Pacific Index

The men’s basketball team is ready to make a comeback from last year

   How do you improve on the best season you’ve had in 24 years? 

   That is the question the Pacific men’s basketball team will be asking themselves heading into the 2024-25 campaign.

   And, Senior Jerome Butac has an answer. “We have a more experienced team this year with almost everyone from last year returning. Just having that knowledge and experience alone has our team in a better spot for where we want to be for this season,” Butac reasoned. “We know what we did to get to where we were last year, but we know we have to get 1 percent better every day we step on the court.”

   Butac is correct; the Boxers have basically everyone coming back. The only casualties of graduation last year were Truman Young and Jacob Bolger. Bolger had his previous season cut short due to a concussion, and now has transitioned into an assistant coaching role. Young was a contributor; sometimes starting, sometimes off the bench, always willing to let it fly from anywhere on the court. Aside from those two, the gang’s all back together.

   All-Northwest Conference First Teamer, Luke Winkler, is back for his senior season. Winkler is coming off a year where he finished third in points per game, second in assists per game and first in steals in the NWC. Not too shabby. Winkler’s goals for the season are straightforward. “Personally, I just want to continue to improve off last year and do whatever it takes to help the team win. I know I bring a lot of experience to the team at this point, so trying to help our younger guys is going to be big for me this year as well.”

   Jake Blazona and Devin Fortune also return; the newcomers in 2023-24 who injected a jolt of life into the Boxers. Blazona walked out of here in May with Pacific’s Newcomer of the Year award and an All-Conference Honorable Mention. Fortune was the inside presence with the outside touch that anchored everything for the Boxers. He finished the season averaging 14 points and nearly seven rebounds. Again, not too shabby. Senior guards Brendan Lapierre, Kemari Cooper, and Drew Gumin, graduate forward Zach Bates, junior guard Lucas Gray, and senior forward Gabe Abbott, punctuate the depth returning for this team.

   As far as coaching goes, Justin Lunt is in his sixth year as head coach at Pacific. He just led the team to their first winning season in ten years and only their third winning season in the last 25. Prior to coming to Forest Grove, Lunt spent twelve years as head coach at Puget Sound. Nearly twenty years pacing the sidelines in the Northwest Conference has him ready for anything a five-month basketball season can throw his way.

   The Boxers’ preseason schedule is filled with difficult tests, throwing a challenge in their way right from the get-go. “We have a tougher preseason schedule as well so getting tested before we get to conference will help in a lot of ways,” stated Winkler. He is ready for the challenge and thinks it will benefit them as a unit. “I’m excited to play out-of-state teams in Colorado and Texas. It’s a lot of fun to travel with each other and I feel like we come back a lot closer as a group.” 

   The Boxers start their season taking on Colorado College and Trinity University (Texas). Then, they will find themselves in the Puget Sound to take on Seattle University and in Austin, Texas for a tournament, before getting into conference play in early January.

This team is poised and ready to go. They aren’t satisfied with what happened last year. Winkler voiced his agreement, “I think we all have a bitter taste in our mouth from how we went out against Whitman in the playoffs last year, so we all definitely want to get back there and see what we can do.” The goal is to make it back to the dance and walk away with a trophy, but they’ll have to stay focused if they plan on doing that. “Taking care of the little things, holding each other accountable, and just pushing each other each and every day in practice,” said Butac. “Before last year, I hadn’t been part of a team where everyone was playing for each other instead of themselves. We have a selfless team who’s bought into the same goal.”

   Boxer fans will be able to see them play for the first time at the Stoller Center on November 15 against Douglas College.