Men’s Basketball Preview: Eagles Look To Go Uptempo in 22-23
The Faith Eagles tip off their 2022-23 season Monday night, October 31, with a scrimmage against the Grand View University Junior Varsity at 7 p.m. in Ankeny.
Coach Brian Fincham enters his 16th season at the helm of the men's basketball program with a solid core of returning players from a year ago, led by Second Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region guard Jayce Goergen, and last year's leading scorer and Third Team All-Region performer Jared Pearson. Sophomore forward James Busenitz came on strong last season and returns as the team's second-leading rebounder. Coach Fincham is excited about the potential and growth of returnees Carson Odle, Andy Hecker, Joshua Forgie, and Seth Freeman, who all played significant minutes a year ago.
When it comes to newcomers, the Eagles have added one of the most talented players in the entire conference in graduate transfer Chris Barnette. A three-year starter for Covenant College in Georgia, Barnette earned just about every accolade possible, winning All-West Division honors each of the last two seasons, and All-Tournament honors in 2020 and 2022. Barnette averaged 14.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists last season and finished his career at Covenant College with 102 career three-pointers. He earned a reputation for hitting shots with the game on the line and scored a career-high 31 points in a tournament game against Methodist as a sophomore.
"Chris is a very talented player," said Coach Fincham. "He is very polished and mature. He should allow Jayce to play more freely and not have all of the guard duties on his shoulders this year."
While Goergen manned the point guard position last year, Barnette will run point this year, moving Jayce back to a more natural shooting guard position. "Jayce has looked really good in practice this fall," said Fincham.
Joining Goergen in the backcourt this season will be his former teammate at Ankeny Christian Academy, Logan Fincham. Fincham, a freshman, averaged 13.8 points per game for Ankeny Christian Academy his senior season, helping the team to its fifth consecutive conference tournament title. He is joined by fellow freshmen Connor Parrish and sophomore Simon Allen as other newcomers to the Eagles this year.
Coach Fincham is most excited about the offensive potential of his team and the pace of play he hopes they will play with. He's most concerned about a lack of height in the post.
"I love the offensive potential we have," said Coach Fincham. "They seem to be gelling really well. We are ahead of where we've been in the past. The biggest concern is our size. We have traditionally had a lot of size, but this year is exciting that we have a lot of good guards and should be to play fast and be better offensively. If we meet our potential defensively, that will be our key."
The Eagles ended the 2022 season as one of the top defensive teams in the nation, finishing in the top ten in five statistical categories. Finding a way to match up against taller opponents will be one of the keys to the success of Faith's season.
Faith's schedule is loaded with difficult conference foes who all return talented rosters. Following Monday night's scrimmage and an exhibition at Simpson College on November 8, the Eagles play their first official game on Thursday, November 10, with a road game at Union College at 6 p.m. The first official home action for Faith comes the weekend of November 18 and 19 with the annual Faith Classic Basketball Tournament featuring a Friday night tilt against Trinity Bible College and a Saturday evening matchup against North Central University. Visit fbbceagles.com for a complete schedule.
