2008-09 Season Preview

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/17/07)-- The theme for the 2008-09 Concordia men’s basketball team will be new beginnings. The Cobbers have a new head coach for the first time in 18 years and for the first time in four seasons they will be without the services of the 2007-08 MIAC MVP.

Longtime University of North Dakota head coach Rich Glas takes over as the new CC head coach. Glas brings a wealth of collegiate basketball experience. He has been a head coach at the college level for 28 seasons and owns 490 career wins. His basketball savvy will be put to the test from the onset of the season as Concordia begins the post-Luke Linz era. Linz was a four-year starter and was named the top player in the conference last season. He was a two-time All-MIAC performer and scored at least 10 points in his final 40 conference games. He led the team in scoring with a 18.2 points per game average and Glas will have to find someone, or a group of players, to replace those points every game.

The good news for Glas is that despite losing Linz, he has a solid corps of returning players to mold into his system. Concordia returns the next three top scorers from last year and has three of the five starters returning from last season’s squad that finished fourth in the MIAC regular season and made the conference playoffs for the first time since 2004-05.

Another positive for Glas is that he inherits a sophomore class that last year was one of the best recruiting classes in program history. The seven second-year players on this year’s roster have all benefitted from a year of college experience and five of the seven played in at least 20 games in 2007-08. Leading the way for the super sophomores is guard Erik Lien (Moorhead, Minn.). Lien earned a spot on the All-MIAC Honorable Mention Team last year and was second on the team in scoring with a 9.9 points per game average in all games and a 10.4 ppg average in conference play. His ability to beat defenders off the dribble as well as stop and hit the open jump shot make him a scoring threat on the perimeter as well as driving to the basket. He scored in double figures in 13 MIAC and had a career-high 26 points against Macalester on Jan. 5.

The only other player to start all 26 games for the Cobbers last season besides Linz was sophomore Darrin Olmscheid (Buffalo, Minn.). Olmscheid was third on the team in scoring last season (7.2 ppg) and will be counted on this season to be more of a presence inside. His athletic 6-6 frame will make him a hard player to defend because he can score from outside but can also score off the dribble. He scored in double digits five times last year and had a career-high 19 points against Hamline on Jan. 7. He was also third on the team in rebounding (99) and will be counted on to carry more of that load this season.

One of the most consistent players for Concordia last season was point guard Karl Olson (So., Buffalo, Minn.). Olson was one of the big reasons CC earned a spot in the conference playoffs. His ability to handle the ball and not allow turnovers helped the Cobbers get into their offensive sets in a timelier manner. Olson led the team in assists (77) and was seventh in the MIAC in assist-to-turnover ratio.

A pair of interior players round out the other five sophomores that saw extended playing time last year. Ryan Hagemeyer (Willmar, Minn.) and John Fraase (Bismarck, N.D./Century HS) both have the physical attributes to be factors in the league. Hagemeyer, at 6-6 and 220, is quick on his feet and could be a real factor in the MIAC this year. Fraase is more of a hard-nosed player that isn’t afraid to mix it up underneath the basket.

Perhaps the key for the Cobber season will rest on the shoulders of this year’s lone senior. Cody Dyshaw (Montevideo) is the team captain and a three-year varsity player. His ability to guide the younger Cobber team will help throughout the season. On the court, Dyshaw is the team’s most accurate long-range sharpshooter. He led the team in 3-point field goals made (35) and 3-point field goal percentage (.368) last year. If he can give Glas a consistent scoring presence on the perimeter, then opposing teams will have to draw their defense outside and that will open up room on the interior for Olmscheid and the other CC forwards.

The two biggest question marks for the Cobbers in 2008-09 will be depth and physical presence underneath the basket. Concordia has a quality core of 7-8 players but after that time will tell if some of the other CC reserves can step up and play on a consistent basis. The area of concern about depth especially applies to the inside game. Glas can not afford to have one of his four forwards on the roster get hurt or run into foul trouble throughout the season.

One thing is for sure, the 2008-09 Cobber men’s basketball team will be a constantly evolving entity. For head coach Rich Glas navigating his way through the MIAC for the first time to the super sophomores having to fend for themselves and not have big brother Linz help them out when they are in trouble.

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