Whitworth men’s basketball looks to last year’s blueprint in hopes of securing fourth straight NWC title

Entering his 14th season with Whitworth, men’s basketball coach Damion Jablonski has become accustomed to the cycle of having to replace impact players every year.

The program did it successfully last season after losing three starting seniors, yet still securing a Northwest Conference title – the third straight.

Jablonski and his staff will look to pull off something similar this year, as the Pirates will need to offset the loss of three experienced and talented guards from last season’s starting lineup.

“Our program has been able to sustain its success really because we’ve been able to recruit well and develop players in waiting who are ready to take over,” Jablonski said. “So it’s really no different this year.”

The roster again appears well equipped to recover.

“We’ve got a rising junior class that has actually contributed quite a bit in small pieces and they’re extremely hungry,” Jablonski said. “I think honestly we’ve had a lot of good talent that has been developing and is ready to take the next step in the backcourt.”

Senior guard Garrett Long, who logged crucial starts in the conference championship and NCAA D3 tournament games due to injuries, is expected to slide back into the starting lineup.

The Pirates bring back a big chunk of a deep bench unit, including three-point sharpshooting juniors Stephen Behill and Colton Looney.

“This team is extremely connected and they play really, really hard,” Jablonski said. “I’m hopeful that it will translate to really great defensive effort and also sharing the ball on the offensive side.”

Whitworth will be without NWC player of the year Jojo Anderson, who transferred to Idaho, as well as all-NWC first-team Sullivan Menard and Jerry Twenge, who both graduated. The trio accounted for over 90 minutes and 40 points per game, and helped lead the group to an postseason tournament win over Cal Lutheran before narrowly losing to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the second round.

But the return of graduate senior Jake Holtz, who decided to return for his fifth and final year of eligibility, is crucial to the team’s ability to grab its fourth straight conference title. Holtz is coming off averages of 16 points and six-and-a-half rebounds per game.

Despite being a steady force for the Pirates and making second-team all-NWC last season, the forward from Kapolei, Hawaii feels he still has plenty to prove.

“For me, I’m just really trying to be a better leader, especially vocally,” Holtz said. “I think I can benefit these younger guys a lot by breathing belief into them and (helping them) be the best that they can be.”

The Pirates brought in Caden Bateman, a 6-7 junior transfer from the University of Montana who is expected to contribute right away.

“Caden is a really, really athletic player for our level,” Jablonski said. “I definitely think he’ll be able to impact the game with his defensive versatility and rebounding, but more than anything, he’s just a tremendous, high-character individual and he fits the culture of our team and Whitworth really, really well.”

After a loaded nonconference slate helped prepare last year’s group for the NCAA D3 tournament, Jablonski sought out another challenging schedule this season.

Some of the anticipated matchups include a tournament rematch with Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Nov. 21 and a clash with Hardin-Simmons in the Whitworth Fieldhouse on Dec. 7.

“I think it’ll be a good test for us of some teams that just have different styles from different areas of the country,” Jablonski said. “I am excited about it.”