MLC could have something special

By BENJAMIN TOMCZAK

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Something special could be developing on top of the Hill right under Hermann the German's nose. And it's not just the possibility of a new fight song.

Nope, even though the excitement of singing a new fight song and bringing back the Kangaroo song is infecting the Martin Luther College campus, the real something special is happening on the basketball court with the Knights' men's team. Maybe they should tell you about it.

"We're looking ahead, but we're cautious," senior co-captain Ben Kuerth said. "It's a twinkle-in-the-eye year. You don't want to come out and say, 'We're going to dominate, we're going to win,' because we have got a tough schedule and we're playing some good teams. But we've got the personnel to make something special happen."

Or talk to the other co-captain, senior forward Tim Breitkreutz.

"I believe that our team now has the experience it needs to come into games mentally prepared and ready to play. Anything less than a conference championship will be a disappointment to me."

Even the coaches are willing to agree.

"We have a lot of returning people," head coach Jim Unke said, "some talented basketball players. My expectations are high."

Earle Treptow, the new assistant on the block, replacing former coach Dan Kuehl, added, "On any given night any one of the starters could go for 20."

Yep, things are looking up for the Knights in 2001 and 2002.

MLC opens its season today at home against Gustavus Adolphus and are more than ready to go. The Knights, who finished 13-9 last year, have been picked to win the UMAC this year. One of the reasons for the high expectations is the leadership and experience that the Knights are bringing to the table.

Three seniors -- Kuerth, Breitkreutz and 6'6" forward Ben Zahn -- anchor a squad that returns 11 players from last year's campaign.

"Last year we didn't have any seniors on the team," Unke said, "and when you have a young team you ride the highs and the lows. When we were good, we were very good and when we were bad we were very bad."

The bad included interminable scoreless streaks and a seeming unwillingness on the part of anyone to take over, but those days are long gone according to Unke.

"I think last year we were always waiting for someone else to get the job done, and this year I think the guys have taken more ownership. It's like, 'I've got to get something done.'"

And the Knights have the personnel to get those things done, starting with Kuerth and Breitkreutz.

Kuerth was second on the team in scoring last year, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 39 percent from behind the 3-point line. Breitkreutz added 10.1 ppg and pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game and is one of the team's strongest players and best defenders.

"Those guys were chosen by their teammates," Unke said of his captains, "I don't think I would have chosen anybody else. They both work hard and they both take their responsibility seriously. If our team plays as hard as those two guys, we're going to be in great shape."

But the hits don't stop there. Happily for the Knights, there's more, a lot more.

Let's talk about a couple of sophomores -- Tom Engelbrecht and Jay Wendland.

Engelbrecht, a 6'8" forward from Yorkville, Illinois, led the Knights in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots last year averaging 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game. And that was while he struggled to keep up with the physical demands of down-low play in college basketball. But those days are over too.

"He has come back stronger," Unke commented. "He has come back with the mentality that he can control the lane. That was something last year that was always a question."

What makes Engelbrecht even more dangerous is his ability to step out to the perimeter and shoot from the outside. As a freshman he shot over 30 percent from behind the arc.

That ability to shoot by Engelbrecht allows MLC to play a unique offense.

"We try to run an offense that is just about all interchangeable parts," Unke explained. "We have the flexibility to do that because Tom can play the perimeter. He is versatile enough to do that. He's going to really pose some problems for people, how to defend him."

The versatility of Engelbrecht gives the Knights a lot of options. They can dump it down low and play the high-percentage game, or Engelbrecht can dish it back out to one of the deadly shooters on the perimeter -- Kuerth, Wendland, Phil Huebner, Dan Unke -- as he did last year when he finished third on the team with 42 assists.

The other sophomore, Wendland, looks to improve on a difficult freshman year. The Knights' point guard averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 assists per game and shot a team-high 86 percent from the free throw line. But injuries and freshmen frustrations hampered him a little.

"It was a baptism by fire," Unke said, referring to last season, "but now I think Jay understands what it takes to play the point, he understands our opponents and understands my expectations of a point guard."

Those expectations include controlling the game's tempo, the team's discipline and disrupting the opponent's point guard. Wendland's ready for the task at hand.

"Playing the point guard position, everything starts with me," he said. "The moment you have a let down the other team is going to take it at you. We need to play at a high level all season."

Does it get any better? Yes.

The Knights have talent waiting in the wings. Players like Huebner (7.4 pts/gm, 35 percent from 3-point range), Zahn (2.7 pts., 3.5 rebounds/gm) and Josh Rimpel (4.5 pts., 2 rpg) are all key components towards Knight success.

Plus the Knights have another secret weapon. Last year it was Engelbrecht, this year it's freshman guard Dan Unke.

Unke, a four-year all-conference selection at Minnesota Valley Lutheran, is set to make major contributions to this team right away.

Unke on Unke: "I'm going to try to be a coach here," the elder Unke said of his son. "I think he brings a real natural feel to the court. He's a pretty good ball handler, a pretty good passer. With his size he can penetrate and from 15 feet in he's pretty much automatic."

And the players agree, calling Unke a "slasher" who can put up "big numbers" and "adds another dimension to [the] offense."

Filling out the roster for the Knights are juniors Kevin Lemke and Jackson Thiesfeldt, sophomores Paul Huebner, Joel Schwartz and freshman Aaron Schmitz. The Knights are also looking forward to the return of Kurt Nielsen, sidelined due to academic ineligibility until next semester.

In 18 games last year Nielsen averaged 25 minutes per game and scored 10.4 ppg with 6.3 rpg.

The Knights open with a tough stretch of games before hitting UMAC play, facing the likes of Gustavus, Grinnell, Marian and Viterbo, along with the ever-popular match-up with Bethany.

"Our preseason is going to be a big challenge for us. There's not a weak sister in the group," Unke commented. "That's good for us. I'd rather jump in the deep water than pad our win-loss record."

Once UMAC play starts, the Knights will be in a horse race, likely with traditional powers Northwestern and St. Scholastica.

Treptow had this to say about the early schedule:

"The big thing, in my mind, is to improve through the first part of the season before conference play begins, so that when conference play starts we are ready to play."

But the excitement is there. Ask Zahn and he'll tell you.

"I'm excited. I think the team's excited. Like Kuerth said, it's the 'twinkle-in-the-eye.' We could do great things. We have the parts. It's just a matter of putting it together night after night after night."

Said Unke, "It's going to be an exciting brand of basketball this year. We're going to put a quality team on the court and I think our games are going to be a lot of fun. The atmosphere here at MLC is one that is rare at Division III. Teams love to come here and play."

Must be the Kangaroo song, eh?