GRINNELL, Iowa –  The Grinnell College's men's basketball team won the Midwest Conference Tournament Championship a year ago and with a significant number of returning players, the Pioneers hope to once again be in the mix for the 2025-26 campaign.
 
"We're excited to be back after securing our first MWC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 24 years," head coach Dave Arseneault said. "But this a new year and we'll have a different set of challenges to overcome."
 
Grinnell is picked ?second in the league's preseason poll, trailing only defending regular-season champion Monmouth College. The Pioneers garnered one first-place vote in balloting and totaled 56 voting points. The Scots received seven first-place votes and 60 overall points. Illinois College grabbed the remaining first-place vote and finished third place in the preseason poll.
 
The Pioneers are headlined by a pair of All-MWC first-team players entering their junior years in Kai Te Huki '27 and Gabe Garcia '27. "Obviously it helps to return a pair of first-team All-MWC players," Arseneault said. "After an incredible first year, which saw Kai lead the country in scoring , he unfortunately had to deal with some injuries last season. Even still, he was an all-conference performer. Based on what I've seen early this year, he's fully recovered and ready to go. Gabe, from the outset of his career, has been able to attack the rim with ferocity. Last year, he continued to develop his outside stroke and focused on his ability to impact that game defensively. I think he's poised for another monster year."
 
They'll be complemented by a strong, five-player senior class. "These guys have been through grind and all five are paramount to our success," said Arseneault. "Co-captains Nicholas Courtney '26 and Sean Walser '26 are two of our hardest workers. They've helped us create our identity with their two-way play. Zach Rosen '26 is essentially another coach on the floor. He's a winner, an exceptional passer and the type of player who makes everybody else around him better. Sean Murphy '26 is one of the top 3-point shooters in the country, both in terms of makes and percentage. Over his career, he's grown into an electric two-way player. And John is an anchor for our defense, a tremendous rebounder and in a lot of ways is the pulse of our team. His improvement over the course of his career has been nothing short of spectacular." 
 
Rounding out the junior class are co-captain Nick Lundy '27, Strahinja Nikolic '27, Carson DeBruhl '27 and Tanner Deal '27. "Lundy has one the highest basketball IQs that I've ever seen," Arseneault said. "It seems like every game he makes a host of winning plays that help the team. Strahinja really burst onto the scene in the NCAA Tournament last year. I think he's ready for a true breakout season. Carson has significant experience, and we'll be relying on his combination of playmaking and shooting to make an impact this year. Tanner has consistently been one of our best 3-point shooters and I'm excited for him to get an opportunity to show what he can do this year."
 
The team will be boosted by the addition of eight first-year players, which include Kingzten Bristol '29, Tyler Copes '29, Luka Pinto '29, Jacques Godard '29, Brady Schuettpelz '29, John O'Leary '29, Aidan Wiley '29 and Davis Currie '29. "This class is incredibly deep and talented," Arseneault said. "We'll be relying on them to play significant minutes at key positions, but I have no doubt that they are up for the challenge."
 
Arseneault is also excited to have both DJ Damazo and Jeff Smith return to the coaching staff this season. "We've been incredibly lucky to have some consistency within our staff over the last few seasons. This has helped us immensely," Arseneault said. "In my opinion, Coach DJ is unquestionably one of the top assistant coaches in the country. He's the total package when it comes to recruiting, player development, game planning and support. Coach Jeff, a former D-III player, has been integral to our success."
 
The Pioneers kick off their season at home against Kalamazoo College on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. "We're excited to get back after it," Arseneault said. "The league will once again be tough, but I'm optimistic that we'll be in contention."