The Men’s basketball team finished the 2022-2023 season with a record of 12-19 and 7-11 in conference play as they finished sixth in the Summit League.
Sophomore guard Max Burchill said he personally thought the season overall went very well.
The Coyotes ended the season with two Honorable Mention All-Summit League Players, junior forward Tasos Kamateros and junior guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt. Kamateros averaged 12.5 points, 1.7 assists and 6.4 rebounds and Perrott-Hunt averaged 14.3 points, 2.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds.
The Coyotes fell in the Summit League Tournament to No. 3 seed North Dakota State 70-68 in the Coyotes’ final game of the season.
The Coyotes starting five for much of the season was redshirt sophomore guard A.J. Plitzuweit, senior guard Mason Archambault, Perrott-Hunt, senior guard Damani Hayes and Kamateros. All these players are either graduating or transferring.
The team had to face their fair share of adversity this season as they had to play a month without their head coach Eric Peterson on the sidelines after a fall kept him away from the court from December 10 until January 14.
This season saw the return of Plitzuweit to the Coyotes after he missed all of last season with a leg injury. In his return to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center against Lipscomb, the Vermillion native dropped 33 points, five assists and shot a perfect 10/10 from the free-throw line.
Burchill is the oldest returning player on the team, going into next season as a senior academically and junior with eligibility.
“I hope (to be starting next season), but at the end of the day, it’s a competition; nothing is given to you. Even if I was the sixth or seventh man last year, it doesn’t really matter,” said Burchill.
The Coyotes will be returning seven players this upcoming season in: Burchill, freshman forward Jevon Hill, sophomore guard Paul Bruns, freshman guard Steven Kramer, freshman forward Felix Brostrom, freshman forward Miles Branch and freshman guard Jeremiah Coleman.
In addition to the seven returners, Peterson has brought in incoming freshman Issac Bruns, Jake Brack and Shey Berwein. He has also brought two transfers in junior guard Kaleb Stewart (Louisiana Tech) and redshirt junior Mayoum Buom (Emporia State).
“With our team now, we have a lot of younger guys and next year will be my senior year, so I’m trying to fill more of that leadership role,” Burchill said. “It’s something I’ve been adjusting to already. Just in the spring, with spring workouts, just taking on that leadership role.”
Burchill talked about how tough their nonconference schedule was and how difficult it was to play in the Summit League with the amount of talent. Burchill also said that he hopes that the team will succeed next season.
“I think we’ll get more wins next year. We played a tough nonconference schedule, so that was tough,” Burchill said. “We were on the road, just kinda shook out that way. But you know the conference was really good this year. I think we’ll hopefully do better next year in the conference.”
