SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University will begin its quest to defend its Northwest Conference men's basketball title and return to the NCAA Division III playoffs this weekend when the Pirates open the 2007-08 season at the Cal Lutheran/Caltech Classic. Whitworth will play Chapman University on Friday at 2:00 p.m. and co-host Caltech on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Both games will be played at the Caltech gym.

Ryan Symes

The Pirates: Whitworth will have a new look this season after graduating four starters from the 2007 NWC championship squad. But the one returnee is First Team All-NWC forward Ryan Symes (Sr., Palo Alto, Calif.), who averaged 14.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. Colin Willemsen (Sr., F, Moraga, Calif.), who was one of the best sixth men in the conference last winter, will take over a starting role.

Returnees Calvin Jurich (Jr., Spokane, Wash.) and Nate Montgomery (So., Sammamish, Wash.) will battle for the starting position at post.

Head coach Jim Hayford also has one of his best-ever recruiting classes as well. A mixture of incoming freshmen and junior college transfers, this group gives Hayford the tools to be competitive without going through a long rebuilding process. Two of those players will start at guard: Ross Nakamura (Jr., Moraga, Calif.), a transfer from Diablo Valley JC, and David Riley (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif.), a 6-5 shooting guard.

Nationally Ranked: Like last year, when Whitworth spent the entire regular season ranked in the top 25 of the D3hoops.com poll, the Pirates begin with "others receiving votes" in the preseason poll. Whitworth finished third in the 2007 NWC Preseason Coaches Poll.

Symes of the Times: Ryan Symes will be called upon to carry much of the load this season, especially early in the schedule as the new pieces around him come together. The 6-6 forward from Palo Alto High School, by way of Delta Junior College in Lodi, California, made 53% of his shots from the floor and 79.7% of his free throws last season to average 14.9 points per game and earn First Team All-NWC honors.

The Opponents: Chapman University is 1-1 this season after dropping a 59-56 decision at the University of La Verne on Tuesday night. The Panthers, NCAA Division III independents, have posted 20-win seasons each of the past two years, including a 21-5 record in 2006-07. Senior guard Miguel Bennett has averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds in Chapman's first two games.

Caltech is 0-1 so far this season after opening with an 83-41 loss to La Sierra University. The Beavers broke a long losing streak last season on the way to finishing 1-24.

The Coach: Whitworth head coach Jim Hayford became the fastest coach in Pirate history to record his 100th victory as head coach of the Bucs with a win over Whittier on November 25th of last season. Now 119-39 (.753) after six seasons at Whitworth (156-64 overall in eight years as a head coach), Hayford is only the third coach in school history to reach the 100 win plateau. Hayford has won two NWC Coach of the Year awards at Whitworth (2003, 2007) and led the Pirates to a pair of conference championships.

2007-08 Schedule

2007-08 Roster