PHIL MCCLINTOCK

No. 5 seed Ottawa has knocked off top-ranked Sterling at Sterling, 84-78 in OT today. The Braves will face KWU in Monday’s title game — the winner of that game goes to the NAIA D-2 Tournament and the loser goes home — what an incredible story if Ottawa can win its second straight after falling apart late in the season — Phil McClintock led the way for the Braves with 23 points and nine rebounds. Story from Taylor Eldridge to come later.

UPDATE 10:04 PM: Sterling and Kansas Wesleyan will play in the women’s final — the Warriors routed Friends behind 27 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and four assists from Ashley Kraft, and KWU rocked Tabor with a double-double from Kaylean Dittmer (16 pts, 10 rebs) … and I know who won player of the year but I can’t tell you until Monday … Damn Embargoes! I know who the POY was for the men, too. Damn Embargoes!

LONNIE KRUSE, MR. 600

Sterling women’s coach Lonnie Kruse picked up his 600th win on Saturday with a 100-55 victory at Bethel. I have nothing but admiration for Coach K and the way he handles himself, during games and off the court. It’s a testament to anybody to keep the same job for 27 years, but in coaching that’s almost impossible. And like I’ve said before, dude is a recruiting machine.

Here’s the release from Sterling before the big win:

Sterling College women’s basketball coach, Lonnie Kruse, is just one win shy of reaching the 600 victory mark at his alma mater.

Kruse, in his 28th year at Sterling, has led the Lady Warriors to a 16-3 start this season and a current #7 national ranking in NAIA Division II.

To date, Kruse has an overall record of 599-183 (77%) at Sterling College. Kruse has only had one losing season at SC, which came in this first year at the helm in 1981-82. Since that first year, Kruse’s teams at Sterling have posted winning records for 26 consecutive years. Kruse has also had seventeen 20+ win seasons at Sterling.

During his tenure at SC, Kruse has been named KCAC “Coach of the Year” ten times and Kansas Basketball Coaches Association “Collegiate Coach of the Year” twice. The Lady Warriors have won nine KCAC regular season championships and made twelve trips to the NAIA National Tournament reaching the Final Four in 2001.

Kruse has coached 57 First Team All-KCAC players, 45 Honorable Mention All-KCAC players, and had eight different players named KCAC “Freshman of the Year”. Kruse has also seen ten different players earn NAIA All-America status and since 1989, Kruse has also seen 31 different players become NAIA All-America Scholar Athletes.

Sterling will travel to North Newton, Kansas, on Saturday, January 26, 2009, for Kruse’s first attempt at reaching the 600 victory milestone. The Thresher’s are currently 8-5 this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 PM at Bethel College.

Current NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches (Division I & II) with 600 + wins as of Jan. 23rd 2009

Name Institution Wins Yrs.
Denny Jerome, Waldorf University* 734-335 37
Joanne Bracker, Midland Lutheran University* 715-355 39
Donna Wise, Campbellsville University* 660-283 32
Garey Smith, Grandview College 607-400 27
Lonnie Kruse, Sterling College* 599-183 28

*Only Bracker, Jerome, Wise & Kruse have earned all victories at the one institution.

JAYHAWK UP FOR GRABS, OFFICIALLY

For all of the bluster especially on this blog about which team is the favorite in Jayhawk West and East men’s races, I have come to just one conclusion: there is no favorite. This weekend demolished that thinking. No. 6 Cowley lost for the second time in three games at Neosho on Saturday, following up a big win at No. 10 Johnson County. This doesn’t mean they’re not still the favorite in the East … let’s just say they’re now the prohibitive favorite. In the West, no team causes as much confusion as Hutch. So they beat Barton then lose by 20 to Colby? What’s the deal? I can’t get it sorted out. I guess that’s why they have the Region VI tournament.

I’m OUT

-TA

Let’s get this rolling. Not as much to deal with as in the fall … but just as important.

No players of the week to speak of — yet — in the KCAC but I’ll get into that in a minute. And the Jayhawk won’t start putting them out, apparently, until after the new year. Bummer.

JANICE BRIGHT

MIAA

Washburn’s Janice Bright is the player of the week in the MIAA after she helped the No. 2-ranked Lady Blues to a 3-0 record last week … including two wins against fellow top-10 teams and a win over NAIA No. 12 Sterling. Bright was big in all three wins, averaging 16.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, but had her signature moment on Saturday night against No. 8 Indiana (Pa.) in Washburn’s 72-62 overtime win at Topeka. Bright scored all 17 of her points after halftime, including six in overtime. The 5-foot-9 senior is currently moving up the charts for Washburn in all-time 3s made and games started. Good luck to Janice. Southwest Baptist center Matthew Rogers was the men’s player of the week, BTW.

KARA BEAL

KCAC

No players of the week here, but definitely time enough for a rankings, standings and leaders update. In the national NAIA D-II rankings, Sterling dropped one spot to No. 12 and Kansas Wesleyan broke in at No. 21. Southwestern and Friends both received votes. On the men’s side — Friends forward Romar Jones is averaging 24.2 points per game. Dude. Who are you and where did you come from? Not hardly a mention in the preseason and now this … and he’s from the ICT. And why doesn’t Friends have pics of their athletes on their site? Anyways. The two best returning women’s players in the KCAC are showing they were worth the hype thus far. Sterling’s Ashley Kraft and Southwestern’s Kara Beal are 1-2 in the conference in scoring and Kraft is averaging a league-leading 3.5 steals per game to go with her 18.8 points. Beal’s no slouch, either, filling it up to the tune of 18 ppg and dishing out 2.57 assists per.
I’m out.

-TA

I’d heard rumors of a giant kid walking around campus, and surprise, surprise, his name never came up at KCAC media day. I got to watch him practice for about 15 minutes, just warming up stuff, but … he’s 7-feet tall. And he can move well. Faber said he’s been causing havoc at practices, and I can understand why. He’s ineligible to play this year because he didn’t meet NAIA academic requirements, but the Marysville, Mich., product is on pace for next year. And it was nice to pick Faber’s brain for our interview, I’m sure he didn’t think he was going to end up answering questions about his mid-90s Carroll teams, but hey, you don’t think I ask Coach Eck about his old South squads? For all the geezers that talk about CL basketball and the golden days of the mid-to-late 1970s … the 90s weren’t bad either, fellas. I took a look at the 1995 1st team all-City squad, and they all played Division I basketball. That ain’t bad. It’s not Antoine Carr and Aubrey Sherrod, but it’s not too shabby.

I digress.

Faber’s cupboard isn’t bare, but I think this year is going to be a real test for him. He had some recruits fall through, and I don’t know that making it back to the national tournament (where they’ve made it three times in the last four years) is realistic. But he’s a good coach and I think finishing in the middle of the pack up, wiht as little experience as they have would be an accomplishment. Oh, and he also said he reads this blog, so thanks, coach. On the women’s side, I have to say that finally getting a look at Friends’ women’s team made me think they might be ok this year. I’ve said before I thought this was a make-or-break year for coach Gayla Soyez, and she has a nice recruiting class and a solid group back. They’ve got good size and speed, and some youngsters who will be in the rotation will have to go through some growing pains but I think that by the time KCAC play gets into swing they’ll be fine.

For the rest of the KCAC … I’ve already mentioned numerous times how good I think the Sterling women are going to be, and that Ashley Kraft is a player of the year candidate. If you want a hot ticket this winter head to WInfield on Jan. 10 when the Warriors take on The Jinx. The men’s game will be merely a side note in this one, trust me. I was there last year and it was off the chain.

This weekend I’ve got a couple of football games I’ll possibly hit – Friends-Bethel in North Newton on Saturday (I hope) and then Butler-GCCC in the first round of the Region VI playoffs in El Dorado on Sunday. Like I said before, if you see me I’ll definitely share my popcorn with you.

-TA

I got an e-mail about Dragomir earlier this week and let me say this … dude is a mini-media mogul in the making. He interns at KWCH for their morning newscast and is the sports editor for the campus newspaper. Good stuff. I suppose we’ll have to flip it on him and have him on here to do a Q&A.

DRAGOMIR

COVEY

The Sterling football team broke into the NAIA Top 25 football poll at No. 25 this week, one of three KCAC teams ranked in the top 25 with Friends moving up from No. 8 to No. 7 and Bethel dropping to No. 20 after its loss to the Warriors. And, for the second week in a row, the KCAC produced the NAIA’s national defensive player of the week. Sterling’s Derrick Sullivan won it this week and last week it was Friends’ Jordan Highley.

What is this Eagle karma, you might ask? First, Sterling coach Andy Lambert pulled himself off his couch and away from his four daughters (four!) for an extended interview Sunday afternoon for Monday’s edition of the Eagle. That’s called good karma. Then he tracked down quarterback Tyler Degenhardt, who was helping with a video tech something or another, and Degenhardt obliged to an interview, too. Good stuff. And Lambert’s a straight shooter, too, which always makes for a good interview.

So props to Sterling on the big win. And the Eagle Karma.

-TA

INSTANT EAGLE KARMA AWARD WINNER 2008

Derrick Sullivan, LB, Sterling