Athletics > Men's Basketball > Season outlook

2009-10 preseason information

Justin Madsen drive

2008-09 overall record: 13-13
Conference record/finish: 7-9, 6th
Letterwinners lost: 2
Letterwinners returning: 14
Starters lost: 0
Starters returning: 5 (Miguel Ley-g, Justin Madsen-g, Mark Holan-f, Loren Liming-f, Zach Cooper-c)

Outlook
Central College enters the 2009-10 men’s basketball campaign with the deepest and most experienced squad in Mike Boschee’s seven seasons as head coach.

Whether that translates into becoming an Iowa Conference title contender is uncertain, but Boschee said his veteran players know what needs to be done.

"They understand what it takes to be successful in the Iowa Conference,” he said. “They understand the effort they have to give each night and they know how well we have to execute to be successful.”

Point guard
All five starters return from last year’s 13-13 squad, led by two-time all-conference point guard Miguel Ley, a 6-foot senior. He was the league’s scoring leader with a 17.4-point average while passing out 3.0 assists. A four-year starter, Ley is 17th on Central’s all-time scoring list with 1,053 points.

Ley is more than a scorer.

"Miguel continues to improve his game and ability to play the point,” Boschee said. “He’s very explosive and a good shooter. He’s becoming better at running our team.”
             
Boschee is looking at three other players as backups, most notably 5-11 senior DeMarco Turner, who appeared in 17 games last year.

"DeMarco is a quick guard who shoots it very well,” Boschee said. “He can be a spark for us”.

Brock Caves, a 5-10 sophomore, is up from the junior varsity.

"He’s got a burst to him and has improved his shooting quite a bit,” Boschee said. “He’s doing a lot of things well right now. We are very pleased with his developement.”

Adrian Cave, a 5-10 freshman from Springfield, Ill., has also forced his way into the conversation.
               
"Adrian is very quick and a good shooter,” Boschee said. “He’s a true point guard. He’s good in transition and he runs the team well at a young age.”

Off guard/small forward
Seniors Justin Madsen (6-0) and Mark Holan (6-4) handled the wing positions last year.

Madsen averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 rebounds and was the team’s best 3-point shooter. He averaged 1.5 treys a game, hitting 36.1 percent.

"Justin’s a good shooter and gets after it defensively,” Boschee said. “We think he will be even better from 3pt range this year”.

Holan was the team’s third-leading scorer, averaging 8.5 points with 4.5 rebounds.

"Mark plays with a lot of intensity,” Boschee said. “He brings it every day in practice. He’s a hard-nosed player.”               

Another blue-collar player, 6-5 junior James Chapline, was also in the wing rotation. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.
   
"He’s another tough, hard-nosed player,” Boschee said. “He’s a great rebounding guard and he’s improved his shooting. He seems to be more confident than a year ago. I really like the energy he brings.”

Central has some additional options this year. Cy Winn, a 6-4 senior, transferred from Graceland Univ. for his final collegiate season.

"Cy is good offensively,” Boschee said. “He could pose match-up problems for some smaller guards.”
               
Boschee also likes a freshman, 6-4 Jacob Winkler of Lancaster, Mo.

"He’s a good offensive player who can pass and shoot,” he said. “He also has a good post up game.
               
Up from the junior varsity is 6-2 junior Marko Marinkovich.

“Marko’s got a good work ethic and shoots the ball pretty well,” Boschee said.

Power forward/center
Big men are scarce commodities in Division III but the Dutch have two good ones in seniors Loren Liming (6-7) and Zach Cooper (6-9). Liming blossomed last year, averaging 12.0 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting a team-high 57.3 percent from the floor with 1.4 blocks.
               
“Loren’s floor game has improved in a lot of areas,” Boschee said. “His post moves are much better. I think you’ll see a much improved Loren Liming compared to a year ago.”
               
Cooper’s been a defensive stopper. He averaged 1.8 blocks and 6.1 rebounds while scoring 5.7 points a game.

“Zach’s continued to develop,” Boschee said. “He’s a very good defensive player but has continued to develop his offensive game. His post moves are a little cleaner than a year ago.”
               
Central added depth with 6-5 sophomore Jack Bruns, a transfer from Kirkwood Community College.
               
“He’s a good offensive player that uses his size and strength very well,” Boschee said. “I think he’ll also be a good rebounder. We will need his physical play.”
               
Preston Davidson, a 6-6 senior, is a three-time letterwinner. He averaged 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds off the bench last season.
               
“Preston’s been a pretty good defensive player for us and continues to develop offensively,” Boschee said. “He has plenty of experience that we can always count on.
               
Chris Lehmann, a 6-6 sophomore, showed promise on the junior varsity last year and could work his way into the rotation.

“Chris has improved his outside shooting,” Boschee said. “We hope he can stretch the floor offensively.”
               
Also up from the JV is 6-4 sophomore Matt Thornton.
               
“Matt’s a good offensive player with an uncanny ability to score inside,” Boschee said. “If you let him catch it down low, he’s probably going to score.”

The freshmen
Boschee likes his freshman class. With a senior-dominated lineup, available varsity playing time will be sparse but opportunities will soon arise.
               
“It’s a good group both athletically and academically,” Boschee said. “It’s a well-balanced class and a talented group that needs to step up and be ready to play a big role next year following the graduation of our seven seniors.”

The season
Outside shooting to complement Central’s efficient inside game was a point of emphasis for the players in the off-season and Boschee thinks he’s seeing progress.
               
“I’m optimistic about our shooting,” Boschee said. “Some of the guys that needed to address it have addressed it. But I’m not going to dwell on it. I just hope the guys will shoot with confidence and be complete players both offensively and defensively.”
               
Boschee would also like some up-tempo play.

“We need to be better in transition and take advantage of scoring opportunities better than we did a year ago,” he said. “We weren’t getting enough easy baskets.
               
“I think we understand what we’re doing offensively better than last year. We put in a new system last year and it seems much more natural for us this year.”

But Boschee doesn’t want the Dutch to forget his traditional defensive emphasis.
               
“I think we have the potential to be a better offensive team,” he said. “But we’re a little behind defensively from where I thought we’d be, probably because of the influx of new players. Defensively you’re only as good as your weakest link. When the season starts we hope to be one of the league’s best defensive teams again.”
               
Central tied for fifth in the Iowa Conference last year and even with an improved club, climbing in the standings will require a determined effort.
               
“The league is as strong as ever,” Boschee said. “It’s more balanced this year. Each night you have to be ready to play or you’ll get beat. It should be exciting.”
               
The non-conference schedule will test the Dutch as well, particularly the Westmont Tom Byron Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif. Dec. 29-30. Host Westmont (Calif.) is a traditional NAIA power.
               
“In the non-conference schedule we’ll see teams of various styles,” Boschee said. “That will help prepare us for the conference season.”
               
The Dutch are ready.

 “I’m just excited to get going,” Boschee said.