Hunger, hustle, and a new look for Morningside

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — There will be plenty of new faces on the floor this winter, but the Morningside men's basketball team has the pieces to make another run in 2025–26.

Whether it's returning players stepping into larger roles or fresh talent joining the mix, the Mustangs open the season Oct. 25 against Mount Mercy with their sights set on a return to the NAIA national tournament.

"I'm really proud of the roster and staff that we've assembled," head coach Trent Miller said. "We graduated a phenomenal class, but we also have a great mix of returners, transfers, and true freshmen that will give us a really good shot to accomplish what we want."

The Mustangs enter the season ranked second in the GPAC and 19th nationally in preseason polls. Of the eight players who logged at least 60 percent of the team's minutes last season—a campaign that ended in the Round of 32—three return.

Daniel Brocaille, the team's No. 2 scorer behind all-time leading scorer Joey Skoff, averaged 13.1 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range. He recorded double figures in 15 games.

Caleb Dreckman and Alex Wilcoxson also return after averaging 7.5 and 6.5 points per game, respectively. Wilcoxson led the team with a blistering 54 percent mark from beyond the arc.

"They have the eyes and ears of all of our players, and we're really going to lean on them this season," Miller said. "We'll stick with some of the same things that have made us successful, but you'll also see some new faces step into key roles."

Among those newcomers are Fitzy Grant, Derek Quinlin, and Holden Arnaman, a transfer from Minnesota State. Grant appeared in eight games last year, Quinlin in five, while Arnaman redshirted with the Mavericks. The Mustangs also added Kaden Van Regenmorter, a first-team all-state forward from Class 2A state champion Western Christian.

"With new guys, it's a whole new experience," Brocaille said. "Everyone's hungry. It's fresh and exciting."

Defensively, Morningside held opponents under 80 points in 14 games last season, including a four-game stretch where no team scored more than 75. Miller said he's already seen an increase in urgency and aggressiveness on that end of the floor.

"We want to dictate tempo, and we can do that defensively," Miller said. "We're at our best when we're flying around. Through our scrimmages, we've had more good possessions than not. I've been really impressed from a positioning standpoint."

The Mustangs' other nonconference home game is Nov. 11 vs. Peru State, while their GPAC home opener is Nov. 22 vs. Mount Marty.