MNU


[ athletics ]


Men’s and Women’s 2010-2011 Basketball Preview A Young Men’s Hoops Team Looking to Rebound


While MidAmerica Nazarene University men’s basketball coach may not have a fifth-straight Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year in his hip pocket, he does have a pair of pretty good sophomores to build on.


The young team will look to last year’s HAAC Freshman of the Year, point guard Rustin Dowd, and big man Lukas Weigel to lead the way in 2010-11.


For the first time in 17 years, the Pioneers didn’t win 20 games last year. They were 18-13.


The task of getting back to


the regular 20-wins-a-season falls to an inexperienced, yet very talented team.


Rustin Dowd, sophomore guard, Olathe, Kan., was the 09-10 HAAC Freshman of the Year.


“We are really, really young this year,” said head coach Rocky Lamar. “We will


be relying a lot on two sophomores, and our freshman class has the potential to be as good as ever.”


High praise coming from a man who has coached 21 All- Plenty of New Faces for New Coach


Be sure to have a roster ready when you take in an MNU women’s basketball game this fall. There are many new faces and not just on the court.


For the first time in 12 years, a new coach is leading the Pioneers. Taking over for 500- game winner Bill Olin is Karen Lange, who was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech and the University of Kansas over the last 15 years.


Lange is charged with leading a young team that will rely on a talented cast of players as opposed to a single go-to player, which is a bit of a departure for the Pioneers.


A year ago, Bethany Rexroth was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year, marking the fourth time in five years that an MNU player earned the conference’s highest honor.


18 | Accent magazine | Fall 2010


Hadleigh Meek, senior guard, Parkville, Mo., is the top returning scorer and third in the nation with an 87.5% free throw percentage.


This year, the Pioneers have several individuals that can play a number of positions on the floor, according to Lange.


“It’s not going to be just one player,” she said.


“We will have a whole group of solid players and a lot of talent.”


A pair of seniors who Lange was looking to for leadership — Beth Keeley and Heather Cunard — are out for the season with injuries.


“Everything is new to everyone,” Lange said. With just five upperclassmen returning, the


growing pains may be evident early, but Lange is confident they will get past it.


Lange has been thrilled with the way her team has been playing in pre-season practices.


“They have been consistent from day to day,” she said, “and if we continue to work hard, good things will happen.” ❡


Americans, led the Pioneers to a handful of NAIA Final Fours and the 2007 NAIA Division II National Championship.


“It’s going to be interesting to see how quickly they come along,” he said. “The last time we had four freshmen that played a lot, we started 5-12, but came back and won the HAAC, so you never know. Stranger things have happened.”


Dowd is the unquestioned leader, and Weigel is a raw talent that Lamar said has a chance to be really special.


“I’ve always said if you have a great point guard and a great inside player, you are going to win a lot of games,” he added.


If that’s the case, the Pioneers are primed to bounce back this season.


The quartet of Austin Hennings, Luke Thomas, Zsolt Lakosa and Conner Langrehr has Lamar excited.


Langrehr comes to the Pioneers from Gardner-Edgerton, where he led the Blazers to third place in the state last year.


Lakosa was a member of the Hungarian under-17 national team. Lamar is looking forward to pairing the guard with Dowd to see how they can play off of each other.


Hennings and Thomas are both over 6-foot-7 and bring some bulk to the party.


Lamar will also be looking to junior college transfer Marcus Butler to add some pop, and another pair of returners, Ian Mathews and Barry Robinson, who will provide much needed leadership. ❡


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24