Some familiar faces will lead the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men’s basketball this season.

Coming off a second-place finish last season for the WIAC Championship, the Pioneers are hoping to take the next step to bring home that title this season.

“We want to get better as a whole team. We are taking big steps forward every day in practice, scrimmages and our exhibition game against UW-Madison,” head coach Jeff Gard said.

In that exhibition game, the Pioneers fell 80-51 and were led by junior shooting guard Jim Stocki with 14 points.

Gard, who is in his fifth year as head coach, believes one of the keys to the team’s success will be the roster that is full of returning veteran players, including senior All-American center Chas Cross and senior point guard Eric Gerber.

Cross blossomed into a dominant inside-outside player last season, averaging 15.8 points per game and was named WIAC Player of the Year.

Gerber started at the one position since his freshman year of 2010 and is the orchestrator of the Pioneers’ swing offense.

UW-Platteville features solid depth at the guard position, which will help in their quest for a playoff berth.

“Some young guys on the bench, Cory Vaassen, Wes Nemitz and Peyton Rivers, are all players that will be a major factor in the success of the team,” Gard said.

The X-factor for the Pioneers may be the starting forward Jacob Manning, who gives Gard a unique mix of size and quickness that allows the team to match up with teams with different styles.

With the success of last season, Cross wants to see his team focus on getting better and not worry about the competition.

“Our strength this season is our experience. We lost a couple key players last year, but we have people to fill their positions,” Cross said. “We have to be ready for every team in our conference. Even if they haven’t won a game, they will still run you down to the wire.”

There are talented teams across the WIAC, including defending-champion University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, but the Pioneers have a singular focus.

“My number one goal for this season is to win the conference championship,” Gerber said.

The Pioneers begin their regular season Nov. 15 at the Gabe Miller Tip-Off Classic.