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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
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Table of Contents Playing for Dad Pg. 7
Utilizing size Pg. 8
Senior leadership Pg. 9
Steinʼs brain-trust Pg. 10
Rosters
Schedules
Men’s Pg. 4 - 5 Women’s Pg. 12 - 13
Men’s Pg. 6
Women’s Pg. 11
Sports editor - Zane Clodfelter Designers - Jimmy Pyles, Zach Rothenburger, Jessica Stallings Writers - Jessie Hellmann and Pat Hickey
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
Gavin Schumann Position: Guard Height: 6-2 Weight: 160 Class: Junior Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Aaron Nelson Position: Forward Height: 6-8 Weight: 249 Class: Senior Hometown: Chicago Heights, Ill.
Lawrence Thomas Position: Guard Height: 5-9 Weight: 145 Class: Senior Hometown: Springfield, Ill.
Ben Jones Position: Guard Height: 6-0 Weight: 195 Class: Senior metown: Robinson, Ill. Hometown:
Austin Davis Position: Forward/Guard Height: 6-8 Weight: 175 Class: Junior Hometown: Freeport, Ill.
Chuck Jones Position: Forward/Center Height: 6-9 Weight: 250 Class: Senior Hometown: Madisonville, Ky.
2013-14 University of Southern Indiana Men’s basketball Manny Ogunfolu Position: Forward Height: 6-7 Weight: 213 Class: Senior Hometown: Rockville, Md.
Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
Orlando Rutledge Position: Forward Height: 6-6 Weight: 200 Class: Senior Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
Zach Watson Position: Forward Height: 6-5 Weight: 170 Class: Sophomore Hometown: Carterville, Ill.
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DeAndre McCamey Position: Guard Height: 6-1 Weight: 180 Class: Senior Hometown: Bellwood, Ill.
Alex Marzette Position: Guard/Forward Height: 6-5 Weight: 185 Class: Junior Hometown: Racine, Wis.
Taylor Wischmeier Position: Forward Height: 6-8 Weight: 225 Class: Senior Hometown: Brownstown, Ind.
Evan Brinkmeyer Position: Guard Height: 6-2 Weight: 190 Class: Redshirt Sophomore Hometown: Evansville, Ind.
2012-2013 Record Breakdown Overall Home Away Neutral
Nick Hutcheson Position: Forward Height: 6-7 Weight: 215 Class: Redshirt Freshman Hometown: Greencastle, Ind.
Head Coach Rodney Watson
ALL GAMES
(23-8)
(13-2)
(6-3)
(4-3)
CONFERENCE
(13-5)
(7-2)
(6-3)
(0-0)
NON-CONFERENCE (10-3)
(6-0)
(0-0)
(4-3)
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
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Playing for Dad Waston duo team up for the first time By ZANE CLODFELTER Sports editor
When looking for a college destination, Southern Indiana redshirt sophomore Zach Watson had several opportunities to play multiple sports at various levels. The Carterville, Ill., native was a star track athlete at Carterville High School and was also a talented basketball player. So it came as a surprise to no one when Zach committed to USI to play basketball. The move to USI would create a new opportunity though, an opportunity that Zach never experienced as a kid playing in youth basketball leagues:
being coached by his dad. “It’s fun,” Zach said. “Three years ago when I was a freshman, (it) was the first time he ever coached me.” While his dad, Head Coach Rodney Watson, didn’t coach Zach’s youth teams, he still offered advice from time-totime and allowed him to attend Southern Illinois University practices, where Rodney was an assistant coach at the time. Still, that couldn’t compare to being just another one of the guys during an actual practice or game. “Practice was a little different,” Zach said. “It’s definitely more comfortable now.” Speaking as a coach, Rodney credits his son for knowing his role with the program. “He’s a terrific teammate,” Rodney said. “He is a guy, that most importantly, his teammates trust.” Rodney said the main challenge of coaching his son is defining the line between practice and home life. “The deal for him is what goes on in that locker room is sacred. He can’t be running home to mom and dad,” Rodney said. “He has to separate the son part just like I have to separate the father part.” Zach is just another one of the guys during practice, something he appreciates. “He does a great job of
Photos by JIMMY PYLES/ The Shield
keeping it really equal,” Zach said. “I know that’s what he wants, and I want that, too.” Despite choosing to not coach his son’s teams when they were growing up, Rodney always wondered what it would be like to coach one of his children. “We wanted what was best for him, certainly not was best for me,” Rodney said. “He probably could have gone to another level that might have matched his skills a little bit quicker, I think once he got here and realized what a great school it is he really liked our basketball program.” Rodney wanted Zach and his other children to experience different coaches growing up to learn how to react to voices other than his own.
“I coach for a living, and I wanted them to be coached by other people,” Rodney said. “I wanted them to feel the wrath from other people and deal with it.” Zach said he would follow his dad to USI all over again. “I would definitely do the same thing over again,” Zach said. “He was always at all of my games, and he’s still at all of my games.” Rodney appreciates the fact his son is on his team’s roster,so much he sent University of Evansville Head Coach Marty Simmons a text after his son, Blake, committed to the UE basketball team. “I sent Coach Simmons a text message saying ‘Enjoy this because it’s going to go fast,’” Rodney said.
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
Eagles looking to utilize size By PAT HICKEY Staff writer It’s easy to look back at last season in hindsight and wonder how much further the USI men’s basketball team could have advanced with a healthy Aaron Nelson. The massive 6-foot-8, 250 pound junior center suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee at Kentucky Wesleyan which effectively ended his season on Jan. 21. Prior to that, Nelson provided the frontcourt with great depth. He shot over 60 percent from the field and averaged nearly eight rebounds in 23 minutes per game. In his absence - before, the Eagles started the season by winning 13 of its
first 15 games - USI went 10-6, and was sent home after a 78-55 loss to Bellarmine in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Nelson resumed basketball activities ahead of schedule in early August, despite the nine month recovery time the surgery typically requires. He underwent the same surgery on his other knee in the past, so health is a determining factor in how deep of a run the Eagles will make. “If he’s healthy, he can’t be stopped,” USI Assistant Coach Stetson Hairston said. “He can really take over a game and dominate down low. Him being healthy is the key to our frontcourt and might be the key to the season. A healthy Aaron Nelson might have been the key to the season last year.”
It’s expected that Nelson will require some game action in order to get back to full health, but he believes his knees are stronger than ever and worked diligently in the off-season to improve his all-around game. He and senior forward Taylor Wischmeier will look to fill the void left by Keith DeWitt, a first-team All-Midwest Region forward last season. DeWitt averaged 15 points per game and led the GLVC in rebounding and blocked shots. The most unexpected tool in the big man’s game might have been how good he was at passing. “Keith drew a lot of attention (from the opposition) last year,” Nelson said. “What I liked about Keith was his selflessness and ability to find people. If I’m
SIZE on Pg. 14
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
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Senior Eagles lead team By JIMMY PYLES Staff writer Last year, the women’s basketball team didn’t have any seniors, but that didn’t mean the team didn’t have leaders. Now those leaders make up this year’s seniors: Ariel Barnes, Nichole Hazemi, Jessica Parker, Stephanie Carpenter and Aubrey Minix. None of these ladies have a bigger impact on and off the court than guard Stephanie Carpenter, who has been a team captain since her sophomore year. She has been at USI for all four years. “You don’t usually have young ones come in and be voted as captain,” women’s basketball Head Coach Rick Stein said. “She’s one of those players that
came in and established herself as such a hard worker, doesn’t take a day off.” Since coming to USI, Carpenter, who has started in 53 games since her sophomore year, ranks fifth all-time player at USI in three-point field goal attempts, seventh in made three-pointers and 35th in scoring. “I’m used to this role so I just have to take it day by day and focus on what the team needs,” Carpenter said. “Me and the other leaders meet together a lot to talk about what the team needs and how to approach (a) situation so we have a good game play for the season,” Carpenter said. “They care about our program, moving it forward and trying to make this the best year they will ever have,” Stein said.
“They are just a really strong group of student athletes. As a senior group, they have the (ability) to be a major factor in our upcoming season.” After going 17-10 overall, and 9-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Eagles look to improve their record by being more focused and positive throughout the season. “We know as being a senior we have to be a little more vocal, we have to keep people on track, pumped up and focused,” Ariel Barnes said. This year we plan to keep our composure and stick to playing USI basketball. Barnes is in her third year at USI, after transferring from Mercer University. After leading the team in steals, with 51 in 2012, she was named to the GLVC All-
SENIORS on Pg. 14
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
Stein’s brain-trust:
Former players come back to coach By JESSIE HELLMANN Staff writer USI women’s basketball likes to keep it in the program – with its assistant coaches, that is. Both of Southern Indiana’s women’s assistant coaches, Randa Dallas and Stephanie Gehlhausen, were former players for the program. “As former players, there’s no question that they definitely fit the mold,” Head Coach Rick Stein said. “I think some words that really come to mind are loyalty, honesty and trust.” Stein said all of the assistant coaches who have worked for him have been former USI women’s basketball players. “These two really care about the program,” Stein said. “They cared as players, and they continued to care as coaches, as I knew they would.” Being former players for the team
gives them a certain advantage when it comes to coaching. “There’s not a question that they’ve already been through some of the battles or wars you have to go through to be able to have success in the league,” Stein said. “Not only have they been through it, they both excelled as players and now as coaches.” Randa Dallas, who graduated in 1999, has been with the Lady Eagles for 15 seasons. During her time as a player, her team made NCAA Division II Tournament appearances in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. They also participated in GLVC championships in 1995, 1997 and 1998. “I’m loyal to the program,” Dallas said. “I was very fortunate to be a part of when the program started building itself back up and becoming such a national powerhouse, so I felt very loyal and grateful for that.” Dallas said her former role as a player
Photos by JIMMY PYLES/The Shield
motivates her to coach a better team. “Just because I was around as a player when we were putting USI back on the map, I can use that experience as hunger because I want to keep us there as a national powerhouse,” she said. Coaching wasn’t always a goal for Dallas, until Stein offered her a position as an assistant coach. “Coach Stein saw something in me that I didn’t see at the time,” she said. “It kind of made me reevaluate what I was good at.” After 15 years, Dallas’s favorite part of the job is what happens off of the court. “My favorite part is being able to see our players reap the benefits,” she said. “The best part of my job is the really happy times. I’ve been to I don’t know how many weddings, gotten I don’t know how many baby pictures, so the best part for me is just when I can be a part of their happiest moments.”
Basketball Preview ‘13- ‘14
IMPORTANT DATES: HOMECOMING Feb. 15 against Missouri - St. Louis 2014 GLVC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT March 2 - Ist round campus sites March 6 - Quarter Finals - Ford Center Evansville, Ind.
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Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
Tanner Marcum Position: Guard Height: 5-8 Class: Freshman Hometown: New Albany, Ind.
Mariah Nimmo Position: Guard Height: 5-6 Class: Junior Hometown: Groveland, Ill.
Stephanie Carpenter Position: Guard Height: 5-6 Class: Senior Hometown: Salem, Ill.
Autumn Miller Position: Guard Height: 5-7 Class: Junior Hometown: Louisville, Ky. y
Cayla Herbst Position: Forward/Center Height: 6-2 Class: Junior Hometown: Glen Ellyn, y Ill.
Kendyl Dearing Position: Guard Height: 5-6 Class: Freshman Hometown: Huntingburg, Ind.
2013-14 University of Southern Indiana Women’s basketball Anna Hackert Position: Forward/Center Height: 6-1 Class: Junior Hometown: Evansville, Ind.
Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
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Nicole Hazemi Position: Forward/Center Height: 6-1 Class: Senior Hometown: Lombard, Ill.
Taylor Stevenson Position: Guard Height: 5-9 Class: Junior Hometown: Olney, Ill.
Libby Ogden Position: Guard Height: 5-7 Class: Junior Hometown: Tipton, Ind.
Ariel Barnes Position: Guard Height: 5-5 Class: Senior Hometown: Henderson, Ky.
Jessica Parker Position: Guard Height: 6-0 Class: Senior Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.
Aubrey Minix Position: Guard Height: 5-9 Class: Senior Hometown: Grovertown, Ind.
2012-2013 Record Breakdown Overall
Mary O’Keefe Position: Forward/Center Height: 6-0 Class: Junior Hometown: Edwardsville, Ill.
Head Coach Rick Stein
Home Away Neutral
ALL GAMES
(17-10) (12-3)
(4-7)
(1-0)
CONFERENCE
(9-9)
(6-3)
(3-6)
(0-0)
NON-CONFERENCE
(8-1)
(6-0)
(1-1)
(1-0)
Basketball Preview ‘13-’14
2012 - 2013 GLVC statistical rankings
Scoring offense: 4th Scoring defense: 5th Scoring margin: 3rd
Assists: 2nd Steals: 12th Blocked shots: 1st
PAGE 14 Size continued from Pg. 8
being double-teamed, I have to know where that extra guy came in from and get it to the open spot on the court.” But make no mistake about it. When Nelson is at full health, it will not hinder him from doing what he does best: backing down the defender and using his size to create space and finish at the rim. “I really don’t feel like, one-on-one, I can be stopped from putting the ball in the basket from close range,” Nelson said. Nelson will team up with Wischmeier in the frontcourt to continue the counterbalance of the size and finesse which made it successful last season. The versatile 6-foot-8, 225 pound Wischmeier began last season with a reign of terror, averaging nearly 20 points per game in non-conference play. But, a thumb injury and the emergence of Nelson led him to accept a smaller role. Despite his size, Wischmeier isn’t expected to do the same amount of heavy lifting as Nelson. At his best, the Brownstown, Ind., native stretches the opposition outside of the paint, where his higharcing, mid-range jump shot can stretch the defense out considerably for Nelson and others. “(Aaron and I) play really well together,” Wischmeier said. “With him inside, I can stretch the floor out to 15-to-17 feet. That should open up things for everyone on offense.”
Senior continued from Pg. 9
Scoring offense: 4th Scoring defense: 8th Scoring margin: 4th
Assists: 2nd Steals: 10th Blocked shots: 9th
Defensive team. For the seniors on the bench, Hazemi, Minix and Parker combined for 281 points and 910 minutes of play in 2012. “Everybody can help us. Whether someone’s playing or not we have 14 players that are here because we think they can help us one way or another. Every day as a senior you can help this team even if its just communicating your knowledge about what we’re doing or just their experiences on the court.”
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