By Jacob Norling
November 8, 2024
 
(BILLINGS, Mont.) When the Warriors tip-off late on Friday night in Billings, Montana, they'll be doing so for the first time as full-members of the NCAA. Thanks to a waiver the school received during the summer, Westmont's final year of probation has been transformed into its first year of endless opportunity at the NCAA Division II level.
 
Therefore, while the season will begin with battles against Montana State Billings and Saint Martin's, Westmont fans can fantasize about bookending meetings with some of the best basketball teams in the West Region come March. Is there a long way to go between now and then? Absolutely, but the beautiful thing about new beginnings, the beautiful thing about tip-off, is that there is no better time to start believing again.
 
"The future is bright," said Westmont head coach Landon Boucher on the eve of his fifth season at the helm.
 
Boucher's group features a mixture of a handful of returners, a trio of transfers, and a large contingency of freshmen. While a new look on paper, Boucher's crew features a sense of continuity thanks to their returning voices in the locker room.
 
"The bond that this team has started at the end of last season, during that final week," explained Boucher. "We really committed to finishing the season strong, and we ended up getting two epic victories the last few days of the year. Our guys that are returning saw how much fun this can be when they're playing for each other, and those guys are really responsible for how our culture has developed so quickly this season.
 
"Our new guys have come in, they've seen that example, and they understand quickly the level of sacrifice it's going to take for this team to be successful. Our returners did a great job of not only being welcoming, but also letting such a large group of new players know this is how we operate."
 
One of the group's returning headliners is senior Adrian McIntyre, who averaged 13.6 points-per-game last season. Adrian's scoring mark last season saw him as the second-leading scorer on the team, giving way only to his big brother Anthony, who graduated in the spring after a First Team All-PacWest campaign. Now, if all goes according to plan, it could very well be Adrian's turn to lead the way.
 
"It's a big year for Adrian," assured Boucher. "You could feel his intensity in the offseason ramp up. He's been a steady presence for us, and that also leads into Drew."
 
That would be senior Drew Ramirez, who along with McIntyre serves as one of the current faces for this program.
 
"Those two have been so steady and so consistent so far," affirmed Boucher. "They have, for the most part, been the same people every single day. I think as they get older they realise how much easier it is to be led by someone who is steady, who is consistent. Their off-the-court leadership has made it a really easy transition into on-the-floor leadership.
 
Their leadership, mixed with the returning presence of names like Mason Romano and Jarrett Bryant, has led to Boucher's group feeling uniquely tight-knit at the onset of a new year.
 
"I'm excited by how close these guys have grown together in such a short period of time," explained Boucher. "This is a crew that works extremely hard on the floor, and they also spend a lot of time away from the gym together. I'm excited about some of our transfers that will give us an older presence out there, and I'm also really excited about our freshman class. It's been a group that has meshed very naturally very quickly."
 
One of Boucher's transfers is junior Caleb Gilbert, whose ability to dunk a basketball may not only help the Warriors go viral at some point this season, but more importantly provide the team with an increase in physicality down low. Remington Rofer, a 6-8 wing will provide the Warriors with another player who can stretch the floor, while local transfer Aidan Mandel will look to make both San Marcos and SBCC proud inside The Murch.
 
"We were really selective on our transfers, and these three are great fits," offered Boucher. "They've been able to come in and be positive forces for our team, because they're not only getting after it in the gym, but they're also thriving in the Westmont community. We're really leaning into guys that fit Westmont, and these guys are great examples of that."
 
Boucher has also welcomed in a new wave of freshmen, with five first-years finding their way to The Mont. The first one you will notice when walking into Murchison Gym this season is Roosevelt High School's Kevin Anigbogu. That is because you won't be able to miss the 6-11 forward from Abuja, Nigeria.
 
De'Undrae Perteete comes in from a strong program at Salesian High School, Will Smith III joins Westmont from Bishop Montgomery, and Baron Bellamy joins the Warriors via Campbell Hall. Rounding out the brand new group is first-year Ryan Dixon, a native of Colorado and a graduate of Valor Christian.
 
"We just about had a perfect offseason when it came to getting the guys we wanted," said Boucher in reference to his freshmen class. "These guys have come not only from winning programs, from highly-academic high schools, and they're coming into Westmont prepared for success in every area."
 
"A lot of our freshmen are coming from winning programs," continued Boucher. "With that, they understand the brotherhood that comes from being on winning teams, and they want that type of thing here."
 
Westmont's season will tip-off this weekend in Montana, before the Warriors welcome in San Francisco State for their home opener next Thursday night in Santa Barbara. The team's PacWest slate will begin on December 5 in Fresno, before the club hosts Azusa Pacific in their first home conference game on December 14.
 
Westmont students returning from Christmas break will have an opportunity to get to know the Warriors like the back of their hand, with six consecutive home games against PacWest schools taking place from January 16 through the first of February.
 
During the heart of that season-long homestand, the Warriors will celebrate alumni weekend before and after a January 25 contest versus Chaminade. All will be welcome, while the weekend will also feature a 40-year reunion of Westmont's teams from the mid-80's.
 
"We're so excited to be welcoming our alumni back on the weekend of January 25th," said Boucher. "We have such a young team right now, and I think it'll be an exciting opportunity not only for our alumni to reconnect with each other, but for this team to connect with Westmont players from the past and be able to build relationships with them as the years go on."
 
Boucher also has high hopes for the brand of basketball that alumni, fans, and the Westmont community will bear witness to this coming year.
 
The 2012 Westmont graduate himself said, "I think we're going to be a fun team to watch for Westmont Basketball fans, because in my opinion, this team is showing a lot of the same characteristics as John and Chet's teams. That means we'll be playing unselfish basketball, and playing for a bigger purpose, like many teams before us."
 
A top-six finish in PacWest play would provide the program with its first trip to postseason play in their new conference. There is a long way to go before that possibility comes into focus, but the fact is this Westmont Men's Basketball team will have the program's first opportunity to dream at this level. On Friday night, in Billings, Montana, a journey with an unknown destination will await Westmont College.
 
The endless possibilities are reason enough to be excited.