1. What does the coach say?



2. Top Returners
• Kyle Zimmermann (2013 All-MIAC, 12.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 25.0 Min./G, 21 Blocks, FG%: 60.6)
• Brycen Wojta (2014 All-MIAC, 2014 MIAC All-Freshman Team, 15.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG, FG%: 45.7)
• Trevor Hall (6.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 27 GP, FG%: 39.6, 21.9 Min./G)
 
3. Key Losses
• Luke Buttenhoff (2014 MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention, 11.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 23.7 Min./G, FG%: 59.3)
• Tyler Schmidt (4.8 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 16.6 Min./G, 3PT%: 40.0, FG%: 40.2)
• Quinn Gorski (4.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 17.9 Min./G, FG%: 50.0, 3PT%: 44.8)

4. Preseason Polls
Bethel was picked third in the MIAC preseason coaches poll with 75 points, behind just Gustavus and St. Thomas. Head coach Doug Novak  and the Royals drew a great deal of respect after year one, as the team finished the 2013-14 season in sixth place overall. Below are the preseason rankings according to the coaches around the league.
 

2014-15 MIAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank	Institution	Total
1	St. Thomas (8)	98
2	Gustavus (1)	81
3	Bethel	76
4	St. Olaf (2)	75
5	Saint John's	67
6	Concordia	54
7	Augsburg	51
8	Carleton	38
9	Hamline	36
10	Macalester	18
11	Saint Mary's	11

 
5. Key Statistics
• 13: Bethel has reached the MIAC Playoffs 13 of the last 15 years, dating back to the 1999-2000 season. Only two other teams within the league have accomplished this feat in that time frame.
• 1: Brycen Wojta was the only freshman in the league last year honored to the MIAC All-Conference Team. Wojta is the first rookie in the league to receive All-MIAC recognition since 2005-06 and just the second since 1995-96.
• 8.2: Bethel's defense averaged 8.2 steals per game last season, which was among the top 18 percent of teams nationwide and was No. 1 among all MIAC institutions.
• 9: Last year's 70-67 upset over Augsburg College in the MIAC Playoffs marked Bethel's ninth postseason victory in the last fifteen years. Since 2000, the Royals are 9-13 in the conference tournament.
• 6.3: Bethel's men's hoops squad finished third among all conference teams in 3-pointers made per game with an average of 6.3. Four players averaged at least one per game, including returners Jackson Canfield, Trevor Hall, and Brycen Wojta.
• 3: 2013 All-MIAC forward Kyle Zimmermann will return for a fifth season thanks to the NCAA's medical redshirt rule that grants a player one more year of eligibility should a player get hurt and miss the majority of the season. Zimmermann is one of three players on the Bethel roster to receive this opportunity.
 
6. Did You Know?
• USA Sports selected Brycen Wojta to be a member of the USA Division III Men's Basketball Select Team that traveled to Brazil throughout the summer of 2014. Handpicked NCAA Division III basketball players that were recognized as All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference athletes from all over the country made up the national team.
 
7. Off the Court
• 2014 graduate Luke Buttenhoff spent the past summer in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he lived at and served with Robin's Nest Children's Home—a local orphanage in Montego Bay. While there, Buttenhoff spent the majority of his time doing maintenance projects, such as welding protective bars for the windows, and caring for this kids on site.