Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Western Colorado
Basketball time! Wildcats open 2021-22 season Tuesday night
11/8/2021 11:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State hosts Western Colorado Tuesday at 7 p.m., following the women's basketball game. Game will be televised on ESPN+.
• Weber State men's basketball begins the 60th season of Division I basketball this Tuesday night when the Wildcats host Western Colorado at the Dee Events Center. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m., as part of a doubleheader with the WSU women's basketball team, which hosts North Dakota at 4:30.
• The game will be televised live on ESPN+ and broadcast on the radio on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Steve Klauke and former WSU standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten on the call. Live stats will be available at WeberStateSports.com.
• WSU beat Concordia-St. Paul 101-74 on Thursday in an exhibition game. The Wildcats were picked second in the Big Sky preseason polls and Weber State returns 10 players and four starters off last year's team that finished 17-6 overall and was second in the Big Sky at 12-3. Sophomore Seikou Sisoho Jawara returns as a preseason all-conference player. Big Sky Freshman of the Year Dillon Jones also returns for the Wildcats as does super senior Michal Kozak who has appeared in 119 career games.
• The Wildcats welcome four new players including three Division I transfers. Senior guard Koby McEwen joins the Wildcats after playing two seasons at Utah State and two seasons at Marquette. Senior forward JJ Overton also transferred to Weber State after two years at Utah Valley and freshman Dyson Koehler joins the Wildcats after one season at Cal Poly. Weber State also added freshman center Alex Tew to the roster.
• Head coach Randy Rahe returns for his 16th season at Weber State. Rahe is WSU and the Big Sky's all-time leader in wins and games coached. He enters this season with 295-179 (.622) all-time record. Rahe has led Weber State to five Big Sky titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He has coached six Big Sky MVP's.
• Weber State begins the season with an 11-game home winning streak. The Wildcats were a perfect 11-0 at home last year, one of just four seasons in school history to go undefeated at the Dee Events Center. The 11-game winning streak is currently tied for the 12th longest active streak in the country. Under coach Rahe, Weber State is 178-37 (.828) at home.
• All-time the Wildcats are 41-18 in season openers and are 34-4 when the opener is at home.
• Western Colorado is a Division II school located in Gunnison, Colorado, and are members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Mountaineers were 6-12 overall last year and 6-11 in conference play and were picked to finish 13th in the preseason polls this season. Western Colorado is coached by Bradd Schafer who is in his eight season as head coach. Tuesday's game is an exhibition game for the Mountaineers.
• This is just the second ever meeting between the two schools. The Wildcats beat the Mountaineers 89-62 on Nov. 24, 2009, in the only other meeting. Sophomore Damian Lillard had 20 points and seven rebounds in that win and the Wildcats shot 58 percent from the field.
• All Weber State games this season will be televised and most games will be shown on ESPN+. All home games and all Big Sky road games will be on ESPN+, the new TV home for the Big Sky. Select non-conference road games will also be on ESPN+.
• After Tuesday's season opener, the Wildcats will hit the road for the next five games. Weber State plays at Duquesne on Monday, November 15, before three games at the Jersey Mike Classic in St. Petersburg, Florida. WSU will not be back at the Dee Events Center until December 2.
