Galesburg, IL -The task at hand for the Prairie Fire men’s basketball team this season is clear, to win.
That’s the message to the players by fourth-year Coach Rob Purlee and his staff. The players, meanwhile, are on the same page. They have their own message: “Why not us?”
“It’s time to do what we came here to do, and that’s win games,” Purlee said. “When I was afforded the opportunity to take over the men’s basketball program, the idea was we were going to come here and get to a level that the entire Knox community could be proud of. We haven’t been able to reach that yet.”
However, Purlee believes everything’s in place for a successful season. The squad returns its top five leading scorers, including three that averaged double-figures, several other players that logged a good chunk of minutes on the floor, and welcomes a talented group of newcomers.
Senior guard Ben Wetherbee (Sydney, Australia, Woodstock) averaged a team-high 12.2 points per game, set a new school free throw percentage record by knocking down 97.7 percent of his foul shots, and he was the top 3-point shooter with 61 baskets from long-distance last season. Wetherbee has 162 career 3-pointers, which is fourth on the Knox men’s basketball all-time list.
Wetherbee’s backcourt mate, Tanner Carlson (Annawan, IL, Annawan), was an Honorable Mention All-Midwest Conference selection. He averaged 12 points per game and a team-best 4.9 assists that also ranked third in the MWC.
Forward Joe Kozak (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) was the Fire’s third double-figure scorer with 11.5 points per game. His 5.3 rebounds per contest and 55 percent field goal percentage led the squad and both ranked in the top 10 in the conference. Kozak’s 53 percent career field goal percentage is second all-time at Knox.
Purlee also expects major contributions from two of his post players, junior Lukas Shaw (Portland, OR, U.S. Grant) and sophomore David Jones (Denver, CO, Colorado Academy). Jones averaged 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting nearly 50 percent last season. Shaw followed with 7.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 54 percent shooting. Jones and Shaw combined for three double-doubles.
Junior forwards Ian Horvath (Addison, IL, Addison Trail) and Doug Lillibridge (Byron, IL, Byron High School) return after gaining valuable experience. Horvath, who started 21 games, averaged 5.1 points and connected on 78 percent of his free throws. Lillibridge, a defensive specialist, played in 22 games during the 2010-11 campaign.
The two other seniors on the roster could be asked to take on bigger roles for the Prairie Fire. Guard Jacob Lewis (Bloomington, IL, Downs Tri-Valley)played in 16 games last season. Purlee said Lewis is a player “who always does what he’s asked to do on the floor.” Forward Alex Schobert (Belleville, IL, Belleville West) appeared in 20 games, including one starting assignment, and knocked down 48 percent of his shots.
Newcomers looking to compete for playing time are first-year guards Mitch Murphy (Bushnell, IL, Bushnell-Prairie City/Avon) and Armand Stricklin (Lee Summit, MO, Lee Summit West), and junior guard Tyler Olson (Marengo, IA, Iowa Valley). Purlee says each brings something to the team that the coaching staff values. “Because of those three guys, we’re better today than we were at the end of last year because we have a little bit more depth on the perimeter,” he said.
“We don’t have the best players (in the Midwest Conference) at every position, although we think we might at some spots, but we’re as good as anybody else,” Purlee said.
The Prairie Fire endured more than its share of heartbreaking losses last season. Seven defeats were by five points or less, three were in overtime or double overtime, and two games ended on baskets in the in the final seconds or at the buzzer.
“As we get ready to play, the mental is to the physical as about 20 is to 1 with this basketball team,” Purlee said. “We’re no different than anybody else in our league physically. The emotional heartbreak that we’ve endured, that is so much more important with this team…to get past it.”
Purlee thinks moving on from the close, difficult losses the squad suffered last season will be one of the biggest challenges for the returning players. He believes a new member of his staff, full-time assistant coach Mike Dashner, will be able to help in a big way. “Probably the best addition to the basketball program has been coach Dashner.”
Dashner spent the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons as an assistant St. Norbert College. The Green Knights won the last two Midwest Conference men’s basketball championships and earned back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division III basketball tournament. “He’s got a fresh set of eyes, he’s been an enthusiastic teacher, and he’s a very good recruiter as well,” said Purlee of Dashner. “He’s made everybody better since he’s been here.”
Dashner is part of a team that Purlee says is a very close knit group. “There’s a sense on this team that we’re all in this together. The players really care about each other.”
Murphy and Stricklin have impressed the coaches, and they are expected to play significant minutes, according to Purlee. The two begin their careers at Knox with a fresh outlook.
“The thing they bring to the table that the other guys don’t is they don’t have any of the mental questions, the heartbreak in their back pocket,” Purlee said. “Sometimes being young and naïve is a great thing, and that’s what they are. They’re not carrying those heartbreaking losses…they are just out there playing, they don’t know any better, and we need a little bit of that.”
The Prairie Fire plays six of eight games to start the new season in the comforts of Memorial Gymnasium. Purlee said those are opportunities. “For this program, there is nothing we need more than victories,” he said. “The chances of (winning) are always higher on your home floor than they are on the road.”
Four of the six games at home are especially important because they’re against Midwest Conference teams.
The Prairie Fire has focused especially hard on defense ahead of the season.
“We have spent almost all of our time in practice playing defense…we’ll be able to score in January and February, I believe that, Purlee said. “We’ve got to do a better job of laying that defensive foundation. If we can do that, we think that’s the difference between six to 10 points, and the Midwest Conference is a six to 10 point league.”
