2020-21 Season Preview: Maturity and Improvements

SAN ANTONIO – When the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team takes the court against Rice University on November 27 in the UIW Thanksgiving Invitational, there will be a lot of familiar faces in the lineup. This makes third-year head coach Dr. Carson Cunningham, the coaching staff, and the student-athletes excited for this season.
 
Back after playing significant roles in the 2020-21 campaign are Des Balentine, Keaston Willis, Drew Lutz, Marcus Larsson, and Brandon Swaby.
 
"We are excited that we return guys who have started a lot," Cunningham said. "All of our returners are hungry, and they want to build on the improvements that we made last year."
 
The team has improved from season one to two under Cunningham, going from one conference win in 2018-19 to six a season ago. Cunningham and the UIW coaching staff believe that with the group of returners, along with eight incoming freshmen and junior college transfer Bradley Akhile, the Cardinals are ready to take further steps. The team has matured and is ready to prove just how far they have come, even in a COVID-19 condensed season.
 
"As we are getting more experienced and getting older, we want to keep making progress and moving forward," Cunningham said. "We went from one conference win to six last year. This year we obviously want to take that further. It is an odd year in that we have 16 conference games instead of the usual 20, but we feel like if we take care of business, we can improve on our conference wins again this season."
 
POSITION BREAKDOWN
Backcourt: UIW returns the most experience in its backcourt. Leading the charge are 2019-20 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in Keaston Willis and team leader in minutes Drew Lutz, both of whom have solidified their positions on the team. Willis had 27 starts a season ago, leading the team in field goals, 3-point field goals, 3-point field goal percentage and points scored (412). Lutz started in 30 games as a freshman, racking up 998 minutes played. He led the team in assists, steals and free throws, and was the conference leader in free throw percentage (.886). The Cardinals will also lean on team captain and redshirt senior Des Balentine, who is healthy again and is preparing to have a breakout season. Sophomore Brandon Swaby and Junior Bradley Akhile are two versatile student-athletes and can be used on both sides of the ball.

Among the newcomers that can be mixed in the backcourt are freshman guard Josh Morgan and wing/forwards Dakota Reber and Logan Bracamonte, all of whom had standout prep careers.

Coach's Cunningham's Take: "Drew and Keaston played big minutes last year and were very productive as freshmen and Des made big contributions after he battled through injury. So when you look at those three, they have the experience and have proven themselves playing in Southland games. All three of them have gotten better. Swaby is another player that gave us big lifts in a number of wins last season. Josh Morgan and Dakota Reber can give us a boost, too. And we can use Bracamonte in either guard or forward positions. With the freshmen, we just have to see how practices and games unfold and give them time to develop."

Frontcourt: Marcus Larsson is the only returning Cardinals frontcourt player. He will be joined by a host of first-year student-athletes that are capable of playing notable minutes, like forward Bradley Akhile. Coach Cunningham said Akhile "is a cerebral player, super versatile and athletic, that I feel can help us."  Larsson returns for his sophomore season after appearing in 29 games, scoring 170 points and grabbing 109 rebounds. Behind them is a quartet of freshmen – Godsgift Ezedinma, Thomas Zevgaras, Kenyon Holcombe and Jacob Harvey – who give the coaching staff length and depth that they feel will be beneficial around the rim.

Coach's Cunningham's Take: "We have Marcus returning at center. He has improved, and we feel he has a chance to make a real big leap in his sophomore year. We have a number of other guys that can help in the frontcourt, too. Bradley Akhile can play multiple positions, GG Ezedinma can play both forward positions. We have Thomas from Greece, and Kenyon Holcombe from the Houston area, who can provide depth. And Jacob Harvey is a super long forward/center. They are all working hard, and we are going to have more length and versatility in the middle of the lineup at the 2, 3, 4, and even the 5 positions whether we go big or small, which is exciting."

In the classroom the Cardinals continue to aim for high GPA results and APR numbers. The UIW men's basketball team has perhaps the highest team GPA in NCAA Division I men's basketball, at over 3.4. Its APR numbers over the last two years have been stellar. The goal is to continue as a standard-bearer academically within the NCAA D1 men's basketball landscape.
Even with all of the uncertainty surrounding the season due to COVID-19, Coach Cunningham said the team is focused and determined:

"We are focused on getting better, on making good use of the time we have together, and on being grateful for it. This is a fun group to work with. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm, their energy, their desire to build on last season. We strive for the five Gs - Goodness, the Golden Rule, Growth, Grit, and Gratitude. We strive to be good people, to be gritty, and to be grateful.  The fellas are treating each other very well and are eager to grow. It's fun to work hard and compete, and it's fun to push yourself and your teammates to be your best. We are just really enjoying the process as a group."