RAIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL (0-0)
6 p.m. Thursday – at Pacific Union (Calif.) (0-0)
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ASHLAND – Every regular starter from the second half of last season is gone, only four rotation players are back, and along with a handful of freshmen there are four ready-made transfers establishing roles with a group that will have to find its footing while spending the next two months exclusively on the road.

The elevator pitch for the 2024-25 Southern Oregon men's basketball team may not be an easy sell, but expectations remain high as the Raiders work to forge a new identity with an influx of talent entering Thursday's 6 p.m. opener at Pacific Union (Calif.). They've advanced to the Cascade Conference semifinals each of the last six seasons and were fourth in this year's preseason poll, picked behind three teams positioned to make return trips to the NAIA National Tournament.

Head coach Matt Zosel, entering his third season, is depending on the leadership of fifth-year guards Elijah Jackson and Mason Whittaker to smooth the transition. He is also hoping they – along with University of Oregon transfer Gabe Reichle, among others – can assist in transforming an offense that was near the bottom of the NAIA in pace and shot inconsistently in a 3-point-heavy system last year.

"All of our transfers are fitting in well and we're showing potential, but there's a long way to go in building chemistry with so many new guys," Zosel said. "We know the league is a monster this year and I think being picked fourth shows a lot of respect considering everyone we lost."

PRESEASON POLLS: The CCC will be represented by at least two teams, College of Idaho and Oregon Tech, when the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll is released Wednesday. C of I is favored to win its fifth consecutive full-season conference title, bringing back four starters who in 2022-23 helped the Yotes capture the national title and last year only lost once, at SOU, in CCC play. Oregon Tech, which brings back all five starters from a team that won the CCC Tournament, was second in the conference poll, and Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) was third after advancing to last season's NAIA Round of 16. SOU was picked fourth, directly ahead of Corban, Eastern Oregon and Bushnell.

LAST SEASON: The 2023-24 Raiders had to replace four conference all-stars from a team that earned an NAIA National Tournament bid in Zosel's first season. They still managed a 17-13 record and went 14-8 in conference play to take fourth place in the standings. SOU sat at 9-2 halfway through the conference schedule and started the second half with five road games in a row, dropping four of them. The Raiders completed the regular season as the only team to defeat C of I, though the Yotes ended their season with a 77-64 win in Caldwell in the CCC Tournament semifinals. Offensively they were defined by balance: despite the team's leading scorer, Casson Rouse, averaging fewer points (13.1) than any SOU top scorer in 15 years, they still put together the NAIA's 48th-best efficiency rating. Though respectable, it wasn't enough to overcome a defense that allowed opponents to shoot 49% or better in 11 of their 13 losses. Following the season, forward Dominic McGarvey and point guard Teron Bradford received All-CCC honorable mention.

GUARDS: The roles of Elijah Jackson and Mason Whittaker have fluctuated since they debuted as freshman in spring 2021, but they're both penciled in as rotation staples for their final seasons. The 6-foot-1 Jackson shot 46% from 3 last year, the third-best mark in the CCC, and averaged 6.9 points over the final month of the regular season. He's been a reliable offensive spark throughout his career, hitting at 52% from the field and posting 13 points per 30 minutes in 56 games. Whittaker, a 6-5 combo guard, has made 47 career starts but primarily came off the bench last season, logging career-best percentages from the field (45%) and from 3 (38%) while averaging 6.3 points.

"I've been extremely pleased with those guys and they're going to get a chance to be a big part of what we do," Zosel said. "They're smart players, they've been great teammates, and I think they'll provide outstanding leadership."

Gabe Reichle, a former all-state performer at Wilsonville High, should add some punch in the backcourt as a graduate transfer and is capable of initiating the offense, having appeared in 44 games over the last four years at Oregon. Jack Chlumak – a 6-5 transfer from Alaska Anchorage with two seasons of eligibility – is two years removed from averaging 12 points and shooting 48% from 3 at Central Wyoming C.C., described by Zosel as a prototypical "3-and-D" wing. Another junior, Jacob Axmaker, comes to SOU after knocking down 39% of his 228 attempts from downtown and contributing and 13.6 points per game last year at Lane C.C.

Two freshmen are also in the full-time mix now after appearing in six games apiece to retain redshirts last season. Gio Evanson, a 6-6 product of Ridgefield, Wash., is already one of the team's best playmakers. He scored 21 points in just 40 minutes during the 2023-24 campaign. Brady Rice, a former Beaverton High star, is another shooter who poured in 37 points across 71 minutes in his debut season.

FORWARDS: Khalil Chatman, a 6-foot-8 senior, had a stellar 2023-24 with averages of 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, coming off an injury-plagued debut season at SOU. He was at his best as a starter, posting 10.7 points in those 13 games, and enters this season solidly in that role. Alongside him will be 6-7 Western Washington transfer Liam Clark, who out of high school went to Clark C.C. (Wash.) and finished at 15.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks with a 65% clip from the field in his last season there.

Entering his third season with the team, 6-5 sophomore Bryce Dyer will be a prominent contributor again after averaging 17 minutes per outing and making five starts last year. Capable of playing and guarding inside and out, the North Medford product produced 4.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists, registering three double-doubles and a near-triple-double. Another versatile 6-6 forward, Etan Collins, is expected to debut in December.

Joe Juhala, a 6-8 junior shooting 35% in his career from 3, is back after missing last season due to injury. So too are redshirt-freshmen Emmett Fenz, a floor-spacer with deep range, and Theo Reid, one of the team's best shot-blockers. Like Evanson and Rice, both played sparingly to retain redshirts last year. Jace Anderson, one of the team's two true freshmen, was the Class 4A Northern Nevada Player of the Year at Damonte Ranch High.

"I think it's a nice mix of toughness, guys who can shoot it and guys who can defend," Zosel said. "We'll spend a lot of time messing with rotations and figuring out what works best for us over the next couple months."