CHADRON, Neb. – Just a week remains before the Chadron State College men's basketball team opens its season by playing a pair of games against West Texas A&M, which is located at Canyon, a town of about 16,000 in the Lone Star State's Panhandle, some 14 miles south of Amarillo.
The two schools will face off on Friday. at 10 a.m. MT (11 a.m. CT), then rematch on Saturday at noon MT (1 p.m. CT).
CSC Coach Chris Francis anticipates the Eagles will have their work cut out during the doubleheader, but believes his rebuilt team has excellent potential. The men's basketball programs from the two schools have never previously met.
"We've got a good group," Francis said. "They do what we ask, are energetic and work hard. They are gaining confidence and we'll have good depth. The early part of our schedule is tough, but I think we'll be ready to roll when we start our conference schedule in December."
Chadron State has an almost entirely different lineup from last year, when the Eagles finished with a 15-14 record. Seven team members concluded their eligibility and there's just one 2024-25 letterman on this year's 15-man roster. That's Zach Smith, a backup point guard a year ago. Another guard, Jackson Schauer, who redshirted as a true freshman, is making a strong bid for playing time, the coach said.
Ten transfers and three freshmen that Francis and his assistant, Carter Devine-Billen, rounded up are the other team members. With the starting lineup not yet set, several players could receive substantial minutes early on.
One would be Blessing Adesipe, a 6-6 Houston native and the only senior on the roster aside from Smith. His claim to fame includes scoring more than 1,000 points and grabbing more than 500 rebounds while playing two years at Miles College in Montana. Adesipe spent last season on the roster of Angelo State, a conference rival of West Texas A&M in the Lone Star Conference, where he played in 28 games (starting 10) and shot 47 percent from the field.
Jadon Cool, a 6-4 junior transfer from Iowa Western CC, is a talented all-around offensive player, scoring nearly 800 points in two years of junior college. Another Lone Star transfer from Eastern New Mexico, 6-4 Isaiah Randolph, is a physical guard who Francis said should get lots of playing time.
The Eagles have three international players on this year's roster. Mack Keighran, an Australian, is making a strong bid to start at point guard while Jovan Jovanovic, a native of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is a lefty who may be the team's best pure shooter.
Francis likes the potential of another international player, 6-8 freshman Luka Djurovic, who is from Montenegro and has played for the country's U20 national team.
"He's played in Europe, where the rules are quite a bit different, so he's having to make some adjustments," Francis said. "But he's got talent and has a bright future."
Two Lincoln, Nebraska natives are on the roster. Junior Colin Nick, a Lincoln High graduate who played two years at Northeast CC is expected to be a key rotation piece. Konnor Kralik averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds early last season at Guardian Angels Central Catholic HS near Lincoln and is CSC's most heralded freshman.
Junior Patric Prince, a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, may not play early as he is being checked for a possible heart problem. Francis is hoping that Prince's situation repeats what occurred last season when Zy Wright was withheld from practice because of a potential ticker ailment. Wright was cleared only a few days before the season tipped off, wound up playing in all 29 games, was the team's leading scorer and earned First-Team All-RMAC.
Two members of the team, 6-9 sophomore Lexi Anderson, brother of Porter Anderson, the Eagles' starting center in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and Chadron freshman Brady Daniels, are expected to redshirt this season. Unfortunately, one of transfers, highly-regarded Chicago native Caleb Hannah, has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2025-26 season.
Like Chadron and many teams in this era, the Buffaloes also have a rebuilt team with just three players returning who saw action last year. West Texas A&M had a 19-12 record and qualified for the NCAA DII National Tournament for the ninth straight season.
