Kodiaks basketball opens at home

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s and women’s basketball teams are back on the court for another Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season.

It kicks off tonight when the Kodiaks host the SAIT Trojans at the Val Matteotti Gymnasium.

The women’s game is at 6 p.m. with the men’s game at 8 p.m.

It was a rebuilding season for the Kodiaks women last year after winning the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association championship the year before.

The Kodiaks missed the playoffs last season, but hope to carry that experience forward as head coach Deanna Dotts heads into her second season.

The team brings back eight players from last year’s roster and have also added fourth-year guard and Cardston product Juhee Anderson. She transfers from MacEwan University.

First-year recruit and LCI athlete Jocelyn Neilson should see plenty of playing time right from the start, leading a group of five rookies.

Like the women, the Kodiaks men also bring back plenty of familiar faces.

They lost the ACAC all-star trio of Cory Richardson, Keanu Funa and Colten Murray, but other returnees will look to fill the void.

That includes fifth-year veteran Michael Clemons, who has already established the ACAC record for career assists.

Clemons will be joined by second-year Lincoln Anderson, who comes to the college after a season in the MacEwan University Griffins of the Canada West.

Orin Porter Jr. joins the Kodiaks as a NWAC transfer from Spokane Community College.

The Kodiaks finished fourth in the ACAC South and sixth at provincials.

It’s a tough Trojans squad that will roll into the Val Matteotti Gym tonight.

The SAIT men are the defending ACAC champions, while the women’s team finished third in the conference last season.

Admission is free to Lethbridge College students with their student ID, $3 for college employees, $5 for seniors, youth and alumni, and $8 for the public.