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Men's basketball prepares to tip-off regular season
BY ERIK ELSBERRY | STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
Bryan Sykora, 44, puts up a shot.
UMD men's basketball season kicked off last Saturday with an inter-squad scrimmage at Romano Gymnasium.
There will be many new faces on the hardwood this year, as four seniors from last year's team, Ryan Breidenbach, Bryan Foss, Matt Hockett and Matt Rawley, are not returning.
Head coach Gary Holquist looks forward to this season.
"I think this team has a chance to be very good," he said. Holquist considers senior guard Jordan Nuness and senior guard/forward Ryan Meissner as key players for the team's success. He describes Nuness as an explosive scorer and Meissner as one of the best defensive stoppers in the North Central Conference (NCC).
"The NCC is as competitive as any conference in the country,"Holquist said. "On any given night, anyone can beat anyone."
The mix of young and talented players should produce a very interesting season, but there are still many questions that need to be answered throughout the 2007 2008 campaign.
"They're a team that is trying todiscover their personality" said Holquist. "All we're trying to do is get these guys to compete and play hard."
Nuness shares the overall feeling of optimism with Holquist. "We're looking pretty good," said Nuness.
"We have great team chemistry." Bulldog men's basketball has a long history of winning, with an all-time record of 1,079-722, according to the UMD Web site.
"This program has stood the test of time," said Holquist. The Bulldogs' first game takes place on Nov. 16 against Truman StateUniversity in Mankato.
