Since the program's inception in 1914, every Chico State men's basketball team has tasted triumph and tribulation. Every team has bonded, broken, or both. The 2016–17 Wildcats experienced it all during a program-record-breaking 26-win season that climaxed with three straight NCAA Tournament victories and the team's second West Region title in the past four seasons.
 
The 2017–18 Wildcats' story begins in earnest this weekend when they open the regular season at the CCAA/PacWest Conference Challenge at Cal State San Marcos. The Wildcats will play Concordia (CA) Friday at 5 p.m. and Biola Saturday at 5 p.m. at The Sports Center on the campus of Cal State San Marcos.
 
Both games will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY and online. Links for the online broadcast, live stats, and streaming video are available on the top-left corner of this page.
 
The Wildcats, who return four starters and seven letterwinners from last season's roster, open the season as the California Collegiate Athletic Association's coaches' favorites to win the conference title and ranked as high as No. 5 and no lower than No. 13 in the five national polls.
 
2017-18 CCAA Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Place	School	Points (First Place Votes)
1	Chico State	137 (11)
2	UC San Diego	118 (1)
3	Cal State San Marcos	112
4	Cal Poly Pomona	110 (1)
5	San Francisco State	95
6	Cal State LA	81
7	Cal State Dominguez Hills	74
8	Cal State San Bernardino	72
9	Sonoma State	68
10	Stanislaus State	58
11	Cal State East Bay	39
12	Humboldt State	31
13	Cal State Monterey Bay	19

 
Wildcats in the National Rankings
Division II Bulletin: #5
National Association of Basketball Coaches: #7
D2SIDA Media Poll: #9
Street & Smith's: #10
Basketball Times: #13
 
"I have goals and a vision of what I want this team to be, and I know people are excited about the potential of this team. But that's all it is right now—potential," said Chico State Head Coach Greg Clink. "There's a lot of potential and talent in the gym. We've had good practices and I'm excited about the group. They are extremely coachable and the chemistry is excellent."
 
The seven Wildcats who return to the team are: seniors Corey Silverstrom, Jalen McFerren, and Isaiah Ellis; juniors Marvin Timothy, Nate Ambrosini, and Keith Datu; and sophomore Justin Briggs.
 
Silverstrom, McFerren, and Ellis helped power the Wildcats to last season's regional title and enter their fourth season in uniform. They'll once again be relied upon to lead the team on the court, and their responsibilities off the court have been ratcheted up as well.  
 

"We're expecting big things from all of them," said Clink. "They are all great leaders. They all set a great example every day. They say and do the right things. You couldn't ask for three harder workers than Corey, Isaiah and Jalen. They all embrace the leadership role and do it in a different, but equally effective, ways. The best part is that they just want to win. If the young guys follow their actions, they've got three great ones to learn from."
 
If there is one major unknown for the Wildcats, it comes in the form of those "young guys." Six of the team's 12 uniformed players are freshmen or sophomores.
 
A heralded five-man freshman group will make its Chico State debut this weekend after redshirting last season. Clink is counting on them to grow up fast. They'll make up the majority of the team's reserve corps.
 
"Isaiah Brooks has shown that he will be a good addition at the point," said Clink. "Malik Duffy and Spencer LaShells are both very talented post players. Calvin Geraci will have many opportunities at the wing. And Josh Lavergne is a dynamic athlete who can play multiple positions."
 
In between the seniors and freshmen are four Wildcats who have all vastly improved. Ambrosini played in all 34 games last season and will likely latch onto a starting role. Timothy and Briggs made up a two-headed monster at the center position for the Wildcats last season. Together they averaged 12.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. And Datu appears to have taken a big step forward heading into his junior year.

The Wildcats came from 18 points down in the second half to beat Concordia 65–61 in last year's season-opener before falling to Biola 59–58 the following night.
 
Concordia has been picked to finish fourth and Biola ninth in the PacWest Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. Concordia is in its first season with Division II postseason eligibility. Biola is entering its first season as a full-fledged member of the PacWest.
 
The Wildcats will open CCAA play with another road game on Dec. 18 at Humboldt State—a game that will be streamed on WatchESPN and the ESPN app—before playing their first home game on Nov. 22 versus Dominican.