The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes essentially have a new team this season and second-year men' s coach Jordan Murdock is perfectly fine with that.
"I think we've got a good group, and we've got an older group that kind of understands a little bit more," he said. "I think that's the difference between us last year. I'm excited to move forward and get into these games."
Murdock, a former NAIA All-American at Friends and an assistant coach at KWU for four seasons, returned to Salina in March 2025 after one season as an assistant at Division II Pittsburg State. He led the Coyotes to a 14-14 record, 12-10 in the KCAC year ago, but they finished strong winning their last three games of four of the last five.
Murdock said last season was beneficial for him as a first-year head coach, particularly off the court.
"The communication with the guys needs to be high all the time," he said. "I need to meet with them individually, meet with them as a team, and I think our coaches are doing a really good job too. That goes a long way sometimes, the relationship side of things."
Murdock and his staff were busy rebuilding the roster during the offseason with an emphasis on transfers. The results have been positive during preseason practices.
"It's just a matter of us coming together," he said. "Obviously when you've got a bunch of new guys they've got to get used to each other. Some of that is our job as coaches. We've got to make sure they're around each other and they're doing things. One thing I love about this team is it's been player-led the majority of the time. They want to get to know each other, they want to compete on a daily basis."
Sophomore guards Braylin Goins and Alec Grill are the lone returners from last year's rotation. Goins played in 25 games and started three while Grill played in 26.
"I think they're going to be integral for our team this year moving forward," Murdock said. "Last year they were young. They needed to be thrown into the fire, and they learned, you can see it in both of those guys. I'm extremely proud of them for coming back in a transfer-heavy world and believing in what we've got going forward."
This year's team lacks the size of last year's squad, but Murdock is optimistic that the Coyotes will survive and even thrive.
"We're not as big as last year, but we're going to be active. We're very athletic," he said. "Those guys that are (inside) are physical, and they do a really good job for us. Brandon Redic will probably start for us at the five spot. He was a football player last year (at Division II, Missouri Southern). He's super strong and has a high basketball IQ. He won a state championship in basketball in high school (Andover)."
Other transfers Murdock is counting on are:
- Guard AJ Walker (Columbia College, Mo.)
- Guard Riley Wolf (North Dakota College of Science)
- Guard/forward Kavon Phillips (Des Moines Arena Community College)
- Guard Jayden Jones (Des Moines Arena)
- Guard Dakarai Davis (Southeast CC, Neb.)
- Guard Tobin Triplett (Southern Arkansas Tech)
- Guard Jace Steinmetz (Garden City CC)
- Guard Quincey Kidd (Seward CC)
Corralling missed shots will be a focal point, Murdock said.
"I think the big thing for us is really going to be rebounding. We've got to come together and really hit the glass and focus on that area. I think if we do that, we'll be a really good team," he said.