Pioneers ready for title defense vs. deep WIAC

Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team is coming off a shortened 2021 that ended with the program's 22nd WIAC regular season title and third WIAC tournament championship. The Pioneers will be tested early and often with a tough non-conference slate and two early season conference games.  

"We will find out what we are made of early," Head Coach Jeff Gard said. "That is what we wanted out of our non-conference season, to make sure we are battle-tested and prepared for WIAC play. Some of the games were return games that we had, but we were able to get some good teams to come in for the Gabe Miller Classic to open the season. Add in the two early conference games, it kind of shakes things up as well."

Gard is in his 13th year at UW-Platteville. Seniors Braden Nies, Justin Stovall, Quentin Shields and Alex Ranney will return for a fifth year granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The core of Gard's team were regular season champions in 2018, 2020 and 2021. They were tournament champions in 2019 and 2021.

The extra year has Gard excited, but he also understands his team is not the only one benefitting from the extra year of eligibility. 

"With the extra year, it benefited us no doubt, but it benefited everyone else as well," he said. "You have the player of the year in Wyatt Cook (UW-La Crosse) returning. He would have graduated last year. With guys getting a year back, getting experience with the semi-season last year and getting bigger, if you look at the benefits it gave us, it benefited the other seven teams in the WIAC as well."

Gard will need to replace three seniors who did not take the fifth year. Drew Gunnink, Justin Jarvensivu and Justin Fox graduated and began their professional careers following the 2021 season. The Pioneer basketball program will honor Gunnink, Jarvensivu and Fox on Saturday, Dec. 4 when UW-River Falls visits for a 7 p.m. tip. 

The Pioneers are picked once again to win the conference, but Gard and the Pioneers know it will not be easy to repeat. When asked who in the conference will challenge them for the top spot, Gard simply said, "everybody." He then continued, "this league is going to be loaded. It will be a bear from top to bottom."

Fifth year seniors Shields and Stovall were all-conference in 2021, fourth year senior Kyle Tuma was honorable mention. All three will play a pivotal role for the Pioneers to be successful in the 2021-22 season. Sophomores Logan Pearson and Ben Probst got experience playing in the shortened season.

Fourth year senior Blake McCann returns and is joined by high school teammate Jack Huml, who began his collegiate career at UW-River Falls.

"The big thing you look at with the returners, everyone that was part of the program last year, is their physical development," Gard said. "Strength Coach Michael Martin has done a tremendous job of putting pounds on the guys and leaning them up. Kyle Tuma looks the best he has ever looked, and you have a guy like Brad Nies, he has leaned up as well. We track things through our health and human performance department and we see the numbers and see the growth. It allows our guys to buy in to what we ask them to do off the court. After that it is just about guys developing their game and being more comfortable."

The time in the weight room is not the only difference Gard sees this year. It is the ability to bond as a team off the court that was not there the previous year.

"Go back to last year at this time, we weren't having scrimmages. This year these guys are gelling early. They get to go to football games, volleyball games and soccer matches; that was taking away from them last year. For a team to be successful, it is about guys getting together and trusting each other, knowing guys off the court and building that bond. From day one, this group has connected and continues to grow."

Though new to the Pioneer program, Huml is no stranger to the WIAC and has provided leadership to the younger players in the program. "We knew Huml, he was at UW-River Falls a few years ago and took a year off," Gard said. "He is very mature, mature beyond his years on and off the court. He is giving good guidance to the other newcomers with what is going on. The growth process of all the freshmen and even sophomores that are technically freshmen, it is fun to see."

The Pioneers open the regular season when Blackburn College visits Bo Ryan Court on Monday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

2021-22 schedule

To follow the Pioneers all season, visit www.Letsgopioneers.com for links for live stats, postgame recaps and links for the contests that are live streamed. Follow the official social media accounts of Pioneer Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.