Nov 5, 2009

Men's basketball team opens season at Disney Tip-Off Classic

SAULT STE. MARIE - So what does Lake Superior State men's basketball coach Steve Hettinga have in mind for Act Three?

Hettinga, who led the Lakers to a division title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008-09, which was only his second season at LSSU, promises that 2009-10 will have a different cast of characters and new surprises.

"Our style will be a little different," said Hettinga, who graduated five seniors including three starters from last year's 22-9 team. "We'll be a little faster. It will be a different team - not the low-post-power-and-just-dump-it-in team we were last year."

Philadelphia, ranked 25^th in the NABC Division II Pre-Season Coaches Poll, will be the first opponent to get a look at the 2009-10 Lakers. The teams meet at 4:45 p.m. Friday during the first round of the Disney DII Tip-Off Tournament. LSSU will also play Saint Leo at 7 p.m. Saturday and third-ranked Southwest Baptist at 7 p.m. Sunday in Kissimmee, Fla.

The Lakers were led last season by power forward Tim VanOudehusden and center Ryan Kuhl, who both earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors. They ran an "inside-out" attack, but it's not fair to imply they were a one-dimensional team. They could run when they needed to, led the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (.431) and were ranked fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1.43).

LSSU returns 50 percent of its potent three-point threat. Senior point guard Garrett Konuszewski and senior wing Scott Perkins are both three-year starters, while junior Micah Hudson averaged 17.5 minutes last season while playing a sixth-man role. Sophomore Kyle Hunt, who came on strong at the end of last season, averaged 15.5 minutes per game. The foursome combined to shoot 43.6 percent from behind the arc and make 136 three-pointers. They also had a combined assist/turnover ratio of 1.76.

"Scotty, Garrett, Kyle and Micah all had great off-seasons," Hettinga said. "It's nice to know that we will be rebuilding or reloading with two senior guards who both started for three years. They will keep us calm and help steady the younger guys. They'll have to think about scoring more - more than they have in the past."

Hettinga needs two or three key contributors to emerge from a young group of post players. Senior Jeremy Beasley (6-7, 185), sophomore Mike Boylan (6-10, 250) and junior Matt Romatz (6-6, 220) played sparingly last year. They join junior college transfers Andrew Charlesworth (6-4, 225) and Justin Williams (6-7, 220), and freshmen Nic Jobe (6-5, 205), Derek Kinney (6-5, 200) and Joe Simon (6-5, 190).

"They are definitely a work in progress, and it will be that way for a little while," Hettinga said of his post players. "They will need time to get to know each other and gel. It's exciting to have six new players who bring different abilities with them. It will be good for us to go to Disney and get that time together. Even though we're playing three good teams in three days, it will be kind of a like a team retreat."

Hettinga was complimentary of the programs from which his recruits came and noted that they are well-prepared to play at the next level. This season will test their mental toughness.

"This will be different for them," he said. "Some of them are 18-year-old kids going up against grown men...And it's a grueling season - a month longer than high-school basketball...We'll have to pace them. It's rare for a freshman to step in and play 25 or 30 minutes a game, but collectively two or three of them can. Andrew and Justin are further along and that will really help us, but the freshmen bring a lot of new energy to the program."

LSSU's roster also includes junior guard Nathan Householder and freshman guard Tyler Geary, who will redshirt this season.

Perkins, who averaged 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season, is the Lakers' top-returning scorer and rebounder. Konuszewski averaged 6.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

The Lakers will have two weeks off following the Disney Tip-Off Classic. They play eight straight home games between Nov. 21 and Dec. 29. Their home opener is Nov. 21 against Aquinas.

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