October 22, 2003
2003-2004 Season Preview
Over the last two years, the Nebraska-Kearney men’s basketball team has been one of the most successful programs in all divisions of college basketball, not just Division II.
Since the beginning of the 2001-02 season, the Lopers have gone 54-9, won 48 of 53 regular season games, won 32 of 33 home contests, had a 19 game road win streak, had win streaks of 18 and 23 games and, finally, gone 36-2 in RMAC regular season contests.
And, of course, there was last season’s 30-3 effort that resulted in a school record win total, the program’s second RMAC title, a North Central Region title and a first ever trip to the Elite Eight.
For head coach Tom Kropp, now in his 14th season as head coach of the Lopers, the question for the 2003-04 Lopers will not be so much if they can duplicate last year’s records and feats as much as if they can duplicate that team’s chemistry and attitude.
“We always try to control things that we have control over, like being fundamentally sound, being well conditioned and having a good attitude,” Kropp said. “One of the keys last year was our team chemistry. That group had played together a long time and knew each other very well. That’s something we have to develop this year. We had team chemistry on October 15th (first day of practice) last year but that’s not going to be the case this season.”
With three starters and seven letterwinners returning, the cupboard is far from empty. While UNK must replace two-time All-American Nick Svehla, super sub Mike Gitt and sharp shooter Richard Dionne, senior forward Nick Branting is back after ranking second on the team in points and rebounds the past two years. And the backcourt of seniors Brian Dunagan and Chad Sheffield had over a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last year and should be among the most efficient guard tandems in the nation.
“Not only did we lose three of our top four scorers but those players were also very good shooters and big kids,” Kropp said. “However, we still have a lot of experience back.”
In his career, Branting has amassed 1,028 points, 509 rebounds, 112 steals and 87 blocks but has managed to do all that fairly quietly. A two-time All-RMAC pick, Branting has seen the spot light shine more on departed Nick Svehla the past three years. That won’t be the case this year.
“Nick’s role will change more this year than anyone else on the team. He played in Svehla’s shadow in the past,” Kropp said. “Nick is going to have to step up and be more of a difference maker for us this year.”
Besides his offensive game, which includes 47 career three pointers, Branting is also one of the Lopers top defenders. He has been called upon to stop the quickest of guards yet can also bang with the opponents top post players.
The only familiar face joining Branting in the post is sophomore Jacob Burger (6-5, 205 lbs.), who transferred to UNK last December after spending one year at Otero Junior College. While he did practice with the team, a knee injury sidelined him for most of the second semester.
Now healthy, Burger looks to make an impact right away.
“Jacob has come back a much improved player. He developed a jump shot over the summer and we look for him, and several others, to give us a lot of minutes on the inside,” Kropp said.
Newcomers Dusty Jura (6-6, 220 lbs.) and Cameron Lollar (6-7, 215 lbs.) are two of the other players expected to help replace the voids left by Gitt and Svehla in the post. Jura was a redshirt at Division I Northern Iowa last winter after a stellar prep career at Columbus Lakeview. Lollar, an Omaha native, had two very productive years at Northeast C.C. in Norfolk.
“Dusty is a very proven player. We wanted him out of high school,” Kropp said. “Cameron is one of several players that is new to our program but comes in with a lot of experience.”
Junior Will Taukiuvea fits into that mold as he spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at nearby McCook C.C. Tabbed as the top junior college player in Nebraska last year by the Omaha World Herald, Taukiuvea can play virtually every position on the court.
“I think what made Will so successful at McCook was his versatility. He can take you inside and then step out and hit the perimeter shot,” Kropp said of the 6-3, 220 lbs. Utah native.
Also on the wing is senior Jacob Mohs, who has appeared in 39 games as a Loper and sunk 67 percent of his field goal attempts.
Bellevue’s Jordan Farmer, the Lopers tallest player at 6-8 and the frame to get even bigger, is one of just two true freshmen on the roster. He averaged around 16 points and eight boards per game last year for the Bellevue West Thunderbirds.
“Jordan has a lot of potential and could help us in some spots,” Kropp said.
While the UNK post game is almost completely new, the top four guards from last year’s squad are back, led by Dunagan and Sheffield.
Both tenacious defenders, the duo combined for 277 assists and 135 steals last year. Offensively, Dunagan (7.6 career scoring average) has been the Lopers second best three-point shooter the past two years while Sheffield’s scoring average, at 4.8 for his career, has increased every year.
“They will have more scoring opportunities this season. Last year, one rule we had is that the ball had to touch a post player’s hands. This year, we’ll have more of a green light on the offensive end,” Kropp said.
One player that could see his scoring average rise is senior Marty Levinson (6.8 ppg, 21 made threes). After one year at Augustana and a year at Southeast C.C., the Lopers’ third Grand Island guard made quite the impact last year. An all around player, Levinson replaced an injured Dunagan in the regional finals and was one of the keys in the Lopers win over Metro State.
“Marty was the rare exception of a newcomer that got used to our system right away,” Kropp said. “He works so hard and has turned himself into one of our better shooters.”
Junior southpaw Matt Jenkins (4.0 ppg, 15 threes) had some key moments last year in his first go around in the blue and gold. He could follow in a long line of Lopers that make a dramatic improvement in their second year in the program.
“Matt has come back in good shape and really physically improved,” Kropp said.
Sophomore Kyle Fletcher is in his third year at UNK and is one of five underclassmen on the roster. Finally, juniors Matt Kucera (Central C.C.) and Brad Braithwait (Mid-Plains C.C.), along with freshman Scott Hannon (York H.S.), will redshirt this year.
UNK’s non-conference slate finds them travelling to in-state rivals Hastings, UNO and Wayne State. The Lopers haven’t won at that trio in the same season since the 1993-94 season.
In the RMAC, the East Division is loaded once again with Metro State, Fort Hays State and Colorado School of Mines leading the way. Mesa State, Colorado State-Pueblo and Fort Lewis figure to be the teams to beat in the West Division .
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Contact:
Peter Yazvac
yazvacpa@unk.edu |