NWC MEN RETURN KEY PIECES

BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune

Following a 19-12 season and a loss at the Region IX Tournament, the Northwest College men's basketball team returns a number of key pieces from last year's team — including several redshirt players who could make an impact on the Trappers in the 2025-26 season.

Leading the way for the Trappers is a player who played from the start but made a bigger impact later in the season, jumping into the starting lineup and contributing significantly to end the season.

Trey Rinn, a 6-foot-tall guard out of Douglas, contributed as a sharpshooter for the Trappers a year ago, scoring 5.5 points per game on 42.6% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range.

"Trey didn't play a lot early and played pretty well," coach Andy Ward said. "He's a knock down 3-point shooter. He's tough, he brings a lot of toughness. He'll take charges, he'll do a lot of the dirty work."

Another player who received significant minutes a year ago was Tate Monroe, a guard from Cut Bank, Montana, who played in every game and started one.

He contributed six points per game, shooting 39.3% from the field and 31.8% from 3-point range while adding 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

"Tate we played quite a bit at the point guard spot last year, and started transitioning him a little bit more to the two. I'm not sure, we'll see how things pan out with the incoming guys, but his experience is going to be really important to us," Ward said. "He's a good athlete. I think he sees the floor pretty well."

Another Wyoming player returning  is Eli Patterson, as the 6-foot, 4-inch forward will be making his way back to the Trappers from Buffalo.

Patterson was a key contributor off the bench for the Trappers, using his hustle on the boards and defensive end of the floor to help. He averaged 3.2 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game and one assist.

"He's such a versatile player. He can play a lot of positions. I think he makes good decisions overall with the basketball," Ward said. "He's a good passer, he can guard multiple positions. He's strong, I think for him coming in as a sophomore we'll see him be more aggressive. He deferred a little bit, which was OK last year in the role he had, but we're going to need him to step up and be a little more assertive, especially on the offensive end of the floor."

Another Trapper returner who saw time off the bench in 18 games is 7 footer Ants-Kristjan Kalmus from Rapla, Estonia.

"He played limited. He was out a lot early in the year and I thought that really held him back," Ward said. "His biggest thing is similar to Eli, we've got to have him be more physical, more aggressive. He's got a good skill set for a big guy. We need him to rebound the basketball. That's going to be an important piece that he can bring and then defend in the paint."

The final Trapper returner who received playing time last season in eight games before it was cut short due to a medical redshirt is R'Zha Whittle, a 6-foot, 8-inch center from Las Vegas.

In the short amount of playing time, Whittle averaged 5.9 points per game on 62.5% shooting from the field as well as 33.3% from 3-point range and two rebounds.

"He's a force inside, he's so powerful in there and he's got a good skill set. I think the biggest thing with him is continuing to develop his strength and conditioning," Ward said. "He's a guy that you can throw the ball into the post and they're going to have to double team him because he's just too powerful. We've got to help him make better decisions out of the post. But I think he's made some improvement there."

One returning redshirt is local 6-foot guard Gunnar Erickson, who will continue his career with the Trappers after taking a year to develop and grow.

"I thought he had a good redshirt year. I thought he made some good strides," Ward said of the former Panther. "I'll say this about him and Eli, when they're out there, they just find the ball. Gunnar has a way of giving us extra shots. He's a really good offensive rebounder, he just has a knack for it … I'm not sure where we'll play Gunnar yet. He can play some point (guard) but he can play on the wing too."

Another Wyoming player returning from his redshirt season is Theran Archibald, as the 6-foot, 4-inch guard will make his way back to Powell from Green River.

"Theran is a really dangerous shooter. He can shoot the ball (from) really deep, and he's pretty good with the basketball," Ward said. "He's long, his biggest thing was we wanted to get him stronger, get a little weight on him because he could become a really good defender, but he's a dynamic shooter."

The final returner  will be joining the squad after a year as a manager, with Richy Rodriguez making his way back to Powell from Las Vegas.

"He was a student manager last year, came up and wanted to be on the team and just really didn't have room for him last year," Ward said. "But I love his dedication. He's all about the Trappers. He's a point guard, I think he's got some great quickness and he can shoot the ball pretty well. He can be a pest defensively."

Ward is hopeful these returners can help guide along six incoming freshmen as they reach campus later in August and prepare for the season, which kicks off in November.