11/15 - PREVIEW: Bruins to Use "Mix-and-Match" Approach to 2007-08 Campaign
NEWBERG, Ore. - With three vacancies to fill in the starting lineup, the five on the floor at the opening tipoff for the George Fox University Bruins in the 2007-08 men's basketball season won't look the same as it did last year - but don't expect it to look the same from game to game this season, either.
"Our lineup is really going to depend on who we play and what the matchups are," says Bruin head coach Mark Sundquist, who enters his eighth year at George Fox with a 73-101 record that includes a 46-29 mark in the last three years. "We literally have eight guys who have played well enough in the pre-season to deserve a shot at starting."
Three starters are gone from last year's 12-13 team that went 7-9 and finished fifth in the Northwest Conference. Two of the losses were expected; the third was not. All-NWC Second Team post Chris Parker (16.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and two-time honorable mention All-NWC wing Phil Heu-Weller (13.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg) graduated, but the Bruins also lost senior forward Brady Strutz (9.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) for the season with a knee injury suffered early in the pre-season.
"No question, losing our leading rebounder and a key person in our offense in Brady will hurt," admits Sundquist. "He's a tough kid and a great person, and he's going to try to rehab that knee and play again next year. But that's basketball; sometimes those things happen, and you just pick up and go on from there. If there's a bright side to it, a lot of kids are going to get more opportunity to play and show what they can do. We're still a pretty young team and they need experience."
The Bruins' veteran leadership will come from its three seniors and co-captains: point guard Brent Satern (5-10 Sr., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS), wing Mark Metzler (6-3 Sr., Brookings, Ore. / Brookings-Harbor HS), and forward Taylor Martin (6-3 Sr., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS). Satern averaged 13.5 points (15th in the NWC), 5.3 assists (3rd), and 2.1 steals (2nd) per game, earning honorable mention All-Conference honors. Metzler averaged 5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, and was 11th in the NWC with 1.3 steals per game as a key reserve. Martin posted numbers of 4.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg as a starter.
Says Sundquist, "Brent is an excellent leader both on and off the floor and as sound a point guard as you will find in the conference. He plays with confidence and makes his teammates better. We will also be looking for him to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end. Mark is a combo guard who can play the 1 or the 2 positions; he is one of the better defenders we have and also gives us an outside scoring threat. Taylor at the 4 is a blue-collar, hard-nosed worker who keeps getting better and will do anything for the good of the team."
Another returning guard who will see increased minutes at both the point and the wing is Joe Ahn (5-11 Jr., Beaverton, Ore. / Beaverton HS), who averaged 2.4 ppg. "Joe is another versatile player who gave us a big lift at times off the bench last year," recalls Sundquist, "and he will be a very capable backup at either spot."
Vying for a starting berth at the wing will be returnees Evan Atwater (6-3 So., Port Orchard, Wash. / South Kitsap HS) and Dan Lingenfelder (6-3 So., Longview, Wash. / Matt Morris HS). Atwater averaged 5.3 ppg and Lingenfelder 1.1 ppg in limited action. Grant Vahalla (6-3 So., San Diego, Calif. / La Costa Canyon HS), who averaged 2.7 ppg as a freshman, is another candidate for a shooting guard slot but has missed much of the pre-season with a back injury.
"Evan and Dan have looked really good in the fall and will give us some outside threats," comments Sundquist. "Grant will be right in that mix as well if he can overcome his back problems."
The Bruins have two transfers at the wing who are expected to provide both offense and rebounding strength in Stephen Campbell (6-3 So., Sherwood, Ore. / Westside Christian HS) from Portland Community College and Travis Toedtemeier (6-4 So., Beaverton, Ore. / Faith Bible HS) from Cascade College.
"Travis is a perimeter threat who will help with the rebounding as well, something we are going to need from him with Brady out," says Sundquist. "Stephen is a very physical player who enjoys doing the 'dirty' work of rebounding and defending.
Matt Noble (6-6 Sr., Albany, Ore. / West Albany HS) and Bryan O'Connell (6-9 So., Eugene, Ore. / Churchill HS) return for the Bruin to battle for the post position. Noble had figures of 2.3 ppg and 1.7 rpg, while O'Connell contributed 0.5 ppg and 0.8 rebounds in four games.
"Matt gives us some much-needed interior defense and rebounding," notes Sundquist, "as well as knowing our system and how we like to do things. Big Bryan is further along than we expected; he lost some weight, has gained strength and speed, and is showing some good moves around the basket. They will both play a lot."
Rounding out the squad are returnee Justin Hull (6-2 So., Gresham, Ore. / Gresham HS) and newcomers Mike Maerzluft (6-7 Fr., Hesperia, Calif. / Hesperia Christian HS) and Davis Martin (6-4 Fr., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS). Hull, who appeared in one game last season, and Maerzluft are wings, while Martin, Taylor's younger brother, is a point guard.
"Justin is another versatile player who will give us some valuable minutes off the bench," says Sundquist. "Mike has an athletic frame and is a good perimeter shooter who will be a big help as he develops. Davis is a tall point guard with a good basketball IQ; he needs only some experience and knowledge of our system to be a solid player."
Sundquist expects to use several different lineups in the early non-conference games of the season, adding that "as we get closer to conference games, we may settle on more of a regular lineup, but we'll know by then who is ready and who is not. We're just going to have to be the 'scrappy' Bruins to start out, and hopefully our defense will be the key to greater offense. While we are still relatively young, we do have some players familiar with our winning ways the last three years, and they are going to have to provide us with some big leadership."
The Bruins open the new season Friday-Saturday, Nov. 16-17, in the Colorado College Tipoff Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo. Their first opponent is McMurry University from Abilene, Texas, which went 20-9 and tied for the West Division crown of the American Southwest Conference last season. McMurry has posted 14 winning season in a row, but is having to replace its top five scorers from last year. Game time Friday is 6:00 p.m. Mountain time (5:00 p.m. Pacific time). Host Colorado College and LeTourneau University are in the other bracket.