New role, familiar face for MLC

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Last year, Martin Luther College senior Dan Unke faced a scenario he hadn't faced since his grade school days of playing basketball.

Due to an injury to standout center Tom Engelbrecht, Unke was forced to play out of position and defend the post. While his numbers may have dipped because of the transition, his overall game took a turn for the better.

Unke again will go back to defending the other team's power forward, but this time around he thinks he's better prepared.

"I think that helped a lot for this year, because we're a lot shorter this year than we were last year," Unke said. "I think playing out of my position, playing more of a post last year, is going to help me this year."

Knowing that he'd probably have to crash the boards to make his team stronger was enough incentive to push himself to become stronger physically. He hopes the hours he spent in the weight room will help him get better positioning in the low blocks.

"I think the main thing I worked on was getting stronger," Unke said. "I don't have the height, so I gotta be able to push the guy around a little bit, and working very hard on getting good position."

And with the challenges of learning how to defend a new position comes a new found love for the game that has been a part of his life since he can remember.

"I haven't really had much post practice since grade school when I was pretty big," Unke said. "I haven't really grown much since grade school, so I've played more guard in high school and so far in college. But its fun to get down there and bang around and play more physical."

In able for the Knights to be successful, they need an inside presence since All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference player Engelbrecht graduated. Engelbrecht led the way for the Knights in scoring with 12.4 points and finished third in rebounding despite missing half the season with a back injury that never seemed to go away. Unke, who averaged 10.9 points a game, should be able to play his natural position offensively in a guard-heavy offense and will be looked upon to carry the scoring load.

Another player, junior Justin Ohm, will play his way through an ankle injury and will also have a new role as a leader this year.

Ohm said the Knights lost some key players from a year ago, including Engelbrecht, guard Jay Wendland, Joel Schwartz, and Jackson Thiesfeldt.

"We lost a lot of guys this year that helped out a lot -- a lot of starters and a lot of experience we lost," Ohm said. "This year is going to have to be a learning experience. We have a lot of guys that don't have a lot of experience.

Ohm said this year's team, which has five freshman, has been respectful and willing to learn.

"The guys, they show very good respect," Ohm said. "They look to Dan and I as leaders, and we have to step up and fill that leadership role."

Ohm and Unke were impressed by another second-year player who will fill the void vacated by Wendland.

"I think Jeff Dolan has made a huge improvement," Ohm said. "He didn't get a lot of playing time last year because of Jay Wendland, but he's a great ballplayer, a great passer -- he's got a great shot. He just thinks the game real well. He's going to play a big role this year."

Also back this year for the Knights are Drew Kock, Caleb Kurbis, Bryant Polzin, Keith Schleis and Neil Birkholz. Incoming freshmen include Dustin Uhlenbrauck, Steve Lehman, Nate Nass, Dave Lindner and Jake Schwartz.

Head coach Jim Unke said it's going to take a total team effort for the Knights to compete for the UMAC title, but he said it's wide-open and could be up for anyone. He knows that a new core a players will emerge on a nightly basis for his team.

"I think there are going to be other guys to pick up the slack," he said. "It'll be interesting to see who steps up this year. We have guys that are capable."

MLC (0-1) hosts Hamline at 7:30 tonight.

Jeremy Behnke can be reached at jbehnke@nujournal.com