Last year was a transition year for the Cougars as the roster consisted of just six returning players and only one returning starter along with a new head coach roaming the sidelines for the first time in 20 years. MVNU posted a 13-16 final record in which seven of the losses came by two possessions or less with three of them happening in overtime. This year, the Cougars return seven players including three starters and have added a quality recruiting class to the mix.

"I am extremely excited about this year's team,” said MVNU coach Matt Moore, who gets set for his second season guiding the Cougars. "We return an outstanding group of players who have taken tremendous strides throughout last season in gaining varsity experience and growing as key players within our system. With seven lettermen back, I have high expectations for all of them in their leadership and work ethic as they have already taken ownership of our fall and preseason workouts.”

Senior wing Brandon Short and junior guard Robbie Taylor return as key leaders for MVNU with plenty of experience under their belts after both were named to the AMC Second Team last year. Short led the Cougars in scoring (13.9 ppg) and steals (57) a year ago, while Taylor averaged 12.4 points and led the team in assists (84) and three-pointers made (45).

"Brandon and Rob will set the tone for our team,” said Moore. "Their passion and work ethic has grown immensely in my time here and I expect both of them to play key roles for us. Brandon is virtually unguardable at times and Rob can score the ball in bunches. These two have done a great job in the weight room and in overlapping with our rookies.”

Senior Brady Swanson returns to run the point for MVNU after joining the team following the completion of his stellar four-year soccer career last fall. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds over the final 18 games and made eight starts. Sophomore guard Ben Severns played in 29 games off the bench and averaged 5.2 points while shooting 39.6 percent beyond the arc in knocking down 40 treys.

"Brady and Ben both return after a solid summer of skill development and focus on their skill development,” said Moore. "Brady is one of our most competitive players. He is a winner in all that he does and that is rubbing off on those around him. Ben has transformed himself from just a jump shooter into someone who can score the basketball. His commitment in the weight room and willingness to improve his foot speed will allow him to play important minutes for us.”

The Cougars return three post players from a year ago in sophomore Jordan Heatherly, senior Adam Grimm, and junior Scott Hilbert. Heatherly averaged 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds and blocked a team-high 42 shots, while Grimm contributed 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds despite being hampered by injuries. Hilbert also saw action in 22 games off the bench and averaged 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds.

"All three of our returning bigs have very different skill sets that we can utilize in a variety of ways,” said Moore. "Jordan has the ability to play at an All-Conference level every time he takes the floor. One-on-one, he is nearly unstoppable in the basket area. He has done a great job of showing his commitment to our program after being a walk-on last year. Adam has the athleticism that makes us a fun team to watch, especially in transition. His role will be important for our success as he will anchor our bench, but he could without a doubt earn a starting spot. Scott is our glue guy. His willingness to work with our younger players and give us his best makes him one of our most respected players. That is why he is our team captain.”

Several quality new players have joined the Cougars' roster and will help contribute to the team's success. Junior transfer Danil Zakhlebnyy and sophomore transfer Bryce Barnes will bring experience to the team, while the freshman class of Austin Semple, Caleb Williams, and Dazron Booker-Lowery each excel in different aspects of the game and will look to find ways to contribute to the team early on.

"Danil is our most versatile player and has the heart of a champion,” said Moore. "As he grows in his understanding of our system, he will just get better in his role. Bryce is a winner and has a high basketball IQ. He is a coach's son and has a deep passion for the game of basketball.”

"Our freshman class has a chance to be very special,” Moore continued. "At 6-foot-6, Austin is one of the most crafty players I have seen in my six years at the college level. He does all the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet and is one of our most dependable players. At 6-foot-8, Caleb is another high IQ player with a great skill set. He is our best passer and is always in the right spot. He will help us in big ways with his willingness to be a part of something bigger than himself. Daz has the tools to be one of the best big men in our conference. His physical attributes are outstanding for a freshman and his love for the game is easy to detect. He must continue to develop his desire to defend and rebound. When he figures it out, there will not be much teams can do to stop him.”

"Our strengths this year will be our ability to share the basketball and play in transition,” said Moore. "Our goal is to put eight players in double figures. This is something that I don't think has been accomplished at the NAIA level. A few teams have put seven players there, but not eight in double digits. I feel we will be more difficult to defend when we have a number of options rather than just relying on one or two players to carry the load. Defensively, we are long and athletic, which will give us the opportunity to be creative at the defensive end of the floor.”

The Cougars' schedule will feature 12 non-conference games including four against teams receiving votes in their respective preseason NAIA national polls (Northwestern Ohio, Berea College, Fisher College, and Point Loma Nazarene University) with potentially a fifth (Trevecca Nazarene University) depending on how tournament results work out. MVNU will also play a home and away series with Lourdes College as well as contests against the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Ohio Christian University, the University of Indianapolis (Ind.), and San Diego Christian (Calif.) University. Goshen (Ind.) College and Marian (Ind.) University are also possible tournament opponents.

In conference play, the Cougars were picked to finish seventh in the highly-competitive AMC that features home and away games against NAIA Division II No. 2 Walsh University, No. 14 Cedarville University, and Notre Dame College, and Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College, who both received votes in the NAIA Division II preseason poll. MVNU will also face Daemen (N.Y.) College, Wilberforce University, Houghton (N.Y.) College, Point Park (Pa.) University, and Malone University both home and away.

"Last season, we lost seven games by two possessions or less,” said Moore. "We hope those trying times have taught us what it takes to win at a higher level. This season, we beefed up our non-conference schedule because we felt that if we are going to make a run at a conference title that we must be pushed on a nightly basis. We face eight teams ranked or receiving votes along with three NAIA Division I programs and an NCAA Division II team.”

"The two tournaments we are in will give us a postseason feel because of the quality of the opponents we will see,” Moore continued. "In Marian's tournament, we open up with Berea who was the second-highest scoring team in the country last year at 93 points per game. In our A+ Autobrokers Holiday Invitational, we will open up with Fisher who won 24 games last year and then face either Goshen from one of the top conferences in the country – the Mid-Central Collegiate Conference – or Trevecca Nazarene who won 21 games last year and led NAIA Division I in three-point field goal percentage.”

"Our conference will once again be outstanding with four teams earning preseason votes in the national poll,” said Moore. "Being picked seventh in the conference preseason coaches' poll is humbling and motivating in many ways. I believe it is more of a reflection of where we have been rather than where we are headed. Our goal for the season is to fulfill our quest of being the best team we can be in our execution in games, our poise in crunch time, our player relationships, and our competitive greatness.”