2010-2011 Season Preview
Already a two-time First Team All-NAC selection, senior Austin Meier (Oskhosh, Wis./Oshkosh West) is back for one more season as a Raider. Meier was named an ESPN Academic All-American for the 2009-10 season. While Meier is very effective on the offensive end, his presence on defense is what the MSOE men's basketball team feeds off of each game.
"He's the heart and soul of everything," said MSOE head coach Brian Miller. "The largest value is the defensive end. You can't even begin to imagine how possessions are ruined just because of him for the opponent. We ended up leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense last year. It's safe to say without him, we would have been middle of the pack at best in that."
In 16 NAC games last season, the Raiders allowed just 64.2 points per game while opponents had a field goal percentage of .418. Meier was sixth in the NAC in scoring (16.4 PPG), fourth in rebounding (8.6), fifth in field goal percentage (.577) and second in blocked shots (1.3).
MSOE finished last season 17-10 overall and was 10-6 in the NAC play. They reached the semifinals of the NAC Tournament during the 2009-10 season.
Senior guard Bennett Deacon (Burlington, Wis./Burlington Catholic Central) will be asked to handle the ball again this year and pick up some of the scoring from last year's seniors Jeremy Off (14.7 PPG last season) and Luke Larson (9.4 PPG).
"He struggled last year after he broke his ankle during the summer and he had a plate on his foot all year and never really got going," Miller said. "The end of his sophomore year, he really got going well offensively. His junior year, it wasn't there. He couldn't push on his jump shot. He needs to score. He needs to make plays off the dribble. He needs to attack. He needs to be the guy who steps in Jeremy's 15 points a game and he's fully capable of that."
There are many other returners to watch for MSOE including junior guard Cynerick Osinaike (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy).
"His athleticism is huge for us," Miller said. "His ability to get to the basket. He plays very hard. He's a good defender. He can get it in the basket, too."
Junior guard Rob Linzmeier (Valders, Wis./Valders) worked his way into the starting lineup near the end of last season and will continue to provide a long range option for the Raiders. Also playing on the perimeter offensively will be juniors Oren Bloom (West Allis, Wis./West Allis Central) and Michael Ricciardi (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove).
"Oren could be a real key for us," Miller said. "We have to look for someone else to do some additional scoring. It's a good chance it could him and Mike. Mike's competing to be a starter. When we went to the Dominican Republic, Mike was our second leading scorer behind Austin. He did a nice job down there of attacking the basket and getting to the foul line a lot. He is a good face up jump shooter. He's a really tough physical guy."
During late August, the Raiders took a trip to the Dominican Republic to play some exhibition games in preparation for this season.
"We basically worked on some offensive things we're going to do this year and give some guys a chance to run that and see that in action down there, " Miller said. "So, they got a real jump start on a kind of a new system we're doing."
The Raiders are looking to freshman Jon Cording (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) to contribute right away at the point guard position.
"John's a very good young player," Miller said. "He's a good point guard and tenacious defender. He can shoot it, pass it. He's going to be one of the best freshmen in the league."
MSOE has a number of other newcomers to the team this season. Sophomore forward Victor Bande (Madrid, Spain/Lourdes) comes to MSOE via the University of Rio Grande where he played last season. He's expected to help the Raiders spread the floor by playing on the perimeter and also will defend the post on the defensive end.
Also along the perimeter, freshmen Derek Watton (Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonnell Central), Conor Cassidy (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) and David Wilson (Sidney, Ohio/Troy) will bring depth to MSOE's backcourt this season.
Manning the paint for the Raiders will be junior Eric Bohrer (DePere, Wis./DePere) who Miller indicates as a good low post defender. Also down on the post will be the freshmen "Four Horsemen" which includes Aaron Lubitz (Belding, Mich./Belding), Jaren Singh (Madison, Wis./LaFollette), Nate Gibson (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells) and Mitchell Trewyn (Janesville, Wis./Milton). All stand at least 6'6" and will be battling for big man minutes for MSOE.
"It's going to be unique for us in that our strengths are not going to be same as they've been the last few years, Miller said. "We're going to be worried about rebounding. Offensively, it's going to be a team that shoots more jump shots than it does in the post. We used to rely on getting in the post to get to the foul line. We're going to have to get to the foul line off the dribble and the perimeter."
MSOE begins begin the regular season when they host the All-Engineers Classic at the Kern Center. MSOE will play Caltech Saturday, Nov. 20. The consolation and championship games for the tournament will take place Sunday, Nov. 21.
