Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Navajo Tech
Wildcats return home Monday night
11/26/2023 12:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Weber State will host Navajo Tech Monday at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
• After a cross continent road trip and a week off, Weber State men's basketball returns home for a game in the Dee Events Center Monday night.
• The Wildcats will host Navajo Tech on Monday at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on the ESPN app with Steve Brown and former WSU head coach Joe Cravens on the call. WSU radio coverage will be 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 and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 3-2 on the season. The Wildcats opened the year with a win over Benedictine Mesa, then went to No. 23 Saint Mary's and defeated the Gaels 61-57. It was WSU's first win over a ranked opponent in 23 years. The 'Cats then traveled all the way to Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada for three games at the Atlantic Slam Tournament. Weber State lost to Gardner-Webb, beat Yale in overtime and lost to Colgate.
• The Wildcats traveled nearly 6,000 miles from Weber State to Saint Mary's to Moncton, and back home over a stretch of 10 days.
• Wildcat standout Dillon Jones earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the 10th time in his career for his performance at the Atlantic Slam Tournament. In three games, he averaged 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, and had two double-doubles. He had 24 points with 12 rebounds in Friday's game against Gardner-Webb. He followed that up with 17 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's overtime win over Yale. He then had 14 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's game against Colgate.
He was also named to the All-Tournament team for the Atlantic Slam.
Through five games, Jones leads the nation in defensive rebounds and is sixth in the country in overall rebounds at 11.6 per game. He is also first in the Big Sky and 14th in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.0 points per game. He is fourth in the nation with four double-doubles.
• Jones also continues to move up the Weber State career record charts. In Canada, he moved into fourth place on the Weber State career rebounding list with 891 rebounds. He has played 93 career games and is now 16th in career scoring, fifth in steals, and 10th in free throws made and free throw percentage. He has 42 career double-doubles.
• In the three games in Canada, Weber State shot 38 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line. Steven Verplancken averaged 10.7 points per game and was 11 if 11 from the free throw line, while Viljami Vartiainen averaged 6.7 per game and made two 3-pointers.
• Through five games, Weber State is third in the nation in free throw percentage. The Wildcats are shooting 84.4 percent from the line, best in the country. Steven Verplancken is a perfect 17 of 17 from the line and Dillon Jones is shooting 83.7 percent.
• Weber State has all five starters returning from last year and the Wildcats were picked first in the Big Sky Conference preseason media and coaches polls. WSU had two players named to the Big Sky preseason all-conference team in Jones and senior Steven Verplancken.
• Verplancken earned third-team All-Big Sky honors last season. Also returning as starters for the Wildcats are KJ Cunningham, Dyson Koehler, and Alex Tew. Other returners that played last season include Louie Jordan, Handje Tamba, and Cole Lake, as well as red shirt freshman Chris Dockery.
• The Wildcats have added several new players to this year's team, including transfers Blaise Threatt and Arnaud Revaz. The 'Cats also added three international freshmen including Viljami Vartiainen from Finland and Marko Sarenac from Serbia.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who returns for his second season as head coach and his 18th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. Weber State finished 18-15 overall last season and was third in the Big Sky at 12-6.
• Weber State has one of the most international rosters in the country as the Wildcats have eight players that come from outside of the United States, representing six different countries. Two players are from England (Louie Jordan, Alex Tew), and two from Serbia in cousins Marko and Nemanja Sarenac. WSU also has players from Switzerland (Arnaud Revaz), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Handje Tamba), Finland (Viljami Vartiainen), and the Dominican Republic (Steven Verplancken).
• Navajo Tech is located in Crownpoint, New Mexico. The Skyhawks are members of the United States Small Colleges Association. Navajo Tech played two games in Utah this past weekend in games at Westminster in Salt Lake City. They lost to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs on Friday 101-71, then lost 92-74 to Westminster on Saturday.
• After Monday's game, Weber State will have three of the next four games on the road, beginning next Tuesday, December 5 at Utah Valley.
