Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

Stewart Erhart vs. Haskell Indian Nations
Stewart Erhart (11) at the free throw line against Haskell Indian Nations at the Sun Ute Community Center (Nov. 4, 2023)

No. 22 Skyhawks make 2024-25 debut in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic

11/1/2024 8:00:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
No. 22 Fort Lewis vs. (RV) Point Loma
Saturday, Nov. 2, 11:15 a.m. MST | George W. Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
Tournament Central
 
No. 22 Fort Lewis vs. (RV) Carson-Newman
Sunday, Nov. 3, 9:00 a.m. MST | George W. Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.
Tournament Central
 
DURANGO, Colo. – It's finally time for head coach Jordan Mast to unveil a new era of men's basketball up on the rim as the preseason no. 22-ranked Skyhawks open the 2024-25 campaign down in Lakeland, Florida, with the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic featuring matchups with Point Loma Nazarene and Carson-Newman this Saturday and Sunday.
 
Hall of Fame Inductees and Coaches Press Conferences
The weekend will officially begin with a Hall of Fame Inductees press conference today at 11:30 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. It will feature seven of the 12 members of Small College Basketball's 2024 Hall of Fame class and will be open to questions from student-athletes and the media. A head coaches press conference will follow shortly after at 12:30 p.m. MST, featuring the head coaches from the ten teams competing in the tournament. All press conferences, including post-game, live broadcasts, live statistics, and all other information for the event, can be found on the Tournament Page.
 
Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
The Hall of Fame Classic, hosted by Small College Basketball since its inception in 2016, is the premier preseason tournament in Division II basketball. The tournament has featured some of the strongest programs in DII, with Fort Lewis becoming just the 43rd program overall to receive an invitation to the event. Last season's Hall of Fame Classic featured four of the teams that wound up in the Elite Eight including national champion Minnesota State and national runners-up Nova Southeastern: both of whom will compete this weekend.
 
Starting Five
Fifth-year guard and 2023-24 Second-Team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection Tru Allen looks to lead the newest lineup of Skyhawks into action. The six-foot native of Lapwai, Idaho, averaged 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season while also grabbing the fifth-most steals in the country with 2.6 per game. Chuol Deng will look to create his mark on FLC after spending last season on the bench at Oakland (NCAA DI) with an injury. Cassius Carmichael is another high-caliber transfer as the junior forward brings size and versatility with his six-foot-five frame from the College of Southern Idaho. In addition, Biko Johnson and Tristan Moore bring a wealth of experience and talent from the Division I level after transferring from Nebraska-Omaha and Houston Christian, respectively. 
 
Mast and Company
Jordan Mast looks for his winning ways to continue at Fort Lewis after racking up a 99-26 career record as head coach across his five seasons at the University of Antelope Valley, where he captured five California Pacific Conference Championships, including three regular season titles and a pair of conference tournaments. Joining Mast as his associate head coach is James Jansen, former head coach at Treasure Valley Community College, where he previously competed against coach Mast. In addition, the duo has brought on Bryant Knigge and Grady Corrigan, who recently led Hasting's College to its first regular season title in 33 years and the first Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Championship in program history last year as player and coach, respectively. In addition, Mast also brought on Tyler Chisholm, a former player of his at UAV, as well as Joshua Blaylock, Fort Lewis' first-ever two-time All-American and 2016-17 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
 
PacWest Powerhouse
Point Loma is a powerhouse through and through. The Season Lions have posted six consecutive 20+ win seasons, excluding the shortened Covid-19 seasons, won three Pacific West Conference Tournament titles, and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament including a national runners-up finish in 2018-19. Last season, Point Loma posted a 21-9 overall record with a 15-5 mark in conference play before seeing its season end in the PacWest Tournament Championship with a 78-66 loss to Azusa Pacific.
 
The Sea Lions return a wealth of talents from last season's roster, including junior guard Jake Lifgren, who led the roster with 18.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on an effective 46.4 percent shooting from the field and a 38.3 percent clip from beyond the arc. In addition, PL returns Zackry Paulsen, Coby Barnes, and Wynton Brown, who each averaged 15.3, 11.9, and 10.3 points per game, respectively, to round out the double-digit scorers. Point Loma's strength lied in its versatility, as the Sea Lions only out-scored opponents by a narrow 72.3 to 70.1 margin while trailing in rounds per game 33.7 to 33.3.
 
High Soaring Eagles
Carson-Newman is coming off a 22-8 overall season that featured the second-most total wins in program history. The Eagles owned a 14-6 record in South Atlantic Conference play, finished fourth in the league, and ultimately fell to Lincoln Memorial 70-65 in the SAC Tournament Championship. CNU was an offensive powerhouse last season averaging 91.2 points per game on 51.0 percent shooting as a team while also dominating with 41.8 rebounds per game.
 
Four Eagles averaged double figures last season, and all four returned for 2024-25, including John Zhao with 19.1 points per game, Jack Browder's 18.4, Nick Brenegan's 17.3, and Trey Hubbard with 16.0. Zhao utilized his six-foot-four frame to dominate opponents shooting at clips of 60.4 percent from the floor and 49.1 percent from the three-point line.
 
Welcome to Whalen
Fort Lewis will make its home debut next weekend as the Skyhawks welcome Eastern New Mexico and Angelo State for a conference crossover alongside fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference member New Mexico Highlands. The Skyhawks will take on Eastern New Mexico on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., followed by Angelo State the following Saturday, Nov. 9, for an 8 p.m. tip-off.
Print Friendly Version