SEWARD, Neb. – It’s only the second week of the 2018-19 season for the Concordia University men’s basketball team, but conference play is already here. Following a 3-0 week at home, the Bulldogs will take their act on the road for the first time with trips this week to Midland and 10th-ranked Briar Cliff. Sixth-year head coach Ben Limback’s squad is coming off a 2017-18 season in which it placed sixth in the GPAC.
This Week
Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Midland, 8 p.m.
-Webcast: Stretch Internet
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Saturday, Nov. 10 at (10) Briar Cliff, 4 p.m.
-Webcast: Stretch Internet
Concordia got a boost of confidence last week while claiming nonconference wins over Kansas Wesleyan University, 70-59, 25th-ranked St. Thomas University (Fla.), 79-60, and Barclay College (Kan.), 97-62. Over those three victories, Bulldog opponents averaged only 60.3 points and shot 37.9 percent from the field. Improvement on the defensive end could be a big key for outperforming Concordia’s preseason placement of 10th in the GPAC coaches’ poll. The 2017-18 Bulldogs allowed 76.8 points and 44.6 percent shooting.
Offensively, Limback will lean upon the veteran duo of Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup on the perimeter. Both players were named to the All-Cattle Classic team over the weekend. Shuck is proving to be more than just a shooter. In the win over St. Thomas, Shuck made the highlight of the weekend by grabbing a loose ball, going on the run and dunking the ball over the top of a Bobcat player. Shuck is averaging 15.7 points while Sloup is the team leader at 16.3 points per game. A Seward High School product, Sloup has helped salt away the first three wins by going 16-for-18 from the foul line.
Shuck and Sloup have been joined in the starting lineup by a host of newcomers in transfers Zach Auguste (Scottsdale CC) and Chuol Biel (McCook CC) and freshman Carter Kent (Crete HS). Auguste and Biel were much needed additions in the post. Auguste has been productive so far, averaging 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds while Biel has supplied a solid defensive presence in the paint. Kent could wind up being the team’s third scoring option behind Shuck and Sloup. Kent scored more than 1,000 points during his high school career at Crete.
The standouts so far for head coach Oliver Drake’s Warriors (1-1) have been newcomers in junior guard Bryce Parsons and freshman guard Bowen Sandquist. Through two games, Parsons is averaging 23.0 points and Sandquist is averaging 22.0. Midland rebounded from a 90-83 season opening loss to Bethany College (Kan.) by defeating College of the Ozarks (Mo.), 88-86. The struggle has been on the defensive end where Warrior opponents are shooting 48.7 percent from the field, although the sample size is admittedly small. It appears Midland will be without star player Ryan Williams.
Briar Cliff (3-0) checked in at No. 2 in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll. In the early going, head coach Mark Svagera’s squad has claimed wins over Presentation College (S.D.), Friends University (Kan.) and Bethany College (Kan.). The victory over Friends came in double overtime. The Chargers boast one of the GPAC’s top players in senior guard Jay Wolfe, who leads the team in scoring (23.3), rebounds (8.0), assists (4.3) and steals (3.0). Wolfe is the ringleader for a team averaging 102.0 points per game.
Projected starters
Concordia (3-0)
G – Brevin Sloup, Jr., 5-9
G – Carer Kent, Fr., 6-2
F – Tanner Shuck, Jr., 6-4
F – Zach Auguste, Jr., 6-7
F – Chuol Biel, Jr., 6-8
Midland (1-1)
G – Tariq Deere, Fr., 6-0
G – Dillon Faubel, Fr., 6-1
G – Bryce Parsons, Jr., 6-2
G – Bowen Sandquist, Fr., 6-2
F – Sam Brown, So., 6-6
Briar Cliff (3-0)
G – Erich Erdman, Sr., 5-11
G – Jackson Lamb, Jr., 6-4
G – Jay Wolfe, Sr., 6-4
F – Nic Lutmer, Sr., 6-4
F – Kyle Boerhave, Fr., 6-6