Men's basketball team opens season tonight on road

October 30, 2009

By The Independent Record

The Carroll College men's basketball team will open up the 2009-10 season on the road at the first annual Craig Finberg Memorial basketball tournament tonight in Dillon.

The tournament honors University of Montana Western alumni and former Bulldog assistant men's basketball coach Craig Finberg, who died of cancer on March 20 at the age of 51. Finberg also taught and coached at Beaverhead County High School in Dillon.

Carroll will face Dickinson State tonight at 5:30 p.m. before taking on Multnomah University (Ore.) at the same time Saturday.

"Dickinson, I think is going to be tough," said Saints head coach Brandon Veltri, who will be guiding the Saints in his first season opener since the retirement of Gary Turcott in April. "Dickinson brings in a lot of good players each year and their coach is doing an excellent job."

The Blue Hawks finished the 2008-09 season 17-13 overall and return junior guard Nate Lebsock, who was named first-team all-Dakota Athletic Conference and NAIA Division II All-America honorable mention last season. He led the team in scoring with just over 14 points per game and shot 43 percent from the floor, 44 percent from the 3-point line.

If the Saints aren't busy enough holding off Lebsock, they'll get their fill from Multnomah. The Lions completed 26-of-69 3-pointers in their 124-94 season-opening win over Quest University. Multnomah finished last season 14-22 and is a part of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

The Saints are coming off a 107-83 win in an exhibition with the Montana Blue Angels, a collection of former collegiate basketball players from around the state.

Sophomore Andy Garland, an NAIA honorable mention All-American, picked up a double-double in the match, scoring 32 points and 16 rebounds.

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