The Fort Lewis College men's basketball team is receiving votes in the preseason National Association of Basketball Coaches top 25 poll to open its 2022-23 season.
“It's always great for our program to be recognized by other coaches, especially on a national scale,” said Fort Lewis Head Coach Bob Pietrack. “There are plenty of great teams on that poll, and a handful is from right here in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. It's a long season with plenty of basketball to be played, we just have to go out there and compete night in and night out.”
The Skyhawks wrapped up last season 19-9 overall and 15-6 in RMAC contests. Earning the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Tournament, FLC was upset in the opening round at home by the six-seeded Regis Rangers 86-81.
Fort Lewis has had a strong offseason, however, and reloaded its roster with talent from across the junior college, Division II and Division I level.
Fellow RMAC opponent Black Hills State opened at No. 10 on the poll after a magical run to the NCAA Division II Final Four last season. Colorado Mesa led RMAC schools in the receiving votes list with 22, followed by Colorado School of Mines with 14, and Fort Lewis with 10.
The Skyhawks will begin at the RMAC-Lone Star Conference Challenge, hosted by New Mexico Highlands. Fort Lewis will face Eastern New Mexico at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 and (RV) Angelo State at noon Nov. 12.
Following the road trip, Fort Lewis will return home to host the Skyhawks Fall Classic. The Skyhawks will take on Northern New Mexico in a nonconference game before facing another LSC member, Texas Permian Basin.
This year's Nike N7 Game, against Northern New Mexico, marks the fifth time Fort Lewis College has been selected as one of only 11 institutions nationwide to participate in the games, which are held in November in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. Since its creation in 2009, the Nike N7 Fund has awarded more than $7.5 million in grants to 259 Native American and Aboriginal communities and organizations.
Riley Farris led the Skyhawks throughout last season. The now-all-time career point leader (2,073) for Fort Lewis led FLC with 19.1 points per game while shooting 51.3% from the field. Farris was also the team's leading rebounder with 6.2 boards per game. With Farris gone and graduated, three key players to watch this season will be Dunnell Stafford, Akuel Kot and Brenden Boatwright.
Last year Kot averaged 16.6 points per game, including 18.7 points per game in RMAC play. The 6-feet 1-inch junior scored a career-high 42 points against Colorado State University-Pueblo, ranking second all-time in program history.
Boatwright, a 6-feet, 9-inch junior from Carlsbad, New Mexico, was third for FLC in points per game with 11.5 and second in rebounding with 5.7 per game last year.
Stafford has been a consistent force for FLC on the hardwood, averaging 25.6 minutes per game in his inaugural season and 23.8 minutes per game last year. The 6-feet, 1-inch junior out of Stone Mountain, Georgia, averaged 6.6 points per game last season to add to 2.2 rebounds per game and 2.0 assists per game.
Other key figures are also returning for FLC. Brendan La Rose, a 6-feet, 9-inch senior averaged 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Junior Garbrah rounds out the upperclassmen returning. Garbrah played a vital role off the bench, averaging 3.9 points per game with 19 assists and 11 steals.
Colton Sanders, Ra'Shjon Martinez, and Jackson Stapleton compile the underclassmen who saw limited action last season.
Sekou Dembele, JaQuaylon Mays, Trevor Trost and Obi Agbim also transferred to FLC this season while incoming freshmen include Chris Schlesinger, Garrett Arnold and Luke Hutto.
