There is reason to be optimistic heading into the start of the 2022-23 Madison College men's basketball season, which tips off Tuesday, November 1 inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium against McHenry County College. New head coach Jason Roscoe, who took over the program in August, inherits an experienced and talented roster that includes nearly 60-percent of the team's offensive production back from 2021-22.

Roscoe, who also retained the services of Associate Head Coach Roy Boone, is working to turn the WolfPack into a high-intensity, uptempo unit. That team will benefit from two all-conference and all-region players in 6'8" forward/center Keith Hoffman and 6'4" guard/forward Nik Feller. Hoffman, a Stevens Point, Wisconsin, native, led the team with 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game as a freshman. Feller posted 8.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. Other key returners are 6'3" guard/forward Telin Porter (9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists) and 6'2" guard Cortez Telfered (6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds), as well as Tyler Haak, Hayes Hensler, and Teagan Kirsenlohr.

"Hoffman and Feller were both All-Conference and All-Region players last year, while Porter and Telfered made significant contributions at various times last season. My hope is that their experience will help lead our team to great heights this season," said Roscoe.

The rest of the 2022-23 roster is filled with eight new players making their collegiate debuts. So far, coach Roscoe has seen tremendous strides from the group as a whole, however forward Porter Pretasky and guard Peter Gustafson has stood out through training camp.

"Porter is a very versatile player and possesses a very high IQ. He can score in multiple ways, and I anticipate that he will have an immediate impact on our team. Peter is a scoring guard with sneaky athleticism. He has the ability to play multiple positions. If he's able to stay healthy, he can help up right away."

Following a pair of home games to open the 2022-23 schedule, Madison College will travel to play Waubonsee Community College on November 5. The Chiefs are currently receiving votes in the NJCAA Division II Preseason Poll, which also has defending national champion South Suburban as the #1-ranked team. The Bulldogs come to Madison on February 11. 

Additionally, the battle for the North Central Community College Conference crown and Region 4 titles will feature tests against some talented teams. Defending league co-champions Milwaukee Area Technical College and Joliet Junior College are both in the national rankings, with the Stormers sitting at #5 in Division II and the Wolves holding the #8 spot in the NJCAA Division III Preseason Poll. Conference play begins January 12 with a home game against the College of DuPage, which is now led by the former coach at JJC.

"Obviously, with this being my first year, a lot of learning has occurred for the guys early on. I am just trying to get them to buy in and understand that everybody has a role on this team. However, everyone's role will not be the same.  Additionally, I am working on implementing a culture that embodies our six core values, which are Trust, Communication, Courage, Collective Responsibility, Leadership, and GRIT. To their credit, they have bought in thus far and worked extremely hard. Overall, I believe that this team has a lot of untapped potential, and our job as a staff is to help them unlock that potential." 

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