St. Norbert Times

Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kelsey Fenton

Despite having their winning streak snapped by Lake Forest on Saturday, the Green Knight men's basketball team has had unprecedented success this season, and there's no question that their statistics are very impressive. With an 18-2 overall record, a 12-1 record in the Midwest Conference (MWC), and currently holding the number nine rank in Division III basketball, what has been the biggest key to their success? Ask any player on the team and its unanimous: defense.

The Green Knight men have played suffocating defense all season long, holding the opposition to an average of just 58 points per game.

Junior Steve Papke sums up the team's thoughts on their defense in saying, "Defense is the one thing we can control day in and day out. We're not always going to shoot the ball well or score a lot of points, but we can always play hard defense and limit the number of good looks our opponents get."

They play a system based off of legendary coach Dick Bennett, of whom Coach Gary Grzesk played for at the UW-Green Bay. All five guys on the floor know where they have to be on the defensive end to get stops, and when you have all five guys doing their job, the offense will come and feed off of the defense.

What's the other big key to their success? Balance. Currently, three players average double figures and seven players average five points per game or more on offense. Additionally, 10 players have played an average of 10 minutes or more per game.

"We've had a lot of guys buy into our system, which allows us to achieve great winning success," said Junior Paul Mallers. "It [their success] has been a culmination of all the guys on the team coming together doing their roles to get where we are at right now."

Senior Jake Dietz added that the team is loaded with talent, and every person contributes whether it's in practice or in games.

Even with all the success they've had thus far, improvements can always be made. In looking ahead, the players noted it's important to continue to stay tough in order to reach their pre-season goal of hosting the MWC tournament and ultimately advancing to the NCAA tournament.

Junior Chris Peterson says especially as you get in to the later part of the season, "every game is very physical and the tougher team wins." He believes the Green Knights should look to improve upon their toughness down the stretch. Mallers adds, "It's the little things we need to work on to finish the season strong."

If they can indeed continue to focus in on those little things, expect big things from the team come the end of February and into March.

Players on the team described the 2009-2010 edition of their team in one to three words:

- Papke: "tough defense."

- Mallers: "Hardworking, family, dedicated."

- Peterson: "relentless, cohesive."

- Dietz: "talented."

Following these games, the men will have played two straight home games, including a matchup vs. Ripon, which is Think Pink/Breast Cancer Awareness Night. They will then close out their regular season at Carroll University on Feb. 20. The team can clinch the hosting of the MWC tournament, which will be played Feb. 26-27, if they continue their success.

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