(Ann Arbor, MI) – The Concordia men's basketball team will open the 2019-20 season at the Cardinal Fieldhouse tomorrow as they take on St. Clair College. The Cardinals finished with a final record of 8-22 with a 6-14 record in conference play.
This upcoming season will be head coach Ricky Yahn's seventh season as the leader of the program. Yahn has a healthy balance of upperclassmen as well as new faces that will look to enhance their skills in order to take the team to new heights in future seasons.
Schedule Outlook
Concordia will start the season with five straight non-conference matchups. Home games include the season opener against St. Clair College on October 12th and Defiance College on October 30th. The road games include Wright State-Lake on October 28th, a trip to 7th ranked Spring Arbor University on November 5th, and a matchup with Goshen College on November 9th.
The Cardinals finished 9th in conference play in the 2018-19 season and are looking to improve on that with their seasoned veterans and talented recruiting class. Concordia is projected to finish in 11th in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) while 21st ranked Madonna is the overwhelming favorite to win the conference title over 12th ranked Cornerstone. Indiana Tech rounds out the ranked opponents within the WHAC as they are currently receiving votes.
Concordia will have a unique opportunity to play an exhibition game against NCAA Division I Eastern Michigan University on December 30th. The Cardinals will travel down the road to play at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, MI.
The men's basketball team will also compete in the 69th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT) on January 24th and 25th. The tournament will be held at Concordia University Chicago in Forest Park, IL, and have drawn a first round matchup against the Bulldogs from Concordia University Nebraska.
Key Returners
Concordia will have a strong core of players returning this season that include seniors in the form of Emmanuel Dominguez (SR/Groveland, FL), Jerald Booker (SR/Southfield, MI), and Paul Zysk (SR/Somerset, MI). Other upperclassmen coming back for Concordia include Tyler Black (JR/Grand Rapids, MI), Austin Harless (JR/Holly, MI), and Jordan Bechtold (JR/Columbia City, IN). Second year returners Bernard Kasanda (SO/Lawerenceville, GA), Jordan Winowiecki (SO/Fraser, MI), Matt Lockhart (SO/Fraser, MI), and Colton Ritsema (SO/Jenison, MI) will look to increase their workload and contribute to the success in Ann Arbor.
Coach Yahn and the program will look to the leadership of Booker, Dominguez, Zysk and Ritsema as they serve as team captains this season.
Statistical Leaders from 2018-2019 Season
Points per Game (PPG)
#10 Jerald Booker – 10.2 PPG
#50 Paul Zysk – 8.2 PPG
Rebounds per Game (RPG)
#50 Paul Zysk – 5.5 RPG
#1 Tyler Black – 2.8 RPG
Assists per Game (APG)
#1 Tyler Black – 0.7 APG
#50 Paul Zysk – 0.6 APG
Shooting Percentage
#33 Colton Ritsema – 60%
#50 Paul Zysk – 60%
3-Point Percentage
#10 Jerald Booker – 35%
#12 Bernard Kasanda – 27%
Newcomers
The Cardinals will welcome eleven new players to this year's versatile class. The freshmen include Kip French (FR/Howell, MI), Zackary Johnson (FR/Noblesville, IN), Tyler Whisman (FR/Jackson, MI), Colton Graves (FR/Olivet, MI), Henry Knapp (FR/Parchment, MI), Devon Kelly (FR/Manchester, MI), and Louis Schimmel (FR/Priddy, TX). Veteran transfers Thomas Hronis (JR/North Ridgeville, OH), Greg Alexander (SR/Middle River, MD) and CJ Moore (JR/Detroit, MI) will provide additional leadership and depth at their respective positions.
Team motto and verse
The Cardinals have chosen their team motto as "Faithful" for the 2019-20 campaign. They motto comes from the bible verse Luke 16:10 – "He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much." During the ups and downs of the season the Cardinals rely on being faithful to each other and their faith in Christ.
