#1 Central Lakes College 

Veteran coach Jim Russell's 2018-19 Central Lakes College squad has been tabbed by Division coaches as the the team to beat in 2018-19.  Russell, entering his 21st season in Brainerd, has a career mark of 418-172.  Last fall, the Raiders had an overall  record of 15-13 and a MCAC Northern Division mark of 8-6, good for third place in the regular season.  

Russell notes he expects his team to " Play hard, play together, and take the season one game at time."   CLC will have a big hole to fill with the departure of Keonte' Jenkins, who will suit up at Cardinal Stritch University this season.  Vying for the new leadership roles will be returners AJ Ray  (G, Minneapolis, MN)  Malik Kelly (G, Altanta, GA),  TJ Kornbaum (F, Little Falls, MN), all of whom are back for Central Lakes.  Joining the veterans are newcomers Chris Buckley (G, Coon Rapids, MN),  Kelvin Harris (G, Milwaukee, WI) Avis Gilbert (F, Atlanta, GA),  Brandon Burggraff  (G, Brainerd, MN) combined, the two groups of student-athletes look to continue the tradition of strong basketball programs at Central Lakes College. 

Mark Lindquist will serve as an assistant coach to Jim Russell this winter. The Raiders will open the regular season on 

T #2 Vermilion Community College 

Long standing head coach Paul McDonald enters his 29th year at the helm of Vermilion Community College.  VCC was 20-10 overall and finished 2nd in the MCAC North ranks last season. 

Key returner Devontaye Spates, a forward from Minneapolis Henry High School will be counted on to help Coach McDonald have a great 2018-19.  Spates will be joined by newcomers Curtis Bell (Forward St. Paul, MN) and David Monell from Miami, Florida in helping the Ironmen get off to a strong start. One hole to fill in VCC's line-up will be replacing Demetrice Mitchell, who has moved on to play at Brescia University.

In his final season as head coach, McDonald will be assisted by Reed Petersen.  McDonald notes that the MCAC "is a very balanced league" and teams need to show up ready to play each night.  

T #2 Northland CTC 

Rick Nikunen has accumulate a 347-326 record over 26 seasons at Northland Community & Technical College, and lead his Pioneer squad to a 21-5 overall  record and 12-2 Division mark last season.  

Nikunen returns Z'Mari Minter (Forward,  Las Vegas, NV) from last year's squad and he will joined by newcomers Bakri Gubara (G, Nashville, TN),  Brenson Alteme (G, Port St. Lucie, FL) and Bam Nasir (G, Nashville, TN).  A pair of former Pioneers - Cole Piatko and Brandon Murat - will suit up at Columbia International and Southern Wesleyan this season. 

According to coach Nikunen he reports that the 2018-19 NCTC team is defined by it's youth:  "We are very young so we will struggle. Hope to finish in middle of the pack."  Chris McLean will serve as the Northland assistant coach this winter. 

#4 Rainy River Community College

Rainy River Community College head coach Bill Engel has racked up a 47-32 overall record over the past four years and led his team to a 12-2 record and Divisional championship last season.

Several returners should contribute for RRCC, including Trey Jones (G, Kenner, LA), Jesus Alfonso (G, Miami, FL), and Greg Barber (F, Miami, FL), and Engel is hoping they mesh well with incoming student-athletes Josh Jacobs (G, Houston, TX), Cedrick Harris (F, Miami, FL) and Markest Brown  (F, Minneapolis, MN).

Bill Engel noted that Rainy River "expect the program to continue moving in a positive direction."  Former RRCC standout Davarius Wright is north of the border this winter, playing for Lakehead University in Canada. To keep track of RRCC men's basketball on Twitter, go to: @Rainy River CC

#5 Hibbing Community College 

The Hibbing Community College Cardinals will enter the 2018-19 season with a new face at the helm; Paul Ciochetto takes over at HCC and will look to a blend of returners and first-year players. 

Last year, HCC went 5-21 overall and was 3-11 in the Northern Division of the MCAC.  Two key returners - Moses Ogunti (G, Minneapolis/MN) and Daniel Warren (F, Peoria/IL) - will look to lead David Faitha (G, Salt Lake City, UT), Cole Mammenga (G, Hibbing/MN) and Jake Edwards (F, Warrington, UK) as they head into regular season. 

Former Cardinal William Ames suits up for Crown College this season. Ciochetto notes "We have a good core of returners and some dynamic Freshman that should help us be competitive this year."

To follow Hibbing men's basketball on Twitter, go to: @HCCCards

T- #6 Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College 

The 2018-19 MCAC basketball season will be the second run for Brian Burtnyk at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College.  He will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Marc Ross and Kevin Gutter. 

Last year, the Thunder went 5-16 overall, 4-10 in MCAC North Division finishing in fifth place. Burtnyk notes that key returners Eric Grant (G/F, Groveport, OH) and Dwayne Saunders (G, Wilmington, DE) will be counted upon for leadership on the floor.  They will be joined by several new faces, including Kevin Bryant, (G, Lakeland ,FL) and Damien Schwab (C, Pine City, MN).

Coach Burtnyk notes that he is..."Extremely excited to coach another group of young men. Can't wait to see their improvement on the basketball court.   To follow the Thunder men's basketball team this season, be sure to join their Twitter feed: @FDLTCC_HOOPS

T- #6 Mesabi Range College 

Head coach Ryan Ostendorf had led the Norsemen for the past five years, accumulating a 53-55 record over that time.  The 2017-18 MRC squad was 5-20 overall and 4-10 in MCAC Northern Division, landing them in fifth place. 

Regarding the upcoming campaign Ostendorf says: "We look to improve upon our record from last season with strong leadership from our sophomores. We hope to be in the mix for the play-offs, in a very competitive Northern Division."

Mesabi Range has attracted a recruiting class from around the Midwest, including Carlos White (G, Cleveland/OH),  Markis Watkins (G, Chicago/IL),  Cyrus Hamilton (F, Milwaukee/WI) and William Howard (F, St.Louis/MO). The newcomers will look to join forces with returners Bryce Hempel, (F, Plymouth/MN), Calvin Lee (G, Monroe/LA), Drew Aho (G, Virginia/M) and Dajon Devine (G, Bloomington/MN) to form the 2018-19 edition of the Norsemen team. 

Ostendorf will be assisted by Matt Breeden, David Wilson and Venzal Russell.

#7 Lake Superior College 

Chuck Tolo will head up the first year of competition for the Lake Superior College IceHawks.  LSC added men's and women's basketball to their growing list of sport programs.  The IceHawks currently sponsor men's and women's soccer, clay target and mountain biking teams.  With the addition of Lake Superior to the Northern Division in men's basketball, the MCAC North will commence play in mid-December and will have nine programs vying for the four MCAC post-season spots available in March. 

Tolo, will be assisted by Phil Homere and Jayce Mayberry, both of whom will be serving in assistant coaching capacities this winter.  The coaching staff is excited to welcome the first IceHawk men's basketball roster in 2018-19, and have noted that center Nick McCready, (Andover, MN), forward Keith Shakes (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and guard Jarvis Hunt (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) will be looked to for leadership in the inaugural season. 

Coach Tolo notes: "We are very excited to launch our inaugural season at Lake Superior College. Duluth has never had a community college basketball program and we are looking forward to building a competitive program."

#8 Itasca Community College 

Head coach Shannon Roberts has led Itasca Community College for the past four years and will be joined by first-year assistant coach Norm Jones on the bench this season.  Last winter, the Vikings finished 4-23 overall and 3-12 Northern Division.  Two ICC standouts have moved on to the next level: Trevor Elhard suits up for Mayville State (ND) University and William Stevenson will play at Urbana (OH) University this season. 

Some key incoming student-athletes include Torez Kinchen (Denham Springs, LA) and Devonte Morgan (Peoria, AZ) and they will join forces with Andrew Johnson (Memphis ,TN),  Anthony Johnson (Memphis TN) and Christian George, (Grand Rapids, MN).  Coach Roberts expects his current Viking squad to  "be a high pressure, fast pace team with a deep bench."