Buena Vista makes bid in Division III national tournament
Beavers play at St. Thomas
By Barry Poe Journal sports writer | Posted: Friday, March 07, 2008
Buena Vista had to play the waiting game following a 77-69 loss to Loras in the Iowa Conference men's basketball tournament championship game last Saturday.
It was worth the wait. Buena Vista was awarded one of 21 at-large berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Beavers (21-6) play St. Thomas, Minn. (23-4) tonight at 8 o'clock at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul.
The four-team bracket also includes Chicago (18-7) and Wisconsin-Stevens Point (22-6). The second round is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. and the winner of that round advances to the Sweet 16.
"We're excited about being back in the national tournament," said Coach Brian Van Haaften, who has guided BVU to seven national berths in the last nine seasons. "We missed last year and I'm happy for our seniors because this group had not won a conference title. It makes it a really special year when you can do both."
Buena Vista copped the regular-season Iowa Conference championship, its first in four seasons but sixth under Van Haaften.
The Beavers have just one player averaging double figures in Andre Wagner, a 6-1 junior point guard from Omaha Westside. Wagner averages 14.7 points and has 66 three-point goals.
Fear not, though, because Van Haaften always utilizes his depth and this season is no exception.
"This team is pretty well-rounded," said Van Haaften, 253-81 since taking over as head coach at BVU in 1996. "We have a lot of guys who can play. There are guys who do the job in the post, some guys who can shoot and a go-to guy in Andre Wagner."
Senior Rahn Franklin Jr., who played for former West High Coach Jim Hinrich at Kansas City North, is Wagner's back court mate. Junior Travis Person plays a wing while former Bishop Heelan standout Matt Cleveland (9.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg), a 6-8 junior and Brian Fogleman (9.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), a 6-5, 265-pound junior, form a potent tandem in the post.
"They're a real good combination down there," said Van Haaften. "Matt shoots it well and Fogleman posts up well."
Seniors Adam Friedrichsen, Adam Arndorfer, Jeff Bissen and Eric Holton provide strong bench support along with junior Kyle Stribe.
St. Thomas has received eight Division III tournament berths in the last 18 years and reached the second round each of the last two seasons. Steve Fritz, who has been the head coach since 1981, has a 488-232 all-time record and has had just one losing season.
Joe Scott, a sophomore guard, leads the Tommies with a 16-point scoring average while freshman Tyler Nicolai chips in 10.4 an outing. St. Thomas allows opponents just 67.1 points per game and forces an average of 18 turnovers.
"They are one of the few teams that has the same type of depth we do, which is what you should expect when you get to the national tournament," said Van Haaften. "They're certainly very athletic, so we're going to have to defend a little better than they do and one of the biggest keys will be to keep our turnovers down."
This is the seventh meeting between the two schools and the first since 2002-03 when St. Thomas prevailed 78-74 in St. Paul.
It was worth the wait. Buena Vista was awarded one of 21 at-large berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Beavers (21-6) play St. Thomas, Minn. (23-4) tonight at 8 o'clock at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul.
The four-team bracket also includes Chicago (18-7) and Wisconsin-Stevens Point (22-6). The second round is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. and the winner of that round advances to the Sweet 16.
"We're excited about being back in the national tournament," said Coach Brian Van Haaften, who has guided BVU to seven national berths in the last nine seasons. "We missed last year and I'm happy for our seniors because this group had not won a conference title. It makes it a really special year when you can do both."
Buena Vista copped the regular-season Iowa Conference championship, its first in four seasons but sixth under Van Haaften.
The Beavers have just one player averaging double figures in Andre Wagner, a 6-1 junior point guard from Omaha Westside. Wagner averages 14.7 points and has 66 three-point goals.
Fear not, though, because Van Haaften always utilizes his depth and this season is no exception.
"This team is pretty well-rounded," said Van Haaften, 253-81 since taking over as head coach at BVU in 1996. "We have a lot of guys who can play. There are guys who do the job in the post, some guys who can shoot and a go-to guy in Andre Wagner."
Senior Rahn Franklin Jr., who played for former West High Coach Jim Hinrich at Kansas City North, is Wagner's back court mate. Junior Travis Person plays a wing while former Bishop Heelan standout Matt Cleveland (9.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg), a 6-8 junior and Brian Fogleman (9.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), a 6-5, 265-pound junior, form a potent tandem in the post.
"They're a real good combination down there," said Van Haaften. "Matt shoots it well and Fogleman posts up well."
Seniors Adam Friedrichsen, Adam Arndorfer, Jeff Bissen and Eric Holton provide strong bench support along with junior Kyle Stribe.
St. Thomas has received eight Division III tournament berths in the last 18 years and reached the second round each of the last two seasons. Steve Fritz, who has been the head coach since 1981, has a 488-232 all-time record and has had just one losing season.
Joe Scott, a sophomore guard, leads the Tommies with a 16-point scoring average while freshman Tyler Nicolai chips in 10.4 an outing. St. Thomas allows opponents just 67.1 points per game and forces an average of 18 turnovers.
"They are one of the few teams that has the same type of depth we do, which is what you should expect when you get to the national tournament," said Van Haaften. "They're certainly very athletic, so we're going to have to defend a little better than they do and one of the biggest keys will be to keep our turnovers down."
This is the seventh meeting between the two schools and the first since 2002-03 when St. Thomas prevailed 78-74 in St. Paul.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
