Morningside Mens Basketball Preview
Expectations have been set high for this year’s Morningsides basketball team. Coming off last season’s 15-17 record, the Morningside Mustangs men’s basketball team opens its season beginning in early November. With a deep bench and great senior leadership, the bar has been set to have an anything but successful season.
Going into the season the team returns four starters, including scoring leader Garth Hamilton. Hamilton scored 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Along with Hamilton, the team’s leader in assists Trent Miller returns to give a healthy balance for Hamilton down low. With those two, Kevin Zoz and Bryan Borchers also return to the starting lineup. Wayne State transfer Tanner Ferguson joins the team to build depth on the bench.
Head coach Jim Sykes enters his ninth season as head basketball coach. Sykes guided the Mustangs to consecutive GPAC regular season championships in 2007-08 and 2008-09. He has a career record of 141-64 for a .687 winning percentage for the highest victory rate in school history. Coach Sykes could not be reached for comment.
The off-season went well, says sophomore basketball player Garrett Smith-Keller. “The team was focused all off-season and ready to get back out on the court after how last season didn’t end the way we were hoping.”
All summer the team worked out and played in games around the Midwest. The month leading up to the first practice, the team conditioned two times a week. The conditioning ranged from sprints on the track, all the way to running stadium stairs down at Olsen Stadium.
The GPAC conference should be very competitive once again this season. Last year’s regular season champion was Northwestern. “We should be right up there competing with the top dogs in the conference this season,” says freshman guard Angel Ung. The preseason polls haven’t been released yet but the favorites in the conference are Dordt, Northwestern, and Briar Cliff, just to name a few.
With all the preseason preparation in place and practicing just beginning, things are looking up. The team has all things in place to get back to be at top of the conference like they were back in 2008 and 2009. The team opens the season in York, Nebraska against York College November 4th, for the York Classic.
Filed by Andrew at October 6th, 2011 under Other Posts
A good start. Though it seems to early to be talking about basketball, I feel like football just started. One thing you could focus on is who will be the Mustangs biggest competition in the GPAC this winter. Also, and interview with the head coach would add a nice touch.
Joshua — October 6, 2011 @ 2:20 PM