Nothern State’s new look men’s basketball team is returning to its roots to start off the upcoming season.

The Wolves will face Dickinson State on Monday, Oct. 28 at the Aberdeen Civic Arena, the longtime home of the squad.

“I really hope we can pack that place. It’s funny, because we’re unveiling so many new pieces, it’s going to be nice to have some familiarity too for some fans,” said Wolves coach Saul Phillips. “Northern basketball was good long before I got here and it will be good long after I’m gone, and all those memories should be celebrated. Not every program has that history and tradition.”

The Wolves will definitely have many new pieces this season after graduation and the transfer portal totally revamped the roster. Phillips said this is now the way business is being done at the college ranks.

“Our roster is a reflection of what’s happening all over college basketball right now. It’s different than I’ve built teams in the past, and as we worked to put together this roster, there was a lot of wondering, am I doing this right? But I really like the early returns,” Phillips said. “They’re working really well together. We’ve got good talent, and although we’ve only got one senior on the roster, we’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of basketball.”

While Northern has players from all three Aberdeen high schools on the roster (Ethan Russell of Aberdeen Christian, Parker Lemer at Aberdeen Central, and Maddox Miller of Aberdeen Roncalli), one of the most recognizable names this season is lone returning starter Michael Nhial.

“He’s our returning minutes,” Phillips said.

The Wolves roster lists seven players who are at least 6-foot-6 or taller, including 7-foot freshman Jake Kuhl who played at West Central.

Phillips noted that there is plenty of talent on the squad and is excited about the upcoming season. He pointed out the potential of new point-guard Marcus Burks, a freshman from Lakeville, Minn.

“He is dynamic and is going to be an absolute sensation his freshman year,” Phillips said. “He’s very, very good on both ends of the court. Really good defender, really good passer, and super jet quick with the ball in his hands. We feel pretty lucky to have him.”

The Wolves were picked 13th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference pre-season poll, a position foreign to Northern basketball through the years. Phillips said while that selection is motivating, he did not need any extra incentive after last year’s difficult season.

“I’m plenty motivated. We won a whole lot for four years here and then last year we didn’t win so much. That’s my motivation,” Phillips said. “Honestly, if I wasn’t in practice every day and wasn’t seeing what I was seeing, there’s a lot of question marks in terms of roster, but I’m here to tell you there’s nothing to worry about.”

Phillips understands why his team was picked near the bottom of the NSIC poll to start the season.

“We’re coming off a tough year and the poll reflects that,” he said.

Northern State’s first game at Wachs Arena is scheduled for Nov. 19 against Dakota State.

While the Wolves will feature many new faces in new positions this season, Phillips believes the Wolves will be able to carry on the strong tradition of the program.

He informed all of the newcomers on the team, whether incoming freshmen or transfers from other colleges, that he expects Northern basketball to quickly return to its past lofty position.

“I talk to them in the recruiting process, the stated goal of this is try to win conference, try to contend for national championships. I do think we have a team that has enough talent to contend for a championship. Whether or not we get there depends on how well we work going toward that goal,” Phillips said. “There’s going to be some moments where we’re still trying to figure ourselves out at times, but I think at the end of the day, I’ll take this group and place them in any Division II gym in America and say, we expect to win on any given night.”