With Clayton Vette now out until January with an MCL tear, the Warrior Men’s big guys have to step up in the paint. Winona State men struggled in the paint last year and the biggest problem was not being able to pull down boards. This is going to be tough to improve on without Vette but it has to be done to compete in maybe the best division 2 conference in the nation.
CJ Erickson will have to step up big with Vette out and I think he is capable of putting up big-time numbers. Erickson has already proved that he is the most versatile player on the team with his quick feet on defense, his long wing-span to block shots, and his determination on offense.
This will also put the focus back on Joel Armstrong, who, as a freshman had a pretty good season. But with high expectations for Vette this year, Armstrong will now have to be a go-to-guy for Winona State in the paint for the first half of the season.
The Warriors tend to rely too much on their 3 point shooting and if they want to win a conference title this year, they will have to shoot the ball better and not live and die by that 3 point shot.
The Warriors play tonight in their last exhibition game against St. Thomas right here in Winona at McCown Gymnasium. Tune in to your official voice for Warrior basketball, 89.5 KQAL at 7 PM for tipoff!
Go Warriors!
