PREVIEW: Men's Hoops exhibition game versus UWM

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team squares off with NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday at the UWM Panther Area in an exhibition contest. This will be the Pioneers' seventh exhibition game against a NCAA Division I institution.

Last year, the Pioneers fell to the Wisconsin Badgers, 80-51. Jim Stocki led the team with 14 points and added three rebounds and three assists. In 2008, UW-Platteville defeated the Bradley Braves, 84-79. The Pioneers went 17-17 from the charity stripe to take a 46-37 lead into halftime. Bradley brought it to a three-point game with just under 13 minutes to go, but couldn't get any closer as the Pioneers held on for an 84-79 victory. UW-Platteville's first exhibition game was in 2004 against Wisconsin, and then the Pioneers went on to play UW-Milwaukee in 2005 and Purdue in 2006.

GUARDS
• The Pioneers' backcourt has the most depth as they return seven guards, including two starters. With a guard heavy squad, UW-Platteville may see four guards on the floor at the same time for most of the year.  

• Senior Jim Stocki  garnered All-WIAC Honorable Mention honors last year. He ranked second on the team and 13th in the WIAC with 12.4 points per contest. The Bolingbrook, Ill. native, was one of the league's top three-point shooters, as he ranked third with a 43.7 three-point percentage and made 59 three-pointers. 

• Junior Boston Johnson is a returning starter and will be looked upon to be more of a consistent scorer. He averaged 10.8 points per game and totaled 13 double-digit scoring performances in 27 games. He scored a career-high 37 points at Carthage (Dec. 14) and went 12-17 from the field. 

• The Pioneers should see production from senior Wes Nemitz increase, as he is projected to be in the starting lineup. Last year, was one of the first two players off the bench and posted the most minutes off the bench with 17 minutes per game.  

• UW-Platteville also brings back four letter winners, juniors Caleb Jackson, Peyton River, and Trevor Wittwer and sophomore Eric Gerber. River saw action in all 27 games as the backup point guard and averaged 12.6 minutes. Jackson and Gerber saw limited time last year. Wittwer missed the 2013-14 season, but averaged 16.4 minutes in 2012-13. His sharp shooting ability was missed last year, as he made 30-80 (.375) from beyond the arc two seasons ago.

FORWARDS
• The forward position is where the Pioneers are the thinnest in depth. They return starting power forward senior Jake Manning, and letter winner Cory Vaassen. 

• Manning has the athleticism to take other big men off the dribble and the strength and footwork to play with is back to the basket. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native, scores consistently from 15-feet and in, as he shot 47.5 percent from the floor last season. He also gets after the boards, recording 5.1 rebounds per game. He earned honorable mention all-WIAC honors in 2013.  

• Vaassen was the Pioneers first or second man off the bench last season and brings a physicality to the Pioneer lineup. He averaged 15.4 minutes and recorded 97 points and 71 rebounds. He scored a career-high 18 points against George Fox (Dec. 28) at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas. 

CENTERS
• The Pioneers will have a difficult time replacing the production of All-American and WIAC Player of the Year,  Chas Cross. UW-Platteville return letter winners Jameson Collin, Coop Lewis, Collin Macomber and Steve Scharch. 

• Junior Collin, and seniors Macomber and Scharch all saw limited time last year and will look to give the Pioneers good minutes off the bench this year. Scharch brings a shot blocking threat at 6-foot-10 and Macomber brings a lot of energy off the bench. Lewis received a medical hardship waiver last year after suffering a season ending injury during preseason conditioning. During the 2012-13 campaign, he averaged 9.4 minutes off the bench and totaled 19 blocks and 69 rebounds. 

NEWCOMERS
• The Pioneers welcome five freshman, Cole Hake (Sherwood, Wis.); Sam Hohlfelder (Mahomet, Ill.); Matt Oestreich (Marshfield, Wis.); Trey Sigel (Rock Island, Ill.); and AJ Washington (West Chicago, Ill.) and a Division II transfer Blake Derickson (Oshkosh, Wis.) to the program.