The Northern Oklahoma College Mavericks open the 2019-20 season Friday night in Iola, Kansas, against Allen County in the Allen County Classic.
The Mavs return just one starter in sophomore guard Demaree King (Tulsa) but have several lettermen returning including forwards Deaveon Bankston (Little Rock, AR) and Barron Tanner (Bartlesville).
"We don't have a ton of experience returning but this is a really fun group to build," said 7th year head coach Donnie Jackson. "This group has shown the ability to share the ball effectively and run our offenses. Last year, we were more ball dominant, this year we will be more free flowing on the offensive end."
Other returnees for the Mavs include Grayson Chandler-Early (Jefferson, TX), and Andrew Gronigan (Bartlesville).
"Demaree (King), Deaveon (Bankston) and Barron (Tanner) have all had a good preseason for us. We will go as far as they lead our young group. Each one of them bring a unique skill to our team and I'm excited to see the growth of them as players heading into their sophomore campaign."
Jackson is also excited about his freshman class.
"I like our freshman," Jackson said. "Like all freshmen they are adjusting to the speed of the game and learning on the fly. We'll be counting on them to mature and be a big part of our team."
Jackson said that point guard J.D. Ray (Midwest City), wing Tyrel Morgan (Atlanta, GA) and guard/forward Avante Lederer (Conyers, GA) have been impressive.
"JD (Ray) plays hard and is very dependable," Jackson said. "He's done a great job. Tyrel (Morgan) is about as steady as they come and brings a daily consistency, and Avante (Lederer) has the upside to be a high level player. He can make an offensive impact for us, and he can play different positions on the floor."
Other freshman include Syrus Grisby (Luther), Adrian Boykin (Conyers, GA), Tristan Starks (Dallas, TX), Malik Crawford (Shady Dale, GA), Mark Berry (Lawton), Pipo Grafals (Jacksonville, FL), and Justin Wilson (Millwood)
"I like to play 10-11 guys so there's plenty of opportunity for our young guys," Jackson said. "They just have to seize the moment."
"For us, it's a matter of everyone playing their roles and handling adversity," he said. "If we do that, we can have a successful season."
"This year is like two years ago, when we just had a couple players back but we won over 20 games and battled for the conference title and I hope this group takes the same strides," Jackson said.
In the pre-season poll, the Mavs are picked 4th behind NEO, Connors, and Eastern.
NOC was 20-12 in 2019 reaching the NJCAA Region 2 semi-finals in the post season tournament.
The Mavs host Lamar College Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in the home opener.