Familiar faces will suit up for the Carroll University men's basketball team 2013-2014 season, headlined by seniors Alec Molter and Kevin Hurd.

 The inside-outside duo return following standout seasons a year ago in which they both earned second-team All-Midwest Conference honors while leading the Pioneers to the title game of the MWC Tournament.

 Molter carved out space on the low blocks for Carroll at both ends of the court. Offensively the 6'7", 235-pounder scored a team-best 11.7 points per game while registering a team-high 48 blocks at the other end of the floor. Additionally, he averaged a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game.

 Hurd, a crafty guard with strong all-around skills, finished second on the team in scoring, netting 10.1 points per game. He also filled the statistics sheet each night, finishing the season with 59 assists and 23 steals. Hurd connected on a team-best 40 three-pointers, many in the closing moments to secure victories.

 High flying Andrew Nottling and Caleb Zeegers return for their senior and junior seasons, respectively, after providing last year's squad with firepower off the bench. Nottling averaged 8.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season and added 46 assists and 27 blocks. The sharpshooting Zeegers came off the bench to add 6.8 points per game and finished the season with 34 made three-pointers, second only to Hurd.

 Pioneer fans are eagerly awaiting the return of fifth-year senior Christian Shepley. The point guard entered last season with high expectations following a strong campaign in 2011-2012, but two games into the season he went down with a season-ending injury. A strong offseason has Shepley back in line for a starting nod.

 Big men Tyler Watzlawick and Brian Nagy made significant contributions during their freshman campaign a year ago and both should have solid roles again. Watzlawick played in 23 games last year and averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Nagy averaged 3.3 points per game while seeing time in 15 games. His best game came in the MWC finals when scored a season-high 12 points against St. Norbert College.

 Three other returnees from a year ago – junior Nick Lange and sophomores Joe Pijanowski and Matt Krueger – are expected to battle for minutes.

 Carroll men's basketball has been a model of consistency the past decade. The Pioneers have qualified for the four-team Midwest Conference Tournament nine of the past 10 years, advancing to the finals seven times. Carroll won two of those tournaments – 2006-2007 and 2011-2012 – and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times, advancing to the second round in 2011-2012 and the "Sweet 16" in 2006-2007.

 A fresh face will be looking to continue the strong Pioneer tradition as Paul Combs begins his first year as Carroll's head men's basketball coach.

 Combs most recently spent four successful seasons rebuilding the program at Wayne State College in Nebraska. The Wildcats compete at the NCAA Division II (NSIC) level and finished with a record of 17-12 this past season. This was their best record since current Creighton University head coach Greg McDermott's team in 1999.

 Prior to Wayne State, Combs had a successful stint in NCAA Division III. He was at Lakeland College from 1999-2003, which had won just 20 games in the three seasons prior to Combs' arrival in Sheboygan. In his four seasons at the helm, the Muskies won 60 games, claimed back-to-back conference titles in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003, and compiled a 23-1 home record in four years of regular season conference games.

 From 2003-2009, Combs returned the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers to its previous status of a national powerhouse, established when current University of Madison head coach Bo Ryan roamed the sidelines. In 2008-2009, Platteville compiled a record of 23-6 and a No. 1 national ranking by D3hoops.com. Combs led the team to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in 2004-2005 and 2008-2009.

 He spent five years as an assistant coach at Ripon College, his alma mater, when the Red Hawks boasted a record of 102-21, went to the NCAA tournament four times and won two conference championships. Combs also was a point guard on the Ripon squad that earned a national ranking in 1992-1993.

 "The Combs family is extremely excited about joining the Carroll University family and the rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence," he said. "We were overwhelmed throughout the process with the vision, leadership and forward thinking of the Carroll administration, student-athletes and alumni. We are very humbled to work with the Division III student-athlete again, to be back in the great state of Wisconsin and to be a part of the Waukesha and surrounding communities for many years to come."

 Combs is the 26th head coach in men's basketball history at Carroll.

 In a preseason poll of Midwest Conference head coaches, the 2013-2014 Pioneers are expected to once again battle for the league championship.

 St. Norbert College topped the poll with 100 points and was picked to finish first on 10 of the 11 ballots. The Pioneers trailed the Green Knights closely with 87 points followed by Beloit College's 78 points. Grinnell was picked to grab the final MWC Tournament berth in fourth place (73 points) while also garnering the remaining first place vote. Lawrence University was in the fifth spot with 63 points followed by Cornell College (56), Illinois College (44), Lake Forest College (34), Ripon College (33), Monmouth College (27) and Knox College (10).

 Carroll finished third in the 2012-2013 Midwest Conference regular season standings with a record of 13-5 (18-7 overall). The Pioneers lost in the finals of the MWC Tournament after knocking off Grinnell College in the semifinals.

 Carroll will tip-off the 2013-2014 season Nov. 15-16 when they host the Johnson Bank Classic. The Pioneers host Concordia (WI) University on Friday night at 7 p.m. followed by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on Saturday night at 7 p.m.