Minnesota Morris tops UMAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll
Preseason Video Preview: Luke Chafin, North Central University
2013-2014 UMAC Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll
1. 45 Points – University of Minnesota Morris (5 First Place Votes)
T-2. 41 Points – University of Northwestern (2 First Place Votes)
T-2. 41 Points – North Central University (1 First Place Vote)
4. 32 Points – College of St. Scholastica
5. 20 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
6. 18 Points – Northland College
7. 14 Points – Martin Luther College
8. 13 Points – Crown College
ST. PAUL – The University of Minnesota Morris was selected to claim the UMAC men's basketball title in 2013-2014 according to a poll of the league’s coaches. The Cougars, who finished the 2012-2013 season in a three-way tie for second place, earned five first place votes in the annual coaches’ poll for a total of 45 points. 2012-2013 regular and post-season UMAC Champions the University of Northwestern tallied two first place votes and finished tied for second place in the poll with North Central University, who earned one first place nod.
1. University of Minnesota Morris Cougars
2012-13 Overall Record: 14-12
2012-13 UMAC Record: 9-5
2012-13 UMAC Finish: T-2nd
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
The Cougars are coming off a 9-5 season in the UMAC, finishing in a tie for second place in the regular season standings and earning a spot in the UMAC Post-season Tournament semi-finals. Minnesota Morris will return three starters from last year’s line-up including All-UMAC forward Brendon Foss.
In addition to Foss, who led the team in both points and rebounds a season ago, the Cougars return starters Evan Reller and RJ Dean. Reller and Dean both averaged eight points per game during the 2012-2013 campaign and contributed on the boards as well.
Newcomers Neil Helgeson, Cody Emerick and Alex Ukkelberg will add depth to the Cougar roster in the guard position. Returners Tyler Pendleton and Jordan Gieske also add depth to this year’s Cougar lineup. In addition, Brodie Raymond will return to the squad after missing last season with an injury. With newcomers combining with experienced returners the Cougars expect to compete for a UMAC title this season.
T-2. University of Northwestern Eagles
2012-13 Overall Record: 21-7
2012-13 UMAC Record: 12-2
2012-13 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 0
Starters Lost: 5
Familiarity with the Northwestern basketball team from the past few years graduated last May. While the Eagles coaching staff remains intact, UNW’s starting lineup will receive a complete overhaul in 2013-2014 as seniors Wade Chitwood, Tom Gisler, Lance Westberg and Ellis Libby all received degrees while fellow starter Daniel Petkau will not don a Northwestern uniform this year. Northwestern’s experience from last year’s UMAC Championship and NCAA Tournament is limited as the Eagles return just seven players.
Fans will have to sort down to the sixth row from last year’s statistics sheet to find the team’s top returning scorer, Matt Watnemo. Watnemo, who has one season of college basketball under his belt, averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 2012-2013, making 51.6 percent of his attempts from the floor. Watnemo’s age and style of play – young with a strong offensive focus in the paint – is one that opposing teams will see Northwestern playing this year as its quick-paced, jump shooting past has given way to some additional size in the front court. Watnemo is joined by sophomore Caleb Janson, who led UNW in rebounding in his freshman year with 5.5 boards per game. Will Gisler, one of head coach Tim Grosz’s newcomers and the younger brother of recent alumna Tom, comes in as a freshman with a strong presence under the hoop.
Northwestern’s back court will feature returners Michael Carney and Steven Willey, the Eagles’ first substitutions last year at the shooting and point guard positions. Carney averaged 7.0 points per game in his rookie season, while Willey dished out 66 assists to go with a 4.3 points per game average in his junior year.
T-2. North Central University Rams
2012-13 Overall Record: 17-12
2012-13 UMAC Record: 9-5
2012-13 UMAC Finish: T-2nd
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
North Central will have the tough task of replacing arguably the best player in school history in Nathan Roeder who moves on after scoring over 2300 career points and winning the 2012-2013 UMAC Player of the Year Award. But the bulk of the Rams scoring and most of its rebounding return from last year’s team that was regular season runner up in their first year in the league. While North Central must also replace its starting point guard as well, the Rams return eight of the top ten leaders in minutes played from a year ago and should be ready to contend for another UMAC post-season tournament berth.
Senior big men Jordan Harrell and Bryce Burkman return after being second and third in scoring and tied for first in rebounding a year ago for North Central. Harrell garnered honorable mention All-UMAC status after his junior year where he averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds a year ago. Burkman missed a stretch of February with a broken hand last season but still managed to average 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest in 22 games played. They will be joined by fellow senior forward Ben Peters who started eight games, averaging near 20 minutes per game as the Rams sixth man. Coach Jon High feels that Peters improved defending and low post offensive game will likely mean more minutes for the Rams third year team captain.
The Rams back court will miss Roeder and point guard Dylan McKneely who wrapped up their eligibility last winter. But there is experience and leadership moving into potential starting roles for the Rams in 2013-14. Senior Matt Shepherd will move into a crucial sharp shooting role after averaging 13.1 minutes a game last year and appearing in 27 of 29 games. Sophomore Luke Chafin comes back after claiming the UMAC Freshman of the Year Award following a season of starting 18 of 24 games in which he played, averaging 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Newcomers Isaiah Rustad, Darris Washington and Josh High will also figure in both scoring and rebounding, giving the Rams what Coach High believes could be a ten deep rotation by the time conference play rolls around in January.
4. College of St. Scholastica Saints
2012-13 Overall Record: 9-16
2012-13 UMAC Record: 7-7
2012-13 UMAC Finish: 5th
Starters Returning: 1
Starters Lost: 4
The St. Scholastica men's basketball team will look to bounce back in 2013-2014 after missing the postseason for the second time in the last three seasons. CSS lost talented seniors Brett Tester and Jonah Dahlman, but bring back plenty of young talent.
The Saints lost five seniors from last year's team and returns just one senior this season in Steve Golobich. Look for last year's freshmen class to play big roles this upcoming season. Mid-year transfer Trevor Morlock finished second on the team in scoring as a freshman at 11.9 points per game. He also grabbed a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
Tyler Rosenberger and Jake Naslund saw a lot of time at the guard positions with Rosenberger making 46 percent of his 3-point attempts. Sophomore big man Mike Spoden was named a captain by his teammates after just one season, showing his leadership attributes.
The Saints will crank up the defensive pressure this season and newcomers LaMonte Hall and Julius Johnson will contribute to that style. Hall, junior transfer from Saint Mary’s came from a successful high school program at DeLaSalle. Johnson is a freshman from Henry Sibley and has excellent quickness that will be asset on both end of the court.
5. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings
2012-13 Overall Record: 9-5
2012-13 UMAC Record: 12-14
2012-13 UMAC Finish: T-2nd
Starters Returning: 0
Starters Lost: 5
If there's a definition for "ushering in a new era" it definitely applies to the Bethany Lutheran College men's basketball team. First year head coach Greg Holzhueter, has the unenviable task of trying to replace the top seven scorers from a squad that reached the UMAC Championship game in each of the past two seasons.
Jeremiah Fogarty is the top returner for the Vikings in terms of minutes played and points. The junior point guard averaged 16.8 minutes, 1.7 points, and was third on the team in assists with 2.8 per game. Joining Fogarty in the backcourt among returnees are sophomore Cameron Cummings and senior Chris Scarver who will look to provide some scoring from the perimeter. In the frontcourt, Bethany will rely on senior Jacob Wensmann to provide a post presence.
How the Vikings fare this season will depend a lot on how well the newcomers perform from the start. Three transfers with college basketball experience should provide a boost. Luke Roddy and Darin Haugh will be key additions to the backcourt and Mitch Hopkins will look to add a frontcourt punch. Holzhueter is no stranger to the Bethany program and was a part of the team's success the last two years as the lead assistant. He feels the biggest strength will be balance and will look for contributions from the newcomers and returners.
6. Northland College LumberJacks
2012-13 Overall Record: 2-22
2012-13 UMAC Record: 1-13
2012-13 UMAC Finish: 8th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
The LumberJacks success in the upcoming season will depend on blending leadership provided by six returning players with the talent of 11 newcomers. There will be no shortage of experience among the six returning players. The Jacks leading scorer from last season, Carnell Sheppard, returns after scoring 15.5 points per games during a freshman campaign that saw him as the only freshman named to the UMAC All-Conference team. Sheppard’s backcourt partner, Zach Ringhouse, also returns as one of the top outside shooters in the UMAC having shot 48.8% from the 3-point line over the last seven games last season while averaging 12.8 points per game. Mike Boebel, Dillon Riehle, Nate Sharp and Ty Weir also look to be a major factors on the court this season giving the Jacks flexibility with their line-up.
Northland welcomes the addition of 11 newcomers to the roster for the 2013-2014 season. 2nd year Head Coach Scott Sorenson believes the newcomers will provide depth, athleticism and length to the LumberJacks. Junior Sean Augustyn returns to the LumberJack lineup after having not played in 2012-13. The 6’7 forward provides immediate size inside and will be tremendous help in rebounding. Junior college transfer Ryan McDermott will also help provide some much needed size at 6’8. Freshmen Dan Campion and Kevin Cardoza will also look to give the Jacks some much needed depth.
Offensively, the LumberJacks will rely heavily on the inside/outside scoring of Sheppard, who led the team at 15.5 ppg during his freshman campaign last season. Ringhouse returns as one of the top outside shooters in the UMAC, shooting at a nearly 40% clip from 3-point range last season. Defensively, the LumberJacks are loaded with athletes and are hoping to use their athleticism to spark their transition offense. Newcomers McCoy, Morrison, Chwala and Taylor bring length that will hope to cause havoc for opposing offenses. Northland knows that they cannot give up 49% shooting to their opponents if they expect to make a run into the conference playoffs.
7. Martin Luther College Knights
2012-13 Overall Record: 4-21
2012-13 UMAC Record: 3-11
2012-13 UMAC Finish: 7th
Starters Returning: 2
Starters Lost: 3
The Martin Luther College men’s basketball team is looking to improve from last year’s up-and-down season in the hopes of returning to the UMAC Tournament for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.
The Knights are led by three-year returning starter Galen Holzhueter, who was named First Team All-UMAC as a junior after averaging 18.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The senior has led the Knights in scoring in each of the last two seasons, and has led the team in rebounding for three straight seasons. He will be joined in the frontcourt by Micah Koelpin and Zach Peterson, who figure to battle up front for minutes in the post, as well as junior wing Craig Wilke, who has started 17 games in his first two seasons and can play a variety of roles.
In the backcourt, Luke Rothe is the lone returning starter after a strong freshman campaign where he averaged 13.2 points and nearly four assists per game. He figures to see time at both guard positions this season, with sophomores Mike Paulsen and Josh Lindner also getting the opportunity to play the point guard spot. Ben Edmundson, Todd Brassow and Austin Eisenmann all return with experience on the wing, and bring different strengths to the team. With the team looking to pick up the tempo with a pressure defense, the Knights will look to use their returning depth in the backcourt to their advantage.
8. Crown College Storm
2012-13 Overall Record: 11-14
2012-13 UMAC Record: 6-8
2012-13 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 2
Starters Lost: 3
The Crown men’s basketball team will sport a new look this season, as perennial contributors Taylor Jones, Andy Harrel, and Matt Kuik were lost to graduation and All-Conference center Anthony Di Loreto did not return this season. In total, 12 players who saw varsity action last season will not be with the team in 2013-14. Despite the turnover, Crown will have plenty of talent to choose from when selecting a lineup this year.
Crown’s roster sits at 26 players after a massive recruiting class that saw 18 newcomers arrive on campus in the fall. Crown will benefit from the experience of senior transfers Billy Berglund and Steven Peterson and the ability of sophomore transfer Bryce Williams .
A freshman class of 15 is highlighted by All-State 1
st teamer Johnny Hayden (Spirit Lake, Idaho), sharpshooter Bryant Fox (Nashville, TN), State runner-up Garret Bigej (Imbler, OR), high scoring James Brown (Spokane, WA), and local products Tom Messner and Luke Marschall (Norwood-Young America, MN). All told, 17 different states are represented on the 26 man roster which will include a junior varsity team for the first time in over a decade.
UMAC teams will kick off competition November 15 with the conference portion of the season beginning in January. An automatic berth to the NCAA Championships will be awarded to the winner of the UMAC Men's Basketball Tournament.