The Gustavus men’s basketball team will start their season by hosting a game against Simpson College on Nov. 15, 2013. According to the team, Simpson College will bring touch competition to the Gus Young Court.
“Simpson is a new team for us and they play a little different style than we do—a style we will probably see some of in the future. They’ll definitely be a good level of competition,” Head Coach Mark Hanson said.
The following day, Gustavus will host another game. The Gusties will be taking on Buena Vista at 7 p.m.
“We have played Buena Vista probably for the last 10 to 12 years, and I think they are good match-ups for us to begin with. We have had a lot of competitive games with them in the past,” Hanson said.
The first couple of games will be a good indicator as to how the men will do this season, especially after graduating some of their key players.
“Now that we have lost some of our top scorers, I’m excited to see how some of the new guys will do and how we will fill those gaps,” Junior Captain Isaac Tapp said.
“We’re a really fresh team and we only have one senior, so it is up to a lot of the younger guys to step up and learn really quickly. They’re doing phenomenal so far, and with a lot of fresh faces it will be exciting to see how much better we will get when we mesh together,” Junior Guard Jed Kreuser said.
With challenges arising early in the season, the team has had to adapt and develop as a team to accomplish their goals.
“Our goals go from being very specific to very broad. We always want to improve, win or lose, and we try to take the good from each situation,” Kreuser said.
Adjustments have been made to the new roster and the men have had a chance to play together against other teams in scrimmages before their official season starts.
“This is a time where we try to get a vision of what teams will do against us and what we will do. The team is practicing certain techniques to prepare against teams with different playing styles. I’m probably wondering as much as everybody else what this season is going to be like,” Hanson said.
With the competition ahead, the men have been spending more time on the court to improve their game. The team has been adjusting to some changes, still putting pieces together.
“The competition is going to be tough. We try to look at other teams and focus on playing each other the best we can. We are preparing by polishing up on things that we have been working on for the past month and have been getting better each day,” Kreuser said.
The players and coaches have high expectations for returning players, and are looking forward to seeing how the newer athletes are incorporated into the team.
“While I think we have a bunch of good players, it’s hard to tell where the scoring will come from. It is going to be interesting to see who can do what and how much we can count on them on a regular basis,” Hanson said.