WWCC Men's Basketball Set to Open 2025-26 Season Tonight in Pasco

Walla Walla, WA - For the Walla Walla Community College Men's Basketball program, the finish to the 2024-25 season came more abruptly than expected. The Warriors, who finished 23-6 overall, 12-2 in NWAC East play, and claimed the NWAC East regular season championship, saw their postseason run come to a close with a loss in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2025 NWAC Basketball Championships to eventual runner-up and Cinderella story Southwest Oregon. The offensive power that last year's squad had was the catalyst for the success that they achieved throughout the season. As a team, Walla Walla averaged 90.6 points per game, shot 51% from the field, and knocked down 37% of 3-point attempts that they took. In all three of those statistical categories, WWCC set the mark to beat for the rest of the NWAC.

But now, in his 33rd season at the helm of the program, Head Coach, Jeff Reinland, and the rest of the Warriors have their sights set on building some early momentum with a lot of new faces in the mix. This year, there are only three returning players that saw action in games last season that will be suited up when the Warriors begin their 2025-26 campaign: Braden Sherrill, Drew Hottinger, and Jackson Floyd. Coach Reinland and his coaching staff will be looking for high volumes of production from these three, along with numerous newcomers as they are without their top six minute-contributors and top six scorers from last year's team, all of which saw their WWCC careers come to an end.

Braden Sherrill, who saw action in twenty-five games last year and made six starts, is the leading returner in minutes played for the Warriors. The sophomore will be looking to build off of his introductory season last year where he averaged 3.4 points per game, shot 36.4% from the field, and was reliable from the free throw line, making eight of ten attempts. The other primary returner for WWCC is Drew Hottinger. Hottinger saw action in twenty-eight games, all off of the bench, in his first year in black and gold. He was highly efficient offensively, shooting 60.5% from the field and converting on all three of the 3-pointers that he attempted. He was also active on the glass, collecting seventy-nine total rebounds and averaging just under three boards per game.

The 2025-26 season gets started for the Warriors this evening as they hit the road to Columbia Basin College for the Columbia Basin Kick-Off! Tonight's matchup pits them against Lane Community College, before turning around tomorrow afternoon to take on Grays Harbor College. The first home contest is slated for next weekend as Walla Walla and the Dietrich Dome are set to host the Warrior Classic for both the men's and women's teams. Eight games of basketball will be played between next Friday and Saturday with Walla Walla set to take on the Gonzaga University Club team on Friday, and Bellevue on Saturday.