MARSHALL, Minn. - The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team begins preparation for the 2009-10 season this week as the Mustangs hold their first official practice of the season on Thursday, Oct. 15.

SMSU first-year head coach Brad Bigler will have 16 players on this year's roster with eight returning letterwinners.  The Mustangs finished the 2008-09 season with a 28-7 overall record and won both the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and NCAA Central Region championships. 

SMSU returns three starters from last season's team including seven of its top 10 scorers and has seven players returning who averaged at least 14 minutes per game a season ago.

Senior forward Kevin Andrews is the squad's top returning scorer after earning second team All-NSIC accolades last season and finishing third on the team averaging 8.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field.  Andrews also ranked third on the team with 30 three-pointers.  Junior forward Taylor Huseby finished fourth on the team in scoring averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. 

Also returning is senior guard Andrew Peschong, who started 14 games and dished out a team-high 93 assists and senior guard Jon DeRock, who tied for the team lead with 44 three-pointers last season.  Senior center Nick Dale made 11 starts in 2008-09 and finished with a team-high 40 blocked shots and was second in rebounding with 4.3 per game.  Senior guard DeAnthony Zanders came off the bench in all 35 games and recorded 60 assists and 25 steals, while junior forward Scott Roehl averaged 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.

The Mustangs will host St. Olaf (Nov. 3) and Gustavus (Nov. 9) in a pair of exhibition games before opening the regular season on Nov. 17 versus Dordt College (Iowa.)