DURANT, Okla. – The long-awaited debut of the new Minot State men's basketball team hits the court this weekend, and there is plenty of excitement and anticipation as the Beavers prepare for tip-off.

"We're fired up, we're jacked to play somebody else," new Minot State head coach Randall Herbst said. "We had a couple of scrimmages against a couple of opponents, but we haven't played anybody for about 10 days; we're just excited to have somebody to go up against somebody new because we're sitting there in practice beating each other up all the time. So, it's just nice to get out on the court and see what we can get done."

Being the first game as head coach in more than a decade for Herbst, the veteran coach adds that he personally has a few butterflies heading into the weekend.

"I'll be honest with you, I'm a hot mess; I'm not sleeping at night, I've got some nerves, I've got too much excitement, but super, super thankful for the opportunity," said Herbst, who starts his 5^th season as a head coach, the last being as head man at the University of Mary for the 2010-11 season when he guided the Marauders to the NCAA National Tournament.

"I know this," he added, "I'm going to come out swinging, give it everything I've got, do it at a high level, and see what happens."

The Randall Herbst-era at Minot State begins with the GAC/NSIC Crossover Tournament against Southeastern Oklahoma State and East Central (Okla.) for the second consecutive season. The Beavers tip off Friday against the host SOSU Savage Storm at 7:30 p.m., then take on the ECU Tigers on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Last fall, the Beavers beat the Tigers 108-99 in triple overtime, and bested the Savage Storm 77-69. Both teams had identical 10-18 records a year ago.
Southeastern Oklahoma State is led by 6-foot-5 senior starting forward Chandler Dickinson (8.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and top reserve, 6-2 sophomore guard DJ Dill (12.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg).

East Central is led by returning starter Mark Rucha (10.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg), a 6-2 sophomore guard.

Coach Herbst and the Beavers won't take either opponent lightly.

"The toughest thing to do in college basketball, I believe, is to win on the road," Herbst said, adding, "so we got a great challenge for us immediately.

The Beavers coach added of this weekend: "I hope the people walk away saying, 'Man, those guys play hard, they play together.'

"It's a byproduct of what we're trying to represent with our team, our institution, and our city," Minot State's coach added.

Of course, the Beavers hope to come away with two wins this weekend, but a Minot State team filled with new faces and just four returners, also looks to find its identity.

"We've got a lot of new faces, so we're just trying to get the guys to come together and create some great chemistry, learn how to compete for each other, and have a winning attitude," Herbst said of the trip to Oklahoma.

Leading the way among the returners are 6-1 junior guard Trey Brandt (3.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 44 assists) and 6-6 senior forward Dylan Gichaba (1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg). They combined to average 20 minutes a game off the bench for Minot State last season.

But some of the Beavers' strengths this season will be depth and versatility, as Coach Herbst says the team won't need to depend on one or two key players to carry the load.

"That's one of the great things about this team is that, each and every day, different guys are stepping up," he said.

Minot State's new coach mentioned six transfers who have stepped in and stepped up at different times already this season in practice and pre-season scrimmages.

Those key newcomers include Minot product Darik Dissette, a 6-4 junior guard who comes home after two seasons at the NCAA Division I level, where he played in 61 games for North Dakota State.

Joining him are junior-college transfers Kiku Parker Jr. and Lovasoa Andriatsarafara, both of whom previously played for current Beavers assistant coach Rylee Hernandez at Seward County Community College (Kan.). Parker Jr. is a 5-11 redshirt-sophomore guard who averaged 9.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 27 games with 90 assists at SCCC, and Andriatsarafara is a 7-0 redshirt-sophomore center who averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 39 games with 51 blocked shots at SCCC.

Some other notable newcomers include 6-0 junior guard Deuce Benjamin, who averaged 10.3 points with 81 assists in 63 games at New Mexico Junior College, 6-7 redshirt-junior wing Isaiah Alexander, who averaged 9.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 29 games last season at New Mexico Junior College, and 6-5 junior guard Sean De Kovachich, who averaged 13.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 2.3 apg in 58 games at Lake Land College (Ill.).

"The junior college newcomers have stepped up at one point or another, so I think we're going to have some versatility as far as different guys on different nights," Herbst said.

That will be key for the Beavers, who want to compete for a championship but who know that goal comes through hard work, improving each day, and focusing on one game at a time, Herbst emphasized.