The men’s basketball team hopes to improve dramatically on last year’s dismal season which saw them finish second to last in the MIAC following nine losses in their final 10 games.

The Scots return two top players in Ben Van Thorre ’04 and Erik Jackson ’05 this season. Van Thorre led the MIAC in rebounding and was third overall in scoring last year, while Jackson was fourth in assists and contributed over 14 points per game.

“The thing that plagued us [last year] was lack of depth and consistency,” Head Coach Curt Kietzer said.

“[This year] our aim is to get the ball to Ben Van Thorre in the post,” Kietzer said. “But we hope to get a few perimeter options from Erik and Chris Assel [’05].”

Assel, a transfer from Division I team Sacred Heart, and Lars Johnson ’07 are among the newcomers who are expected to give the team more depth and alternate scoring options.

Gustavus Adolphus, who reached the finals of the National Championships last year, has been tipped to dominate the MIAC. They start the season ranked second nationally. “They are runaway favorites,” Kietzer said. “We will be in the mix with Carleton, Hamline and St. Thomas.”

Some of the players, however, are not as intimidated by the Gusties. “Last year we beat them at Gustavus,” Jackson said. “It’s not like they can’t be beat.”

Players, coaches and fans alike are hoping that the experience, depth and individual talent of this year’s team could make it Macalester’s year. “If we work hard throughout the season, we could be one of the best teams in our conference,” Jackson said. “Our goal is to get to the national championships.”

The men begin preseason play this weekend in a tournament hosted by Colorado State-Pueblo, a Division II team. They play Colorado College on Friday followed by a game against the hosts on Saturday.

The women’s team, meanwhile, flies to San Francisco for the Cal State-Hayward Tip-Off Classic. The women are also coming off a disappointing 2002-2003 campaign which resulted in their finishing last in the MIAC. The team had only eight players on its roster.

The team features All-Region guard Afton Hanson ’04 who led the MIAC in scoring last year. The lack in rebounding left by the graduation of Sarah Hersch ’03 and Emily Koller ’03 will be filled by Sarah Jacoby ’04 and Alice Hacker ’05. The team’s numbers have also increased following the addition of a number of first-year recruits.