Oct. 18– After posting the best record in school history in 2006-07 with a school record 21 wins in head coach Kelly Boe's first season running the program, the Bears have been picked to finish sixth in the league in 2007-08 by the coaches.

Defending NCAA Division II National Runners Up of Winona State were again the unanimous choice in the 2007-08 NSIC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Warriors received all nine first place votes for 90 points.

The top three teams from last year's poll remained the same as Northern State received the other first place vote (coaches can’t vote for their own team) and finished second with 81 points. Southwest Minnesota State was again picked third with 69 points followed closely by MSU Moorhead with 66. Wayne State (57) and Concordia-St. Paul (51) rounded out the top six teams.

In 2006-07, the Bears also set a record for NSIC wins with their 13-5 mark in the league and played host to their first NSIC Tournament game in program history, downing Wayne State 77-61, before falling to Winona State in Winona 87-61.

Concordia returns seven players from last years roster, but only two that have starting experience in Craig Heiman and Chual Chany. 

Heiman played in all 29 games, starting three.  He was the teams' second-leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points per game, scoring a career-high 22 points against North Central College.  He scored in double-figures in 18 games and was the Bears top three-point shooter, making 51 of 116 (.440), which was sixth best in the NSIC.  He also averaged 3.9 rebounds per game in only 19.4 minutes per game.

Chany played in 28 games, and started four.  He was the Bears second leading rebounder, pulling down 4.6 boards per game, while scoring 5.0 points per game in 14.1 minutes of action.  He had a career-high 13 points at Winona State, while hauling down a career-high 11 rebounds against Bemidji State.

The Bears will open their season with an exhibition game against St. Olaf on Nov. 3 at 7:00 in the Gangelhoff Center.  They will open the regular-season at home on Nov. 16 against Peru State at 8:00.

2007-08 NSIC MBB Coaches Preseason Poll