WALLA WALLA, Wash. – With its only senior sidelined by injury, the Whitman College men’s basketball team opens its season later this week with junior guard Chris Faidley and sophomore post Graham Brewer wedged into the Missionary driver’s seat.
Garth Brandal, a 6-foot-3 wing who averaged 8.4 points and 3.0 rebounds last season, will miss the first month of his senior campaign after suffering a broken cheek bone in a recent scrimmage.
"With or without Garth, this is the youngest team we’ve had in a few years," Whitman coach Skip Molitor says on the eve of his 14th season. "Last spring, for the second consecutive year, we graduated three senior starters who scored in double figures. That makes us a young team, but the flip side is that this group is very excited about its opportunity. Once this team gets a little more experience and momentum, it will be fun to watch."
Whitman plays its first three games on the road, starting Saturday night in Olympia, Wash., against NAIA-affiliated Evergreen State. The Missionaries then head for southern California to battle a pair of NCAA Div. III teams, California Lutheran and U.C.-Santa Cruz, on Nov. 23-24.
Whitman hosts its home opener on Saturday, Dec. 1, against the University of Great Falls.
Brandal, who had a career night against Redlands last season with 38 points and 14 assists, should be ready to play in December. "He’ll be adjusting to wearing a face mask, but he should be back to full strength for the start of Northwest Conference play in January," Molitor says. "Garth is important to us because he’s the consummate team player. He’s not a guy who needs to average double figures in points to still help the team. He may average double figures, but he makes his biggest contribution in terms of leadership and keeping us focused on our team concept. He does all the little things that don’t show up in the box score."
Look for Whitman’s offense to swirl around both Faidley on the perimeter and Brewer in the paint. "The inside-outside combo we have with Chris and Graham is as good as any in our conference," Molitor says.
Faidley, 6-foot-2 combo guard, was the third-leading scorer in the NWC last season, averaging 16.9 points. He shot 41 percent from the 3-point line, connecting 91 times from long distance to set a new single-season school record.
"Chris broke our school record last season for most 3-pointers in a season, and we’d love to see him break that record twice more in his last two years," Molitor says. "We need to run our offense through Chris, and the beauty of that is that he’s much more than just a shooter. He’s a creative, outstanding passer, and he’s very unselfish with the ball. We’ll have a lot of guys get a lot of easy baskets because the opposition will be so intent on keeping Chris from shooting. It’s great putting the ball in his hands because it translates into baskets, both for him and his teammates."
Faidley’s talents are not limited to scoring. "Chris is a great competitor and has great basketball instincts. He does a tremendous number of things on the basketball floor that equate with winning. He also helps us a great deal on the backboards. He can get eight rebounds in games, and he’ll probably have a game at some point where he gets 10 or more rebounds."
Brewer, a lanky 6-foot-9, saw relatively little playing time a year ago during his freshman season. "The only reason Graham didn’t play more minutes last year is that we had two very strong senior post players on the floor most of the time," Molitor says.
After scoring 10 points earlier this month in an exhibition against NCAA Div. I Montana, Brewer combined 19 points with nine rebounds against a talented Whitman alumni squad last weekend. "It’s nice to have people take notice of Graham before we even play our first official game," Molitor says. "He’s very deserving of that attention. He’s long and probably has the best shooting touch of any post player we’ve had in my time here. He has a very good jump shot close to the basket as well as a nice jump hook off his left shoulder. He runs and moves well. All of those things add up to him having a very positive impact on what happens at the offensive end."
Brewer also gives Whitman a defensive stopper near the hoop. "He makes a difference defensively around the basket," Molitor says. "He forces people to change their shots, he gets his share of blocks, and he’s smart enough to know when he should contest shots, and when he shouldn’t."
Molitor plans to surround his inside-outside combo with a variety of different looks. "There will be times when Chris and Graham will be surrounded by three players from Seattle Prep –- Jordan Wheeler, Jordan Brandon and Keefe Piper," Molitor says. "Those three who give us a nice mix of athleticism and quickness, and they played in a high school program that emphasized defensive pressure. They give us the opportunity to apply more pressure than we’ve used in recent years."
Piper, a 6-foot-6 junior, plays the power forward spot for the Missionaries. He started almost half of Whitman’s games last season, playing about 13 minutes a game while averaging nearly three rebounds and two points. "You see a lot of successful pro teams that have a strong power forward who do so many other things than score," Molitor says. "They screen, pass, defend and rebound, which is what Keefe does for us. He plays a physical defensive game and helps create good shots for his teammates. He’s out there causing havoc in a lot of ways without putting a lot of points on the board."
Wheeler, a 6-foot-2 sophomore point guard, entered Whitman last season at the semester break and then averaged 11 minutes off the bench in 17 games. "Jordan isn’t going to give up any quickness differential to very many guards in our league," Molitor says. "It’s great to have someone with his quickness and length; he gives us a very impressive athletic presence at the point. He plays very unselfishly, and he’s been making open shots in our scrimmages and exhibitions. He’s very confident from the 3-point line."
Brandon, a 6-foot-4 sophomore wing, played in all 25 games last season, starting seven and averaging 15 minutes on the floor. He contributed 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds an outing. "Jordan is a good transition athlete -- a classic slasher," Molitor says. "When he catches the ball on the run in the vicinity of the basket, he’s very good. He also has a chance to be a lock-down defender, one of the better defenders we’ve had here in recent memory. He’s also a very good rebounder, especially at the offensive end. He can have games where he hits double figures in rebounds."
Brendan Ziegler, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, will fill the sixth-man role to start the season. Ziegler flashed his scoring abilities last December against Walla Walla University, hitting seven of nine shots from the floor en route to 17 points in just 13 minutes. "Brendan gives us an explosive offensive threat off the bench, and he will be on the floor a lot," Molitor says. "He has long arms, runs the floor well and is deceptively effective under the basket. We expect him to a have a real impact. He’s essentially a scorer, and we need some scoring help to complement Faidley and Brewer. Brendan off the bench is one of the places we’re going to look."
The Missionary roster includes three more sophomores: 6-foot-3 guard Grant Brandal (Garth’s younger brother), 6-foot forward David Changa-Moon, and 5-foot-8 point guard J.J. Ooi. All played limited minutes as freshmen.
"Grant finished last season shooting the ball in practice as well as anyone we had on the floor," Molitor says. "He’s had some very good minutes in our early scrimmages."
Changa-Moon, who weighs in at 200 pounds, provides defensive versatility. "Even though he’s only 6-feet tall, he can play in the post because of his strength. He brings an element of toughness to the floor."
"J.J. is one of our more exciting players to watch because of his quickness," Molitor says. "He gets the ball up the floor on offensive and is a real pest on defensive."
Of the three freshmen on the roster, Max Adcox is the one pegged for the most immediate playing time. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 17 points and nine rebounds as a senior at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho.
"Every so often we get a freshman in the program who’s tough to keep off the floor," Molitor says. "Max fits directly into that category. He’s very versatile and can play the one, three and four spots. He’s extremely intelligent and has a great feel for the game. He already stands as our best decision maker when he has the ball in his hands."
Look for Adcox to get his points from 18 feet and in. "He might shoot sparingly, but he’s a very high percentage shooter," Molitor says. "He’s a good mid-range shooter, and he’s very good in the post with either hand. He finishes well. He’s got a good feel for the low post, whether he’s passing or scoring. But, again, scoring won’t be his main attribute. His strengths are his decision-making and his passing and defensive skills. He’s going to be one of our best defenders. He is a very complete player."
Will Reese, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard from Portland’s Cleveland High School, gives the Missionaries another perimeter shooter. “He’s a pure two-guard and a confident shooter,” Molitor says. “If there are games when we’re not making our outside shots, don’t be surprised to see Reese check into the game to shoot some threes. He can score in a hurry. In addition to his four years of varsity basketball at Cleveland, he also made good contributions to its soccer and baseball teams. He has solid athletic ability. We’re glad to have him here.”
Eian Prohl, a 6-foot-4 forward from Elkins, N.H., rounds out the freshman group. "Eian is another player we’re really pleased with," Molitor says. "He’s a lot like Adcox but not quite as versatile. Eian is very athletic and strong, and he runs well and has good jumping ability. He plays much bigger than his size, and he’s an outstanding finisher close to the basket."
Molitor expects to gain some added depth at the post position when Wes Bird, a 6-foot-5 junior post, rejoins the team at the semester break. Bird played in 24 games last season and has his best night against Eastern Oregon, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking two shots.
The first half of Whitman’s schedules, games on tap for November and December, are geared toward getting the Missionaries ready for the start of conference play in January, Molitor says.
"We’re excited about our schedule," he says. "We’re the only team in the conference that plays more non-conference games at home than away. We’re one of only two teams hosting a tournament, and one of only four teams to have started with a Division I exhibition game. We’ve also got the Division III games in California over the Thanksgiving break, and we’ve got home games every weekend in December."
Once NWC play gets underway, Molitor sees Lewis & Clark as the clear favorite with Puget Sound and Whitworth among many contenders for the league’s three-team playoff. "I think the conference race is a little more up for grabs than it was a year ago at this time," he says. "It’s going to be an exciting battle for those three playoff spots, and several teams, Whitman included, will be in the mix. As always, there will be no easy games in this conference."