Durham N.H.- Tonight marks the opening of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats (0-0, 0-0) basketball season as they will play host to the Brandeis Judges (0-0, 0-0) in Lundholm Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. 

Following a disappointing abrupt ending to last season in the America East Playoffs where the Wildcats lost to Binghamton, all but three of the players took a one-way ticket in the transfer portal. 

The returning players consist of junior guard Jon Willeman, (CAPTAIN) junior guard Nick Johnson, and redshirt freshman guard AJ Lopez. 

Last season, Johnson averaged 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 28.4 minutes per game. He also led the team in blocks with 16. Willeman only saw the court for a total of 25 minutes and racked up nine points and Lopez didn’t see the court. The three returners only made up 16.5% of the scoring from last year but that is not to say the ‘Cats did not bring in some new strong talent. 

Between April and now, ten new players have been added to the Wildcats’ squad:

First-year guard Rex Sunderland-

• 6’4” 190 lbs from Kaysville, Utah
• Led his high school (Davis) with 15.5 ppg, four assists per game, and 3.9 steals per game last season
• Led all Utah high school players in steals with 93 in 24 games 
• Head coach Bill Herrion touts Sunderland’s size and ability to shoot from outside the arch. He believes that Sunderland can have a solid career as a Wildcat as long as he can develop physically and get stronger

(CAPTAIN) Graduate student forward Jaxson Baker-

• 6’8” 200 lbs from Pheonix, Arizona
• Played his previous three seasons at Central Arkansas where he recorded 496 career points (5.8 per game), 219 rebounds (2.6 per game), 104 assists, and 109 three-point field goals
• Herrion thinks highly of Baker’s experience in Division I and his ability to move around the floor and knock down three-pointers. 

Graduate student guard Nazim Derry-

• 6’ 2” 160 lbs from Atlantic City N.J. 
• Transferring from Division II Goldey-Beacom College where he led the team by scoring 20.1 ppg while hitting 100 of his 238 three-pointers (42%) in 28 games
• Herrion brought Derry in for his three-point shooting, experience, and strong defensive ability. 

Junior guard Kyree Brown-

• 6’0” 170 lbs from Oakland, California 
• Played on a successful Seattle University team last season which ended witha 23-9 overall record. 
• Brown averaged 4.4 ppg, 2.4 assists per game, 1.8 rebounds per game while shooting a strong 79.6% from the free throw line. He was efficient as he recorded 71 assists on just 36 turnovers
• Herrion touted Browns speed and experience from the winning program he played at

First-year guard Christian Moore-

• 6’1” 175 lbs from Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Last year Moore played a season at Hargrave Military Academy where he averaged 15.1 points per game, and shot 49.8% from outside the arch. 
• Herrion said that Moore is a versatile player who can play the 1 or the 2 and knows he is a 3 pointer threat to add on to the team

First-year forward Promise Opurum-

• 6’ 7” from New Rochelle, New York
• Last year Opurum played a successful season at Woodstock where he earned an All-Power 5 AAA Honerable Mention due to his average of 11 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks per game. 
• Herrion touts Opurums energy and quickness along with his ability to go after the basketball

(CAPTAIN) Graduate student guard Matt Herasme-

• 6’4” 195 lbs from Chester, New York
• Transferred to UNH from Marist College where he started in 71 of 106 career games and was a three-time MAAC All-Academic selection. 
• Recorded 588 points (5.5 per game) and 458 rebounds (4.3 per game) with a 48.2% field goal percentage.
• Herrion expressed that Herasme brings toughness, maturity, and a strong defensive ability to the Wildcats

Junior forward Clarence O. Daniels II-

• 6’6” from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 
• O. Daniels II earned National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America Honorable Mention after averaging 20.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game last year when he played at Lake Region State College 
• Herrion expresses that he will be huge in filling the frontcourt, along with his rebounding and athleticism around the basket 

First-year forward Ridvan Tutic-

• 6’10” from Novi Pazar, Serbia
• The last time Tutic touched the court he competed in the senior competition of the domestic championship as he played for Stari Ras. 
• He led his team with 22.5 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and blocks per game 3.5
• Tutic was the final recruit and scholarship that UNH had to offer but Herrion mentioned how important it was for them to bring in a sizeable frontcourt player. 

Sophomore forward Trey Woodyard- 

• 6’6” 170 lbs from London, Ohio
• Woodyard played in 27 games for Valparaiso last season tallying 1.2 points per game, 1.2 rebounds per game, shooting 48.1% from the floor and 33% from the three-point arc
• In his junior year of high school, Woodyard was a two-time all-state selection and was named Central Buckeye Conference Player of the Year. 
• Herrion mentions that Trey is coming from a successful program and his versatility and height will play a big factor in his success

The Wildcats have not played the Judges since 1975 when they won by a score of 78-75 in Durham. The series record is in favor of UNH at 9-7-1. 

You can catch all the action on ESPN 3 at 7:30 where the Wildcats will look to start their season off with a home victory.