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200-08 Iowa Conference preview
2007-08 season outlook
As coach Mike Boschee’s first recruiting class reaches its senior year, the Central College men’s basketball team is developing the kind of depth needed to be a consistent contender in the Iowa Conference.
The 2007-08 club should be one of Central’s deepest and most experienced in recent years.
“We return quite a few players and the team has made improvement in several areas of the game,” coach Mike Boschee said. “We’re hoping that our experience will help us come up with some wins on the road in games where we’ve come up short in the past.”
But while four starters return from an 11-14 squad (8-8 Iowa Conference), there’s no easy way to fill the oversized Nikes of graduated all-conference center Clint Driftmier, the fourth-leading rebounder and ninth-leading scorer in Central history. A 6-foot-10 post with a soft shooting touch, Driftmier consistently brought a high-energy level to the floor but is now playing professionally in Germany.
“A concern is who is going to fill the void in rebounding,” Boschee said. “We’re hoping to do that by committee. We also need more scoring from a variety of areas but we have the potential to be better defensively than we were last year.”
Guards
Much of Central’s experience is in the guard court. Shooting guard Zak Clark, a 6-foot senior, is the top returning scorer and a second-team all-league selection. He averaged 14.8 points and 2.9 assists while hitting a team-high 49 3-pointers. Another 6-0 senior, point guard Brett De Hoogh, already holds Central’s assists records for a game (13), season (141) and career (361). He scored 6.7 points with 4.1 rebounds last season.
De Hoogh is bidding to become a four-year starter at the point.
“Brett has gotten better every year and we expect the same this year,” Boschee said. “His perimeter shooting has improved. We need to get great decision-making from him as a senior leader.”
Meanwhile 6-0 sophomore Miguel Ley burst onto the scene as a freshman and became a key contributor down the stretch. He started four games and averaged 9.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Ley will likely see most of his action as a wing, but will handle the point at times as well.
“Miguel can play both positions,” Boschee said. “He’s a great athlete with a scorer’s mentality that I think we’ll need from him.”
Also capable of filling both spots is 6-1 sophomore Justin Madsen, who appeared in 11 games last year.
“Justin’s one of our most consistent shooters,” Boschee said. “He can play both the wing and the point for us.”
Clark will be counted on for scoring at shooting guard but also came up with a team high 2.8 steals per game.
“Zack has the ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot it,” Boschee said. “He must be cognizant of being a more efficient scorer and I’m confident he will.”
A.J. Meyer, a 6-1 senior, averaged 3.7 points in 24 games as a reserve at shooting guard.
“A.J. is a steady shooter who seems to get better as the year goes on,” Boschee said. “He’s a very heady player with a high basketball I.Q.”
Another option is 6-1 junior Nick Phillips.
“Nick’s a good shooter as well,” Boschee said. “He needs to continue to develop his overall floor game.”
Small forward
Simeon Lang, a 6-3 senior, is a two-time letterwinner at small forward and gets the first look at a starting spot. He started 16 games last year, averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds.
“Sim is a big, strong inside/outside player,” Boschee said. “He needs to be a more consistent shooter from the 3-point line and we need him to help us on the boards a great deal.”
Showing great promise as a freshman before suffering an injury last year was 6-4 sophomore Mark Holan. He appeared in seven games.
“Mark’s a very good slasher-type player,” Boschee said. “He goes to the boards really hard and plays with high energy. He’s worked hard and has improved his overall game.”
Boschee has high hopes for 6-5 sophomore Ben Kennedy as well after a year with the junior varsity.
“Ben’s a lanky shooter who has impressed us in the early going this fall,” Boschee said. “He runs the floor very well but needs to get better on the defensive end.”
Power forward
Three-year letterwinner Keith Pedersen, a 6-6 senior, has shown flashes of becoming a dominant player during a sometimes injury-plagued career. He closed with a flourish last year in a season-ending conference tournament loss at Simpson College last year when he produced a statistical double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
For the season he averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while hitting a solid 54.4 percent from the field. With Driftmier’s graduation, Boschee wants Pedersen to become a go-to player.
“We expect a lot from Keith this year, both in scoring and rebounding,” Boschee said. “He needs to come ready to play every night. He needs to take it upon himself to have a season similar to that tournament game last year. We want him to strive to be that kind of player.”
Central also regains the services of 6-5 junior David Poetting, who was on the brink of becoming a key offensive cog when his season met an early end with a knee injury. Poetting is still working his way back from that but Boschee is hopeful that he can soon match or eclipse his showing last year in the six games he played, averaging 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds with a 54.4 shooting percentage, including 52.4 percent from 3-point range.
“We hope we get the same kind of output,” Boschee said. “We really need him to keep his intensity level high on the defensive end as well.”
The position will eventually be bolstered by 6-6 sophomore Jordan Leuschen. He’ll join the squad late after spending the fall as a productive tight end on the Dutch football squad. Leuschen also had an injury-checkered freshman year but appeared in 17 games off the bench, averaging 3.0 points and 3.5 rebounds.
“Jordan came on strong late last year and helped fill the void we had because of Poetting’s injury,” Boschee said. “He’s a big, strong player who we’re hoping can contribute when football’s done.”
Center
Central has a trio of talented sophomores bidding to take Driftmier’s spot. They lack Driftmier’s perimeter offensive skills but provide a more physical inside presence. At 6-9, Zach Cooper is making a strong impression after playing in four games with the varsity last year.
“Zach’s really long and athletic,” Boschee said. “He’s a good defensive player with a knack for shot-blocking. And his low-post moves have improved a great deal since last season.”
The most experienced post player is 6-6 Preston Davidson, who played in 20 games, averaging 6 minutes.
“Preston is a big, strong post who is very active on the boards,” Boschee said. “He’s got a good low-post game.”
Brent Lund, another 6-6 sophomore, will see considerable action as well. He played in six games last year.
“Brent’s another big, strong, physical player,” Boschee said. “He’s great on the boards. He needs to get more confident in his offensive game.”
The trio brings significant potential.
“Our posts are a little more physical this year and they’re continuing to improve as low-post scorers,” Boschee said. “Driftmier continued to get better each year and was a great listener. We’re hoping to get similar improvement from these guys.”
The schedule
While the Dutch expect to show improvement, others in the league do as well, most notably defending champion Loras College.
“It’s going to be a very challenging year in the Iowa Conference,” Boschee said. “Loras returns all five starters and I see them as the team to beat. Buena Vista and Coe return a great deal as well.”
Yet as he enters his fifth season at Central, the team is taking on the form Boschee envisioned when he took the head coaching job.
“I feel like we’re pretty solid at all positions,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of talent and athletic ability in the program now. They’re all fun to coach, they work hard and they’re good people. I hope that translates into a good season.”
Boschee said it’s important that his players set their sights on the top rather than accepting modest improvement.
“Everyone in the program needs to believe we can accomplish great things,” he said. “We’ll have to get a few breaks but hopefully we’ve paid the price and worked hard enough to have a little luck on our side.”
There’s a new look to the coaching staff with Joe Steinkamp, last year’s junior varsity coach and a former Central player, becoming the top assistant, replacing Nic Nelson, who accepted another position. Former William Penn assistant Chris Pierson takes over the JV program.
“I really enjoy working with Joe,” Boschee said. “He’s doing an outstanding job and it’s been a smooth transition. The players like playing for him and he’s a great fit, both for me and for Central.
“Chris is doing a good job as well and the players seem to like him. He’s still new in coaching but there’s coaching in his family and it’s in his heart to become a head coac someday.”
While last year’s team journeyed to Hawaii, there are no exotic sites on the Central schedule this year. But Boschee noted he’d gladly he’d gladly travel the NCAA Division III tournament trail instead.
“If the players want a trip, they’ll have to win the conference,” he said. “Hopefully that’s a goal they will strive to achieve.”