Lethbridge – While the rest of the conference opened the Canada West regular season last weekend, the Lethbridge Pronghorn men's basketball team will hit their home court this weekend in their first conference games of the season, hosting the Brandon Bobcats for a pair of games.
 
The 'Horns and Bobcats will hit the hardwood Friday night at 8:00pm and Saturday night at 7:00pm. Both games will also be streamed live on www.canadawest.tv.
 
The unexpected loss of senior post Brent Watkins to a serious car accident rocked the team this summer.  If the 'Horns can rally around their injured teammate and step into the void to fill his productivity, the team still has the potential to have a great season.
 
Four starters return from last season, led by Brandon Brine and Rob Olsen. Brine was 15^th on the conference scoring list, averaging 15.7 points per game, while Olsen averaged 13.5 point per game.
 
Key additions for the 'Horns this season are a pair of imports. Dynamic California point guard Dejon Burdeaux joins the 'Horns from Fresno City College, where former Pronghorn and current Assistant Coach Alex Fletcher played and coached Burdeaux.
 
6'9" post Carl Hoffman also joins the 'Horns from California, where he last played for California State – LA and will be counted on to fill the void left by Watkins' accident.
 
The Bobcats opened the conference season with a pair of losses last weekend at home at the hands of the Regina Cougars. The Bobcats suffered 104-75 and 87-73 losses and as a result, rank last defensively in Canada West through one weekend.
 
Offensively the Bobcats are ranked 12^th after last weekend and a trio of seniors led the way in scoring. DJ Jordan led the way with 19 points per game last weekend, while Chris Stanhope and Earl Thompson Jr. averaged 17 and 11 points respectively.
 
The 'Horns head out on the road next weekend, traveling to Regina to face the Regina Cougars.