Post by Admin on Oct 15, 2014 9:11:37 GMT -6
First previews via Mankato Free Press & Chad Courier
MANKATO — Minnesota State men’s basketball coach Matt Margenthaler feels like he has the best point guard-post combination in Division II.
Certainly seniors Zach Monaghan and Assem Marei give the Mavericks the best inside-outside combo since Marcus Hill and Jefferson Mason helped the them reach the national semifinals in 2011.
“I think we have the best point guard and center in he nation,” Margenthaler said. “It’s a great place to start, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.”
The Mavericks’ men’s and women’s basketball teams open practice today, with about one month until the first games. Both teams have goals that include the NCAA tournament, but the men’s team seems primed to make a run at a national championship.
“I don’t know why not,” Monaghan said. “We have a lot of guys coming back, and we have some new guys who have been playing pretty well. But we’re taking it day to day, focusing on getting better every day.”
The Mavericks were 30-5 last season — the most victories in program history — and won their fourth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship in the last five seasons. Yet the season ended on the home court, and Central Missouri advanced out of this region and eventually won a national championship.
“Last year is last year,” Monaghan said. “It’s always in the back of your mind, but all you can do is stay in the gym and look forward to the next game.”
Monaghan, the Northern Sun’s player of the year, averaged 15.4 points and 2.8 rebounds, and he set a program record with 282 assists, 8.1 per game. He spent a couple of weeks this summer touring Europe on a basketball/cultural trip. Marei averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. During the summer, Marei had knee surgery, which cost him the chance to play with Egypt’s national team.
“I think Zach gained a lot of confidence and maturity this summer,” Margenthaler said. “Assem didn’t do much, which was good for his body and his mental health. He’s really focused and looking great.”
The other three starting spots are available. Senior Zach Romashko, junior T.J. Okafor and sophomores Michael Busack and Grant Pope all are back, and Ron Ross, Brady Wohlers and Michael Emge all sat out after transferring to Minnesota State. Junior Lucas Brown and freshman T.J. Lake were redshirted last season, and senior Connor Miller and sophomore Joe Aase have transferred in from Division I programs.
Freshmen Alex Herink and Thomas Kopelman will try to crack the rotation.
“We’ll need to defend and rebound,” Margenthaler said. “We have five seniors who have big goals and want to do great things. But we’ll need to do the little things before we can talk about the big things.”
t.co/E7k8fyUDIH
MANKATO — Minnesota State men’s basketball coach Matt Margenthaler feels like he has the best point guard-post combination in Division II.
Certainly seniors Zach Monaghan and Assem Marei give the Mavericks the best inside-outside combo since Marcus Hill and Jefferson Mason helped the them reach the national semifinals in 2011.
“I think we have the best point guard and center in he nation,” Margenthaler said. “It’s a great place to start, but it doesn’t guarantee anything.”
The Mavericks’ men’s and women’s basketball teams open practice today, with about one month until the first games. Both teams have goals that include the NCAA tournament, but the men’s team seems primed to make a run at a national championship.
“I don’t know why not,” Monaghan said. “We have a lot of guys coming back, and we have some new guys who have been playing pretty well. But we’re taking it day to day, focusing on getting better every day.”
The Mavericks were 30-5 last season — the most victories in program history — and won their fourth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship in the last five seasons. Yet the season ended on the home court, and Central Missouri advanced out of this region and eventually won a national championship.
“Last year is last year,” Monaghan said. “It’s always in the back of your mind, but all you can do is stay in the gym and look forward to the next game.”
Monaghan, the Northern Sun’s player of the year, averaged 15.4 points and 2.8 rebounds, and he set a program record with 282 assists, 8.1 per game. He spent a couple of weeks this summer touring Europe on a basketball/cultural trip. Marei averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. During the summer, Marei had knee surgery, which cost him the chance to play with Egypt’s national team.
“I think Zach gained a lot of confidence and maturity this summer,” Margenthaler said. “Assem didn’t do much, which was good for his body and his mental health. He’s really focused and looking great.”
The other three starting spots are available. Senior Zach Romashko, junior T.J. Okafor and sophomores Michael Busack and Grant Pope all are back, and Ron Ross, Brady Wohlers and Michael Emge all sat out after transferring to Minnesota State. Junior Lucas Brown and freshman T.J. Lake were redshirted last season, and senior Connor Miller and sophomore Joe Aase have transferred in from Division I programs.
Freshmen Alex Herink and Thomas Kopelman will try to crack the rotation.
“We’ll need to defend and rebound,” Margenthaler said. “We have five seniors who have big goals and want to do great things. But we’ll need to do the little things before we can talk about the big things.”
t.co/E7k8fyUDIH