Lethbridge - While the Lethbridge Pronghorn men's basketball team finished the 2012-13 season two games above 500 and increased their win total to 12, the season ended with disappointment by missing the playoff by two wins.

For the 2013-14 season, the 'Horns have seen major changes to the program. The most notable change being the school naming alumnus Mike Hansen the 10^th head coach in the programs history after Dave Adams resigned from his position following last season to pursue other opportunities outside of coaching.

The 'Horns will open the 2013-14 conference schedule this weekend on the road traveling to British Columbia to face the Fraser Valley Cascades and Trinity Western Spartans. Tip-offs are set at 8:00pm and 7:00pm respectively and both games will be streamed on http://canadawest.tv.

In addition to the leadership change, the roster received a complete overhaul with only five players from last season's roster returning. A quartet of guards and reserve post remain with the program and will be led by seniors Morgan Duce, Logan Reiter and Alex Fletcher.

Reiter and Duce both averaged double digit points per game last season and will be counted on heavily to increase their scoring totals after the departure of the top two scorers from last season in Derek Waldner and Julian Spear Chief-Morris.

The biggest shoes to fill will be Canada West second team all-star post Waldner. After five years with the program, Waldner leaves the program with his name mentioned among the all-time best to wear a 'Horns jersey. In his final season, he led the nation in rebounding and finished his career setting a new all-time rebounding record with 872 and moved in to fifth on the 'Horns all-time scoring list with 1139 points.

Among the nine newcomers to the program, Australian Brandon Brine, as well as ACAC all-stars Rob Olsen and Jared Baker are expected to make significant impacts in their first season with the program. 6'10" post Brent Watkins could be a wildcard with the 'Horns, after transferring from Citrus College in California. Watkins, who did not play High School basketball, comes to the 'Horns with raw talent and will be relied on to be a presence in the paint for the Pronghorns. In his second season with Citrus last year, Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7 rebounds per game while hitting nearly 75% from the field.

The Cascades will also have a new look this season, gone are the leaders of the team that won a berth in the 2012 CIS championship tournament in Halifax. Coach Adam Friesen, entering his second year at UFV, has assembled a strong unit around second-year guard Kevon Parchment, who finished second in scoring last year with a 21.6 points per game average. Kevon started 21 of the 27 games last year. 

Parchment is joined in the backcourt by fifth-year guard Klaus Figueredo, who stepped up in the Saskatchewan post season three games quarterfinal series to average 20 ppg during the playoffs, Figueredo recorded 20 steals and 15 assists 12 regular season games.  Coach Friesen will also be counting on second-year guard Aaron McGowan, to quarterback the offense, McGowan played in 11 games last year but looks to be healthy and ready to step in and take on the workload of starting 22 regular season games.

 This year, Trinity will no doubt be a work in progress. But, if all the pieces fit together in time, the Spartans high-end potential is scary good.  

There are two things one should know about this team. They are athletic and they're fast. And the Spartans are going to be one exciting, thrill-a-minute team to watch. No matter who they play this year, there's a good chance they'll win the battle of sheer athleticism. The question is: how many wins will that translate into? And can coach Scott Allen harness the team's raw talent to create structured success? 

Compared to last year, the Spartans certainly look like an improved group. The losses of both Tristan Smith and Tonner Jackson will be felt in at least a leadership capacity, but on the court, Allen has done well to replace the departed talent.
 
After finishing fifth in Canada West scoring last year with 18.2 points per game, Mark Perrin is back and set to take his game to another level. Look for more of the same from Perrin in his second year in the CIS, but with a stronger supporting cast.  

The player to watch this year and the one who has already impressed TWU fans with his high-octane abilities is Anthony Ottley. Transferring from Durham College, Ottley is a difference-maker who could quickly turn into one of the conference's most dynamic players. With fellow transfer Kelvin Smith pushing him for minutes, the two will create fits for the opposition.  

At point guard, the battle for minutes will be waged between fourth-year transfer Robert Rodriguez and first-year Tyus Allen Expect the two players to split duties early on as they compete for starting minutes.  

Up front, Denny McDonald has returned this fall looking like a much improved player and was arguably TWU's best player in the preseason.

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