Sodemann reaches 1,000 point mark, Agbo, Certa, Estridge provide key minutes in win

Conor Nicholl

A few notes and observations while watching the Washburn game Saturday night at Lee Arena with Tyler Madsen and Chris Tharp. After the 81-72 win, the men’s basketball team is rolling at 15-4 and 6-3 in the MIAA.

Milestone
With his family and friends cheering and applauding, senior guard Chip Sodemann hit two free throws with 22.2 seconds left to reach the 1,000-point barrier in his 101st consecutive start. Sodemann, the Cal Ripken of Bulldog basketball, has never missed a game or a start in his four-year career. Tyler said he deserved every point – and I agree. Sodemann has been a class act from Day 1.

The Big Man
Junior forward Grant Agbo looked really tired in warm-ups and throughout the entire game. Head coach Jack Schrader said Agbo had the flu and didn’t travel with the team. Assistant coach Tim Deidrick drove Agbo down Saturday afternoon and the big man suited up.

He didn’t start, but was absolutely critical throughout the contest, holding Washburn forward Brady Sisk (game-high 24 points) in check in the second half. He also tied with junior forward Andy Calmes with 15 points – in only 21 minutes played.

A gutty performance by Agbo.

Certa
Sophomore guard Nick Certa had arguably his best game in a Bulldog uniform, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He kept the game from getting out of hand in the first half. The 6-5 swingman entered with the purple and white trailing 13-5 with 16:17 remaining.

Certa matched the Ichabods’ red-hot shooting, scoring nine of the Bulldogs’ next 20 points and kept the game close.

He also showed his vast arsenal of shots, hitting a heavily guarded turnaround jumper for his first basket, working inside for his next bucket and sinking two three-pointers. Certa has the shot to hit from the outside and the muscle and height to maneuver in the paint. The sophomore is starting to escalate his game like Andy Calmes and Matt Beran did in their second seasons.

The Future
Certa wasn’t the only bench player to provide key minutes. Freshman guard Banks Estridge is seeing more playing time, scoring six key points in 13 minutes. He also delivered some nice passes, including threading a first half bounce pass to Calmes for an easy layup.

But, with 12:47 left, the heir apparent to Sodemann may have delivered the turning point of the game, constructing a three-point play off a layup and a free throw that tied the game at 54.

Key Rebounding
Andy Calmes entered the game as the conference’s leading rebounder at 9.4 per game. The Ichabods contained him in the first half, limiting the junior to just two boards – a big reason why Washburn had the lead.

But with 10:19 left, Calmes delivered his trademark rebound – flying past slower big men, grabbing the board and tipping in the errant shot. That basket gave the ’Dogs 60-58 lead – a lead they would never relinquish. Five minutes later, he had another tip-in off a rebound and then grabbed a defensive board on the ensuing possession.

Improvement The Bulldogs can’t afford to fall behind early. During the last four games, the purple and white have accumulated a 33-point deficit and have outscored their opponents by 29 points in the second half. Last night, it fell behind 9-0 and were down 35-22 at one point. The ’Dogs need to start playing better at the start – if they fall behind Wednesday night against Northwest in Maryville, they may not be able to recover.

The Defense
Through the first half, it appeared the Ichadods had found the secret to shooting the three against the ’Dogs. Finding some open looks, they hit four of their first eight treys against the purple and white – a team that holds opponents to a conference-best 28.8 from beyond the arc.

Then they didn’t hit one the rest of the game – misfiring on its final eight attempts. The ability to contain the outside shot helped the purple and white turn the game around.

A Wild Night in the Conference
Elsewhere in another wild night in the MIAA:

In Maryville, Central Missouri defeated Northwest last night in overtime – handing the Bearcats their second straight loss. Southwest Baptist, also hoping to avoid their second consecutive defeat, needed a buzzer-beater layup to knock off Emporia. And the Bulldogs, playing at Washburn, came back from 13-point first half deficit to win 81-72.

Four teams are within one game of first place:
SBU 7-2
Truman 6-3
CMSU 6-3
Northwest 6-3

Truman vs. Northwest Wednesday night will provide some separation as the conference’s top two defenses square off for the second time in the past week. The first matchup was a thriller – expect the second one to be just as good.

Four Days Left, Plenty of Work Remains

Conor Nicholl

The football office was absolutely buzzing this morning.

Head coach Shannon Currier was guiding around a running back recurit, defensive coordinator Aaron Rasset and offensive coordinator Aaron Vlcko broke down film and special teams coordinator/recuriting coordinator Daric Riley had his cell phone attached to his ear.

Only four days left until National Signing Day - a day that will impact the next few years of the Currier Era.

Rasset said the squad is looking at a small recuriting class - only about 15 people are expected to sign because only seven seniors graduated last fall.

Not including the several tranfers - including a Junior College All-American quarterback, only three have verbally committed to Truman, Rasset said. One of those recurits -- kicker/punter Mickey Masucci -- was mentioned in the Post-Dispatch this morning. Masucci, the First Team All-Metro kicker, has a boot for a leg, connecting on seven of 12 field goals (including a 49-yarder) and averaging 59.6 yards per kickoff. Only six of 39 kickoffs was returned.

The Post said other state schools, including Missouri, Northwest, Central Mo and Missouri State, were pursuing Masucci. He also had walk-on offers from other top-flight Div. I schools, including defending national champion Texas.

In a 30-minute conversation this afternoon, Danny Heitert of STC Grid Report, the Mel Kiper of St. Louis football recruiting, said Masucci could be a breakthrough prospect for the Bulldogs. Few top players from the St. Louis area had Truman on their radar screen, but Masucci could pave the way.

Heitert said Masucci will help on both sides of the ball.

"He's a little bit above the curve for Div. II kickers," Heitert said. "He may be able to help immediately. He's got a very fast leg and can change the entire thinking for their offense. If they can get the ball on the 30-yard line, they have a chance for points. He also put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs."

That was something Mark Kamphoefner couldn’t do with regularity. Kamp certianly had a leg – he set the school record last season with a 53-yard field goal – but only averaged 53.8 yards/kickoff. Wind may have played a factor in some kickoffs – especially in Week Three against Northwest Missouri State – but Masucci should certianly upgrade the kicking game.

The Post-Dispatch also reported CBC defensive back Isaiah Mares committed to Yale after considering Columbia, Penn and Truman. Heitert said Mares was the best talent from the St. Louis area that highly considered Truman.

“He was probably going to the Ivy Leagues,” Heitert said. “He just was waiting on academic scholarship money, since the Ivies can’t give athletic scholarships. He was strongly considering Truman, though.”

Rassert said the squad is looking at signing four defensive backs, but will probably have to go outside of the area to find one.

Heitert also mentioned his grades for Truman players as they entered college.

Unlike SCOUTS, Inc. 1-9 scale or Truman’s 1-4 scale, Heitert’s system uses a letter grading system. An A or A- means the player could make the two-deep roster on a Div. II team in his first year of a five-year career, a B or B+ means making the two-deep in their second year and a C or C+ means in their third year.

C Mike Shelden (Shelden’s dad played football with Heitert) B/B+
One of the squad’s top players, graded out near 80 percent this past season, two-time All-MIAA

DE Courtney Jordan B
True freshman Recovered fumble against Winona State in Week 1, played in seven games, one sack

WR James Perry B
Earned MIAA recognition in 2003, No. 2-3 pass catcher throughout career

FB Cameron Poole C+
No playing time in 2005

WR Aaron Lowe C
Four catches in three years

Little mix of hockey

-John Weeks

The Truman roller hockey team is flat out good. They're 10-1 and embarrassing teams. Here's my beef - as it stands right now I'd rather watch our roller hockey game than go to a St. Louis Blues game. I've bled blue my whole life and the note has sounded off every year for me until this one.

The somber state I'm in is indescribable. Of course everyone already knows how bad the Blues are and should just count on getting the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft. With that being said, we are doing very little to improve the makeup of our team. A 34-year-old player who has played for more teams than Reggie Sanders leads the team in scoring because Keith Tkachuk's too busy nursing his knuckles back to full strength. I never see the Blues outhustle or outwork any other team on the ice.

That's right, I'm pointing my finger at Head coach Mike Kitchen. He's a worthless coach. If you ever watch a Blues game you'll notice that he rarely changes his expression on his face and never yells at his players. My bet, his mind's never in the game. There's all these trade talks including Doug Weight and possibly Tkachuk. Yeah, that's the answer. Get draft picks and count on every one of them to make an impact on the NHL. Are you kidding me? Not everyone is cut out to perform at the NHL's level. What we need is experience and a couple of young guys. If we stick with a young team and several guys who should have retired years earlier the Blues will start a new streak - consecutive years without a playoff appearance.

Look at the other cellar dwellers: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Washington, NY Islanders. They aren't sinking like the Blues. Those teams are full of so much talent that in a couple of years they'll be contending for Lord Stanley's Cup. So, I give credit to the fans who show up to games. It takes balls. You sacrifice your night to watch a disgraceful loss 90% of the time. Oh yeah, Pleau and Sauer should stop asking buyers to pay off their $60 million dollar debt. It's their fault. They need to deal with their screw ups and pay their own debt.

I think I've found the answer - I'm moving to Canada (Hockey's so much better there because the players aren't ice skating!!)

My MidSeason Awards Show

By John Scognamiglio

A la Bill Simmons I have looked at the MIAA men's basketball programs and have come up with the following awards:

Team of the year: Southwest Baptist

With all apologies to Northwest Missouri State, Southwest Baptist has been at the top of the MIAA all year long. Even though they are ranked behind NWMSU in the regional rankings, the purple Bearcats are now ranked 4th in Division II. They lead the MIAA in scoring offense with over 85 points a game and have two dynamic players in Sheldon Pace and Frans Steyn.

Surprise of the year: No surprise here with Truman State University

This was a team picked last in the MIAA preseason poll. This was a team that up until two weeks ago was seven seconds away from being undefeated. Overall, they are probably the most balanced team in the conference in terms of scoring and defense. The Bulldogs have a great floor general in Chip Sodemann, and the re-emergence of Grant Agbo as a scoring threat make this squad a good inside-outside team in terms of scoring.

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Michael Hicks of CMSU

CMSU was the team to beat in the MIAA preseason poll and it is because of this young man. Hicks is the leading scorer on a 14-4 Mules team that currently sits in third place in the conference behind Southwest Baptist and Northwest Missouri State, averaging 21.3 points per game. In two of the Mules losses, he was held to 16 points by St. Edwards and 14 points by Truman State. The other two losses came in shootouts to Southwest Baptist and Emporia State, where he still scored 28 and 25 points respectively. As Hicks goes, so goes the fortunes of Central Missouri.

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Derek Lindsey of Truman State

Lindsey has been consistently been called upon to shut down offensive threats throughout the season. In the pre-conference schedule, he shut down Titus Byrd to 18 points combined in two games. Lindsey was the Bulldog to shut down Michael Hicks in the Bulldogs victory in Warrensburg at the start of the conference season. Lindsey is also an offensive threat, leading the MIAA in assist to turnover ratio at 4.58, almost two full points ahead of Sheldon Pace, who is second. Lindsey is also the Bulldogs second leading scorer with 10.5 points per game.

Coach of the Year: Jeff Guiot of Southwest Baptist and Jack Schrader of Truman State

I really don't want to be a homer and give the award outright to Coach Schrader, but I can't overlook the great squad Coach Guiot has in his second season in the MIAA. Each coach has surprised the conference. Coach Guiot has a talented team that has enjoyed a great start, losing only to Northwest Missouri State in the regular season. Those purple Bearcats are now ranked fourth in Division II. Coach Schrader does not have the same level of playmakers as other schools in conference, but he has had four years to cultivate the play of Sodemann and Lindsey, and three years with Agbo, Andy Calmes, and Austin Kirby. Schrader has proved to the rest of the MIAA that squads do not need team of all-stars, and a great team is five individuals out on the court who move and think and play as one.

Bulldogs capture huge road victory

Conor Nicholl

Twenty minutes saved the Bulldogs.

After suffering two straight defeats to mid-level MIAA teams in Pittsburg State University and Missouri Western State College, the men’s basketball team captured an important road win over Emporia State University Saturday afternoon.

After shooting 28 percent in the first half, the Bulldogs finally found the bottom of the net in the final 20 minutes, sinking 61 percent of their shots en route to a 61-58 victory.

The victory gives the ’Dogs a 4-3 conference record and, more importantly, will probably keep them in the top eight in the region when the next rankings come out. Currently, the purple and white reside seventh – with the top eight teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.

But after a disheartening 20-point loss to Mo. West (then-1-4 in the MIAA) on Wednesday (and a matchup against nationally ranked Northwest Mo. four days from now), the ’Dogs needed a victory.

The win gives them a 14-4 overall record and guarantees a .500 record through the first half of MIAA play. A .500 overall mark in the conference – plus one win in the conference tourney – will probably be enough for a NCAA berth.

Had the ’Dogs lost today, it would have marked their fourth straight loss in conference play and further eroded the team’s confidence.

But, after tallying only 104 points in their previous two games (and shooting less than 35 percent), the shots started falling in the second half, allowing the purple and white to escape from Emporia with the victory.

The win also boosts an impressive road resume, as the ’Dogs have won at Quincy, at then-No. 11 Central Missouri State, lost in overtime to nationally ranked Southwest Baptist in Bolivar and now own a road win at White Auditorium, where Emporia had won 41 of their previous 47 games entering Saturday.

Recruiting Notebook-Could Truman replicate Penn State's turnaround?

Shannon Currier could be a lot like Joe Paterno in 2006.

Except he won’t be wearing coke bottle glasses and is about half JoePa’s age.

But the coaches have multiple similarities when it comes to their football teams.

Their teams play in arguably the highest conference in their respective Divisions – JoePa’s Penn State University in the Big 10 and Currier’s Bulldogs in the MIAA.

Before this season, JoePa had nearly lost his job, as Penn State fell to the bottom of the conference. This past season, the Nittany Lions – led by all-purpose QB Michael Robinson and an airtight defense, shocked the college football world by winning the Big 10 and the Orange Bowl and finishing the season 11-1 – three more wins than they had in the previous two seasons combined.

With Currier, he took over an awful program at Concordia-St. Paul, became the architect of an offensive machine that went 32-12 in four years and then went to south to Kirksville where he’s combined for four wins over the previous two falls.

Sitting in his office Wednesday afternoon, Currier was taking a break from recruiting. Dressed in a suit coat and tie, he began talking about the recent American Football Coaches Convention he attended over the holidays.

“In this profession, you can go from the outhouse to the penthouse and vice versa based on situations and wins,” Currier said. “But that’s not how it works. Coach Paterno isn’t a different coach when he won National Coach of the Year then he was the previous two seasons. His teams probably did a better job, but he’s not a different coach. He’s not suddenly gotten a lot worse or a lot better.”

The same line can be applied to Currier. Currier was one of the best coaches in Div. II at Concordia, but his teams at the University are some of the worst in our school’s history. Is he still a good coach? Can he pull a Paterno and become National Coach of the Year?

A lot of people don’t think so, but no one thought the Nittany Lions were going to finish anywhere near the top five in the country at this time last season.

A look back at Penn State’s model of success reveals a few keys: a willingness to play freshman (signed a year ago in February) – especially young, talented wide receivers that can make play, an athletic quarterback, a solid offensive line that will protect the pocket, a smashmouth defense that will keep their team in every game, lots of home games (Penn State had seven games at Happy Valley) and an easy non-conference schedule.

All-MIAA center Mike Shelden believes a turnaround is possible. Like Penn State, as this past year’s squad was junior- and senior-laden. The ’Dogs will return 18 starters – nine each on both sides of the ball.

“I think we are going to surprise some people,” he said Thursday afternoon. “I can’t wait for spring ball. The spring is going to be very competitive this year since we are losing only three starters.”

Can the Bulldogs pull a dramatic turnaround and accomplish what Penn State did this past year?

Yes. And no.

Offensively, the purple and white will have 10 returning starters, including their QB and all five lineman.

“It will be really nice to have who will already know the system,” Shelden said. “Last season, we had a lot of young players who didn’t know the system.”

Sophomore Michael Long will probably start again. He’s still one of the youngest quarterbacks in the conference and will mix good and bad plays. He’s an upgrade over Jonathan Duffy, the running quarterback who started the first four games last season.

The wide receiver position is critical – especially with Signing Day approaching. Jeff Amundson will probably resort to his 2004 form (76 catches), but the team needs a playmaker like James Walton to stretch the field. Can Currier sign a player who can step in and fill a Walton-like role?

If he does (and if offensive coordinator Aaron Vlcko gives running back Michael Patnode 15 touches a game), the offensive could double its scoring output – something the Nittany Lions did last season.

Defense is also critical.

“We constantly looking for defensive players,” Currier said. “Teams need talented, athletic players that can run around and make plays and keep their teams in every game, like the Chicago Bears did this season.”

Penn State did the same thing. Led by lineman Tamba Hali (a probable high first round draft pick), cornerback Alan Zemaitis and Butkus Award-winner linebacker Paul Posluzsny, the Nittany Lions allowed only 25 points or more in two games last season and only 17 points per contest.

The season before, though, the Nittany Lions allowed only 15 points a contest – and lost seven Big 10 games by 14 points or less – meaning the personnel on the defensive side of the ball was still outstanding during their 4-7 2004 season.

The ’Dogs don’t have that kind of defense, as they’ve allowed over 30 points a game the last two years. Signing Day could bring some playmakers, but upgrading must come from within.

Four senior all-MIAA players return, including lineman Steve Holman, one of two returning seniors-to-be all-conference D-lineman, cornerback Josh Mayson, one of two senior-to-be defensive backs, linebacker Larry Giglio, one of five senior-to-be linebackers and sophomore Andy Swedenhjelm, one of the program’s top talents.

It’s unlikely 2006 will mark the revitalization of the Bulldog defense, but Signing Day, coupled with returning all-conference selections and some rising talents (like DE Les Hammers), and the ’Dogs should allow less than 38 points a contest.

Finally, Penn State had a really easy non-conference schedule and many preseason magazines said they would probably start the season 5-0.

They also didn’t have to play Iowa and had road games at Northwestern (in a game PSU barely won), at Michigan (a loss by a point), at Illinois (the worst team in the Big 10) and at Michigan State. Every other game was at home – including a matchup versus Ohio State.

The Bulldogs will have a easier home schedule than last year, but they will still play at Pitt. St. and Emporia State. If past seasons are any indication, they also won’t have an easy non-conference schedule (though they should), as they played two ranked teams last fall.

So, it’s unlikely the purple and white will match the seven-win turnaround the Nittany Lions enjoyed this past fall.

But, if the staff can sign some key talents on the all-important Signing Day, I believe the ’Dogs will do one thing Penn State accomplished this fall: win more games than the last two years combined.

Dual Dominance

-Joseph Barker

As the swimmers were swimming their cool down laps the PA announcer announced the final score of the just completed meet. Final score: Truman 123, Western Illinois 70 - for both the men and women. Truman's swim teams had just defeated another Div. I school, this time by identical scores.

The win gives the Men's team their fourth meet win in a row. With all the talk surrounding the dominating women's squad - and most of it deserving since they ARE the five-time defending National Champs - the men tend to get lost in the shuffel. But, these guys are good.

Just take a look at their results. Yes they have lost three duals this year, but two of those were too Div. I schools. For those not in the know, Truman is Div. II. Take out those two loses and you have a solid team. Maybe they won't be gunning for the National title like the women, but they are a good squad. And they are young too.

At today's senior day festivities the team said good bye to four members of the current squad, including national qualifier Josh Otis. However, they are only losing four guys, that still leaves a lot of talent. Just go up and down the roster and you will notice a lot of juniors and sophomores - a sign that maybe we could have something here. The point is, these guys are young and performing at a high level. Not many Div. II schools constantly take on Div. I schools. These guys could be primed to start a run like the women, maybe not this year but I have a feeling that the men might be something to look at these last few weeks of the season.

Maybe I am just seeing things I want to see, but maybe with some success and some strong recruiting by Coach Mark Gole, the team can be on par with the women and could have the potential to make Truman the swimming power of Div. II with both the men and women.

*Correction: According to Go Bulldogs the scores were actually 123-70 for the women and 116-77 for the men. Both teams still won, but I figured I should get the scores right. -Joe

Time to get on a Roll

By John Scognamiglio

Wednesday night's game against the Missouri Western Griffons gave the women's basketball team their first MIAA victory of the season and kept their record above .500.

This is the same women's team that was all but written off by a few as the season got underway. Coach Sloop has always had a good non-conference record, while his teams have faltered in conference. At the beginning of the MIAA season, it looked like it was more of the same. The team ran out to an 8-2 non-conference record, losing only to perennial Great Lakes power Quincy, and the number two team in Div. II, Drury.

Wednesday night, the Bulldogs put the stops to a very talented 13-4 Griffons team. When I talked to sophomore point guard Katie Fowler, she said that this week would be a good week to have the Bulldogs get on a roll. So how did the Bulldogs win this game? Simple, they refused to lose. They never got into an early hole and put the Griffons on notice that the Bulldogs would not simply roll over for anyone. They established a double-digit early lead and never gave it up. Plus, it doesn't hurt when your lone senior goes 10-13 at the charity stripe or have a sophomore guard who has a ho-hum night with 5-9 shooting behind the arc.

These Bulldogs have had the talent all year long to go on a good run in conference, but to sustain this run they have to play the number three team in the country in Emporia State at their homecourt. In the season's first conference game, the Bulldogs were in it to upset the #1 Lady Blues of Washburn. Could Saturday be the game where they knock off a top-5 team in Division II. If this season is any indicator, set your radio dials to listen to your Truman Bulldogs as they roll into Emporia, Kan. brimming with confidence.

Men's basketball is the real deal

-Ross Houston

Men's basketball head coach Jack Schrader has a little saying he applies to members of his teams, he told me last year for an interview for a yearbook article.

"Freshman just want to play. Sophomores just want to start. Juniors just want to score 20 points. Seniors just want to win."

He also told me that the team could contend for a national championship next year.

I shrugged this statement off when I first heard it, figuring it was another remark by a coach to shed the best possible light possible on his team.

Next year is now, and the Bulldogs, with a total of 5 seniors, is winning. I might not be shrugging off anything Schrader says anymore.

At first, I figured the wins were just a result of facing "blow-off" teams. After the squad's 77-69 victory of No. 11 Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, I am now a believer.

With the win, the 'Dogs have improved to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA. With just three more victories, the squad will surpass the number of wins in the past two seasons combined.

I think part of the success is due to actually facing the "blow-off" teams. As a former athlete, I know players have a psyche which could make a player sink or swim. Last year, the squad started off with a loss to Div. I SLU. Truman also had to face Div. I Illinois State en route to dropping its first six games. Needless to say, losing six straight games is not the biggest confidence builder in the world.

This year, we faced considerably less difficult teams (other than SEMO). Thus, our players got in the "winning" mindset, which apparently has carried over from game to game.

I'm not going to jinx the team by saying we're going to win a national championship. It's still too early to tell if this team is "THAT" good.

But, we are good. Don't get me wrong. I think we should be nationally ranked after this past victory. We nearly upended SEMO. We played really well against No. 7 Southwest Baptist University and almost came away with a win. We beat the No. 11 team.

It's a shame I'm going to miss the heart of the season and playoffs. But, if the 'Dogs can keep their winning mindset, the basketball world could see shades of the 1999 Final Four squad.