By Jade Nelson–With basketball season quickly approaching, Briar Cliff is said to be the top men’s basketball team, not only in Sioux City, but in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
The Chargers of Briar Cliff ended up 13-7 in the GPAC last season. Two of those seven losses were thanks to our very own Morningside College Mustangs who ended 17-3 in the conference. Not only players, but fans and students are wondering how this season is going to play out.
“It’s always going to be a good game with them,” says sophomore Brody Van Ginkel. “We love to put on a show for the traditional cross-town rivalry.” Brody, the younger brother and teammate of junior Blake Van Ginkel, had a total of 10 steals and 90 points for the Mustangs last season.
Morningside is hopeful and eager for their season to start. Only returning one starter though from last year, Ryan Tegtmeier, the Mustangs have some adjustments to make.
Wyatt Mounts, a sophomore transfer student, now playing for the Mustangs says, “I think it makes us want to work that much harder. We want to be at the top and seeing Briar Cliff there will make it that much better when we beat them.”
Some Morningside fans also are getting a little heated over this subject. Asked what they think of Briar Cliff, junior cheerleader Melanie Kiser says, “Everyone’s got another thing comin’ if they think we’re gonna lose to them. We’re Morningside, we don’t lose, especially not to Briar Cliff.”
On the other side of Sioux City, the Chargers are returning their four top scorers: Shane Graves, Clay Herreld, Austin Lefler, and Bryan Forbes. All four of these players averaged at least 10 points per game last season.
Junior Shane Graves has been an all-star for the Chargers. Last season alone he put up a total of 375 points and 61 rebounds. Graves claims they need to have a “run and gun” type of play to be able to keep up with the competition. Where they lack in size, they make up for in speed.
Also a junior at Briar Cliff, Austin Lefler talks about their taste of the national tournament at the end of last season. “Unfortunately we got knocked out first round…I think that set a fire underneath of us.” He says the Chargers are ready for this season and to continue to improve as a team.
This will be Head Coach, Nic Nelson’s fifth season with the Chargers. He comments, “After today the preseason poll doesn’t mean anything. Nobody remembers it come February and March.” The preseason poll is voted on by the coaches in the GPAC on a 10-1 basis. The Chargers received 90 points and five first place votes, making them number one while Morningside did not even make the top five.
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