WAVERLY, Iowa—Wartburg's No. 21 men's basketball team is coming off of last season's and the program's first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1991, under 21^st year head coach, Dick Peth.

Wartburg assistant coach, Jason Steege, spoke in place of Peth at media day and is looking forward to taking the momentum the team created last season and using it to start off their season.

"We are excited about the opportunity in front of us to build off of last year's success and we feel we have a great group of guys, along with some new guys that can really do some great things for our program this year," Steege noted.



Key returners to this year's team include seniors Clifton Brown (Mims, Fla.), Trevor Larson (Jesup), Nate Woeste (Atkins) and juniors Cam Kickbush (Reinbeck) and Jaran Sabus (Urbandale).

Brown had a team second-best 127 total rebounds last season to graduated senior Jordan Cannon, who had 139. Woeste tallied a team-best in total steals (39) and free throw percentage (.817). Sabus recorded a team second-best in total points (419) last season. Kickbush tallied 54 defensive rebounds and 228 points last season.

Steege hopes the duo of Kickbush and Larson will work together to replace graduated senior Nick Webber. He is impressed at the depth the point guard position brings to this year's team.

"The depth at our point guard position is going to be very solid this year," Steege said. "Each guy brings a little different aspect to the table for us."

The team is looking to new leadership this year, following the graduation of Nick Webber, Cannon, Lenart Kalan and JT Rottinghaus. One leader, Woeste, is given a unique opportunity to be a vocal leader on this year's team. Steege said, "his voice does matter with what we are doing. We are looking for him to be more of a leader on the court."

Woeste has tallied 907 career points and should become the 32^nd player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.

Wartburg was picked third in the preseason Iowa Conference coaches poll, but Steege is excited for the opportunities that lay ahead for this year's team, including starting the season at Division I, University of Northern Iowa. The team will then host their own Buzz Levick Tournament Nov. 17 and Nov. 18.

"We've had a couple of good scrimmages along the way," Steege said. "We are looking to get off to a good start this week with all three games that we have and things are going to be fast and furious for us."

The senior class consists of Larson, Sawyer Herman (Monticello), Brown, Woeste, Colten Connelly (Guttenberg), Bo Bader (La Porte City), Trenton Gosnell (Nichols) and Cameron Schult (Fredericksburg).

The Orange and Black open their season on the road at the University of Northern Iowa, Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.