MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State University wheelchair basketball team opens the 2024-25 season this Saturday with three games at the 40^th annual Courage Kenny Classic in Arden Hills, Minn. The games will take place at Mounds View High School.
 
The Mustangs open play on Saturday at 8 a.m. versus Rolling Timberwolves DIII, before taking on the Kansas City Kings DII at 9:30 a.m. SMSU will close the day with a match-up versus the Rolling Timberwolves DI at 2 p.m.
 
SMSU head coach Derek Klinkner enters his 12th season on the sideline and has six returning letter winners from last season's team that finished 19-9 overall and placed tied for seven at the national tournament hosted by SMSU.
 
Senior Emmanuel Fuentes Cervantes, the 2023-24 National Wheelchair Basketball Association Player of the Year, returns after leading SMSU in nearly every offensive category last season. In 28 games, he averaged 22.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, while shooting 51 percent from the field. He is the first SMSU player to earn NWBA Player of the Year honors since Jesus Villa in 2020.
 
Sophomore Fermin Wingerter also return after being named to the NWBA All-America second team a season ago. He averaged 15.3 points per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field.
 
Following action this weekend, SMSU will travel to Whitewater, Wis., for its first collegiate coemption with four games at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament on Nov. 22-23.