The Grinnell College men's basketball team hung with William Penn University for the first half, but the hosts took off in the second half to post a 133-101 non-conference victory Wednesday night in Oskaloosa.
Grinnell, 1-1 on the season, trailed just 62-58 at halftime before the Statesmen went on a 71-43 second-half run. Griffin Lentsch '13 led Grinnell with 36 points, including an 8-for-20 performance from 3-point and. Dylan Seelman '13 added 20 points with the aid of 6-of-15 3-point shooting. For the game, Grinnell shot 36.2 percent from 3-point range.
Scott Kaitz '11 added 11 assists, while Lentsch, Kaitz, Brian McManamy '13 and Kale Kinsley '11 had two steals each. Knisley also had three blocked shots and Alex McDonald '11 had five rebounds.
William Penn, 8-1 on the season, was paced by Travis Iverson's 26 points. Grinnell travels to Storm Lake on Saturday to take on Buena Vista University. Game time is 2 p.m.
The Grinnell College men's basketball team used an explosive second half to help coach David Arseneault (pictured) win his 250th career game Sunday afternoon at Darby Gymnasium.
Trailing by 24 points at intermission, the Pioneers erupted for 66 points in the second half while holding Waldorf College to just 35 as the hosts earned a 99-92 non-conference win. Arseneault, who took over the coaching duties at Grinnell in 1989, is now 250-208 in his career.
Griffin Lentsch '13 led Grinnell with 19 points, while Kale Knisley '11 turned in a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Others in double-digit scoring were Jesse Ney '13 with 17 points, Matt Skelly '12 with 14 and Dylan Seelman '13 with 12. Scott Kaitz '11 distributed six assists and Matt Chalupa '12 had three steals.
Things were looking anything but good at halftime as Grinnell shot just 21 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes and trailed 57-33. Trailing 63-41 three minutes into the second half, Grinnell caught fire and went on a 28-6 run to tie the game at 69-all with 11:38 left. Ney had seven points during the run, Seelman added six and Lentsch five.
Waldorf built its lead up to four points on a few occasions and the teams went back-and-forth after that. The last tie was 92-all before a free throw by Lentsch at the 1:54 mark put Grinnell up to stay. Ney also hit a free throw, Skelly a pair and Knisley one for a 97-92 Grinnell lead with :20 left. Dominique Bellamy '13 completed the scoring with two free throws in the waning seconds.
Karl Dehasa led Waldorf, 1-1, with 19 points. Grinnell travels to Oskaloosa on Wednesday to play William Penn University. Game time is 7 p.m.
Box Score
The Grinnell College men's basketball team's 2009-10 campaign can be described in three words - a new era.
Graduated is a record-breaking senior class that guided the Pioneers to the Midwest Conference title last winter. But the cupboard certainly isn't bare for the Pioneers, as they boast a number of players who gained valuable experience in recent years as well as a talented recruiting class.
That's exciting news for both head coach David Arseneault and his assistant - and son - David N. Arseneault '09, a member of the aforementioned record-breaking senior class.
The younger Arseneault offered several thoughts on the upcoming campaign, mentioning one of the key returnees is Scott Kaitz '11. "He'll be one of the primary ball handlers," said Arseneault. "We're looking for him to show leadership on the court. Last season he made a name for himself by putting on a defensive display against St. Norbert in the tournament. We'll count on him to really energize the team and he has the ability to almost be a one-man press."
Kale Knisley '11 offers a big presence inside for the Pioneers. "He has long arms with the ability to block and alter shots," said Arseneault. "We'll also look for him to expand his role offensively. Matt Skelly '12 did an unbelievable job last season and has put on extra muscle. He came back to school in great shape and knows he needs to be a big-time scorer for this team."
Matt Chalupa '12 displayed a sharp eye in 2008-09, shooting a blistering 56.2 percent from 3-point range. "He finished second in the country in 3-point field goal percentage, and came back to school this year in great shape," said Arseneault. "He's also a step faster and quickened up his shooting stroke. He's a deadly 3-point shooter."
The team's lone seniors, John Bruns '10 and Ross Preston '10, will also be looked to for big contributions. "We're going to need the senior leadership of those two with so many young guys on the team," said Arseneault. "We're going to rely on them to get us fired up and guide this squad."
Arseneault noted the other returnees will contribute, as well. "Alex McDonald ('11) has good size and strength and will help us defensively," he said. "Aaron Epps ('11) is a very good 3-point shooter and solid defender, and Augustus Karisch ('11) is a phenomenal athlete who has long arms and a good shooting stroke.
"Xander Strek ('12) has been one of the biggest surprises," he continued. "He came back to school in unbelievable shape and his shooting stroke is much improved. His experience will help a lot. Joe Fouche ('12) is a tremendous athlete with a wide body frame. He can get after it on the offensive glass. Brian Westerlind ('12) is joining us after football. He didn't play last year, but is a very good athlete."
Combine all those players with some solid newcomers (all '13), and the Pioneers appear to be on the right track.
"Griffin Lentsch is probably going to be our biggest scorer," said Arseneault. "He's got nice size and is an excellent athlete who can jump. His shooting stroke is great. Dylan Seelman is probably the best shooter on the team with a lightning-quick release, and is a person who can shoot from anywhere. Marques Valdez and Dominique Bellamy are players who we'll use at point guard. Both have good size, long arms and can finish around the hoop. They're really going to cause problems in matchups.
"Brian McManamy is probably our best post-up option," he added. "We'll look to get the ball inside to him when the defense extends us. He also may be the best passer on the team and has great court awareness. Jesse Ney is versatile and can shoot from the outside, plus take the ball to the hoop. He can finish in traffic.
"Garrett Nitz has got incredibly quick feet and a great basketball mind," Arseneault continued. "Joe Rogers is a very good shooter and works as hard as anyone on the offensive glass. He's relentless and that makes his teammates better."
Arseneault had some high praise for the newcomers. "This is the best recruiting class that dad has ever had," he explained. "But we'll be relying on some unproven players who haven't had a chance to showcase their skills at the college level. The current members of the team have shown what they can do, and the newcomers have tons of potential. I think they're very capable of leading Grinnell to another very successful season. It's just a matter of us putting it all together."
Grinnell College men's basketball coach David Arseneault has finalized his incoming recruiting class for the upcoming campaign.
"My first priority was to find some players who could advance the ball up the court," said Arseneault. "Anyone who had dribbled a ball significantly for us the last four years graduated this May."
Arseneault feels that three incoming first-years will more than adequately fill that void. Marques Valdez, at 6-foot-5, and Dominique Bellamy, at 6-4, will provide size at that position which until now has not been seen in the program. Both were all-conference performers and excel at both ends of the floor.
The third point guard, 6-1 Garrett Nitz, led his team to the state championship in the large school division in Nebraska.
"Our next concern was to replace a senior class that scored over 7,000 points," said Arseneault. "Time will tell, but I would not be at all surprised if this incoming class is as capable as those outgoing seniors - and that is saying a lot!"
Three players headline this next crop of scorers. Griffin Lentsch (6-4) is an exceptional athlete, having high jumped 6-5 and triple jumped 44 feet, and has an ability to create his own shot. "I'd project that he will be our next big-time scorer" said Arseneault.
Dylan Seelman, a 6-1 off-guard, is a long-range bomber who will stretch the defense. Both he and Lentsch were all-conference performers in large-school settings.
Jesse Ney, the lone Iowan in this class, played in a small-school setting but literally dominated at that level. A 6-4 small forward, Ney earned first-team all-state honors while amassing 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in his career.
"Lastly, we are always on the lookout for some rebounding help - especially if that player can shoot the ball from the perimeter," said Arseneault. Enter Brian McManamy, a 6-6 post player from Charlotte, N.C. "Brian probably played against the toughest competition of any of the incoming players. To average 14 points a game at that level and be able to do some of the things he did is very impressive. He has an extremely high basketball IQ and it would make sense to play offense through him whenever possible."
Grinnell College's John Grotberg '09 proved he could match up with the nation's best when he competed at the 21st Annual State Farm 3-Point Championships on Thursday, April 2. The event was held at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan, site of the NCAA Division I Final Four.
Grotberg tallied a score of 17 in the first round, which ranked fifth in the eight-person field and left him just one spot out of qualifying for the semifinals. Each player shot 25 balls from five different racks on the floor, with each made shot counting for one point except for the final ball in each rack which counted as two.
The four semifinalists, in order of finish, were Jimmy Baron of Rhode Island (score of 25), Erik Kangas of Oakland (23), Jack McClinton of Miami (22) and Craig Moore of Northwestern (19).
Kangas and McClinton advanced from the semifinals with scores of 19 and 15, respectively, and McClinton went on to win the title with a score of 22 compared to Kangas' 17.
For the third year in a row, Grinnell College men's basketball player John Grotberg '09 has been named to the D3Hoops.com All-Midwest Region Team.
Grotberg, a 6-foot-2 guard, was named to the third team along with John Hoch of Carroll, Chris Drennan of North Central (Ill.), Joey Verax of Transylvania and Anthony Pettaway of Defiance.
Grotberg set the NCAA record, regardless of level, for career 3-pointers with 526. He led the nation and conference in scoring (31.0 points per game) and 3-pointers per game (6.2) this season, and led the MWC in steals per game (3.3), a category in which he ranked seventh nationally. Grotberg also was among the league leaders in free throw percentage at 86.8 percent.
He has been chosen as one of eight participants in next week's ESPN 3-Point Championships held in conjunction with the Division I Final Four.
All-Midwest Region Team
For the third year in a row, Grinnell College's John Grotberg '09 (upper left) has been named to the All-Midwest Conference Men's Basketball First Team, while teammates and David Arseneault '09 and Bobby Long '09 were selected to the Second Team.
On top of that, Grinnell coach David Arseneault (upper right) was pegged the league's Co-Coach of the Year along with Lawrence University's Joel DePagter.
Grotberg, a 6-foot-2 guard from Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ann Arbor-Pioneer HS), set the NCAA record, regardless of level, for career 3-pointers with 526. He leads the nation and conference in scoring (31.0 points per game) and 3-pointers per game (6.2) this season, and leads the MWC in steals per game (3.3), a category in which he ranks seventh nationally. Grotberg also rates among the league leaders in free throw percentage at 86.8 percent.
Long (lower left), a 6-0 guard from Lake Bluff, Ill. (Lake Forest HS), is sixth on Grinnell's all-time scoring chart with 1,798 points. He ranks fourth in the nation and second in the MWC in scoring this season at 27.2 points per game, and is also third in the nation and second in the conference in 3-pointers per game with 5.0. On top of that, Long is second in the league in steals per game (2.3) and among the leaders in free throw percentage at 85.9 percent.
Arseneault (lower right), a 6-2 guard from Grinnell, Iowa (Grinnell HS), was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award for the third year in a row. He is the NCAA Division III all-time leader in career assists average with 9.4 per game. This season, he again leads the nation in assists per game (10.2) and is third in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0). He is seventh in the conference in scoring at 15.7 points per game and ranks eighth on the Pioneers' all-time scoring chart with 1,462 points.
Ryan Kroeger of Lawrence University was named the MWC Player of the Year for the second season in a row.
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