|
Posting Up - Scoreboard - Top 25 - Features - Notables - Team of the Week - Broadcast |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A look at the upcoming season 2001-02 season |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simpson "Jesse has been a very consistent offensive player the last two seasons," said Simpson head coach Bruce Wilson. "He can score inside and out, and we look for his leadership to be very strong this season." Two other starters return for the Storm in sophomore point guard Dirk Walker and junior center Matt McCulla. Walker led Simpson in assists with 85 and averaged 8.2 points per game. He started all 24 games in which he played. McCulla, 6-5, led the team in rebounding with a 5.4 rpg average. He shot 53.4% from the field and averaged 6.6 points per game. "Dirk and Matt played very well down the stretch last season," Wilson said. "Dirk has great feel in leading a team. Matt has worked extremely hard in the weight room in the offseason and we look for him to be a rebounding force on both ends of the court." A total of six other letterwinners return for Simpson. Seniors Shane Bogaards and Luke Duenser have the most experience among the returning letterwinners. Bogaards moved to point guard from shooting guard last season and played in 19 varsity games. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.2 assists per game.. An excellent shooter, Bogaards shot 43.5% (10-23) from three-point range. Duenser, a 6-4 forward, Appeared in eight varsity games, scoring four points and posting four rebounds. He had one assist and one steal. "Shane and Luke are our two seniors and have worked very hard to prepare for their last season," said Wilson. "Shane is an excellent shooter and did a great job coming off the bench last season. Luke has a tremendous work ethic and has assumed a lot of leadership of the team in the offseason." Sophomores Matt Brown and Jason Snyder lettered as rookies. Brown, at 6-5, played in all 25 varsity games, starting two. He averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Brown scored a season-high 15 points against William Penn Dec. 9 and pulled down a career high nine rebounds against Wartburg Jan. 5. Snyder should join the squad at midseason after injuring his knee during the offseason. A Northwest Missouri State transfer, Snyder averaged 12 points and 4.9 rebounds over the final three games of the season. He posted a 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game average for the season. "Matt had an excellent start last season and lost a little confidence late in the year," Wilson commented. "Matt is a quick, athletic, and has good ball skills. He has been one of our best rebounders. Jason is coming off ACL surgery and we hope to have him back after Christmas. Jason was playing extremely well in February and we look for him to be a great asset to our team upon his return." Junior Jesse Von Behren will join the team upon the conclusion of football season. Von Behren appeared in 21 varsity games., averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. At 6-0, he posted a career high 11 points against Buena Vista Feb. 2. "Jesse brings a toughness and intensity to our squad," Wilson said. He is a very aggressive player and is one of our best athletes." Junior Tom Tesar has bided his time in the Simpson system as an underclassman. Tesar appeared in 11 varsity games, averaging 1.9 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. Other returning players looking include Mike Tiedeman. Tiedeman should push Bogaards for playing time behind Walker after leading the Simpson JV in assists (113) and steals (61). Josh Richter appeared in two varsity games last season. He led the Simpson JV in scoring with a 14.6 ppg average. Ben Schreurs was second on the Storm JV in rebounds (6.3 rpg). He averaged 7.0 points per game for the JV. Nick Boyd was fourth on the Simpson JV in scoring with a 10.4 ppg average. Guard Julio Hernandez is an excellent defender who hopes to use those skills to break into the varsity rotation. Several freshmen will have an opportunity to vie for varsity playing time right away. 6-7 center Landon Drake is the biggest player on the entire Simpson roster. He was selected honorable mention All-State, first team All-District, and first team All-Conference as a senior for West Central High School. Guard Brad Allen earned honorable mention All-State, first team All-Conference, and team MVP honors for West Marshall High School as a senior. Forward Scott Gillespie was named first team INA All-State and second team Des Moines Register All-State, and Academic All-State for Harris-Lake Park High School as a senior. Guard Mike Martin was a teammate of Brown at Bettendorf High School. He was chosen All-State and All-Conference in basketball as a junior and senior. "We had a good recruiting class and I am very pleased with the work ethic and attitude of all the guys," Wilson said. "I think that all the players will improve a lot within the program." Simpson's schedule
is a tough one. The Storm open the season against perennial power Manchester
(Ind.) at the North Central Invitational. Heidelberg and North Central
round out the tournament field. Simpson is at Nebraska Wesleyan the following
weekend where the Storm take on the host Prairie Wolves and MIAC power
Gustavus Adolphus. UW-River Falls and Division II South Dakota highlight
the rest of the non-conference schedule. Wartburg and Buena Vista lead
an always tough Iowa Conference slate. Despite having three starters back, Simpson is still a relatively young team. If the Storm can ward off mistakes and continue to improve, Simpson may have a chance to move up in the Iowa Conference. "We made great strides last year in the improvement in our team," Wilson said. "We hope to carry that momentum into the 2001-02 season." Whitman "We're very excited about the kind of senior leadership we have this year," Molitor said. "We have three guys in Rob Bell, Kevin Justice and Ben Fuller who are more than just very good players. They are excellent leaders who can set the tone for everyone else." At the center of the Missionary hopes, both literally and figuratively, is the imposing presence of 6-8, 240-pound Rob Bell, who shot 51% from the floor while averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds during his junior campaign. Bell also served as the hub on defense, blocking 18 shots in 24 games a year ago, helping Whitman lead the Northwest Conference in field goal percentage defense for a second consecutive season. "It isn't every year we're going to have a player of Rob's size and physical ability who also happens to be a Rhodes Scholarship applicant," Molitor said. "Rob is obviously very intelligent and it shows in the way he plays the game." After a freshman season slowed by a foot injury, Bell has steadily improved his play, Molitor said. "It isn't uncommon for big players to grow into themselves and be much better players as seniors in college than they were as seniors in high school. Rob illustrates that point well. He's done a very solid job for us the past two seasons, but we think he's ready to move into the upper echelon of the premier players in our conference." Justice, a versatile 6-2 wing, missed all of last season while rehabilitating a severe knee injury suffered in January of 2000. That injury cut short a junior season in which Justice was averaging 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.44 assists through 14 games. "Kevin was having a great season when the injury happened," Molitor said. "He was shooting one of the highest percentages on the team, and he was our best defender from a mental standpoint. He's mentally tough and brings a good, strong defensive mentality to the floor every night." As Whitman's third senior captain, Fuller is a 6-3 guard who also contributes in a variety of ways. Fuller scored 12.6 points per game last winter, hitting 81% of his free throws and 42% of his 3-point attempts, while averaging 4.8 rebounds, 3.45 assists and 2.2 steals. "Ben is an outstanding athlete," Molitor said. "He's the guy on our club who is most capable of going out and having some spectacular nights at both ends of the floor." Fuller played his first two collegiate seasons at Centralia (Wash.) Community College, although those two years were split by a two-year mission he did for his church. He also attended Brigham Young for one year before enrolling at Whitman. "This is the first time since high school that Ben will have the opportunity to play back-to-back basketball seasons," Molitor said. "We think we'll see some definite dividends from that." Mark Bouma, 6-4 junior forward, leads the Missionary supporting cast. He started all but one game last season, averaging 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds. Bouma had four double-doubles on the season, including a 23-point, 12-rebound night against one NWC opponent. He also had nine points and nine rebounds in two other games. "Mark is a treat to watch play," Molitor said. "He's one of our mid-size guys who can do a lot of things. He's so tough and hard-nosed in the way he plays the game, and that makes him a good defender as well." Rich Harris and Bryan Erlebach are two young players who return to give the Missionaries solid depth at the guard position. At 5-11, Harris is strong, quick and determined to bounce back from an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him for nearly all of last season. Two years ago as a freshman, Harris started 11 games and averaged 5.1 points per game, shooting 80% from the free throw line and 45% from the 3-point stripe. Last season, he played in just four games, averaging nine points per game. "Right now, Rich is on a week-to-week basis as to how much he will get to play, but there is good reason to be optimistic," Molitor said. "He's played a lot of basketball in the offseason and learned how to monitor his heart situation. The doctors are optimistic, and so is Rich, that he will be able to play a lot of minutes this season." Harris has the potential to be a "special player in this league," Molitor predicted. "He shot over 40% from the 3-point line as a freshman, and we're talking about someone who can drive and blow past a lot of people. Plus, he's an outstanding defender and has a great work ethic." With Harris ailing last year, the 6-0 Erlebach made a quick transition to the collegiate game during his freshman campaign. Like Harris the season before, Erlebach started 11 games and led the Missionaries in assists at 3.51 per game while averaging 5.5 points. Erlebach gives Whitman an "explosiveness on the floor that is exciting," Molitor said. "Bryan has excellent north and south quickness as well as lateral quickness. When he turns on the jets, there aren't many players in the conference who can stay with him." Erlebach also has the requisite confidence and passing skills to play the point guard spot, Molitor said. "Bryan has an air of confidence on the court that is difficult to teach. When the pressure is on, he tends to elevate his game. He started at Montana last December as a freshman, and he didn't back down from that at all. He made plays and gave a very credible performance on the road at a Division I school." This season, Erlebach will likely share the point guard duties with junior Scott Erickson, the key addition to this winter's Missionary roster. The 5-10 Erickson played his first two collegiate seasons at Big Bend Community College, where he emerged as one of the top point guards in a 32-school conference. As a sophomore at Big Bend, Erickson averaged 13.4 points, hitting 49% of his 3-point attempts, while handing out 5.3 assists per game. He was No. 2 in total 3-point baskets (85) and No. 7 in assists. "Scott has a classic point guard mentality in terms of taking care of the ball and getting the ball to the right people within the offense," Molitor said. "He also has the ability to really hurt the opposition from the 3-point line." The list of returning players destined for greater roles includes sophomores Jake Pounds, a 6-6 forward, and Cale Will, a 6-1 guard. "Jake played a lot of minutes, relatively speaking, as a freshman and he made a lot of big shots, especially during the first half of the season," Molitor said. "He showed good court sense at both ends of the floor. He shoots and passes the ball well. He's already a skilled finesse player, and he's continued to work on getting stronger and playing a more physical game." Will saw less time during his freshman season, averaging about five minutes in 13 games (Pounds averaged 10 minutes in 22 games). That could change this season, Molitor said. "Cale has probably made more improvement during the offseason than anyone else in our program. He is stronger, more confident, and has really adjusted to basketball at this level. He will likely raise some eyebrows this season. People will wonder where this guy came from." Other key recruits this season are first-year sophomore Nick Parker, a 6-6 forward, and freshman Mike Peterson, a 5-11 point guard. After earning all-league honors in high school, Parker spent his freshman year at Gonzaga, where his efforts to make the Bulldog roster failed to pan out. "Nick is very quick and very athletic," Molitor said. "He can shoot the ball from the outside, but he also has the quickness to get to the basket. He loves the game of basketball and he works very hard at it. He worked basketball camps all summer. He has a bright future in our program." Peterson adds more depth to Whitman's point guard position. At South High School in Torrance, Calif., Peterson led his team to a league championship. He averaged 6.4 points per game while topping the league in the all-important assist-to-turnover ratio (4.1:1.2). "Our guys already enjoy playing with Mike on the floor," Molitor said. "He has good floor sense, he gets the ball to the right people, and he has good leadership skills. He's also a very competitive kid, someone who more than held his own at one of California's larger high schools." Other players on the roster are juniors Matt Airy, a 6-5 post player, and Nolan Brewer, a 6-1 guard. Airy will miss the season because of a knee injury suffered last summer. A first-year walk-on, Brewer will play the first few months before leaving at the semester break to study overseas. Whitman's keys to doing well in the NWC are staying healthy, building confidence with non-conference victories, and jelling as a team, Molitor said. "If we can do those things, we have as much chance to unseat Lewis & Clark as anyone else in our conference." The Missionaries slipped to the bottom of the NWC standings in each of the past two seasons, after finishing in the middle of the pack the two years prior to that. "We've hit on tough times for a couple of years, but the injury bug is partly to blame for that," Molitor said. "I really don't think our talent level fell off that much, if any, the past two years. This is such a tough conference that it's not enough to hit on most cylinders. You have to hit on all cylinders most of the time to do well." Scoring balance and overall depth will be two Missionary strengths this season, Molitor said. "We have several players who are more than capable of scoring in double figures on any given night. That balance will include an ability to use our outside shooting as more of a weapon. We should be much more prolific from the 3-point line than we have been in the past." This year's Missionaries are anxious to get started, Molitor said. "As a team, we think we have a real opportunity to make some significant strides within the Northwest Conference." UW-Stout Stout, which was seeded eighth in the tournament, traveled to top seeded UW-Whitewater and ripped the Warhawks on their own court, 90-49, in the most lopsided conference playoff game ever. Stout returned up north to face UW-Eau Claire on the Blugolds' court, but lost 73-65 in the final minutes. While the Blue Devils
bid farewell to four key seniors, the cupboard is far from bare for second-year
coach Ed Andrist. Steve Krueger stepped out of oblivion to become a valuable
post player, earning the starting role in the final five games, averaging
9.5 points and 4.9 rebounds for the season. Nate Templer worked the post,
to average 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds. Krueger and Templer accounted
for the bulk of Stout's blocked shots, with Krueger swatting 29 and Templer,
27. Andrist has been pleased with the progress the Blue Devils have been making during the preseason. "We are way ahead of where we were last year," Andrist said, "as far as conditioning, preparation, organization. They now know what we do and the kids are excited about the year." Transfers Tyrone Rhone, Jr, and Barrington Smith have been fitting well into the Blue Devils' scheme. Rhone was a starting cornerback at Nebraska-Omaha and is making his first foray into college basketball after a stellar high school basketball career at Milwaukee Vincent High School. Andrist and his staff also have high expectations for Luke Schade and Andy Roeder. Both guards have been with the program for two years and have seen limited floor time. As far as the conference goes, Andrist refused to even touch on a prediction. "In this league, there is no way you can make any kind of prediction," Andrist said. UW-Stevens
Point The natural reaction would be to make plans for a third consecutive title. But coach Jack Bennett and the Pointers arent thinking that way quite yet. For now, theyre simply taking it one step at a time. You dont think about trying to repeat, Bennett said. You think about taking it day-by-day. We have to go practice-to-practice and game-to-game. That approach worked for the Pointers last season as they sat in sixth place in late January before winning five of their last six games and weaving their way into a tie for the league title. We have to take it the way it is and continue to do what we do well, Bennett said. The results will come by themselves. The Pointers arent sure what to expect this year with plenty of positions wide open. About the only sure things are the return of junior center Josh Iserloth, who led the Pointers at 15.0 points per game last season while earning first-team All-WIAC honors, and senior forward Kalonji Kadima, who scored 9.7 points per game and started all 25 games. The other sure thing is that UW-Stevens Point will be looking to fill the holes of three graduated starters in Brent Larson, Jay Bennett and first-team All-WIAC pick Joe Zuiker. We lost three really good seniors, Bennett said. They were unbelievably smart players and possessed those intangibles you need to win. Those intangibles are what Bennett hopes to instill in a young squad early this season. There will be some intense competition in practice, Bennett said. We are heavily laden with sophomores, redshirt freshmen and true freshmen. They have the physical skills, but it will take time for them to get that savvy, feel for the game and moxie. The team features only four upperclassmen as senior forward Rich Steif is back after scoring 5.8 points per game last season and senior forward Nick DeVos returns after scoring 3.4 points per game a year ago. Both players played in 24 of the teams 25 games. Other returners who saw significant playing time are sophomore guards Neal Krajnik and Ron Nolting, who both shot nearly 50% from the field and better than 40% from three-point range while playing every game last season. The non-conference games will be important for trying combinations and finding out who plays well with whom, Bennett said. We dont have all the answers, but were close to developing a formula for being competitive in this league. The Pointers have added more depth in the frontcourt with John Gleich, a 6-9 transfer from Michigan Tech, as well as 6-5 redshirt freshman Justin Mallett and 6-8 true freshman Eric Maus. Ill be disappointed if were not a decent rebounding team, Bennett said. Well also have an added dimension in Iserloth, who is more of a perimeter player and one of the finest shooting big men in the league. Bennett expects DeVos, Kadima and Nolting will battle for time in the backcourt, along with his son, Nick, a redshirt freshman. The point guard position features Krajnik, sophomore B.J. Christensen and redshirt freshman Tamaris Relerford. I dont know what to expect in the league, but I know this year will be much more of a marathon than a sprint, Bennett said. We need to keep that in mind all season and just do what we have to do each step of the way. UW-Oshkosh A total of six letter winners, including three starters, return from last year's team that finished with an 18-9 overall record and came within one victory of advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament. UW-Oshkosh was one of the hottest teams during the stretch run of last season, with victories of 78-66 over UW-Eau Claire, 95-87 in overtime over UW-River Falls and 94-68 over UW-Platteville. UW-Oshkosh's three starters returning are all juniors this season, forwards Tim Dworak and Scott Sowinski and guard Nate Miller. Last year the trio helped UW-Oshkosh rank second in the NCAA Division III in free throw shooting (79.1 percent), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (40.0) and 24th in field goal percentage (48.4). Dworak started 26 games last season, averaging a team-leading 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest while also shooting 57% from the field and 81.6 percent from the free throw line. He scored in double figures in 25 of the 27 games that he played in last season, including the first 18 to start the year. Dworak was the only player in the WIAC last season to rank in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Two years ago, Dworak started five of the 24 games that he played in, averaging 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing. Sowinski averaged 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during his 27 starts last year while leading the Titans with 43 three-point field goals and 19 blocked shots. Two years ago, Sowinski started eight of the 26 games that he played in, averaging 8.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. His 79 career three-point field goals leads all UW-Oshkosh returnees. Miller begins his second season directing the offense after starting all 27 games last year. Miller averaged 5.1 points, 3.3 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game last season while shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe. Miller ranked sixth in the WIAC in assists last year, with 12 games of four assists or better. Two years ago, Miller played in all 26 games as the top point guard off the bench. Another major contributor returning for the Titans is junior guard Nick Scherer, who played an instrumental role during UW-Oshkosh's successful stretch run of a year ago. Scherer played in all 27 games last season, averaging 7.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. Scherer's 50.6% (42-for-83) shooting behind the three-point line last season led the WIAC, aided by seven baskets in 10 attempts during UW-Oshkosh's win over UW-Platteville. Two years ago, Scherer played in all 26 games, averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest. Looking to move into larger roles this season are returning letter winners Josh Board, a senior guard, andCameron Zuege, a sophomore forward. Red-shirt freshmen seeing their first collegiate action this season are guard Dain Christensen, forward Andy Heyrman and center Chris Kelm. Helping to improve the talent level for 12th-year head coach Ted Van Dellen's (179-107 coaching record) Titans are true-freshmen Ryan Bowers (guard), Andy Fernholz (guard), Shaun Nommensen (forward), Kyle Pederson (forward) and Joe Vaklyes (guard). Bowers, Fernholz and Nommensen all played in the Wisconsin High School All-Star Basketball Game this past summer. Another member of this year's squad who is looking to compete for playing time is sophomore guard Eric Martin. Carleton "The last two years, we've finished off when we got our health back," head coach Guy Kalland said. "What is particularly exciting this year is that we have reinforced our roster from a talent and depth standpoint." The Knights are missing only two players from last year's team Steve Knutson and Jeff Jensen. With its largest recruiting class in years, and the return to guard Matt Stangl after a two-year hiatus, the Knights are confident they can overcome the loss these two quality seniors. "We have guys who are ready to compete at this level," Kalland said The return of Stangl gives the Knights an experienced combination guard who can score, handle the ball and defend. Joining Stangl in the backcourt is junior point guard and tri-captain Scott Christensen, who averaged 13.2 points and 4.7 assists per game last year. Christensen, who has been the lone ball-handler his first two seasons, should have some of that pressure removed by the return of Stangl and the addition of a number of talented first-year guards. "We were fortunate to have a good point guard to be able to carry the burden of all the major [ball] handling," Kalland said. "Now, our players at both guard and small forward spots can handle the ball." Carleton?s top returning scorer is forward tri-captain Steve Nuessle at 15.1 points per game. He shot a team-high 53.3% from the field and nearly 70% from the line. Despite standing at only 6-4, he's one of the most efficient scores in the MIAC "Without a doubt, he has good instincts on the interior," Kalland said. Sophomore Tanner Schieck is back, seeking retribution for lost time last year when he missed half the conference season with a broken foot. Despite the missed time, he still averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds, earning him All-MIAC First Year team honors. "He's looked good and hungry, like a guy whose missed half a season," Kalland said. Schieck figures to join Nuessle up front. Senior Peter Kiedrowski, who is a team captain with Christensen and Nuessle, will spell both Schieck and Nuessle up front. "He understands the game," Kalland said. "He can go inside or trail the break and hit the three. He's a fierce competitor." First-year players Kyle Beste and Anthony Baquero will handle the other wing spot. "They've really clamped onto our defensive scheme, and are improving daily," Kalland said. Micah Johnson is another first-year player who could see significant time. Khalid Lakanwal, Kevin Beck, Steve Portschy and Dan Karlgaard roudn out the Knights' class of 2005. With the slew of incoming guards, it allows sophomore Gunnar Stapp to slide to the small forward spot. "We think we have real, complete types of players," Kalland said. "I like the demeanor of the group. The roster is a good one, with true team players across the board. We have talented kids and should be a solid college team to start off the season, with the potential to be very good as the season progresses." The Knights will need to be strong early on, as they face third-ranked Chicago, 20th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus, and Northwest Conference stalwarts Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound in their first seven contests. "We want to get on the road and play tough people that, on paper, may have the edge on us," Kalland said. "That's always been our philosophy. If you want to see how your team defends and rebounds, play a Division II school or a tough Division III school on the road." Kalland pointed last year's playoff teams, Gustavus, St. John's, Bethel and St. Thomas, as the league favorites. "They all talented players back," he said. He also pointed to virtually everyone else in the league as possible postseason contenders. "Are we in the playoff hunt this year? Yes," he said. |
More Previews
Rankings and links to all D-III teams
Contact Us |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||