It's safe to say that Westminster's 13th-ranked men's basketball team is very excited to have the season under way. At the same time, the preseason favorite in the Frontier Conference isn't buying into all the hype just yet.
"We try not to pay too much attention to those polls," says shooting guard, Jordan Jacobs. "It kind of makes you feel good that coaches recognize you," says point guard, Danny Reeder.
Head coach Tommy Conner believes the NAIA ranking is more reflective of the winning tradition the school has enjoyed. He's also trying to mold a promising group into a contender and doesn't put much stock in November rankings.
"Preseason poll — I don't buy into that. We're trying to get new guys to establish how hard we have to play. We're still in a big teaching stage," Conner said.
With the return of Frontier Conference Player of the Year Danny Reeder and All-Conference selection Nick Booth, the Griffins are the coaches' pick to win the conference. With a pair of stars from last year's team that went 23-8, and 6-foot-7 Nate Sanchez in the fold, Westminster could be as good as advertised. Reeder in particular, should be the catalyst for the Griffins' success.
"It's more valuable to have a veteran point guard," Conner said. "He makes everyone better. He just needs to stay healthy," he said.
The former University of Utah point guard (1985-90) demands toughness and discipline from all his teams and this one is no different. This is why Reeder's ability to run the offense is vital to the success of the team. The effectiveness of injured forward Nick Booth is also a question mark for the Griffins. He's still not completely recovered from the knee injury that ended his season in 2005-06. The staff is trying to ease him back slowly this season, gearing him for league play.
"I'm 95 percent back right now," Booth says. "A lot of it's mental just to come back," the 6-foot-5 senior says.
Booth's knee is about a month ahead of schedule but Conner is being cautious in the amount of playing time he gets. The other man in the middle is sophomore Nate Sanchez from Washington State.
He's a big reason the team will cut down on their 3-point attempts and work the ball into the post more. Coaches are very pleased with the progress the returned LDS missionary has made this season. Sanchez gives them a much needed scoring punch in the middle.
Using a variety of inside moves, the sophomore scored 14 points in a lopsided 88-47 victory over Lakehead University last Saturday night.
"Well, for a guy that got back from a mission, he looks pretty good," Conner exulted. The Griffins led the conference in 3-point field goal percentage in 2005-06. Brandon Sholly and Jared Ruiz did most of the damage from three point range. This season it looks like Jordan Jacobs is primed for those duties, the sophomore hit five 3-pointers in the second game of their weekend match-up with Lakehead.
Griffins roster
No. Name Position Year Height Hometown
2 Danny Reeder G Jr. 5-10 Sandy, UT
3 Tyler Heugly G Sr. 5-9 Salt Lake City, UT
5 Travis Tucker F Fr. 6-5 Salt Lake City, UT
10 Nash Lockie G Fr. 6-2 Stansbury Park, UT
11 Rob Holcombe G Sr. 6-1 Provo, UT
20 Jared Roberts G So. 6-3 South Jordan, UT
21 Jordan Jacobs G So. 5-11 South Jordan, UT
22 James Thompson G Fr. 6-2 Murray, UT
23 Allen Schowengerdt F So. 6-4 Salt Lake City, UT
24 Les Brown G Fr. 6-5 Salt Lake City, UT
30 Danny Stosich F So. 6-6 South Jordan, UT
32 Lance Barton F Sr. 6-8 Lake Stevens, WA
33 Nate Sanchez F So. 6-7 Federal Way, WA
34 Stefan Stathopolus F Fr. 6-5 Denver, CO
40 Nick Booth F Sr. 6-4 Riverton, UT
41 Tanner Gregory F Fr. 6-5 Provo, UT
44 Eric Andersen F Fr. 6-6 Hesperia, CA
Head Coach: Tommy Connor
Assistant Coaches: Todd Phillips, Jason Long, Dave Thompson
Manager: Roger Hale Trainer: Rick Hackford
Westminster men's basketball schedule
11/10, Concordia University, 8 p.m., Irvine, CA
11/11, Azusa Pacific Tournament - Hope International, 3:30 p.m., Azusa, CA
11/13, Azusa Pacific Tournament - Azusa Pacific, 7:30 p.m., Azusa, CA
11/17, Golden Rule Shootout - Eastern Oregon University, 9:30 p.m., Caldwell, ID
11/18, Golden Rule Shootout - Albertson College, 9:30 p.m., Caldwell, ID
11/24, Homestead Studio Suites Inv. - Lubbock Christian U., 7 p.m., SLC
11/25, Homestead Studio Suites Invitational - Albertson College, 7 p.m., SLC
12/1, Dixie Tournament - Adams State, 6 p.m., St. George, UT
12/2, Dixie Tournament - Dixie State College, 8 p.m., St. George, UT
12/7, Westminster Tournament - Dixie State College, 7:30 p.m., SLC
12/9, Westminster Tournament - Northwest Nazarene U., 6 p.m., SLC
12/30, South Padre Island Shootout - Transylvania University, TBA, So. Padre Island, TX
12/31, South Padre Island Shootout - Rockford University, TBA, So. Padre Island, TX
1/6, Lewis-Clark State College, 8 p.m., Lewiston, ID
1/12, MSU-Northern, 8 p.m., Havre, MT
1/13, University of Great Falls, 8 p.m., Great Falls, MT
1/18, Montana Tech, 7:30 p.m., SLC
1/20, UM-Western, 7:30 p.m., SLC
1/25, Carroll College, 8 p.m., Helena, MT
1/27, Rocky Mountain College, 4 p.m., Billings, MT
2/3, Lewis-Clark State College, 7:30 p.m., SLC
2/8, University of Great Falls, 7:30 p.m., SLC
2/10, MSU-Northern, 7:30 p.m., SLC
2/16, UM-Western, 8 p.m., Dillon, MT
2/17, Montana Tech, 8 p.m., Butte, MT
2/22, Rocky Mountain College, 7:30 p.m., SLC
2/24, Carroll College, 7:30 p.m., SLC
2/28-3/3, Frontier Conference Tournament, TBA, Butte, MT
3/14-20, NAIA National Tournament, TBA, Kansas City, MO
E-mail: tpeterson@desnews.com