WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Anticipation is sky-high for Grace’s men’s basketball team entering the 2023-24 campaign.
The Lancers boast a battle-tested crew with a plethora of postseason experience under fifth-year head coach Scott Moore.
Grace won the regular season and postseason tournament championships in the Crossroads League a season ago, repeating its tourney title for the second straight season.
The team went on to reach the NAIA “Elite Eight” and finished the season with a 31-4 record — the best winning percentage (.886) in program history.
The Lancers return nine of their top-10 rotation players from last year, further lending to Grace’s preseason hype. The NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll will be released on Wednesday, a poll that will likely forecast Grace as one of the top teams in the country.
But despite Grace’s past accomplishments, Moore was adamant that the 2023-24 squad was still as hungry as ever. Why?
“Because we lost our last game. This team still carries a chip on their shoulder because they feel like there’s unfinished business in the NAIA tournament. That keeps us in check and is a great reminder to show up and play every day,” Moore said.
The Lancers have plenty of star power, but Grace’s greatest strength in Moore’s eyes was the team’s depth and versatility. The Lancers are long and athletic and can change their approach quickly based on the five players on the court.
“We have a lot of guys who can play multiple positions but who can also guard most spots on the court. That makes us very deep and hard to scout,” Moore said.
Headlining Grace’s returners is NAIA All-American center Elijah Malone. Malone was a force, averaging 14.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, all while shooting 62 percent from the floor and 35 percent on 3-pointers.
Malone became Grace’s first NAIA All-American since 2013 and has worked tirelessly over the summer to continue to add to his game.
“Elijah is a national player of the year candidate; as special as he is, he knows that he has room to grow. And he’s open to getting better,” Moore said. “Winning matters more to Elijah than anything else, so he’s willing to sacrifice to help us win. That speaks to his character and helps set the tone for our team.”
The Gibbs brothers - Cade Gibbs and Jakob Gibbs - are no secret to anyone either across the NAIA.
Jakob is one of the top two-way players in the country due to his ability to score at a high level (14.4 ppg) and ability to stop the opposing team’s top perimeter player (Crossroads League All-Defensive Team). Cade is a wrecking ball in the frontcourt with 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and is approaching 1,000 points for his career.
Jake Wadding (8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is one of the unsung heroes of the team. Wadding is a “Mr. Do Everything” for the team, according to Moore. He is one of the highest basketball IQ players that Grace has. “Wadding fits on the court with everybody, and we will lean on his experience and leadership a lot this year.”
Ian Scott is poised for a big year in Moore’s eyes as well. The junior is coming off the best shooting season (72.0 FG%) in team history; he averaged 9.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in his stat-stuffing role.
In the backcourt, Brycen Graber and Carter Stoltzfus have significant starting experience, and Brett Sickafoose has shown impressive growth over the offseason, according to Moore.
The trio are in their third years playing together and balance each other well with defending, playmaking and shooting ability.
Marcus Davidson, Cole Beck and Alex Darnell provide depth and shooting at the guard position from the bench.
Three new faces join the mix this year; Moore said the freshman class was the most talented group that he has brought in over his time.
Ian Raasch (NorthWood) and Gage Sefton (Blackhawk Christian) were both state champions last year. Raasch was an Indiana All-Star as a senior; the 6-foot-6 forward is ready to contribute on the defensive end already thanks to his strong court instincts.
Sefton is another big, physical player in the mold of Grace’s current squad. The rugged 6-5 guard is a willing defender and smart on the floor.
Additionally, Caleb Herrold (Victory Christian) joins the squad. The 6-5 guard is recovering from injury and is “extremely skilled” in his game, according to Moore.
For Grace to reach its potential, Moore wanted to ensure his team stayed grounded in the present moment. Although the Lancers have ambitions to play deep into March, Moore said the challenge would be to not try to skip steps to get there.
“There’s a lot of noise and expectation around this team. We want to keep our circle tight, though, and make sure we’re focused on right now,” Moore said. “We’re not trying to look ahead to what’s coming. There’s a lot of good teams on our schedule, and we have a long ways to go until March.”
Grace’s schedule includes no shortage of national tournament teams from last year; Moore also designed the schedule so that Grace will be exposed to a variety of playing styles. The Lancers will play against seven different NAIA conferences this season.
One of the most challenging parts of the schedule is the beginning. Grace is scheduled to play five games across the first nine days, sandwiching a nationally exposed exhibition game at Purdue on Nov. 1.
Grace will open the season at home this weekend, playing Kentucky Christian on Friday at 8 p.m. and Madonna on Saturday at 2 p.m. After a quick midweek trip to Purdue, the Lancers will then fly to Oregon for two games of the Crossroads/Cascade Classic.
“We wanted to give this team a big-time feel for the opening few weeks. We felt like we had a veteran team that could handle a challenging start to the season. Playing this many games and flying across the country is maybe even closer to an NBA schedule, but it will provide us with great preparation for postseason competition in March,” Moore said.
Moore maintained that for all of Grace’s strengths, the one he was most proud of was the team’s selflessness. Moore recruits players who are focused on team success above individual accolades, and this year’s edition of the Lancers is no different.
“We are a different team. Because we are so deep, we ask our guys to give up a little bit of themselves. That’s not normal in today’s world,” Moore said. “We have guys who are supremely talented but want to be about something bigger than themselves. Everyone has had to sacrifice a little to make our team successful. And I commend these guys for that.”