LEWISTON, ID – LC State Men’s Basketball, receiving votes in the national poll, will open its 2025-26 campaign on the road on Friday with a tough contest out of the gate. Under eighth-year head coach Austin Johnson, the Warriors will start the year against the No. 2-ranked team in the NAIA in Arizona Christian led by three seniors.
“This has been a high energy group thus far,” Johnson said. “It isn’t always pretty, but these guys have really competed on the court and in the weight room at a level I was not necessarily expecting for such a new/inexperienced group. How that translates to regular season games remains to be seen, but I have been pleased with the direction we seem to be heading.”
The Warriors have nine newcomers on this season’s roster with various levels of experience. John Lustig and Grayson Hunt return for their fourth season at LC State to lead group, along with fellow senior Peyton Nordland.
“We feel very fortunate to have such a good group of high character guys led by our three special seniors,” Johnson said. “I am excited for this community to see how hard these guys play and, while we may have some growing pains with such a new group, our goal is always to be playing our best basketball late in the season.”
THE ROSTER
Lustig and Hunt have been a consistent presence in the LC State lineup since they stepped on the court as freshmen. Lustig has etched his name among some of the best to play in a Warrior uniform and scored the 1,000th point of his career last season, while Hunt, though having been plagued by injuries, has played valuable minutes each season. Nordland will see an elevated role this season after impressing down the stretch last year in his first season with the Warriors.
“The main reason I am excited about the energy and toughness we have shown so far is directly attributed to our three seniors,” Johnson explained. “John Lustig has been a huge part of this program for three years and has reinvented himself since his back injury his freshman year. We will need him to be even better this year to anchor such a new team. Grayson has been healthy and has really provided a steady anchor for us defensively and offensively. This is the most confidence and poise I have seen him play with since his freshman year. Nordland took a huge step this past offseason and has come back a better and tougher player. He will have an entirely new role this year and with that come greater expectations, but I am encouraged with how he has embraced the work and improved.”
LC State also returns sophomores Dylan Skaife and Josh Salguero after both made great strides in their first seasons on the court. Skaife became a major scoring threat late in the season, especially from 3-point range, and Salguero will be a key piece of the Warriors’ game inside.
“Josh has taken a huge step this offseason and will be an every game player with an opportunity to start,” Johnson added. “He has changed his body and really worked on his game. We need him to stay healthy and confident so he can be a high-level rebounder and producer for us down the stretch. Dylan Skaife returns and has taken some steps since his freshman season. We need him to be a high-level competitor and uber confident shooter for us to help give our posts and drivers space.”
The Warriors brought in a group of players with collegiate experience for an immediate impact. Trevor Manning (Santiago Canyon College) and Brandon Suber (Citrus College) hail from Southern California, Jamare’ Childs was a key piece of a strong team at Eastern Arizona College and Elijah Kersey brings experience out of Colorado Northwestern CC.
“Those four junior college transfers will all see important roles that may vary as the season goes on,” Johnson said. “They have really added to the energy of our program and we need them to keep taking steps on the offensive and defensive ends to shore up the gaps they’re capable of filling.”
THE SCHEDULE
LC State will face one of the NAIA’s best to start the season and doing so on the road to add to the difficulty level. After the trip to Arizona Christian, the Warriors return home to host Northwest Indian College on Oct. 29. LC State returns to the road to start November at Montana Tech’s tournament where the Warriors will face Montana Western and No. 11 Montana Tech.
The LC State men will host the Clearwater River Casino & Lodge Classic Nov. 14-15 and will take on Dickinson State (N.D.) and Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) before a trip to College of Idaho’s Taco Bell Shootout Nov. 21-22 to play against Pacific Union (Calif.) and Northern New Mexico.
“We have another tough non-conference schedule,” Johnson explained. “Right out of the gate at ACU will tell us a lot about ourselves. A road game at Montana Tech along with playing Montana Western, who was picked second in the Frontier, will be another big weekend. We are excited about our home tournament where we will face a great up and coming program in Embry-Riddle along with an NAIA Tournament team from last year in Dickinson State.”
Reigning NAIA National Champion and Cascade Conference for College of Idaho checked in at No. 1 in the NAIA preseason poll and was picked to win the CCC this season. The Yotes graduated nine seniors last season, and other programs saw similar turnover which could result in a fresh-faced Cascade Conference. Southern Oregon enters the season ranked No. 14 and Oregon Tech is receiving votes along with LC State.
“The Cascade lost a lot of talented players, but it will be a grinder once again,” Johnson said. “C of I, SOU, OIT and others will all have really good and well-coached teams. This conference consistently sends teams to the national tournament and typically we have teams winning on the biggest stage in March. Playing back-to-back days makes it an even bigger physical and mental challenge, but we’re hoping this group is up to the task. We know every night will be a battle.”
The Warriors open Cascade Conference play Dec. 5-6 with contests on the road at Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. LC State will travel to Walla Walla (Wash.) and Warner Pacific (Ore.) before the first home CCC weekend when the Warriors take on Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech Jan. 2-3.
LC State will conclude the regular season at home Feb. 20-21 against Corban (Ore.) and Bushnell (Ore.).
The Cascade Conference tournament will run Feb. 25-Mar. 3, the NAIA First and Second Rounds are set for Mar. 13-14 before play begins at the final site in Kansas City, Mo., on Mar. 19.
