Men's Basketball Preview: Blue Devils open by hosting St. Olaf Friday

Home Games: Live Stats | Live Video | Listen | WIAC Weekly Release 

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (0-0, 0-0 WIAC) will open their season as the second part of a doubleheader at Johnson Fieldhouse, Friday, Nov. 8, facing off against St. Olaf College (0-0, 0-0 MIAC) at 7:30 p.m. It's been a while since the Blue Devils and St. Olaf College  have met on the hardwood - 31 years to be exact. The teams last met in the third game of the 1988-89 season when the Blue Devils won 91-81 in Dewey Mintz's final season as the Blue Devils' head coach. Stout will travel to Green Bay to face UW-Green Bay (0-1) in an exhibition game Saturday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. 

PARKING NOTE FOR TONIGHT: Menomonie High School is hosting a Level Three playoff football game at UW-Stout's Don and Nona Williams Stadium Friday, Nov. 8 (tonight), with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. A large crowd is expected for that game, in addition to the UW-Stout doubleheader games. By the time of the tipoff of the Stout/St. Olaf game, parking will be very limited in the immediate area of the football stadium and the basketball arena. Parking will still be available on campus, but will probably not be adjacent to the Sports and Fitness Center. Plan your arrival accordingly.  | Campus Map and Directions | Download a Campus Map [PDF]

BLUE DEVIL WEBCASTS: All UW-Stout home games will be available in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video.Stout will provide Live Stats for all home games. Check the Blue Devil Webcast page or the schedule page to see broadcasts and Live Stats available when Stout is on the road.

ON THE AIR: iHeartRadio's Newstalk WMEQ AM 880 and 106.3 FM will provide broadcast coverage for the season with Pete Knutson and Jake Bostrom providing commentary during the games. Game streams are available on wmeq.com or through the iHeartRadio App.

JIM LAKE INTERVIEWS: Throughout the season, Pete Knutson of iHeartRadio's Newstalk WMEQ AM 880 and 106.3FM will speak with men's basketball head coach Jim Lake. You can find all of the broadcasts and interviews on iHeartRADIO. | Listen to Interviews


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.



UW-STOUT

• When the Blue Devils host St. Olaf Friday, it marks the beginning of the second year in the Jim Lake era for the UW-Stout men's basketball program. The Blue Devils are going to have to replace senior starters John Keefe and Zach Dahl, who graduated last year. That responsibility is likely to fall on the shoulders of 6-foot-2 guard Luke Geiger and 6-foot-6 forward Jon Ciriacks, who are both entering their junior seasons after breakout sophomore campaigns. Geiger and Ciriacks combined to average just over 26 points per game, with Geiger dropping in 13.8 points and Ciriacks, who earned all-WIAC honorable mention honors, scored 13.0 points. Ciriacks pulled down 6.6 rebounds per contest, ranking fifth in the WIAC. The Blue Devils bring back 11 players and bring on eight newcomers.
• Among returners, Geiger led Stout in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.13 long-range goals per game. Geiger hit seven 3-pointers when he scored a career-best 27 points against UW-Whitewater, Feb. 9. Geiger scored in double digits 19 times and four times surpassed 20 points. 
• Ciriacks scored a near career-best when he dropped in 24 points against Whitewater, hitting six field goals with three 3-pointers and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Ciriacks scored a career-best 25 points against Northland College, Dec. 21. 
• Among the returners for the Blue Devils include guards Josh Mericle, Carson Moe, Zach Miller and Peter Brey and forwards Matt Newman, Brady Booth, Cam Brussow and Makete Fru and center Kaden Koski. 
• Koski started 11 games as a freshman and averaged 15.1 minutes. Newman saw action in 22 games. Mericle saw action in 19 games and started one. Booth saw action in 12 games, coming on during the conference season where he saw action in nine conference contests. 
• Alexander played at Oakland (Mich) Community College for two seasons and brings athleticism to the Blue Devils. Briggs is slotted to play at the forward and will help to stretch the Blue Devils' offense, as well as clean up on the glass, as he gets more accustomed to the college game.
• Versatility from the No. 1 to No. 3 positions was a prime area of focus for Lake and his staff. Horton and Hill transferred from North Dakota State College of Science, but neither used basketball eligibility at the two-year school. Hill played football at NDSCS, but in high school was a WCCO high school basketball first team all-state player and was an all-state defensive MVP. Horton was a two-time all-conference player and was the Jefferson County player of the year.
• McCray, Jackson and Hoglund bring multiple skills to the Blue Devils.
• Hoglund brings a local flavor to the Blue Devils. The Chippewa Falls McDonell graduate was a Wisconsin Division 5 all-state first team selection and a member of four teams that qualified to state competition, including a state championship in 2016 and a runner-up trophy in 2018. Hoglund played high school ball for now Stout assistant coach Archie Sherbinow.

SCOUTING ST. OLAF

• The Oles are coming off a 13-13 overall record and a 12-8 MIAC record, which included a second straight trip to the MIAC tourney. The Oles lost Austin Korba, their leading scorer (17.1) and rebounder (6.6), but return Troy Diggins, Jr, (11.0 pts/5/3 rbs) and Dominic Bledsoe (10.1 rbs). The team took a trip to Italy last May where they played European competition and were able to take in the Italian culture.
• 2018-19 Ole Statistics

LAST TIME STOUT AND ST. OLAF  MET

• Stout won an 91-81 decision over the Oles during the 1988-89 season. 

SCOUTING UW-GREEN BAY

• The Phoenix last season finished the year at 21-17 overall, 10-8 in the Horizon League. The entire roster returned to the Phoenix with the exception of Sandy Cohen III. While it will be a tall task to replace Cohen's production, head coach Linc Darner can turn to a host of players who came on strong this season. GB will return 78 percent of its scoring, along with four out of five starters. 
• Phoenix Statistics

THE PHOENIX THE LAST TIME OUT

• Green Bay's magical postseason ride in the 2019 CIT came to end on Thursday night, with the Phoenix finishing as the tournament's runner-up with a 90-70 defeat at Marshall in the Championship game. The 2018-19 edition of the Phoenix men's basketball team finishes the season at 21-17, breaking the single season program records for both total points (3,090) and 3-pointers made (303), among many others.
• Sandy Cohen III set the Division I single season program record for most points in a season, scoring 13 more points to finish his career at 1,020 points. Cohen passed Tony Bennett and Jeff Nordgaard (both had 653) for the most points in season, scoring 666 points this year. The Seymour native will go down as one of the all-time greats to wear a Phoenix uniform, despite only playing in 60 career games.

LAST TIME STOUT AND GREEN BAY MET

• Jon Ciriacks scored UW-Stout's first seven points of the game as Stout trailed 8-7 early, but NCAA Division I UW-Green Bay took off from there to defeat the Blue Devils, 112-46, in an exhibition game at Kress Center in Green Bay.  
• Green Bay rolled off 30 consecutive points before Braden Walbeck hit a 3-pointer a 7:51 to stop the run. Moments later, Walbeck hit another 3-pointer, but it was all Green Bay the rest of the way.  The Phoenix controlled Stout inside, getting 58 points in the paint and allowing only eight.
• Ciriacks finished with a team-high nine points for Stout. Walbeck finished with eight points. The Phoenix had seven players in double figures, led by Sandy Cohen III with 17. | Game Story and Stats 

UW-STOUT COACH JIM LAKE

• Jim Lake (6-19) is in his second season as the head coach of the Blue Devils. Lake came to Stout after 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Ferris State. The Bulldogs won the 2017-18 NCAA Division II national title.
• Lake served at Ferris State University for a total of 10 years, the last five years beginning with the 2013-14 season as the program's top assistant men's basketball coach. Lake had served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Bulldogs in two different stints over the previous decade, working as a part-time assistant coach from 2011-13 before moving up to the full-time lead position, and as a volunteer assistant coach from 2003-06.
• During five seasons as the Bulldogs' top assistant coach, Lake helped Ferris State to four consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament championships and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, culminating in a 38-1 overall record and the 2018 NCAA Division II national title with a 71-69 win over Northern State University in March.

ST. OLAF COACH DAN KOSMOSKI

• Dan Kosmoski is in his 26th season as the head coach of the St. Olaf men's basketball program in 2019-20.
• Since taking over the program prior to the 1994-95 season, Kosmoski has amassed a career record of 321-317 (.503), making him the winningest coach in program history in terms of victories. Kosmoski has led the Oles to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons, including the program's first-ever berth in the national tournament in 2013-14.
• Over the last six seasons, Kosmoski's teams have finished in the top two in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) standings four times. The Oles have reached the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs four of the last five seasons, including winning MIAC Playoff titles in 2013-14 and 2015-16.
• Since the start of 2013-14, the Oles have posted a 108-57 (.655) record, including an 83-37 (.692) mark in the MIAC and a 53-21 (.716) record at home. St. Olaf's 108 victories over the last six seasons are the fourth-most of any MIAC program over that span.

UW-GREEN BAY COACH LINC DARNER

• Linc Darner, entering his fifth season as head coach of the Green Bay men's basketball program in 2019-20 and third-longest tenured head coach in the Horizon League, owns an impressive 367-181 all-time career record, winning more games in his first two seasons at Green Bay than any other coach in the program's proud history. Darner is coming off one of the most exciting seasons in program history, which saw his GB squad advance all the way to the CIT Championship game before finishing the season 21-17.

UP NEXT:  The Blue Devils return to Johnson Fieldhouse to host Concordia-Moorhead, Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. , then will be at Lakeland University, Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. 


UW-Stout 2018-19 Individual Season Highs (Updated February 16, 2019)

Points: 33, John Keefe vs. McMurry University, Nov. 16, 2018
3-Pointers Made: 7, Luke Geiger vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 9, 2019; John Keefe vs. University of Northwestern, Nov. 29, 2018
Rebounds: 13, Jon Ciriacks vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018
Assists: 6, Kyle Williams  vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 9, 2019; John Keefe vs. Finlandia, Nov. 10, 2018
Steals: 7, Kyle Williams vs. Bethany Lutheran College, Nov. 27, 2018


UW-Stout 2018-19 Team Season Highs (Updated February 16, 2019)

Points: 96 vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018
Field Goals Made: 34 vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018
Field Goal Percentage: .517 vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 5, 2019
3-Pointers Made: 15 vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 9, 2019
Free Throws Made: 23 vs. Finlandia University, Dec. 14, 2018
Free Throw Percentage: .941 vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018
Rebounds: 52 (2x) vs. Finlandia University, Dec. 14, 2018; vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018
Assists: 18 vs. Finlandia, Nov. 10, 2018
Turnovers: 21 vs. Bethany Lutheran College, Nov. 27, 2018
Fewest Turnovers: 8 (2x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 16, 2019; vs, UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 23, 2019
Blocked Shots: 6 vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 16, 2019
Steals: 10 (3x) vs. Northland College, Dec. 21, 2018: vs. Finlandia University, Dec. 14, 2018; vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018
Double/Doubles: Jon Ciriacks (12 pts, 10 rbs) vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 9, 2019;  Jon Ciriacks (16 pts, 13 rbs) vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018


UW-Stout Career Bests (updated February 16, 2019)

Jake Horton - #0
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Kyle Jackson - #1
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x;

Kaden Koski - #2
Points: 8 vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018
Rebounds: 5 (3x) vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018; vs. Finlandia, Nov. 10, 2018; vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018
Assists: x

TYreese Alexander - #3
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Luke Geiger - #4
Points: 27  vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 9, 2019
Rebounds: 6 vs. Northland College, Dec. 21, 2018
Assists: 3 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 31, 2019

Jon Ciriacks - #5
Points: 25 vs. Northland College, Dec. 21, 2018
Rebounds: 13 vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018
Assists: 3 (3x) vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 31, 2019;; vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 7, 2017; vs. Colorado College, Nov. 18, 2017

Josh Mericle - #10
Points: 11 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 27, 2018
Rebounds: 5 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 27, 2018
Assists: 3 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019

Preston Briggs - #12
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Cory Hoglund - #13
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Cam Brussow - #15
Points: 3 (2x) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 13, 2019; vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 31, 2019;
Rebounds: 2 (2x) vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 31, 2019; vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019
Assists:

Marcus Hill - #20
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Makete Fru - #22
Points: x
Rebounds: 1, vs. UW-Oshkosh, Feb. 2, 2019
Assists: x

Cliff McCray - #23
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Matt Newman - #24
Points: 5 (2x) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Feb. 2, 2019; vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019
Rebounds: 5 vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018
Assists: 1 (2x) vs. Finlandia, Nov. 10, 2018; vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018

Carson Moe - #30
Points: 2 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019
Rebounds: 2 vs. UW-Green Bay, Dec. 11, 2018 (exh)
Assists: x

Zach Miller - #31
Points:  7  vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019
Rebounds: 2  vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019
Assists: x

Peter Brey - #32
Points: x
Rebounds: 1 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 26, 2019
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Green Bay, Dec. 11, 2018 (exh)

Brady Booth - #44
Points: 4 (4x) vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 31, 2019; vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 2, 2019; vs. UW-Green Bay, Dec. 11, 2018 (exh); vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 10, 2018
Rebounds: 4 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 31, 2019;
Assists: 1 vs, UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 23, 2019

Greyson Carlson - #45
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x



The Last Time...(updated February 16, 2019)

A Stout Individual...
Scored 30 points: 30, John Keefe vs. Crown College, Dec. 7, 2018
Scored 25-29 points: 27 Luke Geiger  vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 9, 2019
Recorded 15 rebounds: 15, John Keefe vs. Silver Lake College, Jan. 3, 2016; Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Recorded 10 assists: 11, Erik Olson vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 13, 2013
Recorded 6 steals: 7, Kyle Williams vs. Bethany Lutheran College, Nov. 27, 2018; 8, by Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran, Nov. 21, 2008

A Stout Team...
Had five players score in double digits: vs. Bethany Lutheran, Nov. 29, 2017: Zach Dahl (17); Keegan Dickson (13); Isaac Elliott (10); Sam Ortmann (10); Joe Duty (10); vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017: John Keefe (21); John Lahti (17); Keegan Dickson (16); Brett Ahsenmacher (14); Sam Ortmann(13); vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 14, 2017: Jacob Nordstrom (12); Cory Speer (12); Brett Ahsenmacher (11); John Lahti (11); Sam Ortmann (10); vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 5, 2016: Sam Ortmann (16); John Keefe (13); Keegan Dickson (12); Jacob Nordstrom (10); Cory Speer (10); vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 22, 2016: John Keefe (32); Keegan Dickson (20); Cory Speer (12); John Lahti (11); Jacob Nordstrom (10). vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 19, 2016: John Keefe (24); Isaac Elliott (19); Keegan Dickson(16); Sam Ortmann (10); John Lahti (10).
Had four players score in double digits: vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 5, 2018, John Keefe (22), Jon Ciriacks (13), Zach Dahl (11), Kyle Williams (10); vs. Cardinal Stritch, Dec. 29. 2018, Jon Ciriacks (20), John Keefe (17), Zach Dahl (14), D'Marcco Patrick (10); vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 4, 2018, John Keefe (24), Luke Geiger (15), Zach Dahl (12), Braden Walbeck (12); vs. Lawrence, Nov. 9, 2018, Jon Ciriacks (16), Luke Geiger(15), John Keefe (12), D'Marcco Patrick (10); vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 17, 2018, Isaac Elliott (21), Sam Ortmann (15), Keegan Dickson (13), Zach Dahl (12); vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 6, 2018, Isaac Elliott (22), Sam Ortmann (14), Zach Dahl (13), Joe Duty (12); vs. Finlandia University, Dec. 10, 2017, Isaac Elliott (19), Joe Duty (19), Zach Dahl (17), Sam Ortmann (10); vs. Silver Lake College, Dec. 7, 2017, Sam Ortmann (17), Isaac Elliott (15), Adam Mackey (13), Jon Ciriacks (11); vs. Colorado College, Nov. 18, 2017, Brandon Emery (11), Keegan Dickson (11) Isaac Elliott (25), Sam Ortmann(14); vs. Marian University, Nov. 17, 2017, Joe Duty (21); Zach Dahl (15); Isaac Elliott (15); Brandon Emery (13);
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: 57 vs. Puget Sound, (12/30/17) 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: 12, 2018-19 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 Isaac Elliott vs. UW-La Crosse, 2/14/18; 12-12, Duke Severson vs. Augsburg, 1959-60; 11-11, Nate Templer vs. La Crosse, 2/12/03;10-10 Isaac Elliott vs. UW-Eau Claire, 1/17.18; 8-8 Isaac Elliott vs. UW-Oshkosh, 2/17/18; 8-8, Erik Olson vs. UW-Superior, 1/30/13; 8-8 Jon Ciriacks vs. Northland College, Dec. 21, 2018; 8-8 Luke Geiger vs. Northland College, Dec. 21, 2018
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

TEAM-SINGLE GAME
Most Points: 124, vs. Valley City State, 12/11/71; vs. Marian College, 1/24/86
Most Field Goal Attempts: 116, vs. UW-Oshkosh, 12/08/67
Most Free Throw Attempts: 74, vs. UW-La Crosse, 1/10/53
Fewest Free Throw Attempts: 0, vs. Ashford University, 1/26/13
Most Field Goals Made: 54, vs. Valley City State, 12/11/71
Most 3-pt Field Goals Made: 20, vs. Crown College, 11/20/10; 16, vs. UW-River Falls, 2/7/2018; 16 vs. Crown College, 2/15/11
Most Free Throws Made: 40, vs. Bethel College, 12/8/98
Best Field Goal Percentage: 65.4%, vs. UW-Eau Claire, 2/1/17
Best Free Throw Percentage: 100%, vs. UW-La Crosse (16-16), 2/12/03; vs. UW-Oshkosh (15-15), 1/7/17; vs. UW-Superior (13-13), 2/3/04; vs. UW-Oshkosh (11-11), 12/10/05; vs. UW-Oshkosh (10-10, 2/1/03
Most Rebounds: 90, vs. Northland, 11/28/67
Most Assists: 37, vs. Marian College, 1/24/86
Most Fouls: 38, vs. UW-Whitewater, 12/04/71