Men's Basketball: Bruins Must Plug Three Big Holes in Bid For 3rd Straight Winning Season

The 2006-07 season gets under way for the Bruins on Friday, Nov. 17th, with an 8:00 PM home game against Corban College.

Bruin wing Phil Heu-Weller averaged 13.0 ppg and was 4th in the NWC in 3-pt field goal pct. (.432) while earning All-NWC Honorable Mention last season.

NEWBERG - After four years of painstaking rebuilding by coach Mark Sundquist, the pieces of the puzzle all fell into place for the George Fox University men’s basketball team, which went 34-16 over the last two seasons.

For the Bruins to make it three winning seasons in a row, however, there are three gaping holes in the starting lineup the team must plug.

George Fox fashioned an 18-7 record and finished second in the Northwest Conference at 13-3 in 2004-05, when Sundquist was named NWC Coach of the Year, and followed that up with a 16-9 campaign and fourth-place finish in the NWC at 9-7 last year.

Gone from those two teams are three starters: two-time All-Conference First Team and All-West Region Second Team wing Aaron Schmick, All-Conference Second Team post Scott Szalay, and do-it-all Ben Melvin, who played everything from point guard to forward in his four-year career.

Returnees:

The Bruins lost six letterwinners but return nine, including starters Phil Heu-Weller (6-1 Sr., Olympia, Wash. / Olympia HS) at wing and Brent Satern (5-10 Jr., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS) at point guard.

Heu-Weller received All-Conference Honorable Mention while averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game with a .432 three-point field goal percentage that was 4th in the league.

Satern was 2nd in the league in assists per game (5.7 apg) and 1st in assist/turnover ratio (2.49:1) while scoring 8.3 points a game.

“Phil and Brent are two of our tri-captains this year and have given us a lot of leadership already,” says Sundquist.

“Phil brings a tremendous amount of athleticism and shooting ability, and much of our offense will obviously be directed around him. The main thing we will look for from him is consistency.

We believe Brent is one of the top two or three point guards in the league, an excellent passer who is almost unselfish to a fault.

We have challenged him to look for more scoring opportunities this season because we’re going to need it from him, both driving and getting to the foul line and taking the shot from the perimeter.”

Two key subs from last season are expected to move into the starting lineup this season.

Chris Parker (6-6 Sr., Aloha, Ore. / Aloha HS), who averaged 12.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game and shot ..605 from the field, will also serve as a tri-captain. Brady Strutz (6-4 Jr., Oregon City, Ore. / Oregon City HS), who had 4.2 points and 3.2 caroms a game, will provide strength under the boards as well as a sharp-shooting touch from the outside.

“Chris was a part-time starter who gave us some outstanding scoring, and we need him to continue that this season,” says Sundquist.

“Even more, we will need him to become more aggressive on the offensive and defensive boards. The main thing for Brady is just to stay healthy - he has some chronic knee problems. If he is, his defensive presence and rebounding ability will be huge for us, and we expect his offensive production to climb as well.”

Matt Noble (6-6 Jr., Albany, Ore. / West Albany HS), coming off an injury-plagued sophomore season in which he only appeared in five games, averaging 1.8 points and 0.8 rebounds, will battle for Szalay’s job in the middle.

Notes Sundquist, “Matt has the size we need, if not the experience. He can be an inside defensive presence as well as a solid rebounder for us.”

On the perimeter, lefty Mark Metzler (6-3 Jr., Brookings, Ore. / Brookings-Harbor HS), who averaged 1.2 points a game in 11 appearances, has matured and will provide some instant offense with increased playing time.

Twin brothers Andrew and Taylor Martin (6-3 Jrs., Silverton, Ore. /Silverton HS), who appeared in five games last year, give the Bruins some versatility with their rebounding strength and plenty of hustle and defense.

Joe Ahn (5-11 So., Beaverton, Ore. / Beaverton HS), who played in two games, is the backup to Satern at the point and can also shoot the three if needed.

“Mark will play a lot anywhere from the one-spot to the three,” predicts Sundquist. “We have even used him at the point and he’s looked pretty good there.

The Martins are just warriors who work so hard; they are scrappy and can help us by doing the little things like rebounding or setting screens for our more offensive-minded players. Joe gives us outstanding defense and quickness in those times when we need to go with a smaller lineup.”

Newcomers:

The Bruins’ tallest player in the Sundquist era, Bryan O’Connell (6-9 Fr., Eugene, Ore. / Churchill HS), has proven to be a pleasant surprise in the pre-season and could see plenty of playing time as a rookie.

Jake Heilsberg (6-4 Fr., Colfax, Wash. / Colfax HS) is another post player whom the Bruins will work into the mix.

“Bryan is a good offensive player, a good rebounder, and has good hands; he just needs experience,” observes Sundquist.

“He’s going to make an impact for us before he’s through. Jake is a post who works extremely hard and gives us some much-needed depth at that position.”

Sundquist also welcomes in four new wings who should give the Bruins added firepower on the outside: Evan Atwater (6-3 Fr., Port Orchard, Wash. / South Kitsap HS), Dan Lingenfelder (6-3 Fr., Longview, Wash. / Mark Morris HS), Grant Vahalla (6-3 Fr., San Diego, Calif. / La Costa Canyon HS), and Justin Hull (6-2 Fr., Gresham, Ore. / Gresham HS).

“Evan is a very good spot-up shooter and a basketball ‘junkie’; he loves the game and thrives on it,” says Sundquist.

“Dan comes from a great winning program, gives us great team defense, and is getting better offensively all the time. Grant is a good shooter and very athletic; he just needs to develop consistency in his defense and effort.

Justin tried out and almost made the team as a freshman last year, but he worked out in the weight room and the gym to get stronger over the summer and has made a good impression this fall.”

With so many new faces on the team and in the lineup, the Bruins expect to try a number of new or modified strategies in the early portion of the season.

“The fifth spot in our rotation may be filled out ‘by committee’ in the early going, until someone asserts himself in that position,” admits Sundquist.

“Our lineup may vary at times, depending on the opposition; we might go small and quick defensively for a while, or we might go up-tempo and make extensive use of our bench.

Right now our biggest challenge is finding out what style is best for us, particularly in regard to the conference race, which looks to be very tough but more balanced this year.

Our non-conference schedule is very strong and we will probably face some adversity in the early going, but that ought to prepare us well for the rest of the season.

“All in all, I am optimistic. We have a great group of guys in every kind of way - spiritually, academically, socially - and great team chemistry; they really like being with one another and working together as a team.”

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