In his first season as a head men’s college basketball coach, Brandon Rinta has a remarkable grasp on the big picture when it comes to the Lewis-Clark State College program.  He realizes that with a new coach, 12 new players to the program, and a new system, it will take time for things to come together this season.

“Has it been slow? No question, but that’s what you would expect with what we have,” he says. “Everything is new to everyone. But if you ask me right now, we are exactly where we want to be.”

Rinta’s reason for his outlook is because he is a first-year coach in name only. He says his previous five years as the top assistant and associate head coach at Northwest Nazarene University has prepared him for this season.

“I was so lucky down at NNU with the role that I was able to play,” he says. “The only thing new to me here is that it is my first year at Lewis-Clark State, but I’m really enjoying the transition.”

It’s also a big change to the Warrior program in general. Only four players on the roster were with the program last year and of the four, only one was a regular starter.  The four combined to score approximately 20 of LCSC’s average of 76.3 points per game last season.

“The biggest challenge is getting all the offensive strategy and defensive schemes in while never losing sight of what is most important to us, which are defense, rebounding, and working hard,” Rinta says. “We are working on finding that balance.”

Rinta says his philosophy is to dictate the tempo of the game by pressuring the basketball defensively and playing up tempo as much as possible on offense. He says he wants the defense to create turnovers and lead to easy baskets for the offense.

“This team offensively will probably be structured more than usual,” Rinta says. “Defensively, we won’t be afraid to mix it up (man and zone) because we like to keep the opposition off balance. Our staple, more than anything else, will be man-to-man defense.”

Rinta says the personnel on the court will dictate what LCSC is doing, but overall he says the team looks strong defensively and rebounding the ball, and should be able to create opportunities pushing the basketball on offense. He also feels this should be a good passing team.

“Of course, everything comes a little easier in practice,” he says. “It’s hard to see what you have until you start playing games so you just have to take it day by day. It has gone smoother than I thought it would in all transition areas. We were able to form a team that will be competitive, do things the right way, and we were able to space out the classes with balanced numbers.”

The Warriors have 16 players on the roster, but three freshmen – Clarkston High’s Tommy Sperry and Trey Sobotta, along with 7-footer Payton Pervier – will redshirt this season. Sperry suffered a shoulder injury, which is forcing him to redshirt this season.

Here’s a breakdown of the team by positions:

The Warriors will use a three-guard offense and appear to have two quality point guards in senior Jeray Key (Longview, Wash.) and sophomore Joey Wayman (Hoquiam, Wash.). Key started most of last season. Rinta says the two complement each other.

“Jeray is a senior and one of the few guys we have that has been around in the Frontier Conference and knows what to expect,” Rinta says. “He brings a physical defensive presence and he’s great at running the offense efficiently. My hope is that Jeray will be one of the best defenders in the league this year.”

“Joey may be more offensive-minded being able to play the off-guard as well. He looks for his opportunities, but has great court awareness and does a good job seeing the floor.”

The Warriors have six players who can play the two off-guard positions. Senior Darin Stewart (Mission Viejo, Calif.) started five games last season and was one of the most athletic players on the team. Sophomore Spencer Drury (Spokane, Wash.) saw limited action last season.

“Darin has gone through the league and so hopefully he will bring some leadership,” Rinta says. “I know he’s a great defender and a great shooter.”

“With Spencer, as with most sophomores, they are a lot more comfortable after being through everything the first year. He’s a lot more confident and is a guy who can do all the little things to make everyone else better.”

The four newcomers include junior Donte Archie (Los Angeles, Calif.), sophomore Chris Hepperly (Sandpoint, Idaho), and freshmen Kale Schmidt (Stanwood, Wash.) and Sean Fisher (Spokane).  All four are transfers.

“Donte gives us a little more explosiveness on offense,” Rinta says. “He can shoot the ball but has the quickness to break people down and get by his defenders.”

“Chris, Kale and Sean are really very similar in that they are big-time shooters,” Rinta continues. “You can’t leave them open at all and they should be able to spread the defense out.”

The key, Rinta says, is to find out who’s going to step up during the season and be the main contributors. He also points out it could change game-to-game depending on who has the hot hand.

The Warriors will use two forwards in the final two starting positions. LCSC has five forwards on the squad, and all stand 6-foot-6.

“I would like to think that our depth at the forward position will be a strength to this team,” Rinta says.

The lone returner up front is senior Ray Stout (Genesee, Idaho).

“Ray had a great offseason and has been working really hard,” Rinta says. “He brings a lot of energy to the floor and is a very skilled big man who can pass it.”

Senior Darious Walker (Tacoma, Wash.) brings a physical presence to the team, according to Rinta, especially inside defensively and with rebounding.

The remaining three forwards are juniors Nick Fromm (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho), Danny Marshall (Spokane), and PJ Bolte (Tacoma).

“Nick is very much like Darious in that he gives us a physical presence inside and he can mix it up with anybody,” Rinta says. “They will make us better defensively and on the glass.

“Danny and PJ are more skilled forwards who, offensively, the game comes easier to than most. They can create things off the bounce and are excellent passers.”

Rinta says his goals are probably the same as every coach at this point of the season.

“I would like us to keep working hard so that we are playing our best basketball come January and February,” he said. “It’s a long process to get the team where they are consistently playing to their potential. Hopefully we can do that by the time the league season rolls around.”

The Warriors face an interesting mix on the schedule again this season with exhibition games against three NCAA Division I teams – Washington State, Idaho, and Montana – and also take part in three tournaments before the start of league play.

Rinta says in talking with fellow coaches around the conference, he’s heard the common theme that this may be the toughest the league has been from top to bottom.

“We just have to take it game by game and try to put ourselves in a position to where we can make it to the national tournament,” Rinta says. “Regardless of all the challenges we face, that is still our goal.”