The end of the 2007-08 men’s basketball season could not have been more bizarre for Westmont. The Warriors needed two things to happen if they were to gain a spot in the postseason: Westmont would need to beat The Master’s and Azusa Pacific would need to prevail over Biola.
A three-point buzzer beater by Andrew Schmalbach took care of step one and set loose a celebration by the team and their fans over the 81-79 win. But joy gave way to apprehension as most of the players and about 50 loyal fans stood in the bleachers watching the outcome of the game in La Mirada on two laptop computers.
When the clock ran out, Biola had snatched the last playoff spot away from the Warriors by defeating Azusa Pacific 51-49. Westmont’s season came to an end with a silent, somber crowd descending the bleachers and passing through the doors into the night. For the first time in 32 years, there would be no postseason for the Warriors.
How does a team recover from such a disappointment? Head coach John Moore and his team believe they know the answer.
“When you finish the season where we did last year, you either put your tail between your legs and say, ‘Woe is me’, or you say, ‘I’m going to pick myself up and work harder,’ said Moore.
The Warriors have elected the latter. The result is a trimmed down roster, greater fitness, more determination, growing expectations and valuable experience.
“My expectations are bigger than I have had in the past,” said Tyler Dutton, one of two team captains. “All these young guys have a year under their belt now and have learned the ropes. We have a real athletic team and know that we could do a lot of damage. Just comparing this year’s team to other years, I think we are in a good spot.”
“We only have 11 healthy players,” said Moore about this year’s roster. “Our two freshmen are not going to be able to play. But we have 11 starters – any of those 11 could start. That competitive piece of having 11 starters means that every day in practice you are going against someone who is close to your ability. There isn’t much of a drop off on our roster.”
Seven of the eleven active players are upperclassmen and even the four sophomores bring a wealth of experience into the 2008-09 campaign. None of the sophomores played in less than 22 games. Collectively they made 35 starts and logged a total of 1,615 minutes on the court.
“The fact that the freshmen played and contributed last year has pushed our team from being a young team to being an experienced team which includes veteran sophomores,” said junior team captain Bobby Fenske who is not at all disturbed by the numerical size of the team’s roster. “In practice, everyone gets more reps. Our team is more solid. We have 11 guys who can play, 11 guys who can contribute and 11 guys who can bring it every day in practice and every night in a game.”
Couple experience and talent with fitness and determination and the picture of Westmont men’s basketball begins to look very different than it did at the close of last season.
“You can see how motivated the players are by how their bodies look,” said Moore. “Blake Bender and Evan Haines’ bodies have never been more fit. Tyler Dutton is in great shape. Our players were committed and devoted to coming back in tip-top shape. They have invested a great deal to be prepared for the season. That has been evident in practice. We are much more competitive in practice than we have been in past years.”
“We have gotten off to a good start,” affirmed Dutton. “I feel physically better than I have in the past and everyone else feels that way from our preseason workouts and the avenue we have taken to get where we are now.”
To build upon the fitness focus, the team has employed the services of Dr. Marcus Elliott and Peak Performance Project. A Harvard trained physician, Dr. Elliott is helping the Warriors to focus their conditioning.
“Dr. Elliott has a resume like very few people we have ever worked with before,” said Moore. “Instead of running on the track, we have a program that is much more scientifically sound and that has a biomechanical approach to it. He is a cutting edge guy who is well ahead of the curve in terms of how to be effective. He has been able to turn our guys onto a piece that makes them feel stronger and better and emotionally and physically more fit than they would have been if we had gone through our traditional fitness exercise on the track.”
“P3 puts a lot of effort into the science of athleticism,” said Dutton. “They use different methods of training to improve power for basketball. All the movements are focused for our sport.”
“Our motto is, ‘The smart will take from the strong’,” said Moore. “We’ve used that in the past but we’ve taken it a step further. We have said, ‘The smart will take from the strong, but the smart and the strong will take from the smart and they will take from the strong.’ We want to be smart, but we also want to be strong.
“The first place we start is being smart about being strong,” continued Moore. “In the past we have done individual workouts in the midst of the season where we get individual time with players. Typically we have done that twice a week for about an hour. I told the guys, ‘I think we can get more done in a half hour twice a week’. So we are going to do it for half an hour twice a week and we are going to do it efficiently. The guys will come in ready to go, they will go hard, and we are going to be smart about how we run those workouts. The coaches are going to have a plan before each of those individual workouts and make sure that plan is one that the players buy into and get fired up about.”
Moore has applied the team’s motto not just to the players, but to the coaching staff as well.
“If you have great teachers, but you don’t allow them to teach, then you are not very effective,” explained Moore. “I have the best and most experienced coaching staff I’ve ever had. So one of the things I’m doing is taking a football model. I’m the head coach, Jeff (Azain) is the defensive coordinator, Rob (Goodrow) is in charge of the press and fast breaks, Coach (Jim) Dykstra has got post defense and rebounding and Coach (Larry) Knapp has special plays. I’ve been able to step back, recognize what I have and try to take full advantage of it.”
“We have more size than we have had in a long, long time,” said Moore of his 11-man roster. That size begins with 6-8 sophomore center Even Haines.
“There are people in our league who will not recognize Evan,” said Moore. “If Evan stays healthy, I think he has the potential to be a very dynamic player. In fact, we are revamping our offense so that Evan can be more a part of it. We’ll be running more plays out of the low post than we will out of the high post. Evan has great hands and great feet. He’s a better athlete than he was last year at this time and he was a good athlete last year. I don’t think there are many centers that can do some of the things that he is doing. He has an incredible passion for the game.”
Haines made three starts for the Warriors last year and played in 24 games, averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game. The sophomore made 57.6% of his shots from the field (34 of 59). Joining Haines in the front court is junior forward John Miller who made five starts and saw action in 19 games. Miller shot 60.9% from the floor (14 of 23).
“In terms of running and jumping, John may be the best athlete in our program,” said Moore of the 6-7 forward. “John has been diligent in his work over the last two summers, particularly this last summer. I think he has a greater sense of where he belongs and what his role on the team is. John is ready to play in more games and average more minutes. He is probably our best offensive rebounder.”
Fenske returns to the Warrior lineup after being limited by injury to just 12 games last season.
“I feel like I can play inside and out,” said Fenske who also stands at 6-8. “I’ve played both post and wing in practice. My inside game has improved a lot and I feel like I can provide scoring from the wing as well as the post. Passing is a good aspect of my game and I feel like I will be able to run the offense well and hit the open guy.”
Bobby is a very good shooter and good with his back to the basket,” reported Moore. “He is an outstanding three-point shooter, likely in the top-three on our team.
Also returning as a forward is 6-6 forward Dan Rasp.
“What a brilliant season Danny had,” said Moore. “He is one of the best freshmen I’ve ever had. He makes the simple plays look incredibly simple and makes the complex plays look simpler than they should look. He is a great ball faker, but he is an incredible scorer. His athleticism is surprising. He seems that he is going at a slower speed then all of a sudden he’s at the basket. He has an incredible first step, a fine touch on the ball and he shoots well from the free throw line.”
Rasp started 21 games in his rookie season, leading the team in both scoring (14.1 points per game) and in rebounding (4.7 boards per game). He also dished off 46 assists while posting a shooting percentage of 56.6% (129 of 228).
Blake Bender, a 6-7 sophomore, made 11 starts for the Warriors last season and averaged 20.1 minutes in his 22 games. Bender contributed 5.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in his freshman year.
“Blake will play at forward, wingman or power forward,” said Moore. “He has been our most consistent performer in practice, shooting well and defending well. Blake is also one of three of our players who went on a basketball mission trip last summer. The trip was organized by one of our alumni, Kyle Bechler, through an organization called News Release. Tyler Dutton and Ryan Aijian also went on the trip.”
“We went overseas to Germany along with some other GSAC guys who have now graduated,” said Dutton. “We went over there for about three weeks. Two of the weeks we conducted camps for little kids and throughout the three weeks we played about nine games. It was a really great experience against good competition.”
Playing at the three position is 6-4 junior Matt LeDuc who averaged 17.4 minutes playing in all 28 games last year. LeDuc converted 55.9% of his attempts from the floor while averaging 5.9 points per game. He also pulled down 2.3 boards per game.
“Matt is very consistent,” said Moore. “He knows the offense and he practices as hard as anyone on the team.”
Returning for his third season is 6-3 senior Nasa Sete who hails from Maui. Sete averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds for the Warriors. He made 19 starts and played in all 28 games, averaging 18.4 minutes per contest. He also tallied 50 assists, second highest on the team.
“As an older player, we expect Nasa to take a leadership role this year,” said Moore. “Exactly were he fits on this team will depend on how he gels on the court with other players.”
Three returning guards will be joined by 5-9 junior transfer Chris Jackson from Campbell, California. Jackson played the last two seasons for Foothill Junior College and in high school for Archbishop Mitty.
“This is the first time in my career that I have had only one new player,” said Moore. “Every time C.J. walks into a gym he has to prove himself because he doesn’t look like a basketball player. Complacency is not a part of his fabric at all. He doesn’t know jealousy, envy or pride, because he has to prove himself every time he plays. He is an incredible decision maker and I love having the ball in his hands. C.J. is more demanding of himself than I am of him and that is an uncommon characteristic.”
Sophomore Ryan Aijian returns after averaging 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in his freshman year. Aijian played in 27 games, averaging 12.7 minutes per game. He notched a double-double last year recording 14 points and 10 rebounds against San Diego Christian.
“Ryan is a 1-2 combination guard and is a better three-point shooter than he has ever been,” noted Moore. “He is also a great rebouder for a guard.”
Junior Andrew Schmalbach made 17 starts for the Warriors last year and scored 8.4 points per game.
“Andrew is Mr. Clutch,” said Moore. “He has made more clutch shots than anyone in our program. Two percent of the population has the clutch mentality that Andrew has. Our challenge to him is to make his junior year be more like his freshman year than his sophomore year. He can disappear at times. He needs to learn to win games in the first half. He could and should step up and be one of the top-five guards in the league.”
Senior Tyler Dutton was the second leading scorer for the Warriors last year, averaging 11.0 points per game. From beyond the arc, Dutton nailed 40.8% of his shots (31 of 76). With 106 long range baskets, he is currently tied for eighth for career three-pointers made by a Warrior.
“Tyler had a great summer and is hungrier than ever,” said Moore. “He is a very good three-point shooter and like Andrew could be in the top-five guards in our conference. If they are playing up to their ability, Tyler and Andrew can be the best 1-2 combination in the conference. My hope for Tyler is that he will step up and have an incredible senior year like so many Warrior guards that have gone before him – Sean Martin, Joe Kearns, Chris Gonzalez, Corey Blick, Kevin Blomstrom, Kyle Bechler and Matt Burkholder.”
The two freshman who will not be making an appearance on the court this year are Sean Park and Lucas Miller. Park, a graduate of Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, led the Chargers to an undefeated Channel League Championship and was named the league’s MVP. Park had shoulder surgery over the summer and will not be available until next year.
“I have an incredible amount of confidence in Sean,” said Moore. “Sean would love being on this team because he is a guy who wants to be the best he can be. He is so demanding of himself. The consolation is that he will be an even better freshman next year.”
Lucas Miller, brother to John Miller, will also miss the season as he recovers from knee surgery.
“Lucas is a great shooter and good scorer,” said Moore. “He is bigger than he has ever been and will probably be 6-7 or 6-8 by the time he finishes. Lucas is a wonderful guy and will be a very good basketball player.”
The Warriors will open the season on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15 at the Robert Morris Las Vegas Shootout. On Friday, Westmont will take on College of Idaho and on Saturday will face Northwestern Oklahoma State.
The following Saturday, Westmont travels to Pomona to take on Cal Poly Pomona then heads to Texas during Thanksgiving week. On Wednesday, the Warriors will play at Texas Lutheran and then take on Embry-Riddle and Bellevue in the San Antonio Shootout on Friday and Saturday.
The conference season begins on December 4 with a road trip to #9 Concordia, last year’s conference champion.
“The GSAC will be as easy as ever,” quipped Moore. “Azusa Pacific, Biola and Vanguard all look to be better this year. Concordia lost a good bit on paper but don’t be fooled by that. Fresno Pacific has a bunch of new players so it’s hard to tell how good they might be. The Master’s has some good returnees, so they are going to be better. California Baptist is the number one team in our league based on the coaches’ poll. They have the returning player of the year and other returning players. Most of the teams are better and those that are not are still very, very good.”
Westmont’s home opener is on Saturday, December 6 against Hope International. On December 10, the Warriors will host Bendigo of Australia in an exhibition game.
A very special night is planned for December 13. Before the Warriors take on Cal State San Bernardino, Westmont will dedicate Kammerer Court in the newly renovated Murchison Gymnasium. Former head coach Chet Kammerer, now with the Miami Heat will be in attendance.
“In my opinion, there has never been a better coach in the history of Westmont Athletics than Chet,” stated Moore. “He cared more about who his players were to become than he cared about winning. He cared plenty about winning and was an incredible competitor, but he cared more about what those men were going to become than what they did on the court. He was a better coach than we have ever had in the history of our program. And he was as good a man as we have ever had at Westmont. There are a lot of them that come to the top of that list. Maybe Russ Carr is equal, maybe Ron Mulder is equal, maybe Russell Smelley is equal, maybe Jack Siemens is equal, but nobody surpasses Chet Kammerer in my eyes.”
The 33rd Annual Tom Byron Classic will take place on December 29 and 30 and will feature Queens College from Ontario, Canada, Messiah from Pennsylvania and Ripon from Washington.
The GSAC Tournament begins on March 5 with the semifinals and finals scheduled for March 7 and 10 respectively. The NAIA National Championship begins on March 18 in Kansas City, Missouri.
