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Season Outlook 2003-2004 Men’s Basketball
The 2003-04 Warriors enter
this season looking to build on the success of last year’s 22-9 record and
a third place finish in Frontier Conference play. In 2002-03, the Warriors
tied for second in conference scoring offense at 85 points per game and
second in steals and blocks with 7.65 and 2.45 a game respectively.
Registering win streaks of 10 and of 16 and 17 last season, the Warriors
posted their forth consecutive year of nearly 22 wins a season. With a
talented nucleus returning and the addition of an excellent incoming
class, Head Coach George Pfeifer has season tobe optimistic. “What we have coming back are battle tested veteran players who have proven they can contribute at every position,” said Pfeifer. “It is not only important for them to contribute at a higher level than last year, but for them to mentor the new members to our team.” Coach Pfeifer and the returning Warriors welcome 11 players to this year’s team. Forward James Idoko returns to the Warrior lineup after a one-year hiatus. The Nigerian native will be joined by transfers Danny Allen, Andy Jakel, Joey Ray, J.C. Howe, Martin Brothers, and Danny Ball. Rounding out the 2003-04 roster will be freshmen Jared Tikker, Drew Thueson, and Chris Pitts. 5-8 senior Ricky Fraizer (Seattle, Wash.) led the Warriors in assists and steals last season with 105 and 51 respectively. Last year Ricky was the quickest player in the conference at the point guard position. He averaged 9.5 points per game while shooting 39 percent from three-point range. 6-9, 245 pound senior Adam Trombley (Anchorage, Alaska) ended up starting the final eight games of the season. He shot an impressive 57percent from the field, scoring 7.9 points per game and pulling down 5.5 rebounds a contest. Energetic 6-4 senior Dustin Endsley (Woodlands, Texas) has the most starts of any of the returnee’s with 12, all coming at the end of the season. He averaged 5.9 points and three rebounds a game while knocking down almost 80 percent of his free throws. Rounding out the active returning core is 6-7 senior Jason Hansen (Parma, Idaho). Hansen, who saw action in 30 games, averaged 2.2 points and almost 3 rebounds a game. The two players returning from red-shirt years are 6-4 Lance Pecht (Spokane, Wash.) and 6-1 Chad Young (Tampa, Florida). Pecht, in his final game as a freshman against Oklahoma Baptist in the National tournament, went 5 for 7 from the field and scored 12 points. Young is coming off a broken foot, which kept him out almost the entire year. One major key to success depends on the returnees ability to pave the way for the talented recruiting class that will join them. “What we have coming back are battle tested veteran players who have proven they can contribute at every position,” said head Coach George Pfeifer. “It is not only important for them to contribute at a higher level than last year, but for them to mentor the new members to our team.” One could say that 6-1, 220 pound junior James Idoko from ( Otupko, Nigeria) should be counted on the list of those Warriors who are returning as he played during the 2001-02 campaign. During that season he played in 24 games, starting in six. As a Warrior he scored 12 points a game, shooting 64 percent from the field and grabbed the second most rebounds for the Warriors at 5.7 per game. This years team has above average front line size as the other four players range from 6-6 ½ to 6-8. One of those is 6-8, 245 pound junior Martin Brothers (Indianapolis, Ind.). Brothers will become eligible for the Warriors at the conclusion of the fall semester. As a freshman he played a vital role in the Southeastern Iowa Community College National Championship season. He was later named to the Rick Ball top 50 JUCO’s in the country. The Warriors are blessed to have two outstanding freshman 6-6 ½, 215 pound Jared Tikker (Nine Mile Falls, Wash) and 6-8, 210 pound Chris Pitts (Hillsboro, Ore.). Both have great touch on their shot and can run the floor well. It will be no surprise to the coaches if they see plenty of action this year.
On the perimeter the Warriors have 5-10 junior Danny Allen (Dallas, Texas). Allen sat out last season, but was the starting point guard his sophomore year at national power house San Jacinto Junior College in Texas. Danny is extremely quick and shoots the ball with range. Speaking of a power house and shooting the ball with range, the Warriors brought in 5-11 junior Joey Ray (Heltonville, Ind.). Like Allen, Ray sat out last year and played his sophomore year at Vincennes Junior College where he was the team’s second leading scorer. Ray was the leading scorer at NCAA Div I Lamar University his freshman year. 6-2 Danny Ball (Evanston, Wyo.) transfers to the program from the University of Great Falls and will red shirt this year leaving him with one year of eligibility next season. Even though the Warriors produced double digit wins over GFU last year, Ball came away in both contests with 24 points each night and was named to the All-Conference team. Ball finished last season 14th in the country in scoring at 19.1 points per game and third in the country in free-throw percentage at 89 percent. Rounding out the perimeter cast is Wenatchee Valley Community College transfer 6’2 Junior Andy Jaekel (Centerville, Wash.), 6-2 freshman Drew Theuson (Parma, Idaho), and 6-1 freshman Caleb Orr (Deary, Idaho). “You have to be excited when you look at the pedigree of what some of these transfers bring,” said Pfeifer. “San Jacinto, Southeast Iowa, Vincennes, and College of Southern Idaho are all exclusive hot beds of junior college basketball and we have players who were key players from each of these programs. Our two freshman interior players are extremely impressive, both are skilled, bright and hard working. With out question once this group grasp the team concept, understands their roles and figures out how to play in our system we have a chance to be pretty good. This is as talented a recruiting class we have had during my tenure, the biggest question mark and challenge is their willingness to accept roles and understand the value of playing together with urgency night in and night out.”
When you look at the
schedule in the non-conference with this years team what jumps out are the
four preseason tournaments. This group will end up playing in a total of
18 home games, 11 of which are non-conference. Warrior faithful will have
plenty of opportunity see them play. What has everyone’s attention is the
level of competition that will come from within this year’s Frontier
Conference play. “This will be my fifth year in the Frontier and there is
no doubt from top to bottom it is the strongest our league has been,” said
Pfeifer. Western Montana returns virtually everyone and brings off
medical red-shirt two tremendous players from two years ago, 6-8 Neil
Christians and 5-9 Josh Keller. Plus they added 6-1 Sam Riddle from the
University of Montana. Rocky Mountain is reported to have had a
stellar recruiting class. Out front they return an athletic sharp shooter
in 6-4 Jake Stewart. Carroll lost two tremendous players, but
returns three starters and a host of reserves who played huge minutes. Big
time three-point shooter Randy Ranalli (made 100 3’s last year at 46
percent) and red-shirt sophomore Jeff Gram will give the Saints the deep
outside shooting they have had in the past. Point guard Greg Johnson was
third in the country in assists at 6.7 per game. Inside they added 6-7
Jeff Hayes, a transfer from the University of Montana. No one is counting
out Westminster as they will again bring a huge front line and have
their leading scorer,\ Adam Haitt back as well as their top three-point
shooter Shane Humphreys (third in country at 48 percent). Northern
Montana brings back both the Morinia brothers who can shoot it and
bounce it with the best of them and add some quality size to go with the
rest of their talented returning cast.
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