Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Washburn Men's Basketball Preview

This years Washburn Men’s Basketball team will be in a position to do something Coach Bob Chipman has been unable to accomplish in his illustrious career at Washburn – win a national title at the division II level. The 29th most winning coach in NCAA history does have a NAIA title under his belt from 1987 and a trip to the DII title game in 2000-2001, but this team may be Chip’s best shot as he nears the age most coaches begin contemplating retirement. And what a team it is to give him such a shot.

The preseason No. 2 ranked Ichabods return everyone but sharpshooter Jeff Reid from a team that won the MIAA season and postseason championships and reach the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament just a season ago. An upper-class latent team will start four seniors in Martin Mitchell, Will McNeill, Zack Riggins, and Bobby Chipman.

Mitchell, a Junior College transfer from Memphis will start at point guard and will apply pressure on opposing guards both offensively and defensively. Mitchell is a multifaceted player who will heat teams up full court and also beat teams down with his quick and elusive pull-up. Martin can light it up from deep on the reg while also having the ability to get past the initial defense and create for himself and others in the lane.

Alexandria product Will McNeill, an All-American and MIAA Tournament MVP from a season ago, will flank Mitchell in the Ichabod backcourt. McNeill already has the Washburn career record for steals and will only add to that total due to his tremendous on-ball pressure and affinity for disrupting passing lanes. His offensive game is nothing to scoff about due to his above the rim play during fast breaks and on the offensive glass. He uses his quickness and top speed to his advantage in the full court and on many occasions will lead successful one man breaks. McNeill also has a reliable mid-range jumper than he can drain off the catch as well as off the dribble.

Leavenworth product Zack Riggins may be the unsung hero of this team because he is a great player in the eyes of basketball fans and an average player in the eyes of statisticians. He may only average eight points, five boards, and two assists a game, but he is responsible for much more than that. If you see Will get a wide open look on a drive, look to see if Rigs sealed the help to allow it. If you see Bobby grab a board with no traffic, look to see if Rigs blocked out multiple guys to allow it. If you see the ball go inside out and swung for a three, look to see if it was Rigs with the hockey assist. It’s really simple, Big Rigs does the little things that win big games.

Topeka product Bobby Chipman will be a starter for the fourth consecutive season. The anchor of this impressive defense has the ability to bang around with the bruisers of the MIAA but also has the foot speed to step out and challenge the finesse bigs who are all the rage nowadays. He can play inside/outside on offense as well showing good touch around the rim off of post ups and offensive rebounds. He can also spot up from deep which draws most teams best rebounder and best rim defender away from the basket which opens up driving and rebounding opportunities.

Junior Alex North, from Topeka, will fill out the starting five as the small forward. North is an overall crafty player who is a very sneaky rebounder on both ends of the court. Watch him wiggle on the baseline and step in front of people at the last second to get the board. He can get very hot from deep and has shown consistency at scoring off the dribble from 18 feet and in.

The Ichabod starters rightfully get the most pub, but when healthy, their bench has shown the affinity to be one of the best in the league. After adding some necessary poundage in the offseason, 45 year old looking senior Joe Smith, also from Memphis,  is poised to get plenty of burn in the Ichabod big man rotation. He has had success going over both shoulders, good touch around the rim, and the ability to create spacing by stepping out 15 foot and hitting. He is a very capable defender and rebounder who uses his above average wingspan to his advantage. Sophomore Kyle Wiggins, also from Leavenworth, might be the most athletic player in the MIAA if not the entire nation. He possesses a slick crossover and an explosive first step which can lead to him finishing at the rim or pulling up from 12 feet. His athleticism allows him to heat players up like the starters in front of him so there is not a tremendous defensive drop-off when Wiggins enters the game. Junior Jared Henry from Olathe will get the majority minutes as the backup point guard. Henry flourishes on the defensive end specifically creating havoc in passing lanes and turning them into easy points on the other end. He has a decent stroke from deep but has the ability to light it up if his fingers start burning. Henry is also good at distributing the ball, especially in penetrate and kick situations. Sophomore Christian Ulsaker (McPherson) and Redshirt Junior Leon Flowers (Wichita) will fight each other for minutes as possible small forwards who can also play a stretch four against the correct opponents. They both are good rebounders for being undersized. Flowers does most of his offensive damage from the outside while Ulsaker does his from 15 feet and in. Both are capable offensive rebounders who can be exposed against quicker guards outside but overall can guard at either the three or the four positions. Redshirt Junior Bryce Simons, also from Topeka,  is looking to rebound from a knee injury that has kept him sidelined all season and will continue to keep him sidelined. Once he is healthy he will give the team even more firepower on the defensive end of the court. He is a good on-ball defender who uses his leaping ability to secure rebounds on both ends. On offense he can get to the rim and finish and has shown the ability throughout his career to hit open shots. The roster is rounded out with Redshirt Freshman Dalton Abel, a product of Carbondale. Although he has been the primary candidate for G-Love minutes, he always plays his ass off when he gets the opportunity.

This team’s identity is centered around their up-in-your-ass defense that causes teams to play defensive on offense and causes many points off of turnovers. They have threats to score on the inside and threats to score from the outside, but what makes them special is the amount of players who can not only do both, but have a game that connects the two together. They might not be the favorite to win it all, but you should believe that they will be a force to be reckoned with once we reach March. This might be the team Coach Chipman has been waiting 34 seasons for.

Joshua Jackson

@JoshJackson_TID

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