The excitement of last year’s half court buzzer-beater will be hard to match during Baker University men’s basketball team’s season opener at Kansas Wesleyan University Tuesday.
The ’Cats’ roster will have a different look to it from last season as Baker will have to replace its top three leading scorers from last season in Jaris Wommack, Andre Strozier and Austin Bond. Although head coach Brett Ballard knows it won’t be easy to replace Wommack, Strozier and Bond, he has high expectation for five transfers and two freshmen he brought in.
“It’s tough any time you lose your three leading scorers, but I actually think we have a chance to play better offensively,” Ballard said. “I think with the pieces we have and the guys we have coming back, offensively we will be able to attack more and get easier shots.”
BU finished last season with an overall record of 12-18 and 8-12 in conference play. The Wildcats are picked to finish sixth in the conference.
“I think our guys are pretty motivated regardless of the situation,” Ballard said. “I think those ratings are hard. It’s kind of a coin-flip when you (rank spots) two through seven, but still, (I) did talk to the guys about it and I think they understand that it is going to be a tough conference.”