2018-19 MSU-N Basketball Preview: Lights are built to shine bright

You want consistency in college basketball - look no further than the Montana State University-Northern Lights under veteran head coach Shawn Huse.

In Huse' tenure at Northern, the Lights have averaged 20 wins a season, have reached the semifinals of the Frontier Conference Tournament 12 times, and have went to five different NAIA national tournaments. That's consistency.

And as the Lights embark on a brand new season, which they open next week at home, Huse once again has assembled a team that will not only be consistent but also talented and tough, In other words, the Lights will continue to play the kind of basketball their fans have been accustomed to for nearly two decades now.

"This team has shown all the signs of being a team capable of playing Northern basketball," Huse said. "We're really excited about what we have this season. Of course, we also know it's a long season. We know we have a long way to go, and we know we need to get better each and every day. So this team also has a lot to prove, and time will tell. But with where we're at right now, the signs are there that we can be a very relevant team in our league this season."

No doubt, the Lights have talent across the board, but as is always the case, Huse will have to replace some outstanding graduated talent, including two-time Frontier Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and 2018 All-American Ryan Reeves. Also gone is standout guard Charles Porter as well as forward Paco Jones. Huse will have to replace those key pieces by blending new faces with key returnees together.

"That's what this non-conference season will be about for us," Huse said. "Right now, the new guys are learning our program. It's all new to them and they're still figuring it out. Meanwhile, we have a bunch of great returners who are doing a great job with leadership and all the things we ask those guys to step up and do.

"So while we do have a lot of new faces, it's fun because those guys, mixed with our returners, it's like an injection of new life into our program. It's a new season, a new team, and with the mix of great returners we have, and with all of the new guys, it's a really exciting time for our team."

The returners include senior Justin Dunsmore, who averaged 10 points and five rebounds per night a year ago and is Northern's verteran-most player. Also back is shooting guard Adam Huse, a junior who averaged 11 ppg a year ago, while leading the Frontier Conference in 3-pointers. Point guard Caulin Bakalarski and Devin Bray also return a wealth of experience for Northern's back court, as both saw time in the starting lineup a season ago, while sophomore James Frey rounds out Northern's returning roster.

"The leadership and experience coming back for us is huge," coach Huse said. "Especially early on and also late in the year. Those four main guys know our stuff, they know the league, they've all been in the middle of some great battles and they know what it takes to help make our program successful. So those guys will be big for us this season."

Big can best describe Huse' batch of new additions to the roster as well.

While guards Mascio McCadney (6-3) and Kamari Burnside (6-0) will be instrumental in making Northern's backcourt even deeper, the additions of three transfers on the front line will be huge for the Lights, especially with the loss of Reeves, who averaged 16 points and nine rebounds and set Northern's all-time record for blocked shots.

Those new additions in the paint include junior Cedric Crutchfield (6-8), who plays long and strong on both ends of the floor, junior Joe Fons (6-6) and junior Kavon Bey (6-5).

"Overall, we've actually upped our size in the post," Huse said. "Vertically and horizontally. These guys can all bang in the paint and score inside and out. We're really excited about that group because, when you add them with Justin, I think we have a chance to have as tough a front line as anyone out there.

"Our new guards are also very good on both ends of the floor," he added. "They are talented and athletic and they check off a lot of boxes for us."

Northern will also red-shirt several players this season, including T.J. Reynolds, Eddie Harmon and Trevor Herzog.

And they'll red-shirt in a season when hopes are high for the Lights, who went 9-9 in the Frontier and 19-12 overall a year ago.

Huse says that he expects his team to continue to play the style of basketball Northern fans have grown accustomed to watching. But with new personnel tweaks will also come into play. The Lights will get a chance to perfect that style long before conference play starts, with an early schedule that includes trip to Lewiston, Idaho, to face New Hope Christian and Cascade Conference power North Idaho, two games against Dickinson State, home games against Portland Bible College and Oregon Tech and a trio of games in Phoenix, Arizona, that include battles against GSAC powers Menlo College and Vanguard University, as well as a game against Embry-Riddle.

"I really like this team from a standpoint of they're a very efficient group," Huse said. "They are all high-percentage, low-mistake players. They play smart and have a lot of basketball intelligence. And that fits with what we want to do, which is play tough defense, take smart shots, shoot for a high percentage from the field and the free-throw-line, and get after it with the hustle plays. I know that's not the most glamorous type of basketball, but it's the type of basketball that gives you a chance to be great and this group does that."

Indeed, Northern has always been great with field goal percentage, on both ends of the floor. Last season, the Lights averaged 82 ppg, while shooting better than 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. The Lights also held their opponents to under 50 percent shooting, something they've done for a long, long time under Huse.

So with a team that certainly has the makings of a classic Northern squad - a team that can shoot, play smart, play tough defense, and most importantly, play together - it stands to reason that optimism surrounding the Lights would be high. And it is.

"I have all the confidence in the world that we should be a very good, very relevant team night in and night out this season," Huse said. "I know it's hard to say exactly what our potential is in October, but with what I'm seeing from this group, I can see that our ceiling is very high. These guys work hard, they come and get after it every day, they're growing every single day and I don't see any reason why they can't be one of the top teams in our league come tourney time. So we're excited about this team, and we're certainly excited and looking forward to this season."

The season begins Oct. 27 when the Lights host Salish Kootenai College in the Armory Gymnasium. Northern will then go on the road until Nov. 23-24 when the Lights host the AmericInn Thanksgiving Classic. The Lights play their two early Frontier Conference games on the road, at Rocky Mountain College Nov. 29 and at Carroll College Dec. 1. MSU-N begins Frontier play for good Jan. 4-5 with home games against UM-Western and Lewis-Clark State, respectively.