BELLEVILLE, Ill. – The 2024-25 men’s basketball season is set to open – albeit unofficially – for The W on November 7 with an exhibition at NCAA Division I Mississippi Valley State University (followed by another D1 exhibition bout on Nov. 9 at Nicholls State). In preparation to raise the curtain for real on 2024-25 – with the Owls at Belhaven University on Nov. 12 – the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has released its pre-season coaches’ poll.
The SLIAC coaches voted MUW (7-18, 3-15 SLIAC) to finish ninth out of the league’s 10 teams in this year’s prognostication. Last season, The W finished 10th in a race that saw the bottom five teams separated by a total five games for the Nos. 6-10. The Owls had five SLIAC losses by seven or fewer points in its inaugural season as a SLIAC member in 2023-24.
And for Owls’ Head Coach Dean Burrows, beginning his fourth year at the MUW helm, polls have no bearing as he fine tunes the squad to tipoff the season ahead.
“The reality is we could honestly care less what others outside of our daily circle think, say, or predict,” Burrows said. “We simply control our attitude, work ethic, behaviors, and actions to be great teammates. We look forward to the day-to-day journey and growth of (our team).”
MUW has 12 scheduled home games at Pohl Gym this season. The first of these is on November 19 versus Pensacola Christian College for a non-league match-up. On Nov. 26, the Owls open SLIAC play at home versus the Coaches’ Poll top pick, Lyon College.
Before that, another highlight of the Owls’ season is a two-game trip to Oneonta, New York, on Nov. 16-17 for the SUNY-Oneonta Freilich Memorial Classic. The W faces off versus Westfield State in the Saturday contest and will face either host SUNY-Oneonta or Elmira on Sunday.
The graduation of all-SLIAC performer Brye Hopkins – the team’s top scorer and second-leading rebounder – left a big hole inside. In all, Burrows team returns six players – three of whom were starters – from last season’s lineup. Fifth-year senior guard Dariun Doss heads the cast of returnees. Doss brings back a 9.8 points and team-best 6.5 rebounds per game average from 2023-24.
Another fifth-year senior returnee is shooting guard Chris Evans. Evans set an MUW record with 53 made from three-point range last season, hitting at 39 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Senior forward Cam Smith – a transfer last season from Northeast Mississippi Community College – played in all 25 games, starting 23. Smith averaged 7.4 points and 4.1 boards per game.
Junior guard Josh Dukes was Burrows sixth man, for the most part, starting 10 of 24 games played. Dukes checked in at 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game shooting a blistering 52 percent from the floor. Dukes earned the SLIAC’s All-Sportsmanship Team and All-Academic Team honors last season, as well.
Also returning to the fold are junior guard/forward combo Tyson Smithey, a blue-collar type player with averages of 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, as well as senior guard Isaiah Ball, sporting 21 appearances and averages of 3.2 points and 1.3 caroms per game.
Burrows will look to a total of eight newcomers to fill out his 2024-25 roster. The group includes: junior guard Eric Bass Jr.; sophomore forward James Dukes; freshman forward Mason Godsey (Caledonia, Miss./Caledonia H.S.); junior guard Ridge Harrison; freshman guard Cayden Howell; freshman forward Pacey Mathews; graduate student guard/forward Jackson Reid, and; junior guard Trent Walker.
As Burrows, and his players, are well aware, the only “poll” that truly matters is the one in late February-early March of 2025. That’s when the SLIAC post-season playoff berths are announced and the dreams of NCAA III tournament play become reality.
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