Dan Unke, the ultimate team player, earns 2001 Player of the Year honor

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- When former Minnesota Valley Lutheran boys basketball coach Jim Bauer saw Dan Unke, The Journal's Player of the Year, at an MVL summer basketball camp before Unke's freshman year with the Chargers, Bauer knew that he had someone special.

"It was very obvious that Dan had instincts for the ball," said Bauer, now the basketball coach at Lakeside Lutheran in Lake Mills, Wis. "He was getting his hands on the ball all the time and I thought to myself, 'Gee, don't screw this kid up by over-coaching him' because he had great instincts and was a great shooter even then."

Unke kept that presence on the court for all four of his years as a starter for the Chargers and was named to the Tomahawk Conference All-Conference team for the fourth time this year.

Unke, who broke the MVL scoring record of 1,640 held by Tim Merseth, hit for 1,662 career points.

The senior is one of 18 players (nine of which are repeaters from last year's squad) to be named to the 2000-01 All-Journal Boys Basketball Team.

In his four-year career Unke, who will attend Martin Luther College in New Ulm next year, became as dominant a basketball player in all aspects of the game as this area has seen.

Unke is in the top 10 in all 17 categories of the MVL career record book, holding the school mark in career points along with free throws at 339 and breaking plays with 447. He is tied with Jim Schapekahm with a career field goal percentage of 61 percent, and also handed out 262 career assists.

Unke, who was nominated to the McDonald's All-American Team this year, is a player who current coach Craig Morgan calls "the best player that I have coached here in my two years.

"He knows the game and is smart enough to know that he needs other players around him," said Morgan. "One of his better assets is his unselfishness; he really believes in the total team concept. He is always knows where his teammates are and that they are involved and on the same page, working together for the same goals."

And Unke's basketball skills are a result of his environment as his father, Jim, is the basketball coach at MLC.

"His dad, his uncles, his mom; they were all good basketball players also," commented Morgan. "I think that that has to be a big influence on him."

That positive influence has resulted in a player who knows what the total team objective is in the game of basketball. "He knows what needs to be done out there; he hasn't been in the position of a point guard where he tells the team what to do and where to go on the floor. But he knows what needs to be done. There are times where he will huddle the team around him after we (coaches) have and will talk together real quick."

As a freshman from where he was a total scorer, Unke's game has changed since then according to Morgan. "He has had to do it all and the players that he is playing with have gotten better. He has helped that grow."

One memory that Morgan has of Unke?

"This year at Nicollet, he had not done much in the first half and had just been a member of the team; he had played a minor role," he recalled. "He came over to the sideline one time and I said that he had to kick it in; you have to take charge out there."

Unke responded with 19 second-half points. But the greatest memory Morgan has is when Unke broke Merseth's school record. "I looked out there and smiled because only he and I knew it; that was special. I didn't want anyone else to know because we just wanted it (the record) to be done like he does things -- quietly and without a lot of attention."

Here are the remaining members of the All-Journal Team.

WILL MOELLER, NEW ULM CATHEDRAL: Moeller, a three-year starter for the Hounds, ended his career with 1,095 points (seventh on the school's list) in addition to a school record of 182 3-point shots. He also has 163 career assists.

JOEY SCHUGEL, CATHEDRAL: Schugel led the Hounds in rebounding with 128 boards from his off-guard spot. He also led the team in steals with 49 and averaged 10.8 points a game. "Joey really developed into a solid shooter for us," said Hound head coach Dan Wolfe. "His rebounding really helped our team this year."

JESSE PFEIFER, MVL: Also a repeater from last year, Pfeifer averaged 11.4 ppg and led the Chargers with 182 rebounds this year, blocking 21 enemy shots.

TOM METZGER, MVL: Metzger scored 11.9 ppg and hauled down 109 rebounds. He also played solid defense this year. From the free-throw line, Metzger hit 93 percent (56-of-60).

JUSTIN OHM, MVL: The guard was perhaps MVL's best athlete. He averaged 9.1 points a game and led MVL in steals with 65 and assists with 70.

ADAM FISCHER, SLEEPY EYE ST.MARY'S: Fischer, a 6-foot-1 post player, scored 409 points this season for the giant-killing Knights. He had 54 steals and grabbed 145 rebounds, and was a unanimous Tomahawk Conference All-Conference selection.

MATT SCHMIDT, NEW ULM HIGH: Schmidt was the Eagles' point guard who hit for 15.8 points a game. He handed out a team-high 90 assists and also led the team in steals with 31. He was named to the South Central Conference All-Conference team, and ended his career with 794 points.

RYAN STURM, SPRINGFIELD: The senior was second in scoring with a 13.5 average. He led the Tigers in rebounding with a 7.5 per game average and was one of the better all-around players in the area, according to coach Dennis Youngerberg.

RYAN STEFFENSMEIER, CEDAR MOUNTAIN/COMFREY: The senior was a two-time All-Tomahawk Conference pick. This year, he averaged 20.1 points per game and brought down 217 rebounds. For his career, Steffensmeier finished with 1,338 points.

TRAVIS BUSSLER, MC-LEOD WEST: Bussler, who will be a force in college basketball next season, averaged over 17 points a game and also led in rebounding with 158. He had a team-high 50 blocked shots along with 79 steals and 57 assists.

ADAM GUETTER, WABASSO: Guetter led the Rabbits with a 15.4 average and totaled 205 rebounds. "He was our go-to guy inside all year when we needed a score," commented coach Dave Blank.

TONY HULKE, NICOLLET: Hulke, one of the best point guards in the area, scored 17.5 points a game and handed out 136 assists this year. He has 775 career points with two years to go. Next season, the Raiders will be a force in boys basketball.

JOSH HADLEY, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: Hadley, a junior and another strong point guard, averaged 16.9 points a game. He hit 43 3-point shots this season and dished off 5.3 assists a game while averaging 2.3 steals a contest. "His ability to score while keeping his teammates involved make him one of the best point guards in the area," said coach Ted Critchley.

BRYCE BELSETH, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: Belseth, a 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 13.2 points a game but averaged 18.8 points a game the last eight games of the season. Belseth had a double-double (points and rebounds) eight times this season.

DAVID LUDEWIG, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: The senior scored over 20 points in eight of the Indians' 25 games this year. He hit for 57 treys this year, giving him over 100 3-balls for his career.

COLBY PACK, RED ROCK CENTRAL: Pack, a junior, is a three-year starter who has 887 career points. He had 164 assists this season and has 357 assists for his career.

HONORABLE MENTION: Bobby Wellmann, New Ulm High; Danny Liggett, MVL; Randy Braun, John Pelzel, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's; Andy Wills, Nicollet; Brent Baune, Wabasso; Lincoln Anderson, Springfield; Matt Maiers, Dean Loncorich, McLeod West.