Gusties beat #8 Buena Vista, fall to Bethany Lutheran and defending Division II champion Winona State

It has been a rough start to the season for Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mark Hanson’s squad, but their 1-2 record fails to indicate the strong play of his team. With a 19-8 record and a second place conference finish a year ago, Coach Hanson’s 19th season at the helm will require numerous question marks to be straightened out by season’s end.

“Defense is going to be a  big point of emphasis for us. We will look to create offense off of our defense and get transition buckets,” said Junior Ryan McPartland. “Offensively, we need to run our Gustie basketball style and avoid being funneled into what the defense is trying to do.”

The team returns three starters from a season ago, led by Senior point guard and three-time letter-winner Mike DesLauriers, who will act as the catalyst for this year’s Gustie squad.

Joining DesLauriers in the starting backcourt is Junior Jesse Van Sickle, the lead returning scorer at 10.6 points per game. The two-year contributor from Garden City, MN, will be the go-to option offensively for Gustavus. Junior post Sam Paulson, standing at 6’9”, also returns as a force in the middle for the Gusties, bringing a 52 percent field goal percentage and a prominent shot-blocking force to the paint.

Senior Tim Olmstead and  McPartland have transitioned into starting roles, and the team will rely upon these newcomers to the starting line-up to boost the Gusties from the wings. McPartland was a strong contributor in last season’s campaign, hustling his way to an average of four points and three rebounds in 13 minutes a game.

On the other hand, Olmstead saw the floor for just over four minutes a contest last season, averaging less than a point and a half per game. Olmstead and McPartland step into the roles vacated by the departure of All-Conference forwards Trevor Wittwer and Kane Sivesind, who accounted for nearly 37 percent of the team’s scoring last season.

“The post has big shoes to fill. [The graduated seniors] we’re the leaders of our tea,m and we’re still trying to find that on this team,” said Van Sickle. “We’ve figured out a lot of things about ourselves over these last couple games but not only did they bring stats, they brought a confidence that we could win every game. We’re continually trying to find a way to replace that mentality.”

Off of Coach Hanson’s bench come a host of new faces, headed by Sophomore guard and sixth man Dan Schmidtknecht and sharp-shooting Senior guard Robbie Schmidt. Talented Junior post players Ky Battern and Mychal Crowder will see an increase in playing time while cleaning the boards and doing the interior dirty work off of the Gustavus bench. Sophomore wing Phil Wirtjes will also contribute to the Gustie success.

After a 10-point loss to highway 169 rival Bethany on Nov. 18, in which Gustavus struggled to find its offensive identity, the Gusties played host to #8 ranked Buena Vista College. In their home opener, the Gusties ran out to a 13-point lead at halftime—a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Their cushion was cut to a single bucket with just under 10 seconds remaining, but a pair of DesLauriers’ free throws iced the game in favor of the Gusties.

Van Sickle led all of King Gustav’s scorers with 22 points in his coronation as the Gusties’ main offensive threat, hitting four clutch free throws at the end of the contest. McPartland contributed a scrappy 12-point and 10-rebound performance, his first career double-double in the 62-58 Gustavus victory.

This past Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008, the Gusties traveled to Winona to take on the defending Division II National Champion, the Winona State Warriors. Despite a field goal percentage of more than 50 percent and a bench scoring advantage of 13-4, the Warriors proved to be too much. The Gusties turned the ball over 15 times and went to the line a meager 10 times. Van Sickle scored 16 points to pace the team, while McPartland and Paulson each added 10 of their own in the 75-59 loss.

“The loss to Winona shows us that we can play with anyone with the chance to come away with a victory,” said Schmidt. “Its going to take a full effort and if we can bring it every day, we can get to where we want to go.”

Gustavus will try and rebound this weekend as they play host to MIAC foe Concordia College in the conference opener Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3:00 p.m. The team will stay busy next week as they head back to Winona to take on St. Mary’s on Monday, Dec. 8, and then play host to Augsburg on Dec. 10. Both weekday games begin at 7:30 p.m.