TORRINGTON – The Eastern Wyoming College men’s basketball team just got practices started for the upcoming winter season and they are looking to improve from last year.
The Lancers are returning four players from last year’s roster including Walker Korell, Jordan Mirich, Trey Schroefel and Daniel Wright. Korell and Schroefel played in all 30 games last year, while Mirich played in 29 and Wright saw action in 23. Mirich (15.1 PPG) and Korell (11.7 PPG) both averaged double-digit scoring a season ago. Schroefel and Mirich both started practices banged up, and their exact timetable to return is uncertain.
There are 12 new faces for the Lancers this season, three of which are coming in as sophomores. All of the new players are over 6-feet tall, with six coming in at 6-feet, 6-inches or taller.
“We have some heighth this year and we are pretty athletic,” coach Neal Sherbeyn said. “I’m very happy with the size we have this year. We can take advantage of our own mismatches.”
On top of the height of many of the new players, Sherbeyn said he feels like they can come together to round out a deep roster.
“This year is totally different than the past two,” Sherbeyn said. “We are going to stay a lot fresher. We are very deep at every position and there won’t be a drop-off when guys come off the bench.”
The month of October serves as a preseason for the Lancers, who went 4-26 last season with wins over Air Force Prep, Montana Western and two wins over Fort Carson. They are set to have practices and compete in several scrimmages throughout the month.
“My major concern this month is to work on the fundamentals of the game,” Sherbeyn said. “My main interest is to change the way they play the game, fundamentally and passionately.”
Sherbeyn also looks to work players into his coaching scheme. He said that the players on this year’s roster fit into his scheme, which is a run-and-gun style, perfectly, but he is also confident in their half-court abilities if the game is slowed down.
EWC hits the ground running for their opening game of the season against Casper College on Nov. 1. The home opener is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
“Our number one goal is to beat Casper and start 1-0,” Sherbeyn said. “Our goals will be to take each game at a time. That’s our short-term goal, win that one game at a time.
“I hope these guys can win. They want to learn and they get along, which is really positive,” he said. “If they continue to get along, we may be looking at something special.”
