Mankato, Minn. --- The 2009-10 edition of the Minnesota State men's basketball team is no different than those of the previous years. The Mavericks, who have won 126 games in the last five seasons, will look to trio of returning seniors, mixed in with strong returning corps and a talented bunch of newcomers to make sure the winning trend continues.

"I'm very excited about this upcoming season," said head coach Matt Margenthaler, who is entering his ninth season with the program. "I think we have as much depth as we have ever had with this team. I think we put a really good group of athletic players, of guys who will work extremely hard together. That is one thing this team has shown already. They have 16 guys that will work for the same goal and I believe the egos will be left aside. We should come together and this should be an exciting year with a great group of guys to watch play."

The Mavericks return two starters from a year ago in senior guard Jesse Clark and senior center Travis Nelson. Last year, Clark averaged 8.9 points and shot .515 from the floor and passed out a team-high 178 assists. Nelson is the leading returning scorer on the squad after averaging 13.9 points per game to go with 5.6 rebounds. Nelson shot .560 from the floor and converted on 83.6 percent from the stripe, knocking down 112 of 134 free throw opportunities.

"Having Jesse back, really makes you feel confident as a coach," said Margenthaler. "He is like a coach on the floor for us. He is the leader of this basketball team and has been the last two years. He knows what we expect as a staff and he knows how to get on and help lead the guys on the floor. I believe Travis is the best center in the region. He has the opportunity this year to really do some great things. He worked hard over the summer to get in better shape, and worked on his defensive skills. He needs to be a dominate force for us. He is a lot stronger than he was last year. "

Joining Clark and Nelson as a returning senior is forward Curt Greeley. Greeley played in all 35 games last season and averaged 2.1 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing 12.0 minutes per game. "Curt has been in our program for four years and he is looking to make an impact this year," said Margenthaler. "We need Curt to step-up. He is a captain and a leader both on and off the court. Defensively he will can guard the four or five, he is so versatile and is the ultimate team player."

Depth will again prove to be key for the Mavericks. Junior guard Marcus Hill returns help run the point for the Mavericks. Last year, Hill averaged 8.6 points and passed out 98 assists while playing in 33 games. Junior Drapcho will also see playing time at the off-guard position. Last year, Drapcho averaged 3.5 points per game while playing in all 35 games and earning 11 starts. Junior Morrow averaged 3.0 points per game in 15 games last year, but saw action in five of MSU's final six games.

Also providing depth for the Mavericks will be sophomore guard Stephen Kirschbaum (2.7 ppg), sophomore center Mitch Grundman (4.4 ppg), junior center Landon Benson (3.6 ppg), sophomore forward Bisenius (2.2 ppg) and redshirt-freshman Alex Weldon.

"I am really happy with what we got in terms of depth," said Margenthaler. "At the end of last season we played with a 10-man rotation and got some guys some experience on the floor that weren't going to get it earlier in the year. That should help them with their confidence."

Joining the Mavericks this season are senior guards Jermain Davis (Minneapolis, Minn./Iowa) and Jefferson Mason (Crystal, Minn./Northern Colo.) and junior guard Cameron Hodges (Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis Community and Technical). The Mavericks will also welcome incoming freshman Jimmy Whitehead (LaCrosse, Wis.) and Connor O'Brien (New Prague, Minn.), both of which are expected to redshirt this year.

"Jermain, defensively, is outstanding," said Margenthaler. "He is very athletic and can get to a basket. Cameron is athletic, strong and a workhorse. He can play the one through four for us and is one of those guys who can do a little bit of everything. Jefferson is an unbelievable athlete. He can do a lot of things on the floor, things that other guys on other teams can't do."

For the Mavericks to continue their winning tradition, Margenthaler says that several things need to happen. "It begins with defense," said Margenthaler. "The whole thing stems from that. We are a program that has had great talent and we have great talent in the program again this year. It is a level of consistency. We need to understand that we are serving each other and its not about one person. There has to be a lot of trust, we have to have trust in our teammates to help each other out. If we can get that attitude this year, which I think we really do have, we can be a team that does some great things and gets to that next level."

Minnesota State plays 10 of its first 12 games at home and will not play a true road game until after the New Year. MSU opens with Monmouth College on Nov. 15, before hosting Maryville and Nebraska-Kearney in the annual Pepsi Tip-Off. Following the tip-off, MSU will participate in the NSIC Holiday HoopsFest in Sioux Falls, S.D., where it will play a couple of non-conference but in-region counting games against Winona State and Northern State. The Mavericks then return to Taylor Center to open and close the month of December with two nonconference games sandwiched around three league contests.

"You always like to be at home," said Margenthaler, who is 103-20 in home games at Minnesota State. "We play really well here at Taylor Center. For this team, being at home is going to be good, for the fact that we have three to five guys who have to find different roles and fit in with the team."

The Mavericks open the NSIC portion of its schedule Dec. 5 against Southwest Minnesota State before entertaining Mary and Northern State the following weekend. MSU opens a four-game road trip Jan. 2 when it travels to Minnesota, Crookston. With a 20-game league schedule the league race should, again, be a fun one. "St. Cloud State has everyone back," said Margenthaler. "Winona State added some transfers that will help them right away and Concordia is a good team that has a lot of guys back. This is a great basketball league. We have great coaches and great players. Night in, night out you have to be ready to play. There could be a dozen teams in this league that could win it."

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