PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo head men's basketball coach Matt Hammer comes into the 2024-25 season with high hopes and even higher expectations as his squad looks to make a climb into the upper echelon of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference after advancing to the RMAC Tournament for the first time since 2017 a season ago.

Hammer's sixth ThunderWolves team returns three starters and 10 lettermen from last season's 14-15 team that finished seventh in the RMAC standings with a 10-12 record and nearly pulled off a first-round RMAC Tournament upset last season at No. 2 seeded Fort Lewis. The Pack fell 102-96 to the Skyhawks in that tournament quarterfinal game. 

The 14 wins last season were the most for the program since going 19-9 during the 2016-17 season, while the 10 league wins were the most since winning 17 RMAC game and posting a 17-5 record in 2016-17.

"We have three really high level players in Brevin (Walter), De'Shaun (Cooper) and Armon (Muldrew) returning and we have added pieces around them that fit and know how we play. I'm super excited about the season and I think we've got an attitude around here where we are expecting to win," said Hammer, who is 52-79 as the Pack's head coach.

One thing Hammer singled out about this year's team is their improved depth from a season ago.

"I think the one thing that stands out to me this season is we're a lot deeper than we've been the past few years. I think we've got a lot more depth on the perimeter and inside," the coach added.

Hammer's sixth Pack team welcomes back 67.2 percent of its scoring, 43.2 percent of its rebounding, 54.5 percent of its assists and 63.5 percent of its minutes played from last season's team. The Pack welcomes back 1,551 points, 416 rebounds, 228 assists and 3,748 minutes played from 2023-24.

The teams three returning starters are fifth-year senior guard Brevin Walter (Las Vegas, Nev./South Dakota Mines), senior guard Armon Muldrew (Perris, Calif./San Bernardino Valley) and senior forward De'Shaun Cooper (Poway, Calif./Balboa School). Those three combined for 1,155 points, 332 rebounds, 147 assists and 2,463 minutes played last season.

"Brevin, Armon and De'Shaun are three proven players in this league. Armon and Brevin were both Honorable Mention All-RMAC selections last season. These three players have seen the league, been around the league and know exactly what to expect. That is the best part about having these guys that are tested, they're not going to be surprised very often on the court," Hammer said when asked about his three returning starters. "We're super excited about those three this season and what they bring every game."

Walter enters the 2024-25 season having scored 1,696 points in his collegiate career, including scoring 432 points in his first season with the Pack in 2023-24 after scoring 1,264 points in three seasons of playing at fellow RMAC member school South Dakota Mines. He enters the 2024-25 season needing just 304 points to eclipse 2,000 career points. Last season, Walter, who is a three-time All-RMAC selection in his career, including being an Honorable Mention selection last season, averaged a team-best 17.3 points per game and shot 41 percent from the field, 39 percent from the 3-point line and 89 percent at the free throw line.

"Brevin has scored over 1,600 points in his career and is very good scoring guard. He is a guy that you know can keep you in games and can extend your lead and can bring you back in games due to his feel and understanding of how to score," Hammer said about Walter.

In his first season with the Pack in 2023-24, Muldrew averaged 13.8 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent at the free throw line en route to earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors. 

"Armon is very athletic and has an ability to drive the basketball and score, but really with him, the big thing this year is going to be the challenge of stepping up and guarding the other team's best guard every night," Hammer said about Muldrew.

Cooper, who is his fifth season with the Pack in 2024-25 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and shot 59 percent from the field and blocked a team-best 21 shots a season ago.

"De'Shaun gives us a strong presence in the paint. Offensively, we can throw it into him and good things are usually going to happen," Hammer said about Cooper.

One of Hammer's challenges this season to his team is being able to close games out down the stretch. Last season, the Pack lost seven games that were decided by six or fewer points, including three RMAC games that came down to the final possession.

"One of the big things coming into this season from last year is being able to make better decisions down the stretch of games. We've got to find a way to close out close games and also learn how to win," the Pack coach stressed. "A lot of guys just think that talent is enough, but once we get into games, we have to try and understand what a great shot is, what a long possession is and the big thing is, when we need a stop, can we get a stop defensively?"

The Pack ended the 2023-24 regular season by winning five of its last six games to earn the No. 7 seed in the RMAC Tournament with the lone loss in that stretch being an 82-80 setback at home to regular season league champion Colorado Mesa.

Hammer says that the way his team closed out the regular season and played in the RMAC Tournament against Fort Lewis last season has helped fueled the team's higher expectations for this season.

"I thought it was great to see our guys come together as a team when our backs were against the wall and play for each other at the end of the season last year and now coming into this season, we've got some high expectations and now we've got to back those up by showing up every day to work and practicing hard."

Those high expectations have been noticed by the league's head coaches as they tabbed the Pack to finish sixth in the Preseason RMAC Coaches Poll. In the preseason poll, the Pack earned 123 points to sit one point in front of seventh-place UCCS (122 points) and 19 points behind fifth-place Colorado Mesa, who are the defending regular season RMAC Champions and earned 142 points and a first place vote in the poll. The head coaches couldn't vote for their own teams in the poll.

Along with the three returning starters, another key returner for the Pack is sophomore guard/forward Corbin Garver (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy), who scored a season-high 27 points in the Pack's RMAC Tournament quarterfinal game against Fort Lewis and was named to the Colorado Collegiate All-Freshman Team last season. Garver finished the 2023-24 season averaging 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3-point line.

"When you're a freshman, anytime you change levels, you come in and it's your first year at a higher level and it takes time to adjust to the speed, the physicality, the quickness of the game and for some guys it takes longer to adjust and some guys adjust right away. To be honest, looking back over the course of the season, I wish we would've let him (Corbin) play through his mistakes early in the year and give him more minutes because over the last 10 to 12 games of the season, he was very productive and played a big role in our success," Hammer said. "This season, he has come back 10 pounds heavier and stronger and is more physical. He's a guy who is always around the ball and has got great instincts. Offensively, he can score in different ways and is very unselfish. He moves well without the ball and you just know when he's one the floor, he is going to make things happen."

Perhaps the biggest loss for the Pack from last season's team is guard Makiah Morris, who was the team's No. 2 scorer and ranked in the Top 10 in the league in rebounding, assists and steals a season ago. In 2023-24, Morris, who was a Second-Team All-RMAC performer, averaged 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game and shot 53 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 82 percent at the free throw line. Along with Morris' departure due to graduation, the Pack also lost his brother, Isaiah Morris, who started 23 games last season and averaged 4.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a senior.

"I think with some of the guys we've brought in, especially our four transfers that have come from good programs where they expect to win and they know how to prepare and play the right way will help fill the void that we lost with Kai and Zay," Hammer said. "We have some pieces I think can fill that void."

Hammer and his coaching staff added four transfers, including three junior college players and one four-year transfer from fellow RMAC school, MSU Denver, during the offseason. Three of the four transfers are guards - junior Kesean Bazile (Victorville, Calif./West Hills Lemoore), junior Denim Johnson (Omaha, Neb./Trinity Valley CC), and sophomore Jaden Kennis (Windsor, Colo./MSU Denver).

"With Denim and Kesean coming both from junior college, there's some things that we know. It is a quick process to learn how we do things compared to their previous schools and it takes time to develop that feel of what we expect and what we want," Hammer said of Johnson and Bazile.

"Denim is a high level of athlete in our league that you're going to find. You're not going to find many six-foot, six-one guards that can do the athletic things that he can do, while Kesean is a very good shooter with range and also is very athletic. With both of them, it is just getting them to take care of the ball and learn our system and play the way we want our guards to play," added Hammer. "Jaden's got some great toughness and physicality. He has a chip on his shoulder when he steps on the floor and that is what we need. We need that type of competitiveness. He's also a guy with his shooting ability that can come in and help extend a lead or help get us back in the game. I'm really excited about these three and what they bring to our program."

The fourth transfer is junior forward Victor Lado (Louisville, Ky./Vincennes University) and he is expected to be a presence on the inside, according to Hammer.

"Size is always important in the RMAC and Victor has not only the size, but also all the physical tools you need from a post player. With him, though, the trick will be to get him to play as hard as he can for as long as he can," added Hammer. "With him and De'Shaun holding down that five spot for us, you know you have a couple of high-level athletes and guys that can do some things around the basket. Victor has the ability to alter shots and dominate the paint and does a good job rebounding out of his area. Offensively, he's good on the block, but can also pick-and-pop a little bit and knock down some threes. We really need Victor to step up and give us a lot this season."

Hammer also added that he has two freshmen that are going to play a lot this year and those two are forward Jake Lafferty (Bruner, Mo./Sparta) and guard/forward Jordan Blair (Keller, Texas/Keller Central). Lafferty, who averaged 28.7 points and 13.0 rebounds as a senior at Sparta High School last year, is expected to start at forward in the season opener on Friday against Cameron.

"Both Jake and Jordan have a nose for the ball. They're physical and are athletic," said the Pack coach. "Jake had a phenomenal high school career in Missouri. The thing I love about Jake is his intensity and his motor. He is never out on the court not playing hard. One thing we've told him where he can help our team this year is to be the best rebounder he can be and he's been doing that. He is a great kid that I expect will have a great freshman year and also will have a great career. I'm super excited about him and I think our fans will really enjoy watching him play."

Two other returners Hammer expects to contribute this season are junior guard Sam Howery (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary's) and sophomore guard Shad Levy (Baton Rouge, La./Dunham). Last season, Howery played in 23 games and averaged 1.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and had a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio, while Levy played in a 17 games and averaged 1.5 points per game.

"Sam (Howery) is a guy that every coach would love to coach. He brings it every single day. He's a great teammate, he's very coachable. The big thing with him is defensively is to keep his man out of the paint and controlling him, while offensively, just doing what he does best, which is, to find guys and create for others and make the right play," the coach said. "Shad is a guy that's got a ton of athletic ability and potential. We've just got him more aggressive and more productive when he's on the floor and not taking plays off."

One of the biggest strengths of Hammer's teams last season was their ability to score as they averaged over 79 points per game, which the is the most points per game average in Hammer's five seasons as the head coach and was the first time since 2017-18 that the Pack averaged over 79 points per game for a season. The Pack scored 2,307 points and averaged 79.6 points per game, which was fourth-best in the RMAC in 2023-24. During the season, the Pack scored over 80 points in 13 games, including topping the century mark two times as they scored 100 points in a 100-39 home win over Oklahoma Panhandle State and tallied 103 points in a 103-97 win at Adams State.

While the offense was strong last season, the Pack defense was also strong at times a season ago as they allowed 76.5 points per game and held six opponents under 60 points and is 12-1 when holding teams to 60 or less points in a game since 2019.

Hammer expects this year's Pack team to once again be balanced on both ends of the floor.

"I think we've got the ability to be balanced team this year – both offensively and defensively. The big thing we've been stressing with this team is taking care of the basketball," Hammer said. "We've been stressing that our offense can't lead to other team's offense by turning the ball over. We've got to value and take care of the ball. I think we're a team that's got the ability and the pieces we need to be a top-tier offensive team, as well as, a top-tier defensive team in this league, but it takes buy in for everyone."

In the Pack's lone preseason exhibition game at Big XII member Utah on Oct. 29, the Pack committed 26 turnovers that led 31 points for the Runnin' Utes in their 98-67 win over the Pack.

Last season, the Pack averaged 12.3 turnovers per game and had a +2.4 assist/turnover ratio. In the Utah exhibition game, the Pack had just 12 assists on 26 turnovers.

While the Pack committed 26 turnovers in the exhibition game against Utah, the Pack offense shot 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. In the first half, the Pack, who trailed 45-36 at the half, shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point line.

Another area Hammer thinks his team has improved on from last season is rebounding. The Pack were outrebounded by 2.4 boards per game last season.

"I think the thing we've improved upon from last year is our rebounding. We outrebounded West Texas A&M in a closed scrimmage and we were only outrebounded by four boards against Utah. I think we've got some guys that are a little bigger, a little more physical than we've had the last couple of years and we've got some guys that really play hard and pursue the ball when they need to pursue it," the Pack coach added.

When asked about his keys to the 2024-25 season, Hammer says that perhaps the most important key is to understand the importance of every possession during the game.

"We have got to find a way to understand the importance of every single possession and playing with intensity and purpose on every possession and understanding that a bad possession in the first half can come back and haunt you at the end of the game," stated Hammer. "We've to play with purpose and poise throughout the entirety and really trust each other. It doesn't matter who stands out in the box score. Every game it might be someone different, but we've got to be okay with that."

One of the biggest changes this season for RMAC basketball is a shift from playing conference games back-to-back on Friday and Saturday nights, to playing games on Thursday night and Saturday afternoon and Hammer is excited about this change to the schedule this season.

"I wish last year's team would've had a Thursday-Saturday format where we had a day to prep because we weren't as deep as were are this year. That day of prep is going to be huge," Hammer said. "That extra day of travel in this league is a great thing to have."

Hammer's 2024-25 Pack team is scheduled to play 20 RMAC games with 10 at home and 10 on road and the Pack will only play Black Hills State, Colorado Mesa, Fort Lewis, MSU Denver, New Mexico Highlands, Regis, South Dakota Mines and Western Colorado one time, while playing Adams State, Chadron State, Colorado Christian, Mines, UCCS, and Westminster twice.

"I think we have a great league schedule this year, there are no cupcakes in this league. You have to go out and handle our business every time we step on the floor or you'll get beat," added Hammer.

When asked about his teams goals for this season, Hammer breaks the season into different segments and measure their success by how they do in each of those segments.

"We're still a work in progress. We break our season down in segments. We've got the preseason, which we wrapped up with the Utah exhibition game. We've then got the non-conference segment, where we've put together eight really good games as six of the eight opponents are Division II opponents and it should give us a chance to see some quality competition before heading into RMAC play. We then have RMAC play and we break the 20 games down into five game segments and in each of those five game segments, we want a winning record in each segment," added Hammer.

The Pack's first opponent to open the 2024-25 season is Cameron. The Aggies were tabbed to finish eighth in the Preseason Lone Star Conference poll as they earned 386 points. Last season, the Pack fell 70-63 in the second game of the season to the Aggies on their home court.

Leading the way for the Aggies is junior guard Lavell Brodnex, who averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field, 81 percent at the free throw line, and had 67 assists, 33 steals, and 29 blocks last season. Brodnex was named to the LSC Preseason Players to Watch List for the 2024-25 season.

Along with Brodnex, other key returners for Cameron, who is coached by third-year head coach Kevin O'Connor, are senior guard Reggie Prudhomme (10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), redshirt senior center Jaxon Ingram (7.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and sophomore guard Miles Gurske (3.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg).

Cameron finished last season with an 18-12 overall record and a 13-9 record in the LSC and advanced to the semifinals of the LSC Tournament after earning a 93-89 first round win over top-seeded West Texas A&M, before falling in the semifinals to Eastern New Mexico (91-81).

"Cameron is going to be good. They advanced to the semifinals of the LSC Tournament last year and they have a lot of returners and some really good transfers coming in this season," Hammer said about Cameron. "We expect it to be a battle to open the season at home and we're excited for that."

Friday's game with Cameron marks the seventh all-time meeting between the two schools with the Pack holding a 4-2 all-time edge in the series, but Cameron won the most recent meeting last season.

Two days after opening the season against Cameron, the Pack will host Midwestern State to close out the first weekend of the 2024-25 season. The Mustangs were tabbed to finish 11th in the Preseason LSC poll as they earned 318 points. The Pack opened last season with an 80-74 loss in double overtime to the Mustangs in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Midwestern State, who went 16-12 overall last season and was just 10-12 in the LSC, returns its top five scorers from last season. Among the key returners for the Mustangs is fifth-year senior guard Pierre Sanders, who averaged 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists last season and is a three-time All-LSC selection. Sanders, who has started all 56 games the past two seasons for the Mustangs, was named to the Preseason LSC Players to Watch List for the 2024-25 season.

Sixth-year head coach Justin Leslie also returns another All-LSC player from last season in junior guard Mason Gibson. Gibson led the Mustangs in scoring at 16.1 points per game a season ago.

The other top returners for Midwestern State are senior guard Bakari LaStrap, who averaged 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, while senior forward Will Shepherd returns after averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Along with the seven returning players from last season, Midwestern State has added five transfers, including senior forward Matija Svetozarevic from Serbia, who transferred to MSU from the University of Hawai'i. Last season, he appeared in eight games for the Rainbow Warriors. Other transfers include junior guard Jordan Reed from Laramie County Community College, senior guard Noah McDavid from Arkansas State, junior forward Vojin Mastilovic from Regis and senior guard Jonathan Jackson from UT-Tyler.

"Midwestern State has got their entire back court back from last season and a lot of other returners as well. They do a good job at recruiting players and getting talented guys to play there," Hammer said.

Sunday's game with Midwestern State will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the two schools with the Mustangs holding a 6-5 edge in the series. The Pack have won two of the last four games in the series with the Mustangs wins came last season in double overtime at home and in 2021 at home as they earned a 77-64 victory.

Following this weekend's action at home in the South Central Regional Crossover, the Pack will remain at home as they host Texas A&M-Kingsville for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, Nov. 16 in Massari Arena.