‘Lot of moving parts’: Air Force basketball set for season opener against Portland State
A new chapter of Air Force basketball begins Monday.
After finishing 14-18 last year, the Falcons open the 2023-24 campaign at 7:30 p.m. on Monday against Portland State.
Here are storylines to watch ahead of Air Force’s season opener:
Last few weeks
Before the season opener, the Falcons played two “secret scrimmages” against Metropolitan State of Denver and the University of Denver in the past few weeks.
Per coach Joe Scott, those exhibitions were eye-opening. The Falcons lost both games.
What went right during those games?
“Not really (anything),” Scott said.
Beau Becker, a junior forward, admitted that the defense wasn’t up to par in the scrimmages, but saw upside in the team’s offense.
“I thought we executed our offense fairly well, minus some turnovers,” Becker said. “We shot the ball pretty well, all things considered.”
The bright spot for Air Force? The results of those games don’t matter.
Scott and his players saw the exhibitions as opportunities to improve while playing against other teams.
And since then, Scott has been pleased with his team’s growth.
“What I’m happy about is we’ve had really good practices,” Scott said. “We’ve improved like you wouldn’t believe.”
And in those practices, the defense has looked much better than in the Falcons’ scrimmages.
“Our energy on the defensive side has gotten better,” junior guard Jeffrey Mills said. “That’s been our issue leading up to the season, and our defense has really improved, which makes our offense improve. That’s really been helping us.”
Key returners
The main backcourt piece Air Force lost in the offseason was Jake Heidbreder, who transferred to Clemson after his sophomore season. Heidbreder led the team with 15.1 points per game.
Guards Ethan Taylor and Mills return to the squad after combining for 11.8 points per game in 2022-23.
Junior forward Rytis Petraitis is Air Force’s top returning scorer. He averaged 10.4 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds a year ago.
The Falcons bring back forwards Corbin Green and Becker, both of whom were productive big men last year.
Lucas Moerman, who stands 6-foot-10, was expected to start at center before announcing his departure from the program on Friday. With Moerman out of the picture, Scott expects Becker and Green will likely each see minutes at center.
Newcomers
In addition to Heidbreder’s transfer and Moerman leaving the program, the Falcons lost Marcell McCreary and Jake Murphy to the transfer portal. Carter Murphy, Camden Vander Zwaag and Nikc Jackson graduated. Murphy is now with Georgia Tech as a graduate transfer.
With several departures, it will be up to new guys to fill spots.
Scott expects 6-foot-7 forward Chase Beasley to see increased minutes. A junior, Beasley played in only nine games last season but will see a larger role with Air Force’s lack of frontcourt personnel.
Sophomore Kellan Boylan played in six games as a freshman and will likely play in more this season.
Scott also expects two freshmen, Kolby Gilles and Luke Kearney, to see minutes early in the year. Gilles is a 6-foot-5 forward from Chicago that the coach said is “ready,” while Kearney is a 6-foot-7 forward from Phoenix.
Injuries
The Falcons enter their season opener at less than full strength.
Petraitis will likely miss Air Force’s first game due to a lingering shoulder injury. The junior missed both of Air Force’s scrimmages.
Becker, Mills and Taylor have also dealt with injuries throughout the fall. Scott said Becker and Mills will be ready to go, and he said it’s “likely” that Taylor will be in the lineup.
Once the team gets fully healthy, Scott believes it will continue to improve.
“There have been a lot of moving parts,” Scott said. “I’m looking forward to us finding a way to be 100% and have our core four guys playing together with the other guys we’re asking for more contributions from.”
Air Force’s Beau Becker attempts a hook shot Feb. 21 against Fresno State.
Air Force’s Rytis Petraitis intercepts a pass Feb. 21 against Fresno State.
Air Force’s Ethan Taylor dribbles to the key against Wyoming in January.