Geoducks are Ready for Start of Men’s Basketball Season

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Submitted by The Evergreen State College

The Evergreen State College men’s basketball team is ready to start the 2024-25 season this weekend at the Western Classic in Dillon, Montana. The Geoducks will take on tournament host University of Montana Western on Friday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. MDT / 3 p.m. PDT and will battle Montana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. MDT / 4 p.m. PDT.

Evergreen enters the season with nearly a new team from the 2023-24 season. The Geoducks can benefit from the return of Daniel Thomas (Sr., G), who averaged 5.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game last season. Also returning to action is Jourdan Joseph (Sr., G), who played for the Geoducks in 2022-23, but missed the 2023-24 season. Head Coach Cameron Swanson is in his second season.

“We are super excited for this upcoming season,” Swanson said. “We brought in a lot of new faces, hoping to get us going in the right direction as a program.”

Thomas played in all 27 games and made 23 starts last year, while averaging 21.1 minutes played per game. He hit 25 three-point baskets. Thomas scored 16 points against Linfield University on Nov. 18 and grabbed six rebounds versus Northwest University on Nov. 30. He registered four assists versus Walla Walla University on Jan. 27.

“Daniel Thomas coming back was key for us,” Swanson noted. “On the court, he’s one our best perimeter defenders, and he has worked very hard on being a consistent shooter, especially from deep. Off the court, Daniel is one of our leaders, very key on keeping us together and gatekeeping our culture.”

In 2022-23, Joseph ranked second on the team with 13.5 points per game. He also averaged 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Geoducks. He sank 31 three-point attempts and shot 37.8% from three-point range. Joseph was 69 of 83 (893.1%) at the free throw line. He scored a high of 24 points against Multnomah on Feb. 11, 2023 and contributed 19 or more points a total of seven times.

Kew newcomers for the Geoducks are Garret Long (Jr., G/W), Bradley Graham (Jr., G), and Solomon Campbell (Jr., F). All three players are transfer student-athletes. Long transferred from Northwest Nazarene University (Idaho), while Graham is from Highline College (Wash.). Campbell joined the Geoducks from Edward Waters University (Fla.).

“We really think Garret Long, Bradley Graham and Solomon Campbell are positioned to have a huge impact on our program right away,” Swanson commented.

Last year, Evergreen was 4-23 overall and 3-19 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference of the NAIA. The Geoducks averaged 14.0 assists and 7.4 steals per game, while blocking 1.7 shots per contest.

Evergreen will play exhibition games against NCAA Division I opponents Portland State University (Nov. 7), the University of Idaho (Nov.19), and Seattle Pacific University (Dec. 18), plus exhibitions against NCAA Division II foes St. Martin’s University (Nov. 15) and Central Washington University (Dec. 14.). The Geoducks will start CCC play with the home opener on Dec. 6 against Walla Walla University at 2 p.m. PST.

“The team is excited to kick off the season in Montana, playing against some of the best in the NAIA,” Swanson said. “Hopefully, our very tough non-conference schedule we get our team and staff prepared for the extremely grueling CCC schedule. If we can stick together over this long season and start the long and tough process of moving this program to where we want it to go, then we are doing something correct.”

Action in the 2024-25 CCC Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin with the quarterfinals on Feb. 25, followed by the semifinals on Feb. 28. The CCC Championship Game is scheduled for Mar. 3.

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