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Trey Hall
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Trey Hall

Men's Basketball RattlerAthletics.com

SEASON PREVIEW: New-look Rattlers seeking familiar results

By Kaeleen Zeleznak | St. Mary's Athletics Communications

GOLDEN, Colo. — It's a brand-new team, looking to write the same story.
 
The Rattlers open their season at the Heartland-RMAC Shootout Friday evening at 9 p.m. against South Central Region heavyweight, Colorado School of Mines.  (WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS)
 
With veteran leaders and players with high-level competition experience, this fresh-faced Rattler squad is ready to enter their season opener with the familiar intensity generally associated with the boys in gold and blue.
 
The 2015-16 team welcomes four freshmen — guards A.J. McGlown and Dimitri Peterson, and forwards Yanni Wetzell and Lachie Woodhill — as well as four transfers: point guard Trey Hall, guard Isaiah Parros, and forwards Stefan Wright and Ed Seay.
 
Lone fifth-year senior, Bryce Smith, has been a part of many different Rattler squads throughout his time in gold and blue, each of which has punched their ticket to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. Since the start of their time together, Smith has seen glimpses of a team that has the potential to return — for the fifth time in a row — to the postseason regional tournament.
 
"Off the court, I think we get along as well as, if not better than any other team that I've been on," Smith said. "On the court, it's more of a lack of game experience together. But our whole pre-conference schedule is tough, and going through those battles together will bring us closer. I think everyone will realize what it takes to be a winning team."
 
Smith believes that this season will be no different, anticipating an exciting adventure, with a diverse group of athletes that has the ability to be unpredictable offensively, and hard to stop defensively.
 
"I think that we can be really versatile offensively," Smith said. "We have post guys that aren't afraid to step out and shoot, so that'll be fun to see where our offense ends up. In the beginning, if we're focused on defense, once our offense catches up, that'll make us a really hard team to beat."
 
Senior sharp-shooter Kriston Minor has been cultivating his championship mentality since the summer, being told that St. Mary's is a team that will have a target on its backs this season. Minor has stepped into one of the prominent leadership roles on the team, ensuring that his squad is moving in the right direction day-in and day-out.
 
"I've been established as a leader," Minor said. "I can't be seen slipping. I have to do everything the right way. Some of these guys have never seen this type of intensity, so I think we just have to keep pushing through and trust in the system that the coaches have in place and get better everyday, every time we step on the practice floor."
 
Last season, Minor made a name for himself as an offensive leader for the Rattlers, despite his hard-nosed mentality on defense. This season, Minor has taken to becoming a player that prides himself on defensive stops; he hopes to instill that same mindset into his young Rattler teammates.
 
"I take pride in stopping somebody, but I do like to score," Minor said. "I feel like we're very athletic and smart enough where we can make a stop and turn it into an easy bucket."
 
Minor, with his vocal nature, considers himself a part of the coaching staff, as he is continuously communicating with his teammates both on and off the floor.
 
"I think they sometimes get mad at me because I'm on the floor when I don't need to be," Minor said. "I just want the best for all of these guys."
 
As one of the new faces, junior transfer Ed Seay has seen a lot of progress so far, but he understands that there are going to be ups and downs in the process.
 
"As a team we're progressing," Seay said. "Sometimes we have off days and then some days we look like a great team. We have made some steps from the first day that we worked out with each other with team chemistry and everyone knowing their roles on the team. We've made a big step from that point, but we still have a lot farther to go."
 
Coming off of a loss in their exhibition game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Seay believes that the team will be able to take away some valuable lessons moving forward.  
 
"It was a tough loss," Seay said. "I feel like we kind of got smacked in the face. We're learning the way that other teams will play us on defense and are trying to pick up the intensity and our aggression from there.
 
"I feel like we just have to grind it out. With us being a new team, we have to find a way to win. If we hustle and grind on the defensive end, I feel like we'll be in good shape."
 
Alongside Seay, comes junior transfer Trey Hall, who comes into this season fresh off of claiming the NJCAA National Championship.
 
Seeing first-hand what defense can do for a team, Hall brings that championship experience to the Rattler squad, challenging his teammates to turn up the intensity and go out and battle every time they step on the floor.

"No matter what we do on offense, defense is what's going to win us games," Hall said. "Being tough and outworking the opponents is what's going to make us better."
 
Hall has nothing but confidence in this Rattler team and looks to inspire his teammates to play with a fighter's mentality.
 
"I'm not used to other teams coming over to push us around," Hall said. "I think we need to be ready to throw the first blow instead of waiting to get hit first and then trying to get back up." 
 
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Players Mentioned

Kriston Minor

#15 Kriston Minor

G
6' 1"
Senior
Bryce Smith

#12 Bryce Smith

G
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Yanni Wetzell

#40 Yanni Wetzell

F
6' 9"
Freshman
Trey Hall

#25 Trey Hall

PG
6' 4"
Junior
Ed Seay

#45 Ed Seay

F
6' 8"
Junior
Isaiah Parros

#20 Isaiah Parros

G
6' 5"
Junior
Stefan Wright

#54 Stefan Wright

F
6' 8"
Junior
Lachie Woodhill

#43 Lachie Woodhill

F
6' 10"
Freshman
Dimitri Peterson

#30 Dimitri Peterson

G
6' 4"
Freshman
A.J. McGlown

#21 A.J. McGlown

G
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Kriston Minor

#15 Kriston Minor

6' 1"
Senior
G
Bryce Smith

#12 Bryce Smith

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
G
Yanni Wetzell

#40 Yanni Wetzell

6' 9"
Freshman
F
Trey Hall

#25 Trey Hall

6' 4"
Junior
PG
Ed Seay

#45 Ed Seay

6' 8"
Junior
F
Isaiah Parros

#20 Isaiah Parros

6' 5"
Junior
G
Stefan Wright

#54 Stefan Wright

6' 8"
Junior
F
Lachie Woodhill

#43 Lachie Woodhill

6' 10"
Freshman
F
Dimitri Peterson

#30 Dimitri Peterson

6' 4"
Freshman
G
A.J. McGlown

#21 A.J. McGlown

6' 1"
Freshman
G

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