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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – When the ball gets tipped for the first time in 2015-16 Saturday afternoon, College of Saint Benedict basketball coach Mike Durbin is going to learn a lot about his team.
 
Durbin's Blazers open the season with a nonconference game against UW-Stout at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Menomonie, Wis. CSB's roster this season includes three juniors, seven sophomores and six first years in the mix for playing time. Of those young players, however, six played in at least 20 of CSB's 25 games in 2014-15 and two head into the new season with a year of NCAA Division II experience under their belts.
 
Returning to lead Saint Benedict from Durbin's 2014-15 roster are juniors Annie Dittberner, Alison Newton and Macy Kelly. Dittberner finished second on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game and third on the team with 1.4 assists per game.
 
Newton averaged four points per game and finished third on the team with a .446 field-goal percentage and Kelly played in all 25 games as a sophomore last season.
 
Also back are sophomores Niki Fokken and Kate Banovetz. Fokken finished second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game and third at 6.5 points per game. She also finished second with 38 total blocks and was named to the All-MIAC First Year team. Banovetz led the team with a .550 field-goal percentage and averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a first year.
 
New to the program, but not the college basketball scene, are sophomores Morgan Merritt and Chelsey Guetter. Merritt joins the Blazers from the University of Sioux Falls and Guetter from Augustana College (S.D.) – both Division II programs. Guetter, a forward/post, and Merritt, a point guard will be looked to make significant contributions at CSB.
 
Saint Benedict finished 12-13 overall and 9-9 and tied for sixth in the MIAC in 2014-15, and missed the league's postseason tournament for the second straight year after the tiebreaker with Augsburg College. The Blazers picked up several big wins, including a 69-55 victory over Bethel to start 2015, a win against Saint Mary's, which took third in the MIAC, on Feb. 11, a 69-60 road win against Gustavus, which took fourth in the conference.
 
Heading into his 30^th season as head coach at the College of Saint Benedict, Durbin and the Blazers are three wins away from the 500-win milestone in conference play. Since 1985, Durbin has guided Saint Benedict to a 497-136 mark and a .785 winning percentage in MIAC play.
 
After starting the season in Menomonie, the Blazers return home for a solid stretch of home games. Six of CSB's first eight games are in Claire Lynch, including the annual Quinalivan & Hughes Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 20-22, which features Crown College and Saint Mary's University.