MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo men's basketball team is set to open the 2023-24, Friday, under second-year Head Coach Anthony Komara with 12 new faces.
 
The Falcons hit the ground running to kick off 2023-24 with a season-opener against the defending National Champions and No. 2 ranked team heading into the season, Nova Southeastern. The Sharks went 36-0 last season and have lost just one game in the last two seasons.
 
"It's going to be awesome," said Komara. "They are a great team, and this is perfect. In order to be the best you have to beat the best."
 
UM will face the Sharks as part of the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Crossover Tournament hosted by Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, Nov. 10-11.
 
The pair of non-conference matchups are the first of five non-conference games on Montevallo's slate this season. Komara's squad will open the year with a few tough tests as the Falcons face three top-25 ranked squads through the first five games.
 
Last year the Falcons finished 10-18 overall with an 8-16 mark in conference play. Despite being picked to finish 11^th in the league in the Preseason Coaches Poll, the Falcons look to improve.
 
Komara and his staff bring in a group of 12 newcomers to join just three returners from last year's squad, Mason Shifflett – who is joined by Aidan Gardiner and Christian Fortner as the trio of returners – heads into the season as the returning leading scorer and rebounder after averaging 14 points and six boards a year ago.
 
"We have a bunch of new guys. The preseason has been a lot of teaching and it's been a lot of fun." Said Komara. "We have a really good group of guys of high character that play really hard and allow me to coach them very hard…we don't have to coach attitude and effort; we get to coach basketball."
 
The group of newcomers features five true freshmen and seven transfers, including one from an NCAA Division-I program.  Among, the group of newcomers, two were recognized to the GSC Newcomer Watchlist – Jack Henderson and Cam Glover.
 
Both Newcomer Watchlist honorees transfer to Montevallo this season after standout careers at Division-III programs.
 
Henderson, a graduate transfer from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, joins the Falcons following a four-year career in which he averaged 13.3 points per game. The guard was named a Northwest Conference All-Conference honoree in 2022-23 after finishing second on the team in scoring at 18.6 points per game.
 
Glover, a junior transfer from Birmingham-Southern, played in 57 games for the Panthers and averaged nearly 13 points per game with 2.6 assists and 2.5 boards per contest. During his three-year career, the guard was twice named to the All-Southern Athletic Association and earned a spot on the SAA All-Tournament Team in 2023.
 
After opening the year in Miami Shores, UM will host its first home contest on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Trustmark Arena.