San Antonio, TEXAS – The No. 24 Trinity men's basketball team (7-2) will host the Leslie Robinson Classic from Dec. 20-21, with eight teams from around the nation converging on San Antonio for the tournament. The Tigers will face Saint John's University (4-5) on Saturday, followed by a matchup with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (7-1) on Sunday.
The Tigers have been anchored this year by
Will Bronson's presence in the paint, as he enters the weekend averaging 11.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game on a remarkable 61% shooting. The big man has also been money from the foul line, hitting 80% of his shots from the charity stripe. He's joined down low by the stretch forward
Jackson Lawson, who is averaging 10.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, shooting an efficient 47% from deep.
Dean Balo has been the Tigers' lead facilitator, averaging 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while leading the team in minutes per game by a good margin, with 29. On the defensive end,
Zach Fenn's 3.7 steals per game ranks him seventh nationally.
Preview - Leslie Robinson Classic
On the Saint John's Johnnies: The creatively named Johnnies have been a solidly middle of the road team thus far. They've shot a solid 44% from the field but have struggled from deep, shooing 30% from three. Their main strength lies in their rebounding, holding an average advantage of 6.9 boards per game. In their last outing, a 99-63 win against the University of Northwestern, the Johnnies took a 24 rebound lead.
Senior guard Kyle Johnson leads Saint John's with 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 48% shooting. Freshman guard Peyton Podany has been the other force in the backcourt, averaging 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on 47% shooting. Sophomore post player Charlie Theis runs the paint for the Johnnies, averaging 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds on 54% shooting.
On the UW-Stevens Point Pointers: Another ingeniously named team, the Pointers have been rolling through their early-season games, although their weak strength of schedule has prevented them from earning national votes despite only one loss, a 114-115 3OT thriller against North Park University. They're shooting an efficient 48% from the field, although they're a weak three-point shooting team, making just 29% of their threes. They hold an average rebounding gap of 9 boards a game, and have forced an average of 14.1 turnovers per game while giving up just 11.6.
The Pointers rely heavily on their starting five, four of whom average over 32 minutes per game. Junior guard Butler Josiah leads the team with 20.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on 49% shooting. Junior forward Cal Krohn is the leading scorer down low, averaging 16.8 points and 4.9 rebounds on 58% shooting. Junior guard/forward Seth Miron is the Pointers' lone other double-digit scorer, averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on 47% shooting. His 34 points led the team in their loss against North Park.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will resume play in the new year, beginning SAA conference play at home against the familiar Southwestern University (5-4) on Jan. 3. In the 33 games the two teams have played, Trinity has won 22, including a 94-63 walloping the last time they met, on Feb. 15.
