There are a lot of new faces around the Santa Fe Saints men's basketball program this year and head coach Chris Mowry likes the way things are going so far.

"We basically have a brand-new team this year with just two returners and 15 new players," said Mowry. "This has led to some good competition in practice, with good depth at every position. Everyone has been working enthusiastically each day to improve throughout the pre-season."

The Saints are coming off a so-so season when they struggled to find the consistency needed to put up a winning record, finishing last year with an overall record of 15-16 and a Mid-Florida Conference record of 3-9. Coach Mowry feels the addition of size in the front court along with athleticism on the perimeter can turn things around.

"Three Freshman will help lead us from the point guard position:  Dejuon Small, Jay Medor, and Josiah Tynes. Ryan Leonard and Noah Thorp, our two returners, will supply scoring on the perimeter," said Mowry.

Chipping in on the wings will be: 6' -6" DJ Henderson, 6'-2" Ricardo Jackson, and 6'-5" Aleksa Medic while the Saints front court could provide matchup problems for opponents with five players 6'- 7" or taller.

"Our front court will be anchored by 7'- 0" Luka Filipovic, and 6'-11" Tre Howard," said Mowry, "along with Jovan Jovanovic at 6' 8" and Nikola Jerotic and Yaw Obeng-Mensah, both 6' 7"."

The Saints season gets underway Friday night at home when they host ASA Miami for a 7 pm tipoff.

"We are excited to get the year started Friday against ASA Miami," said Mowry. "We hope to use a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare us for MFC (Mid-Florida Conference) action."

The MFC will once again be one of the top leagues in the country, with two teams ranked in the National Top 10 Pre-season Poll.

Admission for all SF homes games in free for SF faculty, staff and students with a general admission charge of $5. Coach Mowry believes this Saints team will give fans their money's worth.

"This should be a fun and exciting team to watch," said Mowry. "We will play with a lot of energy and toughness each night."

For all SF athletics stats schedules and more visit santafesaints.com.

-GO SAINTS-