How will the Yellowjackets fare this year? They are coming off a season that had reasonable success, going 15-12. Another thing about last year’s team is that there were five seniors, four of whom were starters. Jake Smith, being one of those four starters, had what is considered to most, the best career that any Yellowjacket Men’s Basketball player has ever had. Smith was Co-WIAC Player of the Year, played in the NCAA Division 3 All-Star game, and broke the longstanding (44 years) UWS career scoring record.

With all of that being said, a lot of question marks arise as fans look forward to this season. There are many players this year who have do not have much college playing experience. The Yellowjackets bring back two players who have started in the past. Those players are seniors Dustin Ritchie and Ben Aalfs. Ritchie was a regular starter for the Yellowjackets last year, while Aalfs filled in when Dan Culy went down with an injury. That means there will be three new starters tonight when the Yellowjackets take the floor.

This lack of experience is why there are so many questions out there about how the team will do this year. No one knows for sure because most of the team has not seen much action in a college playing environment. Coach Matt Siverling stated, “Expect us to compete. There are a lot of unknowns because we don’t have the experience of the past.” That will all change fast as this young and inexperienced team will jump right into action this week with three games. Siverling expects the team to fulfill their roles and be competitive within the WIAC.

Siverling thinks that it is not necessarily a down year, but a different year. He thinks that it will take between six and eight wins in conference for the team to make playoffs, which Siverling thinks isn’t asking a lot.

When asked about the roles of incoming players, Siverling said, “Bronson [Byrne] is stepping into his role now that he is coming back. Expect him to have an impact on this team.” The freshmen are going to be relied on to come in and play some solid minutes. Siverling says they are going to find out what it is like to play in the WIAC as well as what it takes to play in this league.

In regards to conference competitors, Siverling thinks that UW-Whitewater is extremely talented and that they are the team to beat in the WIAC. He also thinks that UW-Stevens Point and UW-River Falls will be right there at the top competing for the conference title. After that, Coach Siverling believes that it is wide open. He thinks that any of the other six teams in the conference have a chance to finish anywhere from fourth to ninth place.

This year, UWS also has a stellar nonconference schedule that will prepare them for the toughness of playing in the WIAC, which is arguably the best conference in Division 3 basketball. Some of the nonconference teams that men’s team will face this year include: University of Minnesota-Duluth (a border battle team that boasts big men and Division 2 power), Northwestern College (won the UMAC conference title this past year), as well as teams the Yellowjackets will face in their two upcoming weekend tournaments these next two weekends in Superior and Platteville, WI.