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Lakeland picked third in NAC preseason poll
Athletics - posted on 11/7/2008
The Lakeland men's basketball team has been picked to finish third in the North Division of the Northern Athletics Conference in the 2008-09 preseason coaches' poll.
The league announced the poll Friday at the annual NAC Basketball Media Day, hosted by Alverno College in Milwaukee.
The Muskies received 48 points and two first-place votes from the conference's coaches. Marian University was picked to finish atop the league, receiving eight of the 12 first-place votes. Edgewood College was tabbed second in the poll.
Last season, the Muskies completed a magical run to the NAC Tournament championship, winning three straight road contests in overtime over the top three seeds in the conference. Lakeland finished with a 17-11 overall record, including a 10-8 mark in league play during the season, tying for sixth in the conference.
"What we did last season in the conference tournament was remarkable and exciting," said Aaron Aanonsen, Lakeland's first-year head coach who was the team's top assistant last season, "but now we are kind of back to reality with only one starter returning from that team."
That starter is forward Pete Worth, the team's lone senior. At 6-2, the Sheboygan North graduate is undersized at his position, but has a reputation for his determination and non-stop work ethic, often guarding players four or five inches taller than he is.
Worth averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season, shooting a team-best 61 percent from the field in 27 games played. Worth was also in attendance for NAC Media Day festivities.
The Muskies lose five seniors from a year ago, including four-time all-conference guard Kris Saiberlich, who now serves as a graduate assistant coach for the team.
The team has 11 freshmen on its roster, and Aanonsen estimates that six of those first year players will be in the regular rotation.
"We lose about 75 percent from every major statistical category from last year," Aanonsen said. "One of our goals with each practice is to get a little better every day. It's difficult because we have such a young team, but I know they'll work hard."
Other key returners for Lakeland include junior guard Khendal Andrews (Kankakee, Ill.) and junior forward Anthony Cobb (Milwaukee).
For the first time in the NAC's three years of existence, the conference will be divided into two divisions, the North Division and the South Division. This season, Lakeland will compete in the North, along with Concordia Wisconsin, Edgewood, Maranatha Baptist, Marian and Rockford. The Muskies will play each team in its division twice during the regular season.
Aurora, Benedictine, Concordia Chicago, Dominican, MSOE and Wisconsin Lutheran make up the South. Lakeland will face each of these teams once.
The NAC Challenge game has also been added to this year's schedule. At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule, the team in first place in the North will play the first-place team from the South, the second-place team from the North will compete against the South's second-place finisher, and on down the line.
The outcome of each game will determine seeding for the NAC Tournament. The winner of the eight-team tournament will receive an automatic berth into the Division III NCAA Tournament.
For the complete NAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, see below. First place votes are in parenthesis.
North Division
1. Marian University (8) 65
2. Edgewood College (1) 57
3. Lakeland College (2) 48
4. Concordia University Wis. (1) 44
5. Rockford College 20
6. Maranatha Baptist 18
South Division
1. Aurora University (6) 64
2. Benedictine University (6) 61
3. MSOE 47
T4. Dominican University 33
T4. Wisconsin Lutheran 33
6. Concordia University Chicago 14
Place 1 2 3 4 5 6
Points 6 5 4 3 2 1
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