Men's Basketball | 10/30/2008 11:46:47 PM
Introduction
The 2008-09 version of the Western Oregon University men's basketball team will feature a talented but very young squad as it searches for its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship.
Head coach Craig Stanger returns for his fourth season at the helm. Last season, he led Western Oregon to a 15-12 record and a fifth place finish in the GNAC (8-10). This year, the Wolves were picked to finish seventh (29 points) in the conference according to the GNAC Coaches poll. He will face an interesting challenge this season, as the Wolves plan to open the season with veterans at both wing positions and at power forward (or the four position) but are extremely young at the point and at the post.
The wings
Seniors Travis Kuhns and Sam Kelly return as the starting wings for the Wolves. Last season, Kuhns was a second-team all-conference performancer as he averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. Kelly averaged 11.7 points per game while shooting 45-percent from behind the arc (45-100). They will be joined by juniors Matt Schmidt and Isaiah Adams.
"We have good veterans coming back in the shooting guard and wing positions with Kuhns and Kelly," said Stanger. "We will look to them for leadership and to be a good solid part of our team. They will be backed up by Adams and Schmidt which are strong, physical and high energy players. We have good volume at the wings."
The fours
Mike McLaughlin and Stanley Ratcliff return to man the power forward position. Last year, McLaughlin converted on 61.6-percent of his shots (122-198) while averaging 10.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Ratcliff averaged 3.7 points and three rebounds per contest while returning from injury.
"The post area or the four spot we do have some considerable depth and lots of experience there with Mike McLaughlin and Stanley Ratcliff," Stanger explained. "Those are two guys that have both started at different times in their careers so there is a lot of depth at that position. They are looking good and we are confident there."
The point guards
The Wolves currently have freshmen Blair Wheadon, Marcus Harris, Alex Bourne and Kyle Long competing for time at point guard.
"The point guard position is wide open as all our guys are working hard," Stanger continued. "We will see who rises to the occasion and steps in there. We have some freshmen that are working really hard and doing a nice job."
The posts
Newcomers Gabe Thrash and Kolton Nelson are expected to vie for much of the playing time at the center/post position.
"The post area is similar to the point guard position as we have several new faces," the Wolves' leader said. "Gabe Thrash, the transfer, and Kolton Nelson, the freshman, are both working really hard to try and become acclimated to new programs. Both are high energy guys and have a good work ethic."
Committed to defense
Even with the lack of experience by the overall group, coach Stanger believes if this team commits to the defensive side of the ball things should help this team stay in games.
"We have to work really hard and do our job defensively, to limit people and make them earn everything they get. Last year, we were able to use a lot of size and 'bully' people out of the paint and force them to shoot contested shots. This year we are not as long but we are decent athletic-wise and we should be able to get out to people and pressure a little more. We will have a different look that way; we won't be able to dominate just with our presence in the paint but with positioning."
Improvement from last year
Stanger has expressed that he feels the team's cohesiveness is one of its biggest strengths and that the veterans have been instrumental in teaching the newcomers.
"This team has been taking the concepts that were engrained in last year's team, the work ethic, the team chemistry and that has continued on. In the off-season the veterans did a nice job of working hard in the weight room and doing individual skill development. We have come back in overall better condition and better overall skill set than where we were sitting last year at this time.
"We want to continue from where we left off last year. We dominated teams in rebounding and had the best shooting percentage in conference (.500). Those are things we are looking to continue, how we are doing it may be a little different because of the makeup of this year's team versus last year's team but those are goals again and the guys are working hard to achieve that. Being the top rebounding team will be critical in our ability to be successful because the league is so good.
"One of the things we improved on last year was our ability to close out games and to battle in those close games. Now we want to take it to the next level and finish them off. If we do that we will be in good shape."
Overall
Although there are many questions headed into the season, this team has made the commitment to working together as one unit and that is the first step towards achieving success during the 2008-09 season.
First game
The Western Oregon men's basketball game will face Portland State in an exhibition game Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 p.m., at Portland. The Wolves will host its first home match of the season Nov. 11 at 7:00 p.m., as it faces Corban College. The team will have its first official game Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 3:00 p.m., as it takes on Dixie State College in Monmouth.
2008-09 GNAC Coaches Poll 2007-08 Records Pts
1. Central Washington (7) 21-7 15-3 86
2.Western Washington (2) 15-12 8-10 61
3.Alaska Anchorage 29-6 16-2 58
4.Seattle Pacific 21-8 12-6 53
5.Northwest Nazarene 17-10 9-9 50
6.Saint Martin's 13-14 8-10 40
7.Western Oregon 15-12 8-10 29
8.Montana State Billings 1-28 1-17 22
9.Alaska Fairbanks 5-22 2-16 17
Individuals
#3 Blair Wheadon, 6-2, Fr., Junction City, Ore. (Junction City '08)
Wheadon was an all-state performer and conference player of the year while playing at Junction City High School.
Coaches quote: "Blair is very high energy, great team player, does a really nice job of coming in and understanding things. He is a good shooter and definitely has some quickness which was a positive thing for us. He is routinely one of the guys that finishes the drills or sprints first. He is one of those guys which bring work ethic, coachability and is hungry for success. He is going to do some nice things for us."
#4 Matt Schmidt, 6-6, Jr., Keizer, Ore. (McNary '05)
Earned experience with the 2008-09 squad and is expected to contribute at the forward positions this season.
Coaches quote: "Matt Schmidt has proven himself in the conditioning and strength area. He is extremely physical and he may even play some four for us in some spots, which would create some definite mismatches for people. He has really been a good example to the team in terms of work ethic."
#5 Marcus Harris, 6-0, Fr., McCall, Idaho (McCall-Donnelly '08)
Harris was a second team all-state performer and conference most valuable player at McCall-Donnelly High School in McCall, Idaho.
Coaches quote: "Harris brings us a good athletic guard and is one of our best shooters. He is still finding himself as he transitions from high school to college and it still remains to be seen exactly where he fits in the rotation, but he brings good shooting and is another great team player."
#12 Alex Bourne, 5-11, Fr., Lebanon, Ore. (Lebanon '07)
Bourne was named to the second teal all-league as appoint guard at Lebanon High School.
Coaches quote: "Alex is still an unknown entity but he is working hard defensively and he will bring a defensive edge to this team. He too will be vying for one of the point positions."
#20 Isaiah Adams, 6-5, Jr., Medford, Ore. (South Medford '05)
Saw action in 11 games last year for the Wolves. He averaged 2.9 points per contest while seeing action on the wing.
Coaches quote: "Isaiah Adams has proven himself in the weight room and with his work ethic. He is high energy and is one of our better wing defenders at this point."
#22 Kyle Long, 6-3, Fr., McMinnville, Ore. (McMinnville '08)
Long joins the squad after a successful high school career at McMinnville High School where he was three-year member of the varsity team and was a two-time first team all-league selection.
Coaches quote: "He is very similar to Wheadon with a really high energy with a positive attitude. What he lacks in development he makes up for with energy and work ethic. Kyle brings to us a knack to score. He is a good perimeter shooter but he finds other ways to score. He is good at getting to the basket and has a definite scorer's mentality."
#23 Mike McLaughlin, 6-7, Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore. (Lake Oswego '06)
McLaughlin is the third leading returning scorer with 10.7 points per game. He also hauled in 6.5 rebounds per contest and shot 61.6-percent (122-198) from the field last year.
Coaches quote: "He is just a battler inside. Mike has done a very good job of developing his game and is very active around the basket. He has a nose for the ball and we will be looking to him to provide us with inside scoring and defensive physicality. He has improved his strength from last season."
#24 Sam Kelly, 6-5, Sr., Salem, Ore., (South Salem '02)
Kelly was the second leading scorer on last year's squad putting up 11.7 points per game. He also finished second on the team in three pointers (45) and in three-point shooting percentage (45-100).
Coaches quote: "Sam is a great veteran, providing great veteran leadership. One of the things Sam brought was that innate ability to get the team over the hump. There would be times we wouldn't be playing well or it was a couple of key possessions, the guy that stepped up and got the defensive stop or the loose ball was usually Sam Kelly. He really leads us in the regard, he is a leader by example."
#30 Travis Kuhns, 6-8, Sr., Salem, Ore. (Sprague '05)
Kuhns is coming off an a second-team all-conference performance as a junior when he averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest.
Coaches quote: "Travis is playing with terrific confidence right now after having improved his game even more from his all-conference season last year. We are really excited for him with the addition strength and individual skill development. He is shooting the ball really well right now and he is able to attack the basket really well right now. We really look forward to having him on one side and Sam Kelly on the other to provide us with a great wing attack."
#32 Stanley Ratcliff, Jr., 6-3, Sr., Palmer, Alaska (Palmer '04)
Ratcliff played in all 27 games for Western Oregon and averaged 3.7 points and three rebounds per contest. He also shot 53.6-percent from the field (45-86).
Coaches quote: "Ratcliff is still coming back off that nagging injury. He provides that great athletic spark. He is a tremendous offensive rebounder and is really god at running the floor. Even though he is an undersized post he can play against the bigger players. He and Mike (Schmidt) provide good rebounding skills at the four position.
#33 Tyler Blok, 6-6, Sr., Banks, Ore. (Banks '05)
Blok is one of four seniors on the team. He is an experienced player who has earned three letters in as many seasons with the team.
Coaches quote: "Tyler is one that has really worked hard to improve what he can bring to this team. He brings a lot of the intangibles with the hustle and the never quit attitude. He will be able to provide us with some help at the four spot and with his ability to shoot the ball he should be able to stretch the defenses. You might see him playing some more four than three this season. He is one of those guys that has been in our program and knows the system; this is an opportunity for him to do some things."
#34 Kolton Nelson, 6-8, Fr., Klamath Falls, Ore. (Mazama '08)
Coaches quote: "Kolton is a young freshman with a great upside and work ethic. We are really excited about his ability to provide us with some post influence. He is going to be good."
#55 Gabe Thrash, 6-8, Jr., Gardena, Calif. (Gardena '06/Bakersfield College)
Thrash joins the Wolves after playing one season at Bakersfield College.
Coaches quote: "Gabe Thrash is a hard worker that is extremely athletic. He should be able to provide us with rebounding and defensive strengths which should be a great compliment to the other players."
