FROSTBURG, Md. - The Frostburg State men's basketball team kicks off the 2016-17 season on Tuesday, November 15 when it hosts Mount Aloysius at Bobcat Arena at 7:00 pm.
 
Welcome Back
Head coach Webb Hatch returns two starters, including the Bobcats' second-leading scorer from last year and one of the nation's premier shot blockers. Frostburg finished with seven wins, five in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) and it finished runner-up at the Washington & Lee Holiday Tournament.
 
A year ago, the Bobcats finished fifth in the nation in blocks per game (5.5) and 13^th in the country in total blocks (137). FSU also led the CAC in total rebounds (38.4) behind league-leading numbers in both offensive (12.8) and defensive (25.7) rebounds.
 
Hatch's squad was second in the conference in assists (12.9), fourth in steals (7.4) and sixth in scoring (69.8 ppg).
 
Entering his 18^th year at the helm of the Bobcats, he picked up his 300^th career win as a collegiate head coach and 200^th victory at Frostburg last season. He is the winningest coach in the 74-year history of the FSU men's basketball program.
 
Around the CAC
Frostburg was picked to finish 10^th in a preseason vote of the Capital Athletic Conference coaches. The Bobcats received a total of 13 points, just three behind Southern Virginia for ninth in the preseason standings.
 
Below is a breakdown of the 2016-17 Bobcat roster
 
Getting Offensive
Junior guard/forward Tyler Michael returns to the Bobcat roster for his third season and he enters the year as Frostburg's biggest offensive threat after finishing second on the team in scoring a year ago (13.9 ppg). Michael paced the team with 134 baskets and was third with 24 three-pointers. He also finished fourth with 104 rebounds and was second with 23 steals.

Junior Tyler Michael

 
A native of Cumberland, Md., Michael scored in double figures in 18 games, including six games of 20 points or more. He registered a season-high 27 points against Penn State Harrisburg in early February.
 
Junior Dalton Gaus averaged 5.4 points per game for the Bobcats last season and Hatch and his staff expect more from him this winter. Gaus, a native of Cumberland, Md., totaled 114 points with 37 rebounds and 20 three-pointers as sophomore. He opened the season with three-straight games of 10 or more points and he registered a season-high 17 in win over Marymount.
 
Getting Defensive
A true rim protector, junior Zachary Coalmon (6-7) has emerged as one of the nation's premier shot blockers. He scored 71 points and pulled down 106 rebounds as a sophomore, but his specialty is blocking shots.
 
Coalmon finished sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game (3.21) and 12^th in the country in total blocks (77). To put it in perspective, Coalmon rejected 77 shots, nearly 30 ahead of the next closest player in the CAC, blocked five or more shots in a game five times and notched seven blocks in a contest three times.
 
Two years ago in his third collegiate game of his career, he captured Frostburg's school record after blocking 10 shots against Randolph.
 
Occupying the other position in the post with Coalmon will be sophomore Edwin Cole (6-6). He scored 76 points in 17 games last year with 98 rebounds and totaled 22 blocks and 14 steals. Over the final 10 games of his freshman campaign, Cole averaged nearly six points per contest and over six rebounds per game. He collected a season-best five blocks against Southern Virginia in early February.  

"We want to see more of a scoring presence from Edwin this season after the late-season momentum as a freshman," said Hatch.
 

Junior Zachary Coalmon

At The Point
A trio of newcomers will fill out the point position for Hatch's squad and he is very impressive with their play throughout preseason thus far. Freshman Rashawn Johnson, freshman Lawrence Pettis, Jr. and freshman Obediah Stith will be asked to push the ball up the floor and score for this Bobcat team.
 
"We want to play faster this year," said Hatch. "The three point guards that we recruited all seem to fit fight that role and they are pretty good at pushing the ball up the floor."
 
Additional Scoring
Junior Chris Coston, junior transfer Gregory Gibbs and freshman Daniel Alexander will be valuable contributors for the Bobcats this winter and all four bring something different to the lineup.
 
Coston has been part of Hatch's offensive and defensive system for three years now and should add to last year's numbers. A very athletic player with great defensive skills, Coston appeared in 22 games last season, totaled 39 points and grabbed 35 rebounds.
 
When asked about Gibbs, Hatch noted that he is a very good defender, has three-point range and can score from anywhere on the floor. Meanwhile, Alexander can run the floor and finish around the rim. He also possesses good defender skills.
 
Senior Duo
The '16-17 version of the Bobcats feature a pair of seniors in Terry Martin and Jake Wiegand. Martin missed last season with an injury, but played in three games in 2014-15. A year ago, Wiegand played in two games for Frostburg.