MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State University men's basketball team opens its 2022-23 season on Saturday with a scrimmage versus the SMSU Alumni Team starting at 4 p.m. inside the R/A Facility.
The game is part "Andy Wiersma Day" at SMSU. This is the 10
th time SMSU has hosted the Andy Wiersma Alumni Game.
Admission is free to the game, but free-will donations will be accepted with proceeds going to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or SMSU men's basketball.
The SMSU Alumni team will consist of some of the top players in recent team history. Players expected to play include Turner Moen, Jordan Miller, Taylor Schafer, Michael Lee, Joey Bartlett, Carter Kirk, KJ Davis, Vinard Birch,
Grant Kramer, Kolin Bartlett, Drew Osmundson and Mitch Weg. More alumni players could be added to the roster later in the week.
Andy Wiersma passed away in an auto accident on July 27, 2008. He was a four-year letterwinner at SMSU from 2002-06, playing in 112 career games with 36 starts. He scored 418 points while grabbing 237 rebounds in his career. He shot 42.6 percent from the field (135-of-317) including 37.7 percent from three-point range (69-of-183).
Following his playing career in 2006, the SMSU men's basketball program honored Wiersma by renaming its "Mustang Award" the "Andy Wiersma Mustang Award". The award is given each year to an SMSU men's basketball player who exemplifies the qualities of being a Mustang men's basketball student-athlete.
SMSU will have another exhibition game at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., on Friday, Nov. 4, starting at 6 p.m.
The Mustangs opens the regular season on Nov. 12-13 competing at the Rogers State University (Okla.) Classic to face Rogers State and Newman (Kan.).
SMSU will open its 14-game home schedule on Nov. 19 versus Truman State.
