Devin Schelske, sports editor
The Augsburg men’s basketball team is looking to recoup from an abysmal 8-17 record in the 2023-2024 campaign. Although the Auggies were fueled by new talent and made several highlights, they were unable to put it together as a team. This is the second straight season Augsburg has suffered a losing record. But fear not Auggie fans, the drought won’t last. Head coach Aaron Griess has a career record of 263-212 and has led the Auggies to 11 winning seasons in his tenure. One way coach Griess has attempted to make changes towards success is through the transfer portal. Augsburg’s roster consists of nine new transfers, nine returners and one true first-year.
The main player to watch for the Auggies is senior guard Will Blascziek, who has been a phenomenal starter for the last two seasons. During the 2022-2023 campaign, he led the team in points with 300 and compiled 84 rebounds, 34 assists and 28 steals. Blascziek was second on the team in points and rebounds during the 2023-2024 season with 265 and 100 respectively. However, his efforts have gone unrecognized by the MIAC and he has yet to earn an All-Conference or Honorable Mention honor. In his final year of eligibility, Blascziek will be sure to have an aggressive offensive mindset on his way to earning MIAC honors.
In his final year of eligibility, Blascziek will be sure to have an aggressive offensive mindset on his way to earning MIAC honors.
devin schelske
Another player to watch is sophomore guard Trent Gomez. In his first season with the Auggies, Gomez racked up an astonishing 41 steals. He was fourth in the MIAC and one steal away from being top 14 in school history for steals in a season. Gomez also has a shooting range unlike most. He shot a sky high .407 field goal percentage from behind the arch. To draw comparison, arguably the best three point shooter of all-time, Stephen Curry, shot .417 from behind the arch in his college career. Gomez will look to disrupt all passing lanes this season.
The newcomer tandem to watch is the Adams duo. Myles and Mario Adams are identical twins that stand at 6 feet 6 inches tall who transferred in from the University of Minnesota-Crookston. The pair played solid minutes as first-years at the division two level. The Adams twins participated in 19 games and tallied 84 points. Myles added 12 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Mario added 22 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and a block.
Catch the Auggies in their first game and home opener against the University of Puget Sound at Si Melby Hall on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. This is the first time in school history Augsburg will square off against Puget Sound. A win for the Auggies would mean sending the Loggers on a sad plane ride home all the way back to Tacoma, Washington.