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An in-depth look at Division III Posted Feb. 26, 2000 |
Notebooks Great Lakes Midwest Northeast Check out D3football.com |
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By Jim Rodenbush
WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. -- The Webster University men’s basketball team isn’t satisfied with just making its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. "We’re not happy with just being there," Webster coach Lance Randall said. "We definitely have some loftier goals. It’s going to be difficult. There are a lot of teams out there significantly better than us, but I know we’ll be ready."
The SLIAC has sent three teams to the NCAA tournament in previous years (1995-97) and all of them suffered lopsided first-round losses. So Randall knows the skeptics exist. "It’s great; we love it," he said. "This is how it’s been all year. Everyone’s been, ‘Webster, whatever.’" Actually, the skeptics have existed since Randall, 28, was named Webster’s coach in May 1997. Although he didn’t know it at the time, the assistant coach out of Beloit College had just inherited one of the all-time worst programs in Division III history. Webster University -- located about a 15-minute drive from downtown St. Louis -- established men’s basketball in the 1984-85 season as part of its first year of intercollegiate sports. The Gorloks went 2-23 the year before Randall’s hiring, giving them an all-time record of 89-237. Randall played for four years at Beloit and was an assistant coach for three more seasons, all under head coach Bill Knapton, who compiled 560 wins with the Buccaneers. Randall, who said he was "just happy to be a head coach," quickly made his mark at Webster, going 14-12 in his first season and 9-5 in the SLIAC. It was the Gorloks’ first-ever winning season. Last year, the Gorloks were 11-15 and 7-7. This season, their mark is 17-7 and 11-2 heading into their final game of the regular season. Leading the emergence of the program has been a series of new players. In fact just two players -- senior guards Pablo Smith and Keith Houston -- remain from the pre-Randall era. Forward Jeff Reis, a transfer from nearby Meramec Community College, is the conference’s leading scorer and tops the team with 20 points and 7 rebounds a game. Reis -- who earlier this season had a 42-point effort in a win against Greenville -- has an edge in postseason experience. He was the goalie for the Webster soccer team that made its first NCAA tournament appearance this season, losing to Washington University in the first round of the Midwest Regional. Reis was the SLIAC player-of-the-year in soccer, a feat he could duplicate in basketball. "I’d like to do a little bit better in basketball," Reis said. "The NCAA tournament is a lot of fun. Obviously it’s something not every team gets to do. It’s exciting to play and I can’t wait to get going." Point guard Paul Zellmer is a two-time all-conference pick and is right behind Reis with 16 points a game. The senior is one of nation’s top free-throw shooters at 89% and leads the conference in three-point shooting. Zellmer spent his freshman season at NAIA Viterbo College (Wis.) and transferred to Webster before Randall’s first season at the helm. "Three years ago, when I first walked in (the Webster) gym," Zellmer said, "I thought the NCAAs would be a hard thing to do." But, before this season, the SLIAC was granted an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. When that happened, Zellmer said it became the team’s top goal. "You know it’s going to be tough," Zellmer said. "We’re most likely going to someone else’s gym. We’re going to play a higher seed. We know it’s going to be tough. I think we deserve to be there. We’ve challenged people. I know we can compete. I think we can win. I’m not saying we are going to win, but I think we definitely have a chance." A 12-game winning streak and the team’s first-ever appearance in the Midwest Region rankings have highlighted the Gorloks’ run to the SLIAC title. But nothing can compare to the win at Maryville in what some have called the best game in the conference’s 10-year history. "That game is something I’m going to think about for the rest of my life," Houston said. "It’s a tape you’re going to want to show your kids when you’re older. It was really exciting." Webster had a double-digit lead late in regulation before the Saints forced overtime. The Saints went ahead by five points in the first overtime before the Gorloks rallied. Reis tied the game at the buzzer when teammate Dave Johnson inbounded the ball at midcourt by throwing the ball off the backboard and into his hands -- a diagrammed play. The Saints then missed a potential game-winning shot at the end of the second OT. "In 10 years of college basketball, that’s the best game I’ve ever been a part of," Randall said. "Tremendous plays were made on both ends. It wasn’t just that it was the first- and second-place teams playing. We’ve worked hard to establish a program and Maryville is one who’s been up there. It was a game for the changing of the guard and for respect for our program." The win came in Webster’s 400th all-time game. Unfortunately, No. 401 turned out to be a home loss to Fontbonne, ruining a chance at a perfect conference record. The Gorloks will have two road games to get ready for the NCAA tournament. And Randall insists they’ll put on a good show . . . even if they don’t look like a tournament team. "We are probably the worst looking warm-up team in the country," Randall joked. "We’re short, chubby in the wrong places. We’re a little overweight in some positions, a little underweight in others. We don’t necessarily look like a NCAA Tournament team. "But these guys will surprise you. They’ll work harder than anybody they play against. They’ll outwork you They play smart. They’re unselfish." |
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