The 2022-23 editions of Pioneer basketball open their seasons on Tuesday night at the MCC Centra as the Pioneers will host Rocky Mountain College JV. The women's game will tip off at 5:00 PM followed by the men's game at 7:00 PM.
PIONEER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Pioneer women return four players from last year's 7-24 team and has a new head coach on the sidelines. Pioneer Alum and former Montana Tech assistant coach Jenna Bolstad takes over at the helm in her 1st season as a head college coach. She had previous stops as head coach at Ray High School in North Dakota and assistant coaching stints at Black Hills State, Williston State, and Montana Tech. Bolstad played at MCC under Dwight Gunnare from 2006-2008.
Returners include Ella Paleaae-Cook (Brisbane, Australia), Angelina Dimasi (Warooni, Australia), Catalina de Giorgi (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and India Blyth (Melbourne, Australia). Paleaae-Cook averaged 6.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg while shooting 38.5% from the 3 pt line. Paleaae-Cook played only 2nd semester last year and is a combo guard/forward who can get to the rim and score and also extend the defense with her range from the 3 pt line.
Angelina Dimasi a 5'8 guard who averaged 6.4 ppg and 4 rpg. Coach Bolstad said of Dimasi, "Ange is the player that just does the little things day in and day out for our team. she's a steady player."
Catalina de Giorgi-Cormick a 6'1 sophomore will play in the post position for the Pioneers. Cat averaged 5.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 21-22 and will be looked upon to be a team leader while contributing to the scoring column.
Rounding out the list of returners is redshirt freshman India Blyth. Blyth played in 4 games where she averaged 7 ppg before a shoulder injury had her sitting on the sidelines for the remainder of the season. India will play all guard positions and be a floor general for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers added transfer Julia Paoletta (Buenos Aires, Argentina) from Trinidad State JC. Paoletta is a 5'5 guard who the Pioneers will look upon to help be another floor general and contribute offensively.
Jessica Tomkins (Melbourne, Australia) is a 6'2" freshman post with good length and shot blocking abilities as well as a natural ability to run the floor. Jade Wendland (Havre, MT) is a skilled guard who can extend the defense with her 3-point shooting and is also good at getting to the rim. She is an energy player at both ends of the floor. Becky Melcher (Forsyth, MT) is a 5'8 guard who brings the ability to score the ball from 3 with her quick release and pull-up jumper. Tyann Graham (Glasgow, MT) brings a defensive energy and presence to the team.
PIONEER MEN'S BASKETBALL
The MCC Pioneer men return six players from last season's 9-22 team for Coach Chase Tait. Tait enters his 14th full season at the helm of the Pioneers.
Blessing Adesipe (Houston, TX) and Denzel Kabasele (Lancaster, PA) return with the most experience from last season. Adesipe is a 6'6 power forward that averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds per game. He shot 46% from the field and 78% from the FT line. He is the only full time returning starter. Kabasele is a 6'2 combo guard who started 18 games last season and averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Shayden Cooke (Melstone, MT), 6'2 small forward and Ethan Bell (Chinook, MT), 5'11 point guard had reserve roles on last year's team. Cooke played in 15 games and Bell played in 28. Bell is currently sideline with a foot injury and timetable on return is unknown. Cooke broke his nose in a preseason scrimmage but should be good to go for the MonDak Conference Tournament this weekend.
Ben Datro (Montreal, Quebec), 6'0 guard and David Gorianskii (Tralee, Ireland), 7'0 center both sat out all of last season injuries and took medical redshirts. Datro play during the Covid shortened 2020-21 season.
Erick Barea (Celaya, Mexico), a 6'2 guard brings size and strength to the guard position and looks to get plenty of action for the Pioneers. Another group of newcomers looking to vie for playing time include Payton Kokot (Livingston, MT), Chazz Haws (Billings, MT), Ethan Venema (Churchill, MT), and Yel Deng (San Pedro, CA).
Following Tuesday night's games at the Centra, the Pioneers head to the MonDak Conference preseason tournament and will face the NDSCS Wildcats in round 1. The women's game will tip at 7:30 AM MST followed by the men's game at 9:15 AM MST.
Follow all the results and news right here at www.mccpioneers.com