2003-04 Concordia-Moorhead Men's Basketball Preview

2003-04 Concordia-Moorhead Men's Basketball Preview

Concordia Men's Basketball Home Page for 2003-04
See Also: 2002-03 Season Stats | 2002-03 Box Scores

College Information
School: Concordia-Moorhead
Founded : 1891
Location: Moorhead, MN
Enrollment : 2850
President : Dr. Paul Dovre - Interim
Athletic Director: Bob Nick - Interim
Team Nickname: Cobbers
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Logo: The Chicago "C"
Faculty Athletic Rep: Jim Forde
Stadium: Memorial Auditorium (3,150)
Press Box Phone: None

Concordia Men's Basketball History
First year of men's basketball: 1922-23
All-time play-off record: 3-3
Years in post-season play: 3
Last post-season appearance: 2000-01 / Result: Lost to St. Johnâs in MIAC Semifinals
All-time record: 798-1025

Men's Basketball Staff

Duane Siverson has compiled 295 career coacing victories in both the men's and women's programs at Concordia.

Head Coach:
Head Coach: Duane Siverson
Alma Mater/Year: Yankton College/1978
Record at school (years): 130-165 (12)
Career record: 295-203
Head Coach's office phone: 218-299-4160
Head Coach's e-mail: dsiverso@cord.edu
Best time/day to reach coach: 10am-2pm

Assistant Coaches:
John Whartnaby/Temple University
Troy Odegaard/Dakota Wesleyan University/â86

Sports Information
S.I.D: Jim Cella
Office Ph.: 218-299-3194
Home Ph: 218-233-3698
Fax: 218-299-4189
E-Mail Address: cella@cord.edu
WWW Address: www.gocobbers.com

2002-03 MIAC Standings
(Click here for complete game-by-game results)

School      MIAC Overall
St. Thomas   16-4   21-6*#1
Gustavus     15-5   25-6*%2
Carleton     13-7   16-10*3
Bethel       12-8   15-12*4
St. Olaf     11-9   15-11*5
St. John's   10-10 12-15*6
Hamline      8-12   12-13
Concordia    8-12   9-15
Augsburg     8-12   11-14
Macalester   7-13   9-16
St. Mary's   2-18   2-23
# MIAC Regular Season Champions
% MIAC Playoff Champions
* Clinched MIAC Playoff Spot

2002-03 Game-by-Game Results
(Click here for links to box scores)

Date Opponent/Box Score Site Time/Result

Nov. 22-23 Capital Tournament Ohio

Nov. 22 Capital (OH) Away L 53-65

Nov. 23 Oberlin (OH) Away W 75-45

Nov. 27 Briar Cliff (IA) Away L 71-74

Nov. 30 St. Olaf Away L 62-67

Dec. 2 MSU-Moorhead Away L 63-70

Dec. 7 Gustavus Away L 65-88

Dec. 9 St. John's Home L 60-66

Dec. 11 Macalester Away L 68-71

Dec. 14 Carleton Home L 54-55

Jan. 4 Bethel Home L 77-79

Jan. 6 St. Thomas Away L 59-67

Jan. 15 Hamline Home W 66-54

Jan. 18 Augsburg Home W 81-74

Jan. 20 St. Mary's Home W 71-52

Jan. 22 St. Olaf Home W 73-64

Jan. 25 Gustavus Home L 58-76

Jan. 29 St. John's Away L 71-75 OT

Feb. 1 Macalester Home W 87-74

Feb. 3 Bethel Away L 73-87

Feb. 5 St. Thomas Home L 68-57

Feb. 8 Carleton Away L 57-75

Feb. 9 St. Mary's Away W 77-73

Feb. 15 Hamline Away W 77-68

Feb. 19 Augsburg Away W 72-53

2002-03 Final Record: 8-12 MIAC/9-15 Overall

2003-04 Schedule

Date Opponent/Box Score Site Time/Result

Nov. 21 Mayville State Away 7:30pm

Nov. 28 Dana College Home 7:30pm

Nov. 29 St. Olaf Home 6:00pm

Dec. 1 MSU-Moorhead Away 7:30pm

Dec. 6 Gustavus Away 3:00pm

Dec. 8 St. John's Home 7:30pm

Dec. 13 Macalester Home 3:00pm

Dec. 19 Mayville State Home 7:30pm

Jan. 3 Bethel Away 3:00pm

Jan. 5 St. Thomas Home 7:30pm

Jan. 7 Carleton Away 7:30pm

Jan. 14 Hamline Away 7:30pm

Jan. 17 Augsburg Away 3:00pm

Jan. 19 St. Mary's Home 7:30pm

Jan. 21 St. Olaf Away 7:30pm

Jan. 24 Gustavus Home 3:00pm

Jan. 28 St. John's Away 7:30pm

Jan. 31 Macalester Away 3:00pm

Feb. 2 Bethel Home 7:30pm

Feb. 4 St. Thomas Away 7:30pm

Feb. 7 Carleton Home 3:00pm

Feb. 9 St. Mary's Away 7:30pm

Feb. 14 Hamline Home 3:00pm

Feb. 15 St. Mary's Away Moved to Feb. 9 at 7:30

Feb. 18 Augsburg Home 7:30pm

Feb. 24 MIAC Playoffs TBA 7:30pm

Feb. 26 MIAC Playoffs TBA 7:30pm

Feb. 28 MIAC Playoffs TBA 7:30pm

Concordia Series Records Against MIAC Opponents:
Opponent      W L   Series Started
Augsburg      57 69 1924
Bethel        17 31 1977
Carleton      19 24 1933
Gustavus      52 83 1922
Hamline       46 73 1922
Macalester    77 59 1922
St. Johnâs    57 84 1922
St. Maryâs    61 51 1929
St. Olaf      48 47 1922
St. Thomas    42 94 1922

Player & Team Information
Overall record last year: 9-15
Conference record (place): 8-12 (7th)
Letterwinners returning/lost: 5/5
Starters Returning/lost: 3/2

Returning Key Players
Josh Downey, Guard, Senior, 6-1, 190: Leading returning scorer with 9.5 ppg in 02-03
Joe Bueckers, Guard, Senior, 5-8, 145: Led team in assists (90) and 3-point % (45.6%) in 02-03
Soren Nelson, Forward, Junior, 6-6, 210: 8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg in 02-03

Key Losses (Grad/Transfer/Injury/Misc.)
Jared Swanson, Guard/Forward, 6-6, 205, Graduated: Led team with 15.7 ppg and 5.5 rpg in 02-03
Kevin Gilchrest, Guard, 6-0, 165, Graduated: 7.7 ppg in 02-03
Chris Thomas, Forward, 6-3, 180, Graduated: Started every game in 02-03, 6.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg

2003-04 Season Outlook:

Soren Nelson #42 (Jr., Twin Valley, Minn.) will be looking to key the Cobbers back into the MIAC playoffs.

The 2003-04 Concordia menâs basketball team is hoping to bring some of the Australian outback to Minnesota in the winter months of the 2003-04 season. The Cobbers took a May seminar trip to Australia and came away with an impressive 7-3 record and racked up an average of 94.7 points per game.

In order to continue their Aussie-like production, head coach Duane Siverson is going to have to rely on a squad that features a strong cast of returning players that saw significant time during the 2002-03 season and an understudy group that is relatively new to the varsity experience. Siverson is hoping that an offseason training program that has bulked up many players will pay dividends in the rough and tumble play of the MIAC.

The Cobbers could have one of the best power forwards in the league in Soren Nelson (Jr., Twin Valley, Minn./Norman County East HS). Nelson is coming off a year where he averaged 8.5 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. Unlike last season, Nelson will be the main feature of the Cobber offense and he will have a chance to improve on all of his statistical numbers during the current year. Nelson has added muscle and quickness to his 6-6 frame and will be a definite threat in the low block all season long.

On the outside, Concordia will return point guard Joe Bueckers (Sr., Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus HS). Bueckers should show the most benefit from the ãDown Underä spring tour. Given the green light to shoot and penetrate, he averaged over 14.0 points per game and ran the offense that tore opposing defenses to shreds. Bueckers ability to run the offense was one of the keys to the Cobbersâ late season run towards the playoffs in 2002-03. Bueckers dished out a team-leading 90 assists while only committing 59 turnovers. His 1.59 assist-to-turnover ratio placed him second in the MIAC.

Siverson will have the luxury of having one of the most experienced guard/point guard tandems in the league. Joining Bueckers in the backcourt rotation will be Nathan Ohme (Sr., Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS). Ohme averaged 17.8 minutes per game last season and only turned the ball over 33 times all year. His calm demeanor and quality ball controlling ability will be counted on in the late stages of close games.

One of the key players for the Cobbers this year will be shooting guard Josh Downey (Sr., Big Fork, Mont./Bigfork HS). Downey is the leading returning scorer from last season when he averaged 9.5 points per game. Downey led the team last year in 3-point field goals taken (125) and 3-point field goal percentage (.352). With the graduation of leading scorer Jared Swanson, Downey will be counted on to give Concordia solid point totals in every game. He will also have to take some of the inside defensive pressure that teams will put on Nelson in order for the Cobber offense to have a legitimate inside/outside attack.

In addition to Nelson up front, the Cobbers will send junior Chris Wermerson (Brandon, S.Dak./Brandon Valley HS) out on the floor. Wermerson will be penciled in to the number five spot in the Cobber lineup. Last year he averaged only 4.9 minutes per game and scored only 12 points all season. Wermerson has benefited from the offseason training regimen. He has added 20 pounds since last year and will give Concordia a second presence underneath the basket.

Finding a fifth player for the starting rotation will be another key element for Siverson. One of the leading candidates for that spot could be Mark Dixon (So., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS). Dixon has had a year of seasoning with the successful Concordia junior varsity and brings an intense attitude to the court.

Concordia will open the season by playing a pair of non-conference, NAIA opponents before opening the MIAC season. After games at Mayville State (ND) and then home against Dana College (NE), the Cobbers will begin the conference season by playing host to St. Olaf on November 29. The pre-Christmas schedule is in Concordiaâs favor, as they will play three of the four league games at home. They will also end the season by playing two of their final three MIAC contests at home.

Siverson is one win shy of the 100-career MIAC plateau in menâs basketball, and five wins shy of 300 career wins in his coaching career with both the menâs and womenâs basketball programs at Concordia. He will be hoping to go well beyond those marks and make a run at the MIAC playoffs ö a place where the Cobbers have not been since the 2000-01 season. In order for the Cobbers to get to the upper echelon of the conference, they will have to quickly come together as a team and recapture some of the offensive magic they produced in Australia.

2003-04 Preseason Roster
No. Name          Pos Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/HS
4/12 Joe Bueckers    G Sr. 5-8 145 Pine River, Minn./Pine River-Backus
10   Lukas Brott     G So. 6-2 170 Deer Lodge, Mont./Powell County
14   Nathan Ohme     G Sr. 6-1 195 Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson
20   Wesley Bacchus G Sr. 5-11 170 Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View
22   Ryan Templeton F So. 6-4 185 Minot, N.Dak./Minot
24   Keith Eckhoff   G So. 6-3 185 Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson
30   Josh Downey     G Sr. 6-1 190 Bigfork, Mont./Bigfork
34   Dan Lund      G/F So. 6-4 185 Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley
40   Mark Dixon      F So. 6-3 190 Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View
42   Soren Nelson    F Jr. 6-6 210 Twin Valley, Minn./Norman County East
44   Jason Miller F/C So. 6-5 215 Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead
54   Chris Wermerson C Jr. 6-5 230 Brandon, S.Dak./Brandon Valley

Date	Opponent/Box Score	Site	Time/Result
Nov. 22-23	Capital Tournament	Ohio
Nov. 22	Capital (OH)	Away	L 53-65
Nov. 23	Oberlin (OH)	Away	W 75-45
Nov. 27	Briar Cliff (IA)	Away	L 71-74
Nov. 30	St. Olaf	Away	L 62-67
Dec. 2	MSU-Moorhead	Away	L 63-70
Dec. 7	Gustavus	Away	L 65-88
Dec. 9	St. John's	Home	L 60-66
Dec. 11	Macalester	Away	L 68-71
Dec. 14	Carleton	Home	L 54-55
Jan. 4	Bethel	Home	L 77-79
Jan. 6	St. Thomas	Away	L 59-67
Jan. 15	Hamline	Home	W 66-54
Jan. 18	Augsburg	Home	W 81-74
Jan. 20	St. Mary's	Home	W 71-52
Jan. 22	St. Olaf	Home	W 73-64
Jan. 25	Gustavus	Home	L 58-76
Jan. 29	St. John's	Away	L 71-75 OT
Feb. 1	Macalester	Home	W 87-74
Feb. 3	Bethel	Away	L 73-87
Feb. 5	St. Thomas	Home	L 68-57
Feb. 8	Carleton	Away	L 57-75
Feb. 9	St. Mary's	Away	W 77-73
Feb. 15	Hamline	Away	W 77-68
Feb. 19	Augsburg	Away	W 72-53