Thiel men's basketball season preview

GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Tomcat men's basketball team looks for redemption after falling short in their bid for last season's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship.

After guiding the Tomcats to a school-record 20-7 campaign a year ago, sixth-year head coach Tim Loomis, selected as the 2011 PAC Coach of the Year by his conference peers, expects to have his Tomcats focused on winning the program's first conference title since 2000 and earning its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. With the addition of a couple new faces and the healthy return of a few others, Loomis feels that this year's team has the depth and abundant athleticism he's been looking for since arriving in 2006. According to Loomis, the 2011-12 season should be one of the most productive and exciting years the Tomcat faithful have seen.

Leading the way will be a dominant backcourt duo in Blair Rozenblad (Youngstown, Ohio/Kennedy Catholic) and Devon Adams (Philadelphia, Pa./George Junior Republic), who both look to improve on last season's successes and conclude their tremendous careers with a bang.

With a resume that includes being named the Division III Great Lakes Region Rookie of the Year by D3hoops.com (2010), being selected by the conference coaches as the PAC Player of the Year (2011), and earning a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III All-District team first team (2011), Loomis knows that Rozenblad still has plenty to prove prior to wrapping up a brilliant career under his former Kennedy Catholic High School coach.

"Blair is one of the hardest working players in the PAC and his contributions to our team never go unnoticed. We're all looking forward to having him back in our program this year," said Loomis. Rozenblad led the PAC in rebounding, pulling down 9.6 per game from his guard position. He finished third in the conference in scoring (15.4), fifth in steals (1.85) and finished the season with 12 double-double performances.

Adams returns after being selected to the all-PAC first team for the first time in his collegiate career following a dazzling 2010-11 season in which he finished first in the conference and 18th among his Division III counterparts in assists per game (5.85), eighth in free throw percentage (.727) and ninth in steals (1.56). He scored a season-high 29 points in an 84-73 win at Washington & Jefferson College and dished out a season-high 12 assists in an 86-85 win at Thomas More College.

"I've spent the last four years watching Devon mature both as a person as well as a player. He has helped lead this team from last in the league to one of the better programs in Division III basketball," said Loomis.

Last season, Adams became just the eighth Tomcat player to eclipse 1,000 career points, scoring 10 points in Thiel's regular season finale at Thomas More.

Rozenblad and Adams lead a seasoned and talented group of returners, highlighted by junior guard Anthony Harvey (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) and junior forward Ladell Trotty (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East). Each player spent time in starting positions last year and look to continue upon their successes.

Harvey collected 15 starts in 25 appearances and averaged 7.4 points per game. Trotty earned 12 starts in 27 games and finished fourth on the team in scoring (9.7ppg).
Also back for the Tomcats are junior forward Austin Forbes (Lighthouse Point, Fla./Pompano Beach), junior forward Chace McKinney (Boardman, Ohio/Kennedy Catholic), junior guard Kendall DeLashment (Chicago, Ill./Percy L. Julian) and junior guard R.J. Brownlee (Donora, Pa./Ringgold).

"Having a few veterans players will definitely help with depth and leadership. Our older guys will help some of the new guys develop quicker as well as provide the team with valuable minutes on the floor," said Loomis. With such a considerable number of experienced players on this season's roster, depth and floor experience should prove to be a huge asset for the Loomis and the Tomcats. As players involved with Loomis-coached teams learn early on in their careers, one's willingness to commit to the fundamental belief in quality defense will determine their roles within the program.

"With the hard workers we have in this bunch, wearing opponents down defensively is going to be our number one priority," said Loomis. Thiel has also added some new faces to the program. Junior guards Dotun Akinwale (Boyds, Md./St. Johns Prep.) and Keon Bennett (Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn), along with freshmen forward Eric Mallinger (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) and freshman guard Doran Phillips (Cleveland, Ohio/Garfield Heights), are going to do all they can to push their veteran teammates to get better while securing their own roles in the program.

"The new guys we have are going to bring some competition for playing time and increase the depth of our bench. They really are a great group of players and we're glad to have them," said Loomis.

Despite entering last season's PAC Championship Tournament as the top seed and defeating their two opening-round opponents by an average of 11.5 points, Thiel came up short in its bid for the conference title and the PAC's automatic bid to the Division III Championship Tournament, suffering a 74-67 loss at the hands of third-seeded Bethany College. The stinging loss still stirs the emotions of the Tomcat faithful on campus, and the returning members of last season's squad understand that there is plenty of work to be done to secure the school's first men's basketball conference championship since 2000.

"For us every practice is a step towards the NCAA tournament. It is up to our guys to remain focused and to work as hard as they can to get better each day. I know our guys are disappointed about how last year ended, but that's what continues to drive them to become better players. That loss against Bethany has brought us together and, in a sense, made us a better team. These guys are willing to do whatever it takes to bring a PAC title to Thiel," said Loomis.