HELENA — The Carroll College men's basketball team tips off its regular season Friday. And the Fighting Saints are set to do so with their third head coach in as many seasons.
“We have from Day 1 had a conversation about being fully present,” said Dan Pearson, who was officially introduced as head men’s basketball coach in June. “We do not discuss goals down the line. What we discuss is how we are handling the first minute of practice, how are we handling ourselves when there’s a dip in practice.”
Pearson, a Carroll alumnus and Billings Central graduate previously spent six years with the Fighting Saints as a player and assistant coach. He is no stranger to the demands of Frontier Conference basketball.
“I've been literally in the same spots as them,” Pearson said of his players. “But there are a lot of guys here that chose Carroll for the same reason I chose Carroll. And so, walking in, it’s not — there’s no culture shock there.”
And it seems Pearson’s mindset is what Pearson’s players have most taken notice of.
“So, he’s an energetic guy,” said junior guard James Lang. “And he's going to get on us. He’s going to push us and going to make us our best selves come March. We’re looking forward to getting his first win here at Carroll.”
But ultimately, it’s Pearson’s original message of being present that has permeated through Carroll from the top down.
“I think our expectations are just take it one day at a time,” said Lang. “We got voted last in the preseason polls, and we’re going to play like we want to be first. We’re going to play like we’re first.
"So, we’re looking forward to it. We’re going to play our best ball come March. And we’re just ready to play in front of the community and play against someone other than ourselves.”
Carroll’s regular season officially tips off 3 p.m. Friday at home against Bushnell University.
