With the season set to start on Jan. 1, Storm men’s basketball has moved forward with fall practices while trying to follow all protocols.

Coach Brad Bjorkgren is heading into his sixth year leading the storm and has an overall record of 74-56.

“We need to get better at following the protocols, and we want to do what the best thing is to keep our guys safe and healthy,” Bjorkgren said

It’s no surprise that the Storm has lost some significant firepower for their offense after losing their three leading scorers and the Storm’s three lone All-Conference athletes in Connor Riordan, Adam Reiter and Kyle Wagner.

“We’ve got a lot of guys whose roles will change, but they are very capable scorers. We’ve had a number of players who had played some very significant minutes last year,” Bjorkgren said.

A few of those who will be looked to for the roll change is sophomore Colin Lister who played in 22 games and started in 6 while averaging 7.3 points per game in his first season with the Storm. Senior Kade Tatkenhorse started in three games late in the year and averaged 2.3 points per game. Lastly, Sophomore Andrew Curran didn’t start in any games but played in 23 games and had an average of three points per game.

The American Rivers Conference last released their decision about winter sports back in late Sept. that had pushed back any competition till Jan. 1. Currently, all that is known is that there will be an entire A-R-C schedule.

“We are testing now on Wednesday, and they will be tested when they get back. It’s a definite concern if we send them home or stay on campus, we have to make sure they are staying safe,” Bjorkgren said.

Last year the storm won some big games throughout the season, which was a big part in them making the conference tournament. The most notable win was against Nebraska Wesleyan, who has been one of the top teams in the past years. This year the Storm are hoping to improve.

“I don’t know for sure if there is a team in our league that everybody says is head and shoulders above everybody. At one point five years ago, our goal was to have a winning season. Now it’s about winning conference championships.” Bjorkgren said.