Mavericks vs. Fort Hays State Recap

On the Women’s Side we have some good news!!! The Mavericks defeated Fort Hays 69-60, their first win in 2 weeks ending a 3 game slide.  This game would not have been nearly as close had Fort Hays State’s Naomi Bancroft not gone off for a school record 9 3 pointers on 17 shots.  She scored a career high 33 points overall.  Apart from Naomi… the Tigers shot 28% (7% from 3).  She scored over half their points.  Incredible “one-woman” effort. Morgan Clark added 11 points and 12 rebounds.  apart from the Tigers were a laughable 21% from the field.  They combined for 73% of their team’s points.  Add in Ashley Cornett’s 6 points and we have 83% of the points and the rest of the team shoots 15%.

The Mavericks shot a bit better and spread the wealth some.  Cayla Hargrove came off the bench and hit 3 3’s to lead the team with 22 points.  Amanda Brodsack poured in 19 more and 9 rebounds.  Brodsack hit 3 3’s of her own, now shooting 46% from 3, 55% in conference.  Incredible shooting.  Brodsack lead the team in rebounds for the 6th straight game.  She has led the Mavericks in rebounds in 12 of the 17 games so far.

The Mavericks led 27-13 with 5:38 to go in the 1st half before going cold and watching Naomi Bancroft score 14 straight points to tie the game at the half.   The Mavericks were great however in the 2nd half.  The Mavs shot 50% from the feild and from 3, and commited only 4 turnovers in rolling to 42 points and a 69-60 win.  The Mavericks bench played a large part in this one outscoring the Tigers 37-6.

Next it was the Men’s turn. UNO was expected to have a pretty good chance at a win here after a 3 point win on the road in December.  Well… it wasn’t to be as UNO was beaten handily, 80-61.  It was the only the 2nd time all year that the women’s team has outscored the men’s team (the other being Northwest Missouri State).  The men were ice cold all night, shooting 40% (35% from 3) in the first half and, even worse, 30% (30% from 3) in the 2nd half.  The Mavericks were HAMMERED on the boards being out rebounded by 15.  The Mavericks only turned the ball over 9 times.  This loss can be chalked up to poor shooting and getting beat on the boards.  The Maverick’s seemed to struggle with Fort Hays’ speed, which cut off a lot of penetration and forced the Mavericks into shooting some forced shots from 3.   The Tigers also did a good job of slowing the game up in the 2nd half once they had established a large lead.  The last 3 minutes were painful as the Mavericks fouled the Tigers hoping to get caught back up.  The Tigers controlled the ball for 1:38 straight after a Mitch Albers jumper made it 65-52 with 4:13 to go.  The Mavericks had the lead down to 12 with 2:08 to go.  Jonathan Blake missed the front end of a 1 and 1 but the Tigers got the rebound and were fouled.  It was just the way the night was going. 

One interesting thing I noticed was that Michael Jenkins took a lot of shots Wednesday night.  I’m not sure if Michael felt he had to try and shoot more to make up for the Mavericks lack of scoring or whether he was forced to shoot more because he wasn’t able to get to the line like he wanted to, but his 15 shots were the most he’s taken all year.  Jenkins is at his best when he’s not taking outside jumpers unless he’s open and forcing the defense to foul him on the way to the hole.  He scored 16 points, but on 15 shots.  In comparison his last full game he scored 19 points, on 8 shots.  He also had 4 turnovers.  Just a rough night for Michael.  It was his 2nd worst game of the year (@ Washburn being the 1st) statisically. Jenkins was able to get to the free throw line 21 times against Fort Hays the first go around in route to a 27 point night.  Not this time, as Jenkins only shot 8 FTs, and 4 of those were in the final 2 minutes.

Most of the Mavericks have off night, but two Mavericks actually had pretty good games on Wed.  Matt Akins had 4 boards, 2 blocks, a steal and 2 pts in 13 minutes.  A pretty productive night. His best game since Emporia State statisically.  He also played very well against Fort Hays State the first go around, in fact better, with 11 pts and 8 boards in 18 minutes.  Mitch Albers had 5 boards to lead the Mavericks, along with 4 assists and a steal and 12 points… on only 8 shots.  Mitch has been the opposite of Michael Jenkins in that this was his first game with less than 10 shots since playing St. Mary’s in December.  It was only the 3rd time this year that Mitch has taken less than 10 shots (Michael has taken 10 or more only 5 times).  Statisically it was Mitch’s best game since a road win against Missouri Western in early January, and was a big improvement on his first game against Fort Hays (19 pts, but on 13 shots and with only 1 board).

I was very pleased with the quote I saw from Jenkins after the game in the Omaha World Herald, http://omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3925&u_sid=10550373, ”You should always be able to take care of your home court,” UNO guard Michael Jenkins said. “It’s a setback. But we’ve got eight games left in the conference. It’s not too late, but we’ve got to turn it up. We’ve got a lot of soul-searching to do.”  

“You’re fighting so hard to come back, then a team goes on a run like that and it just drains you,” Jenkins said. “You’ve been fighting so hard to come back. They kept their composure and made shots.” 

“Give them a lot of credit,” Jenkins said. “They knew what we like to do — penetrate and kick it out. Tonight we weren’t making them because they were getting out and contesting us. They came out and played hard from the (opening) tip.” 

Jenkins is right.  It’s not time to panic.  UNO needs to pick up some crucial wins to make the NCAA Tournament, but they still have home games with Central Missouri and Emporia State.  Those games have become much more magnified now on the Mavericks schedule.

I’ll try and update later with some thoughts on what UNO needs to do this weekend @ Ferris State.  Get 2 points.  I also want to share some of the Win Score things I’ve found the last day regarding UNO.  I’ve taken every game and calculated out the win scores for the players.  Some interesting things regarding what the best performances of the year are and which players show the most difference between wins and losses.

Summer League Finale Review

Not as a good a night for UNO fans.  UNO took an early lead on UNK but had their lead trimmed to 1 by the half.  As the 2nd half began UNO again got out to an early lead but UNK came storming back and ran past the Mavericks, winning the game 75-67.  UNO struggled to contain the inside presence of Kearney Grad Nick Branting.  Matt Akins struggled to stay in the game and as a result Kearney was able to dominate the paint.  UNO also didn’t see huge games from several of their bigger players.  Kearney got a huge game again from Junior Drake Beranek.  All in all though the Mavericks still looked good as a team against a Kearney team that is greatly helped from Branting.  I think the Mavericks will be better than Kearney this year, but after losing twice to Kearney in the Summer League, there will be a lot of desire to beat them.

In the second game UNO’s Grads got some leads, but weren’t ever able to put PCS Phosphate away.  Without P’Allen Stinnett, Omar Bynum took over as leader of the team and helped distribute the ball.  Stanley Boateng showed up big time as did Cole Salomon.  UNO had the ball with 40 seconds left and the game tied at 71.  Kelvin Capels drove the lane and tried to hit a layup but it rolled off.  In OT UNO jumped to a lead but PCS pulled away to win 78-74.

In the final, Kearney took on PCS Phosphate.  The obvious advantage belonged to Kearney who had the hour break.  Kearney jumped out to an early lead and it looked like PCS wasn’t going to hang with them but things changed late in the first half when Drake Beranek disloacted his left pinky finger.  He tried to jam it back in but was unable to complete the game.  PCS came back in the 2nd half but was unable to stick with them in the end and faded down the stretch.  Kearney won the game 91-75.

This summer league season was awesome.  Got to see lots of good ball and I feel it really helped these teams.  Can’t wait for the regular season and then next summer league.

I feel good about UNO’s season, but i think it depends on Matt Akins.  It he can’t give UNO 25 quality minutes inside they are gonna struggle to compete.  They just don’t have enough depth to make up for him not playing well.

Summer Leage Playoffs Semifinals and Final Preview

Tonight is the night to end the playoffs.  Semis at 5:30 and 6:30 and Final at 7:45 at Omaha Central.

At 5:30 UNO will take on UNK in a rematch of a regular season game that saw UNK defeat UNO.  UNO will look for their gaurds to light up the scoreboard as they’ve done in previous weeks.  UNO will also look for forwards Dion Curry and Justin Peterson to play hard inside against much older UNK grads who were once All-Americans.  Matt Akins will also play a big role inside (and John Ring if he is playing).  I think if UNO plays like they have lately, they can win this game.  That said, UNK is a VERY tough team with some very good older players and some hard nosed young guys.  That includes a great player in Drake Beranek.  UNO’s biggest advantage is depth.  UNO will have 10-11 available tonight, while UNK will probably play with 6 or 7.  If UNO can keep pace up all game long, it should make it hard for UNK to win.

In the 2nd game at 6:30 the UNO Grads take on P’Allen’s PCS Phosphate… minus P’Allen according to thebluejaycafe.com. PCS is still a tough team with some good graduates, a former NBA prospect in Omar Bynum, and a Husker in Cole Salomon.  UNO’s Grads will face a challenge and must bring a better game then last week.  I have a feling PCS won’t be able to stop UNO’s 3 barrage though and we’ll see a UNO-UNO final tonight.

The prospect of that is… tantalizing.  Grant Neiland being forced to choose between his two teams.  Or does he play for both?  Guys like Mitch Albers going at former teammate Denny Johnston.  Matt Akins taking on former great post players in Ryan Curtis and Tola Dada.  Current 3 point stud Justin Peterson takin on all time 3-point leader Zac Robinson.  Current Mav Jeff Martin taking on his teammates.  That could be fun. I’m not sure who to take in the final, but I imagine conditioning could be a large factor and with a large bench, I have to pick UNO as the favorites to win the league tonight!  They raise a trophy the last time this team was in a tournament, and I think they can do it again tonight (in front of slightly more people perhaps too :-p).

Summer League Playoffs Round 2 Preview

Round 1 went great for the Mavs as both the current team and the grads advanced.  The current Mavs face a steep challenge in the 2nd round while the grads face the “cinderella” of the tournament.

At 5:30 at Omaha Central on Thursday, the current Mavs will battle McGinn Law.  McGinn Law is one of the draft teams consisting of Bruce Chubick, Scot Abels, Charles Richardson, Joe Webb, Earl Mitchell, Chris Kuhn, Bryce Johnson, Evan Lamprecht.  Chubick played for Nebraska from 1991 to 1994… I was 7  when he finished (and so were some of the players he’ll play tomorrow I think)… yikes.  But he was a stud back then.  Scot Abels I have no clue (this is where I wish I hadn’t misplaced my rosters during my move).  Charles Richardson was a Husker from 2004-2007 who never put up gaudy numbers, but at an undersized 5′9″ was a ton of fun to watch.  Joe Webb is a two time all NAIA All American from Bellevue who put up 16 a game as a senior in 2007.  Earl Mitchell is from Alvernia college in Pennsylvania, a small D3 school. No idea on Chris Kuhn.  Bryce Johnson is a Bellevue grad as well… while Lamprecht played at Elkhorn and is now at Midland Lutheran).  The cool matchup to me is going to be Charles Richardson vs. the gaurd combo of Jenkins and Bridger.  Both will be taking him on some I imagine.  Also Bruce Chubick vs. Matt Akins.  Akins will have to play hard to hang with Chubick I imagine, but this will be a good test for him to see how he can stack up.

For the grads, the path appears to be a little easier.  Hastings College shocked the #2 seed EQ School of Hair and are into the quarterfinals.  Hastings can’t be underestimated though of course and I expect the grads to show up and take care of buisness.  They play at 7:30.

The other two games of the night feature Nebraska Kearney playing the Antoine Young led State Farm Insurance at 6:30 and PCS Phosphate (led by P’Allen Stinnett) taking on Narmi Group (led by Josh Dotzler).  That matchup is at 8:30.  I’ll take UNK (they play hard and strong) and PCS (strength of P’Allen) to advance to play the UNO teams of course… That would be a dream final 4 to me.. UNO-UNK rematch and UNO Grads taking on the most exciting Creighton player’s team… we can only hope!  Hope to see you all out there.

Summer League Playoffs – Round 1

A good night for Mavs fans!

The current team played at 5:30 and raced to an early lead over Bellevue.  Bellevue came fighting back and made it close, but couldn’t do enough to catch up.  UNO moves along to play McGinn Law (Bruce Chubick, Scot Abels, Charles Richardson, Joe Webb, Earl Mitchell, Chris Kuhn, Bryce Johnson, Evan Lamprecht) next week at 5:30 at Omaha Central.

Next up was the grads at 7:30.  They were in a tight game when I got there but pulled away to beat Porter Tauke & Ebke (BJ Valentine, Lorenzo Wilson, Brandon McGruder, Nick Krenk, Ben Nelson, Dusty Sitsmann, Ben Thorn, Klaye Rowe) fairly handily.  They move on to play EQ School of Hair ( Cody Levinson, Jason Dourisseau, Brian Conklin, Cavel Witter, Elijah Collins, Andy King, Avery Tyler) EDIT-According to Bluejay Basketball Cavel’s team actually lost..so UNO’s grads will take on Hastings College at 7:30 next week at Omaha Central.  Definitely should be favored to win that game if they show up and play well.

I also watched the 8:30 game between PCS Phosphate ( Chad Cruise, Derek Paben, P’Allen Stinnett, Kenton Walker, Omar Bynum, Stanley Boateng, Hannibal Cofield, Cole Salomon) and Shanks Law Firm (Bion Flint, Rodney Buford, Kenny Lawson, Booker Woodfox, Roman Evans, Josh Jones, Travis Van Ragenmeter, Mike Snyder).  Josh’s team (Shanks) got off to an early lead and held the lead until the 2nd half… but P’Allen led his team back and they ended up coasting to the win.

Thoughts on the games –

UNO’s team tonight was Andrew Bridger, Nate Owen, Grant Nieland, Tyler Albers, Michael Jenkins, Justin Peterson, Dion Curry, Matt Akins and Jeff Martin joined the team for tonight.  Good to see Jeff get to play with the rest of the team.  Andrew Bridger had a sick behind the back (left handed) pass to another Mav cutting in to the lane… probably the sickest play of the night.  He’s also shooting the ball great, a great sign for this year.  One play that sticks in my mind was Tyler Albers penetrating and kicking it out to him… you almost knew it was gonna go in!  Nate Owen continues to bring great pace off the bench.  He reminds me of soccer players who have that blow by speed (Theo Walcott – here), he just can go right at you and get past you if you’re not on top of things.  Grant Nieland was working really hard tonight and knocked several balls away by getting his hands up in the passing lane!  He also took a great charge. Tyler Albers showed a good game tonight shooting the ball and driving, as well as helping move the ball around the key. Michael Jenkins is his usual self.  Very consistent. He’s still shooting the ball like always (had one thought that surprised me he took… and swish) loves to drive, a lot of fun to watch.  Very passionate. Justin Peterson has shown a great 3 point shot this summer.  He has a chance to have a huge year this year I think. His shot is so sweet.  Dion Curry is a physical presence for UNO. He has the ability to shoot the 3, bang inside against much bigger men, drive the ball… very good all around player for UNO.  Showed a lot intensity tonight for UNO. Matt Akins might be the key to the season.  He’s UNO’s best option at Center this year, and thus is going to have to deliver or UNO will look mighty small.  He’s had some good and bad weeks, but looked better this week.  He played hard, had some good defensive plays and a few nice offensive plays down low.  He doesn’t need to be a star, just work hard, run the court, play defense and rebound… and pick up some trash points.  Jeff Martin is a transfer from UNK.  He’s small but tough and fairly big.  Has a nice shot and plays pretty well.

The grads tonight were Calvin Kapels, Jeff Martin, Denny Johnston, Ryan Curtis, Tola Dada, and Grant Nieland… okay two of those 6 haven’t graduated but that’s okay.  It’s a lot of fun watching these guys play.  They all are very good and you can tell they’re very experienced.  Kapels is a very good PG for a team like this and does a good job distrubting the ball.  Denny Johnston is still his solid self, very reliable.  Tola Dada is a fun guy to watch.  Plays hard and has some good offensive moves.  Ryan Curtis is likewise a lot of fun.  He had one real good hustle play tonight.  They can definitely play some ball.

As far as their opposition, BJ Valentine (Eastern Washington) is always an intersting guy to watch.  He likes to do some talking, but can back it up fairly well.  Has a good shot and is an amazing player for his size. Nick Krenk (Nebraska) seems to work hard and is smart out there.  He’s not the most talented, but you can appreciate what he does.  Dusty Sitsmann (Creighton) seems to be a bit of a leader out there.  You can tell he’s the one at the best school.

In the final game the most fun was watching P’Allen take on Josh Jones… P’Allen played a great game distributing the ball alot, hitting some 3’s, throwing down some dunks.  It’s very apparent that he makes his teammates better. A lot of people love him for his dunks, but I love him for his passing.  He had one great one tonight and ran down the court saying… “Great pass” to the fans while pumping his fist… it was pretty funny.  He’s also great with the children taking time to talk to kids who come up to him . Josh Jones definitely has talent.  He doesn’t have as good of hops as P’Allen but he can still throw down.  He’s also a better shooter.  The thing Josh doesn’t have yet is P’Allen’s ability to pass and make his teammates better.  Early on Josh was scoring a lot and leading his team, but he seemed to disapear some in the second half when his team started to lose the lead.  I think with time to mature and grow in Altman’s system and he will learn to play a better game. He’s definitely got the potential, just needs to make sure he’s not constantly calling for the ball. Booker Woodfox and Kenny Lawson were no shows for this game.

Tim Tebow Tells Playboy “No”

This obviously has nothing to do with UNO or even Omaha.  That said, I loved the story so I decided to share it and comment on it.  First of all the story can be found at http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/BREAKINGNEWS/80721029/1002/SPORTS.

Now to the story… “Tim Tebow in Playboy? Not happening.

The Florida quarterback became the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman last December, so it’s only natural that he would be everybody’s preseason All-America quarterback. Right? But when Playboy asked for nominations for its annual All-America team back in the spring, Florida assistant sports information director Zack Higbee elected not to even put Tebow’s name on the list.

Tebow, who will attend photo shoots today for magazine covers in Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News before attending the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., on
Wednesday, is vocal about his deep religious convictions. His father, Bob, is a missionary. Tebow feels it could also be his calling in life, after his football career is over.”

–First of all I had no idea Tebow is a professing believer, so now I’m motivated to root for him next year .  If he is a Christian it would be awesome to see him pursue that after football.

“Gary Cole, senior vice president and photographer director of Playboy, e-mailed and talked with Higbee on the phone about the decision not to nominate the Gator star… “I don’t hate it when someone has all the facts, understands what our weekend and our history is and then chooses not to attend,” Cole told Florida Today. “I do hate it when someone bases their choice on false or incomplete information. . . . The weekend (in Phoenix) is completely wholesome. I have always brought my children whether they were one or 16 years old. It’s a really special few days when these fellows get the opportunity to meet each other and spend a little time together. Friendships are formed at these weekends that last a lifetime.””

— I like how he trys to paint this as a wholesome time. I’m sure the weekend isn’t totally wholesome (there’s got to be playboy models around.. right?), but I’ll take his word that it probably is fairly tame. The problem for me isn’t the weekend… it’s the magazine! Tebow would be featured in a magazine with photos of naked women… not wholesome at all. He made the right decision to not even be associated with it. Would it be wrong of him to allow his name and picture to be in there? Maybe, maybe not. But he definitely made the right choice in not even associating himself or letting his name be tarnished at all.

“Florida’s Danny Wuerffel, also raised in a deeply-religious family, elected not to have his name on Playboy’s preseason list in 1996, the year he also won the Heisman.”

—Didn’t know this about Wuerffel either.. cool.

“Higbee, who works closely with Tebow on his media obligations, didn’t even bother to discuss the matter with the Tebow, who recently won an ESPY Award for top college male athlete, until months later. He figured Tebow’s religious beliefs would cause him to decline, anyway. Higbee said it came up in a conversation recently, and Tebow was fine with the decision.”

—I LOVE THIS! Tebow wasn’t even asked. This means he has a REPUTATION for this on campus. This guy KNOWS about Tebow’s faith and KNEW that he would not be okay with this. That speaks volumes to me.

“”To be honest, Pat White was my choice from very early on . . . actually the end of last season,” Cole said. “I love the way he plays the game. I love what he has accomplished in his career at West Virginia. He’s a senior. Tebow will probably be around for a couple of more years. So we still have the chance to have him on the team whether or not he chooses to attend (the Playboy function honoring him).””

—Then a load of lies from Cole in my opinion… to try and swing this as well you know what Pat White probably would have been the choice.. rediculous.  They wanted Tebow just like everyone does and he said no, but they want to make it seem like they didn’t want him!

I read some more online and found out Tebow was homeschooled but allowed to play high school football in Florida due to state rules… very cool!

———————————————————————–

UNO’s Men’s Basketball Summer League team and the UNO Men’s Grad Summer League team both start the playoffs tomorrow.  The current guys finished the season 3-2 and as the 8 seed will play Bellevue University in the first round.  The game is at 5:30 at Omaha South.  The Grads finished 4-1 and have the 7 seed.  They will play Porter, Tauke, and Ebke – BJ Valentine, Lorenzo Wilson, Brandon McGruder, Nick Krenk, Ben Nelson, Dusty Sitsmann, Ben Thorn, Klaye Rowe and will play at 7:30 at Omaha South.  Both teams will be expected to win as they defeated their opponents in the regular season.

Summer League Week 1 Preview

It all starts tonight at Omaha South High School.  For full details go to http://metrobball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=55

UNO (Current Players) takes on PCS Phosphate at 5:30

UNO (Former Players) takes on State Farm at 6:30

PCS Phosphate is made up of Chad Cruise, Derek Paben, P’Allen Stinnett, Kenton Walker, Omar Bynum, Stanley Boateng, Hannibal Cofield, Cole Salomon.

State Farm is made up of Mark Esser, John Turek, Eddie King, Kaleb Korver, Antoine Young, Casey Harriman, Rodney Grace, Nick Morrell.

Don’t know who will be playing for the UNO teams, will let you know who played after the games tonight.  I’ll also have some pictures of the first game.  I can’t make the 2nd one .  Actually here might be some info, from the metrobball website, “UNO has a team of all current players and then another team of current players and graduates (Ryan Curtis, Calvin Kapels, Chris DeSpain, Zac Robinson, and Denny Johnston)”.  So it lokos like we should see a lot of guys out there!

I also found out Mitch Albers will not be playing tonight… lame.

Little summary of who the players they will be taking on are.

PCS:

Chad Cruise – 6′2″ gaurd – Went to Midland Lutheran, was 2nd team all-conference (GPAC) as a senior scoring 16 a game. – http://www.mlc.edu/s/290/midlandlutheran.aspx?sid=290&gid=1&pgid=301&cid=2336&ecid=2336&crid=0&calpgid=1908&calcid=1691

Derek Paben – Which one ?  There’s one that played Morningside and then at South Dakota and was a senior in 03-04.  Another played at Northern Iowa it seems.  Appears to have some Euro basketball experience.  I’d guess the former.

P’Allen Stinnet – Who? Plays at Creighton, Sophomore gaurd, Newcomer and Freshman of the Year in The Valley… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj7tnE4liYQ , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkk3kuBGPCk , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0jyh4MNUgQ , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy0M6hT5qrk , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-m0WcqD96w , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrPAi7MQPE4 .  He’s alright.

Kenton Walker – Sophomore Center at Creighton, pretty dang good.

Omar Bynum – I assume this is the Omar Bynum who played for Iowa State, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/photo?playerId=895, finished there in 03, was around a 7 PPG and 7 RPG kind guy as a junior. http://iowastate.scout.com/a.z?s=171&p=8&c=1&nid=471846

Stanley Boateng – played at Bellevue, was a senior last year… from Rhode Island and also played at Missouri-St. Louis, a D2 school

Hannibal Cofield – played at Bellevue as well, also a senior last year… he played high school ball at Omaha South

Cole Salomon – played High School ball at Millard North, then a year at UNK before transfering to Nebraska. He’ll be a junior this fall.  http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=23&SPID=24&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=1280942&Q_SEASON=2008

State Farm:

Mark Esser – played at Dana, 6′ 8″ center, was first team GPAC as a senior in 05-06

John Turek – was a senior at Nebraska in 04-05, played in Belgium this last year, http://www.b-all.be/basketball/2007-2008/team/2613/3062.php, averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Eddie King – played at UNO and for the Lincoln Thunder (ABA)

Kaleb Korver – younger brother of Kyle, will be a Sophomore at Creighton

Antoine Young – incoming freshman at Creighton, played at Bellevue West as a senior

Casey Harriman – going to be a sophomore at Creighton

Rodney Grace – played at the Des Moines Area Community College last year, now going to Pittsburgh State.  Mav-rival.

Nick Morrell – played at Kearney, http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cvtf9RvIO4o, then he went to South Dakota and averaged 5.9 points per game.

More creighton info is available at… http://bluejaybasketball.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/summer-league-ball-starts-thursday/

In Case The 5 Months Til Mav Basketball Is Too Long For Ya…

The summer league team starts play June 19th at Omaha South High School! The games are free, and lots of fun to go watch.

UNO Summer League Basketball Team Schedule (@ Omaha South unless noted)
June 19th-5:30 vs. PCS Phosphate (Chad Cruise, Derek Paben, P’Allen Stinnett, Kenton Walker, Omar Bynum, Stanley Boateng, Hannibal Cofield, Aaryon Williams.)
June 26th-6:30 vs. Morningside
July 3rd-6:30 vs. Bellevue
JUly 10th-5:30 vs. Kearney (BRING IT ON)
July 17th-9:30 vs. Porter Tauke & Ebke (BJ Valentine, Lorenzo Wilson, Andrew Anderson, Nick Krenk, Ben Nelson, Dusty Sitsmann, Ben Thorn, Klaye Rowe, . )
July 24th-First round Tourney – TBA
July 31st-Quarter finals at Central
August 7th-Semi finals and Title game at Central

I’m not 100% sure of the roster, but it shouldmore or less be the roster for next season. I’ll post it once I see it.

And there is also a team of UNO Grads playing! Their schedule is below!

UNO Grads
June 19th-6:30 vs. State Farm (Mark Esser, John Turek, Eddie King, Kaleb Korver, Antoine Young, Casey Harriman, Rodney Grace, Nick Morrell.)
June 26th-8:30 vs. Doane
July 3rd-9:30 vs. Buena Vista
JUly 10th-9:30 vs. Porter Tauke & Ebke (BJ Valentine, Lorenzo Wilson, Andrew Anderson, Nick Krenk, Ben Nelson, Dusty Sitsmann, Ben Thorn, Klaye Rowe, . )
July 17th-7:30 vs. Southeast CC
July 24th-First round Tourney – TBA
July 31st-Quarter finals at Central
August 7th-Semi finals and Title game at Central

Roster? No idea for sure, but I imagine you’d see guys like Denny Johnston, Jerry Bennett, Zac Robinson, Calvin Kapels, Quantel Murphy, Chris DeSpain, etc. No one who isn’t still around the area I’m sure.

I think both teams will be good and competitive. Other teams in the league are.

• State Farm – Judd Knispel Agency- Mark Esser, John Turek, Eddie King, Kaleb Korver, Antoine Young, Casey Harriman, Rodney Grace, Nick Morrell.
• Shanks Law Firm- Bion Flint, Rodney Buford, Kenny Lawson, Booker Woodfox, Roman Evans, Josh Jones, Travis Van Ragenmeter, Mike Snyder.
• EQ School of Hair – Cody Levinson, Jason Dourisseau, Anthony Williams, Tom Whitehead, Cavel Witter, Elijah Collins, Andy King, Avery Tyler.
• Narmi Group - Ben Holling, Wes Wilkinson, Josh Carter, Chad Millard, Cameron Lollar, Arthur Boults, JR Enright, Josh Dotzler.
• PCS Phosphate - Chad Cruise, Derek Paben, P’Allen Stinnett, Kenton Walker, Omar Bynum, Stanley Boateng, Hannibal Cofield, Aaryon Williams.
• McGinn Law Firm- Bruce Chubick, Scot Abels, Charles Richardson, Joe Webb, Earl Mitchell, Chris Kuhn, Bryce Johnson, Evan Lamprecht.
• Porter Tauke & Ebke - BJ Valentine, Lorenzo Wilson, Andrew Anderson, Nick Krenk, Ben Nelson, Dusty Sitsmann, Ben Thorn, Klaye Rowe, .
• Bellevue
• Morningside
• Buena Vista
• Hastings
• Dana
• Doane
• Kearney
• Southeast CC
• Wayne St
• Kaplan
• Central CC

All the info at the league site, http://metrobball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=55

Basketball signs new recruits to help replace lost senior talent, leadership

Another article I wrote for the gateway….  With Scott Stewart’s amazing editing making it look good. http://media.www.unogateway.com/media/storage/paper968/news/2008/06/03/Sports/Basketball.Signs.New.Recruits.To.Help.Replace.Lost.Senior.Talent.Leadership-3377708.shtml

UNO lost two great players when seniors Jerry Bennett and Denny Johnston graduated this year.

The Mavericks will need others to step up in their place and will look to the four incoming recruits to help fill some of those holes. Those four incoming players are transfers Dion Curry and Matt Akins and freshman Drew Thompson and Alex Welhouse.

Curry, who has good size at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, joins UNO from Missouri Western, where he spent the fall semester but never played. However, he did spend two years playing at Iowa Western, where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds as a sophomore.

Curry has two years of eligibility remaining, and he said he came to UNO because of its good program.

“The coaches were really cool and they knew what they were talking about, basketball-wise,” he said.

He expects to contribute next year by using his “athletic ability around the rim, rebounding ability and leadership,” he said.

Matt Akins, a 6-foot-9, 230 pound center, joins UNO from Tarleton State, where he spent the fall semester and played one game. Atkins also had some time at Iowa Western and Western Nebraska.

Akins averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds at Western Nebraska during the 2006-07 season. Akins has one year of eligability remaining, but will appeal to the NCAA for an extra year since he only played one game for Tarleton.

Drew Thompson is a 5-foot-9, 150 pound point guard from Millard West, who UNO hopes can follow in the family tradition of starring at UNO. Thompson’s father, grandfather and uncle all played for the Mavericks. His father, Dean Thompson Jr., is the all-time leading scorer in Maverick history.

Thompson had 121 assists and shot 59 percent for the Wildcats last fall. He chose to come to UNO because “it’s close to home so my family and friends can come watch me play,” he said.

Next year Thompson will redshirt and “hopes to be able to come in, run the scout team and push my other teammates in practice so they will be prepared for the games,” he said.

Alex Welhouse is a 6-foot-6 guard/forward who comes to UNO from Kaukauna High School in Wisconsin. Welhouse scored 1,009 points in his high school career, second on the school’s all time scoring list, and he averaged 21.7 points per game as a senior.

With these four additions and the returning players, UNO looks to be primed to compete for a Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association title next year.

Last season, the Mavericks split a two game series with Northwest Missouri State, who went on to win the MIAA title. They also are hoping to compete for the South Central Regional title and their first trip to the Elite Eight.

They will begin the 2008-09 season with a home game against Doane on Nov. 15 before traveling to Kearney on Nov. 17.

Maverick Men’s Basketball Season Comes to an End: A Season to Remember

This article was originally written for the UNO Gateway, the student newspaper. While much too large for their print edition, it was put on their website. See this link. Scott Stewart did a great job editing it up for me.

The 2007-08 men’s basketball season did not bring many expectations for UNO. Picked to finish last in the North Central Conference in a media poll, the Mavericks came in to the season with little attention.

Few could fault the media for their lack of belief in the Mavericks. They had suffered through a 15-16 and a 12-16 season since Kevin McKenna had left for Creighton. The Mavericks had gone a combined 7-17 in the NCC the last two years.

Students on campus, if they ever knew UNO had a basketball team, were more interested in the undefeated football team, or the hockey team whose season had just started.

However, over the off-season Head Coach Derrin Hansen had changed things up at UNO.

He’d installed a new offense. He’d added several players, including brothers Mitch Albers and Tyler Albers, while starters Andrew Bridger and Michael Jenkins had healed up after injuries the year before. He had two seniors, Denny Johnston and Jerry Bennett, ready to lead the team.

Still, as the calendar turned to November, there were still more questions than answers.

As the season began, UNO faced more injuries. A possible scrimmage to show off the team’s new weapons to fans, and build some excitement, was scrapped.

The Mavs started the season with a trip up to the St. Cloud State Tournament for two games. UNO won both games, to start 2-0 for the first time in three years. But the two teams they defeated had both had bad years in 2006-07.

Next up two game at home in the UNO Thanksgiving Classic, where UNO again won twice, including a 57 point win in the second game, to go to 4-0 for the first time in four years. But, again, over teams who had losing seasons in the previous year.

UNO then went on the road and beat 4-0 Missouri Western, a future Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival. That win set up a game with 5-0 Northwest Missouri State, a Top 5 team, and a chance to prove they were for real.

The Mavericks won that game 80-66, and people began to take notice. The Mavericks then came home and knocked off another Top 10 team, No. 7 Emporia State.

There were few questions now; this UNO team was for real.

UNO came into its first NCC game, a home game with Augustana, at 12-1. They fought an epic battle with Augustana, emerging the victor in a 98-97 2 overtime thriller.

They capped their non-conference season with two more wins, going to 15-1 before hitting the conference on the road.

Unfortunately, Jan. 19 wasn’t a good day for the Mavericks, as they suffered a 73-56 loss at Minnesota Duluth, a team 7-11 at the time.

They lost their next two road games – while staying hot at home winning the next two home games – moving the Mavericks to 3-3 in conference going into a game at home against South Dakota.

The Coyotes were another Top 5 opponent for UNO and a chance to prove they were a contender for the NCC title. UNO again stepped up to the challenge and beat South Dakota 75-60, in a game that was never closer than 7 points in the second half.

The Mavericks were for real, and had a shot at the conference title.

UNO took care of business in their next road game at St. Cloud State, setting up a huge game with Minnesota State, Mankato, on the Feb. 16. Mankato led the conference, and a win here would put UNO in the driver’s seat for a conference title.

The Mavericks were down 1 point at halftime, and lead 59-58 with 13:40 to go. Things turned south for UNO, though.

Both Jenkins and Bridger fouled out, and a technical was called on the Mavs. UNO ended up losing 94-82, a loss that ended the team’s dream of winning the regular season title.

The Mavericks finished the regular season winning at North Dakota, beating Duluth at home and losing a heartbreaker to Mankato at home in the final game of the regular season.

The loss knocked the Mavericks from the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, to the No. 4 seed. They now had to beat St. Cloud State in the first round to set up a rematch with Mankato in the semifinals.

UNO hosted St. Cloud State in what would be the final NCC game in the Sapp Fieldhouse. UNO, ranked No. 6 in the region at the time, appeared to be a good bet to make the NCAA North Central Regional Tournament, even with a loss to St. Cloud, but didn’t want to leave any questions.

However, the Mavs started very slow, trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half, and trailed by 14 points at halftime. UNO started quicker in the second half, cutting the lead to 5 after a 13-4 run to open up the half.

UNO took its first lead of the second half with 11:28 to go. The lead went back and forth between the two teams until Bridger hit Johnston with a beautiful pass and Johnston finished with a lay up, giving UNO an 83-82 lead.

The Mavericks held on to win 84-82 and moved on to a rematch with Mankato.

UNO’s third bout with Mankato initially looked to be going the same way as their first two: Mankato led by 13 points late in the first half, but UNO cut it to 5 points at the half.

They came out on fire to start the second half, and tied the game 3 minutes in on a Denny Johnston 3 pointer. Mankato stayed with UNO for a few minutes.

But, when UNO took the lead again on a Bennett jumper with 11:55 to go, the Mavs didn’t look back and raced to a 16 point win and a berth in the NCC championship against North Dakota.

The Fighting Sioux were the No. 6 seed into the tournament and had shocked South Dakota and Augustana to get within one game of the NCAA Tournament. UNO would have a fight on their hands to claim the final NCC Tourney title.

The final NCC game of all time would be played in snowy Mankato, Minn. The Mavericks would be the home team and the Sioux the road team.

But, with only 128 fans in attendance, no one would really know.

Think about that for a moment: The NCC, one of the greatest conferences in Division II history, played its final game in front of 128 fans.

UNO had a great first half and lead the game 35-24. The few Mavericks fans there thought it might be all over and this team would coast to the tourney title. The Mavs lead by 14 points just 5 minutes into the second half.

But North Dakota was not going to go without a fight.

The Sioux went on an 18-2 run to take a 2-point lead. However, that lead would be short lived.

An Albers jumper tied it, and an Albers lay up put the Mavs up for good. North Dakota made it close, getting within 1 point with just under 3 minutes to go, but never took the lead as UNO hit their free throws down the stretch to win 75-68.

The Mavericks: NCC tourney champs for life!

UNO earned the No. 5 seed in the North Central Regional, earning a first round game with No. 4 seed Fort Lewis. The winner would then take on No. 1 seed, and host, Winona State in the second round.

The contest against Fort Lewis was the last game of the day, and it felt late when it finally got underway.

UNO took the lead early on and started to pull away, leading by 9 points in the first half. They lead until there were only 10 minutes left, when Fort Lewis took at 52-50 lead.

Fort Lewis then got up 63-57 with 6 minutes to go, and it looked like maybe this was where the road would end for the Mavericks.

Albers tried to get UNO going with a drive to the hoop, but was called for a charge. Then Bennett checked back in. Bridger got fouled and went to the line. Bridger, a 79 percent free throw shooter, missed the front-end of a one-and-one. Things were not going UNO’s way.

But, the Mavs got back on defense, and then it happened.

Some seasons can be defined in one play. Few UNO fans saw this play – only the 40 or so in attendance – but for those there, I think this play defines the season.

Bennett jumped a pass by Tim Crowell and raced the length of the court, laying it in.

Bennett was the Mavericks key for much of the season. Without any depth, Bennett was the only center for UNO. There was no backup center.

At 6 foot 7 inches and 235 pounds, he had to go up against much bigger centers on a regular basis. If he was out, the Mavericks were very small and had a hard time guarding against height.

Bennett led the team in rebounding with 8.9 a game, and his heart and determination were even bigger.

His steal changed the game, started a 9-0 run and saving the season.

The run was capped with a Jenkins 3 pointer. Jenkins shot the ball, and as it went in turned and walked away.

The moment will be forever etched in my mind. His shot, his attitude: It said to me we are here, we are for real, and we will not be denied.

We are U-N-O.

Bennett finished with a career high 17 rebounds on the night.

A former walk-on, Justin Peterson, had 22 points, shooting 4 of 5 from the 3-point line. Sixteen of those points were in the second half. When they needed a basket, Peterson answered from the corner.

UNO never trailed after the Jenkins 3 pointer and won 82-76. They advanced to a semifinal match with Winona State and notched win No. 25 on the year, a school record.

For DII basketball fans, the name Winona State should strike some fear into you.

They had won 90 games out of 92 games since Jan. 13, 2006. The only losses, a home game to Division III St. Thomas this year and a shocking upset in the DII final last year (search YouTube for Barton; trust me, it’s worth your time).

Winona State had set an NCAA DII record for home wins in a row with 57. This is probably the premier basketball program in DII right now.

They pack 4,000 people into a high-school sized gymnasium. There student section is large, with students often lining up hours before the game to get tickets.

If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. This was what UNO faced in their next game.

UNO came out ready to go. The team looked confident they could stay with the Warriors.

The fans were also ready. The 40 strong fans were determined to make some noise while outnumbered nearly 100 to 1.

The Mavericks got off to a fast start leading 2-0 after only 35 seconds.

I must admit: I got out my camera and took a picture of the scoreboard. If Winona destroyed UNO as they did many teams (the No. 5 team in the country got beat by 30 there the week before), I wanted the proof that UNO had a lead at one point.

UNO didn’t get destroyed, though.

They hung with Winona early on in a defensive battle. UNO even had a 6-point lead after a Albers 3 pointer only 9 minutes in.

Winona fought back though and took a 26-25 lead into halftime, though. The Mavericks had gotten the attention of their opposition.

Winona fans, who had earlier commented that all the other teams in the field were like high school teams compared to Winona, seemed a little uneasy.

UNO held a 2-point lead after 3 minutes in the second half when Bennett picked up his third foul. After he sat down, Jonte Flowers began to take over.

A lay up and a 3 pointer put Winona up 34-33. They extended the lead to 44-35 before Bennett checked back in 4 minutes later.

UNO got as close as one after that, when a Peterson 3 pointer cut it to 51-50 with just 8:56 to go. But they never could tie it.

Winona had extended the lead back to 10 points with 3:52 to go. Flowers stole the ball and threw down a monster dunk.

It had become clear at that point. A minute later Johnston picked up his fifth foul on a very questionable call, and left the game for the final time.

UNO tried to fight back but to no avail.

A dunk by John Smith of Winona put them up 14 points with a minute to go, and the season was down to its final minute. Albers had the final field goal in UNO’s dream season with a lay up.

Bennett checked out for the final time with 42 seconds to go, with much cheering from the UNO faithful. He gave it his all, and was very impressive going against one of the best big men in the country.

The final read Winona 80, Nebraska-Omaha 67. The season was over.

I can’t really say this was the greatest team in UNO basketball history. I’ve barely been around for anything.

I can say, though, that this was my favorite team to watch in any sport of all time. The way these players gave it their all game in and game out was amazing.

Bennett worked so hard that a Winona woman suggested he get several jerseys, because the red was black within a few minutes.

Johnston seemed to deliver every time he was asked to, a great model of senior leadership.

Peterson dove into the stands in search of every loose ball, risking limbs and occasionally little boys.

Bridger showed remarkable poise for a sophomore guiding the team’s offensive attack to 85.5 points per game.

Jenkins showed no fear as a 6-3 185 missile going straight to the rim. He got knocked down as many times as he scored, yet he never stopped going.

The Albers brothers both knocked down shot after shot after shot off the bench. Mitch had one of the best freshman seasons in Mavericks history average 11.5 points in just 18 minutes. The idea of watching him light up the nets for three more years is amazing.

Nate Owen was solid when he had to step up in place of Bridger. Ryan Pace, Matt Newman, Mike Mokeski and Grant Nieland were model teammates.

They didn’t get to play much, but were always supportive of their teammates and had a smile on their face.

This team was something special.

Coach Hansen did a remarkable job helping turn around a 12-16 team into a 25-7 one. His choice to switch up the offense may have made the biggest impact of all.

The free-flowing offense the Mavericks ran left opponents dizzy and lead to many open looks. The Mavericks dedication in practice showed as they shot a remarkable 79.7 percent from the free throw line for the year. That has to be a record.

It is a shame how few people noticed.

There are a lot of basketball fans in Omaha. There are a lot of basketball fans at UNO.

However, the Mavericks only averaged 919 fans per home game. They deserved many more.

UNO students, notorious for not taking much interest in athletics, missed out on a chance to support this team.

The NCC tournament and North Central Regional were only 4 hours and 6 hours away respectively. Tickets were free to the Tournament and $5 to the regional.

I made some great memories driving to these games and watching this team, and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg as it can at some bigger schools.

The good news is this: The team only loses seniors Bennett and Johnston.

They have added transfers Matt Atkins, a 6-9 center, and Dion Curry, a 6-5 forward. They also have signed Elkhorn Senior Josh Lynch, and Kaukauna High School (Wis.) senior Alex Welhouse for next year.

The team will be back at full strength with some injured players healthy again, too.

Hopefully they will be playing in the Council Bluffs Summer Draft League again this summer. Last year most of the regulars played together in it against teams such as South Dakota, Kearney and many former and current Huskers and Bluejays.

The Mavericks should be flying up and down the court again in November. Hopefully, the fans will be there with them this time.