson's 13 blocked shots averaged 0.62 per contest and ranked sixth in the WIAC...guard John Keefe exploded for 30 points early in the season against Bethany Lutheran and finsihed the season averaging 6.5 points. John Lahti saw considerable time in the paint, starting 14 games during his freshman season. Lahti, Sam Ortmann and Isaac Elliott are the only three players last season to have seen action in all 25 games. Cory Speer didn't have much time to play with the Blue Devils, concluding his first season after three games due to injury. Speer, who transferred to Stout from Rochester Community Technical College last season, averaged 3.7 assists over those three games. Stout last season lost seven conference games by seven points or less. | 2014-15 Statistics

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: While it was still a loss, the Blue Devils finished with a strong effort, dropping an 86-77 decision to UW-Whitewater at Johnson Fieldhouse. Stout played well in their last game of the 2014-15 season, draining a season-high 13 3-pointers, going 47 percent from the arc, and 8-10 from the free throw line. UW-Stout pulled to within 15-11 eight minutes into the game, but NCAA Division I UW-Green Bay went off on a 25-0 run and took control in a season-opening exhibition game at Resch Center, going on to a 95-41 win over the Division III Blue Devils Saturday. John Keefe scored 11 points to lead the Blue Devils. | UW-GB Story and Box Score | Whitewater Story and Box Score


SCOUTING UM-CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles, an NCAA Division II program, will have played three exhibition games and are scheduled to open the regular season Friday, Nov. 13 at Waldorf College in Iowa prior to playing in Menomonie. Crookston lost to Minnesota, Nov. 1, 75-57, to open the exhibition season, then defeated St. Scholastica, 91-80, Nov. 7, before falling 80-86 to Jamestown University, Nov. 10. The Golden Eagles return only two players that saw action last year - Derrick Redd, Jr, the team's leading scorer, and Jim Warmack, who saw action in all 27 games. Redd averaged 11.4 points, while Warmack averaged 3.6 points. CJ Polk scored 32 points against St. Scholastica and averaged 18.0 points during the exhibition season. Redd averaged 8.0 points, Chase Knickerbocker 10.6, Nate Lorenz 8.6 and Kobe Critchley 7.0. | Golden Eagles Statistics

CROOKSTON LAST TIME OUT: In a 75-69 loss to Waldorf last night, the Golden Eagles got 35 points off the bench, led by a team-high 15 points from Ben Grygiel. The junior added eight rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Nate Lorenz added 11 points and six boards. C.J. Polk had nine points and six boards, while Derrick Redd, Jr. chipped in eight points.  UMC finished the game shooting 27-of-66 from the field for 40.9 percent and were 8-of-27 for 29.6 percent. Waldorf shot 29-of-57 from the field for 50.9 percent and were 7-of-17 from beyond the arc for 41.2 percent.    Crookston men's basketball team fell 80-68 to an experienced University of Jamestown squad Nov. 10 in Jamestown, ND. The Golden Eagles were led by 14 points from C.J. Polk , while Derrick Redd, Jr. added 12 and Kobe Critchley chipped in 12. Chase Knickerbocker came off the bench for nine points and five boards, while Aaron Hollcraft and Xavier Hall each had six off the bench. UMC shot 19-of-47 from the field for 40.4 percent and were 10-of-25 for 40.0 percent. The Golden Eagles struggled on the charity stripe, hitting 20-of-30 for 66.0 percent. | Story and Box Score

LAST TIME STOUT AND CROOKSTON MET: The teams have met only once, Jan. 10, 1995, with the Blue Devils taking a home 93-88 win over the Eagles. It was a game with big individual numbers. Guard Zak Alwin led Stout with 24 points, while Brad Markwell pitched in 22 points, Tuwan Clayton 15 and Justin Peters 13. Crookston's Jason Yutrzenka led all scorers with 26 points. Marlon Bankston tossed in 23 points and Lorenzo Bronson added 12 points. In the days of two officials, current WIAC head of officials Tom Fiedler and Casey Eckardt held court. | Game Story and Statistics


AWARDS AND HONORS: (last season) Brett Ahsenmacher was selected as the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week, Jan. 5, after his performance at the St. Norbert Tournament...Brett Ahsenmacher was selected to the all-tournament team at the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament hosted by St. Norbert College, Dec. 29-30...Jarvis Ragland was selected as the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week, Dec. 1 and as the WIAC Athlete of the Week Dec. 2 after averaging 22.5 points during the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Blue Devil team captain for the 2015-16 season is Brett Ahsenmacher.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Eddie Andrist (186-199 at Stout, 436-390 overall) is in his 15th year as the coach of the Blue Devils, and his 26th overall in the collegiate ranks. Andrist led the Blue Devils to their first NCAA Division III appearance five seasons ago when Stout advanced to the second round. Andrist coached at Mount Senario for 11 seasons and won three national championships. Andrist spent two stints coaching international basketball, working with the country of Qatar. UM-Crookston: Dan Weisse (7-20) enters his second season as the head coach for the men's basketball program at UMC. In his first season with the Golden Eagles, Weisse helped the program move in the right direction as they went 7-20 and picked up their most conference victories (5) since the 2000-01 season. He helped the Golden Eagles to wins over NSIC opponents St. Cloud State University, Wayne State College (Neb.), Bemidji State University, University of Mary and University of Sioux Falls.

CONFERENCES: Stout is a member of the nine team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Whitewater and UW-River Falls. Superior left the conference after the 2014-15 season.

UP NEXT: The Blue Devils will be at the Wartburg College Buzz Levick Tournament where they will face Monmouth College, Friday, Nov. 20, then will face either host Wartburg College or Emmaus Bible College, Saturday, Nov. 21.

UW-Stout 2014-15 Individual Season Highs (Updated February 22, 2015)

Points: 30, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 5, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 15, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Assists: 7, Hank Kujak vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Steals: 3, (8x) Jalen Patterson vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014; John Lahti vs. John Carroll, Dec. 29, 2014; John Keefe vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10, 2014; Hank Kujak vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 6, 2014; Hank Kujak vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; John Keefe vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014; Brett Ahsenmacher vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014; D'Marcco Patrick vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014

UW-Stout 2014-15 Team Season Highs (Updated February 20, 2015)

Points: 90 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Field Goals Made: 35 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Field Goal Percentage: .547 (35-64) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 13 vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 21, 2015
Free Throws Made: 28 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Free Throw Percentage: .800 (16-20) vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 46 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 16 (2x) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Steals: 11 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 42014
Double-Doubles: Jarvis Ragland (4x), 25 points, 15 rebounds vs, Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; 18 points, 10 rebounds vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 10, 2015; 21 points, 11 rebounds vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2015; 21 points, 10 rebounds vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 31, 2015.


UW-Stout Career Bests (updated February 22, 2015)

Jacob Nordstrom - #3
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Solon Ellis - #4
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Jerry Butler - #5
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Caleub Watkins - #10
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

John Keefe - #11
Points: 30 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 6 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 5 vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014

Zach Dahl - #12
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Brett Ahsenmacher - #13
Points: 22 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 5 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 7, 2015
Assists: 4 vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 21, 2015

Isaac Elliott - #14
Points: 14 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 21, 2015
Rebounds: 5 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 24, 2015
Assists: 2 vs. Northwestern, Dec. 20, 2014.

Jalen Patterson - #15
Points: 17 vs. UW-Superior, Jan. 17, 2015
Rebounds: 6 vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 4, 2015
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, 2015; vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014

Justin Thomas - #21
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Cory Speer - #23
Points: 5 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 3 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Assists: 5 vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:

Sam Ortmann - #24
Points: 10 (2x) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 31, 2015; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 5 (3x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, 2015; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014; vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:
Assists: 6 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014

Brandyn Christman - #31
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Luke Murphy - #32
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Hank Kujak - #33
Points: 17 vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 10, 2015
Rebounds: 9 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 7 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014

Keegan Dickson - #34
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Colton Williams - #35
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Reggie Kujak - #44
Points: 11 vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 10 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10, 2014

John Lahti - #42
Points: 13 vs. UW-River Falls, Feb. 11, 2015
Rebounds: 6 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 2 (2x) vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 21, 2015; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014

Mason Elsen - #44
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Joe Haas - #45
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x


The Last Time...(updated February 22, 2015)

A Stout Individual...
Scored 30 points: 30, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
Scored 25-29 points: 26, Jarvis Ragland vs. Northwestern, (12/20/14)
Recorded 15 rebounds: 15, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
Recorded 10 assists: 11, Erik Olson vs. UW-Stevens Point (2/13/13)
Recorded 6 steals: 8, by Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran (11/21/08)

A Stout Team...
Had five players score in double digits:vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014 - Jarvis Ragland (24), Isaac Elliott (11), John Keefe (10), Brett Ahsenmacher (10), John Lahti (10)
Had four players score in double digits: vs. UW-River Falls, Feb. 11, 2015 - Jalen Patterson (15), John Lahti (13), Jarvis Ragland (10), John Keefe (10)
Scored 105 points: 109, vs. Crown College (2/15/11)
Scored 100-104 points: 102 vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Recorded 60 rebounds: 64, vs. Concordia-Texas (12/11/2011)
Recorded 55-59 rebounds: 56 vs. Northland College (11/24/12)
Recorded 25 assists: 25, vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Won 10 or more games in a row: 10, 2005-06 season
Lost 5 or more games in a row: 14, 2014-15 season
Was held to 40 or fewer points in game: 40, vs. Plattsburgh State (12/30/13)

UW-Stout Individual Game Records
Most Points: 43, Chris Korba vs. UW-Oshkosh, 1991
Most Field Goals Attempted: 32, Bill Heideman vs. UW-River Falls, 1967-68
Most Field Goals Made: 17, Bill Heideman vs. UW-River Falls, 1967-68
Most 3-Point Field Goals Attempted: 14, Eric Hostetter vs.Crown College, 2010-11; Jeff Vandenberghe vs. Elmhurst, 12/13/03
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made: 9/14, Jeff Vandenberghe vs. Elmhurst, 12/13/03; 9/12, Jerrod Buchholtz vs. UW-River Falls 1/5/11
Consecutive Field Goals Made: 13, Craig Summers vs. E. Montana,1981-82
Best Field Goal Percentage: 100%, Tuwan Clayton (8/8) vs. Northwestern, 12/1/94; Jimmy Whitehead (8/8) at UW-Eau Claire, 1/25/14; Aaron Jenny (5/5) vs. Northland, 11/24/12; Josh Kosloske (5/5) at Luther College, 11/25/13; Brandon White Blackmon (5/5) vs. UW-La Crosse, 1/12/08
Most Free Throws Attempted: 22, Cal Glover vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1970-71
Most Free Throws Made: 16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1970-71; Troy Hamilton vs. Mt. Senario, 1989-90; Keith Moessner vs. UW-La Crosse, 1957-58
Consecutive Free Throws Made: 16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Superior, 1970-71
Best Free Throw Percentage: 100%, 16-16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Superior, 1970-71; 12-12, Duke Severson vs. Augsburg, 1959-60; 11-11, Nate Templer vs. La Crosse, 2/12/03; 8-8, Erik Olson vs. UW-Superior, 1/30/13
Most Rebounds: 38, Mel Coleman vs. UW-Whitewater, 1967-68
Most Assists: 14, Brian Ellingson vs. Northland, 1986-87
Most Steals: 8, Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran 11/21/08
Most Blocked Shots: 9, Jacob Nonemacher vs. UW-Whitewater, 1/27/07