DILLON, Mont. – The University of Montana Western men's basketball team gets the season started this week. They have seen numerous changes throughout the offseason, including former associate head coach Pat Jensen taking the reigns of the program.
Last season, the Bulldogs finished with an overall record of 11-18 and finished at the bottom of the conference standings. Despite the outcome, the season was highlighted by a top 25 win at home over the no. 12 ranked Montana Tech. With the win, the Bulldogs picked up their first Top 25 win since the 2019-20 season.
Montana Western had three individuals recognized for their achievements in the 2022-23 season, including graduating seniors
Jok Jok and
Jamal Stephenson. Stephenson was named second team all-conference last season after he led the Bulldogs with 13.9 points per game and stacked up in fourth in the conference for points per game. Jok earned his spot on the all-defensive team, leading UMW with 0.9 blocks per game which was good for second in the conference.
The Bulldogs also graduated a key player in
Tanner Haverfield. In five seasons for the Bulldogs, Haverfield averaged 6.9 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, shot 43.5 percent from the field, and dished out a total of 174 assists.
Following the conclusion of last season, head coach Mike Larsen announced his resignation. Jensen is the 13th head coach in program history and previously served as the Bulldogs' Associate Head Coach over the course of the last five seasons.
Jensen played at Montana State-Northern from 2010-2015 where he was part of two regular and one postseason Frontier Conference championships, along with four appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. He spent three seasons with Idaho State University, two as a graduate assistant, and the 2017-18 season as Director of Player Development. The 2023-24 season will be his first at the helm of the program.
"We as a program are very excited for the upcoming season! Our guys have been working so hard in the weight room, in conditioning and on the practice court," Head Coach Pat Jensen said. "We have great individuals both on and off the court, and we are excited to hit the floor and compete with our team."
The Bulldogs are returning six from last season's squad, including
Michael Haverfield who led the conference with a three-point percentage of 48.9. Haverfield averaged 7.8 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and was 45.3 percent from the field.
In addition, the Bulldogs return senior
Grayson Nelson and a pair of redshirt sophomores in
Jacob Ankeny and
Jacksen Burckley who saw significant playing time last season. Nelson averaged 4.1 points per game for the Red and Black and managed to shoot 50.8 from the field across the season. He also averaged 2.6 rebounds per game, totaling 58 rebounds on the season.
Ankeny rode behind a 70.2 shooting percentage and averaged 3.1 points per game. He also added a total of 77 rebounds and 12 blocks. Burckley averaged 2.7 and scored a total of 46 points for the Bulldogs. Redshirt sophomore
Carson Denning and junior
Christian Pitcher also return this season.
"Our six returners have hit the ground running this fall and have done a great job leading and setting the tone for our pre-season," Jensen continued. "All of them have improved over the off-season and have done a great job this fall. Their leadership and commitment to our program has been incredible, fueling our excitement for the season even more."
This season, the Bulldogs added nine additions to the squad. To view the full recruiting class,
click here.
"We are so excited about the nine players we signed this off-season. We brought in players with valuable college experience, size, scoring and youth with the four freshmen," Jensen said. "They have all impacted our program in a positive way and we know Bulldog fans are excited to watch them on the court."
The Bulldogs will take to the court this Saturday on the road at NCAA division II opponent MSU Billings. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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