TERRE HAUTE —
It’s a case of deja vu all over again for the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team. For the second year in a row, the Engineers sport just one senior on their roster.
Rose’s only senior last season, guard Jeff McCartney, has graduated.
Last year’s only junior, guard Steve Ricks, assumes this season’s role of “The Lone Senior.”
The Engineers struggled to a 7-18 mark last season, only 3-13 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
That marked the sixth consecutive losing season for the men’s program.
Youth, and a lot of it, was a big factor in last year’s outcome. To wit, the top six scorers for the Engineers were three sophomores and three freshmen.
All six of those players have returned. Coupled with an infusion of quality freshmen again this season, Rose-Hulman is cautiously optimistic of a successful 2010-11 season.
“We’re still very young … although now we’re young and a little experienced,” Rose coach Jim Shaw explained.
“Whereas [last year], we were young and inexperienced.
“We’ve only got one senior. We’ve got several juniors that have played a lot. Some sophomores who have a year playing pretty much full-time. I think we’ve got a core of new kids that can help us immediately.”
In their second annual exhibition game played earlier this month vs. Indiana State, Shaw started sophomore Austin Weatherford (6-1) and junior Blake Knotts (5-10) at guards, with sophomore Nate Gissentanner (6-4), junior Spencer Harlan (6-6) and junior Jason Haslag (6-6) up front.
All are veterans of Rose basketball at tender ages.
Knotts and Haslag paced the Engineers in scoring last year with identical 9.0 scoring averages. Weatherford (8.4), Gissentanner (7.2) and Harlan (6.7) closely followed.
“Our three juniors that have played quite a bit in the past are in a way looking to rebound from down years last year,” Shaw said of Haslag, Knotts and Harlan. “I think they’ve been better at practice. I think they have a bit of a different role. I think they’re going to thrive.”
“But I think our sophomores are a lot better,” Shaw alluded to Weatherford and Gissentanner. “They’ve put on a lot of strength.”
Shaw hopes to employ a four-headed monster up front this season, utilizing a quartet of post players in Haslag, Harlan, Jon Gerken (6-6 sophomore) and Brenton Balsbaugh (6-6 sophomore). Those four combined to pull down over 14 rebounds a game last season.
“I consider Jon Gerken a starter,” Shaw noted. “He may be our best inside player even though he came off the bench against Indiana State. I think he led us in minutes. We’ve got four post players that will rotate fairly equally who can really do things.”
Competition for playing time is keen at the guard position as well.
“There’s heavy competition for the backup point guard spot when [Weatherford] is not on the floor,” Shaw said.
Shaw sings the praises of freshmen Julian Strickland (6-3), James Pillischafske (6-2), Jordy Martin (5-11) along with Ricks (6-1) to back up at the point. Potentially in that mix is a football player, sophomore Terrae Hall, “who started quite a bit two years ago.”
Asked how he feels his season will play out, Shaw kiddingly predicted, “Twenty-five wins.”
“I just think we’re better,” Shaw stated. “How it translates to wins and losses, you never know. A lot of things can happen. But I know that we’re better than we were last year. I think we’re better shooters. I think we’re better inside. I definitely think we’re better defensively.”
Rose opens its season with three road games in the span of five days, beginning with games Friday (vs. Wilmington College) and Saturday (vs. Washington & Jeff or Case Western) in the Case Western Reserve University Tournament.
Rose-Hulman men’s basketball
Schedule
Friday — vs. Wilmington (at Cleveland, Ohio), 6 p.m.
Saturday — vs. Washington & Jeff or Case Western (at Cleveland, Ohio), 5 or 7 p.m.
Nov. 23 — at Eureka, 8 p.m.
Nov. 28 — Millikin, 7 p.m.
Dec. 1 — Franklin*, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4 — Defiance*, 3 p.m.
Dec. 8 — at Earlham*, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11 — at Transylvania*, 1 p.m.
Dec. 14 — Fontbonne, 6 p.m.
Dec. 16 — Robert Morris-Springfield, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 18 — DePauw, 4 p.m.
Jan. 5 — at Bluffton*, 3 p.m.
Jan. 12 — at Anderson*, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 — at Mount St. Joseph*, 5 p.m.
Jan. 18 — Hanover*, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 22 — at Defiance*, 3 p.m.
Jan. 26 — at Franklin*, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 — Transylvania*, 3 p.m.
Feb. 2 — Earlham*, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5 — at Manchester*, 2 p.m.
Feb. 9 — Anderson*, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 12 — Bluffton*, 3 p.m.
Feb. 16 — at Hanover*, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 19 — Mount St. Joseph*, 3 p.m.
Feb. 26-28 — HCAC Tournament (top six teams), TBA
* — Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game
Roster
Player Pos. Ht. Yr.
Terrae Hall G 6-1 So.
Jason Haslag F 6-6 Jr.
Blake Knotts G 5-10 Jr.
Austin Weatherford G 6-1 So.
James Pillischafske G 6-2 Fr.
Steve Ricks G 6-1 Sr.
Jordy Martin G 5-11 Fr.
Julian Strickland G 6-3 Fr.
Nate Gissentanner F 6-4 So.
Jon Gerken F 6-6 So.
Zach Kleman F 6-3 Jr.
Jordan Nielson F 6-3 Jr.
Brenton Balsbaugh F 6-6 So.
Nick McDonough F 6-5 Fr.
Spencer Harlan F 6-6 Jr.
Alec Houpt F 6-5 Fr.
Brian McHugh F 6-4 Fr.
Rose-Hulman
ROSE HOOPS PREVIEW: Only one senior — again — but plenty of depth for men’s team
- Rose-Hulman
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Rose-Hulman swimmers flying to nationals
Rose-Hulman swimmers John Craig Huster and Orion Martin have qualified for the Division III national meet in the 100 butterfly
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Despite four NCAA Division III titles, Rose-Hulman’s Liz Evans remains as driven as ever
Even though Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans has won four NCAA Division III titles in the women’s high jump, getting motivated is still easy for her.
Ultra-competitive athletes find ways. -
Balsbaugh’s late-season scoring giving Rose-Hulman a lift
If someone were to predict before last weekend that Rose-Hulman would capture its second straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship in men’s basketball and that senior Brenton Balsbaugh would be named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, fans probably would believe the first statement but consider the second as wishful thinking.
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Rose-Hulman baseball team kicking off season in Florida
Jeff Jenkins is serious about his baseball.
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Rose-Hulman men clinch conference title
Rose-Hulman will host the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament and claimed the league’s regular-season title with a 59-57 win at Hanover College on Saturday.
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No. 23 Rose-Hulman takes down No. 22 Transylvania on the road
No. 23 ranked Rose-Hulman claimed a two-game lead in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball standings with a 54-49 victory at No. 22 Transylvania University on Saturday.
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Rose-Hulman 18-2 after pulling away from Anderson
Rose-Hulman opened the second half on a 20-3 run to pull away and earn a convincing 71-40 men’s basketball victory at Anderson University on Wednesday night.
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Freshman paces Engineer women to HCAC win
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team improved to 10-10 for the season and 6-7 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play with a 52-44 win over Anderson on Wednesday in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose men top Franklin
Rose-Hulman improved to 14-2 overall and kept its Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference lead at 8-1 with a 58-42 men's basketball victory at Franklin College on Wednesday night.
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Rose men run winning steak to 11 games
Anderson arrived in Terre Haute with a 7-6 record and a scoring average of 76.5 points per game.
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Anderson holds off rally by Rose women
Rose-Hulman rallied from an 11-point deficit to close within three points late, but Anderson University held on to earn a 64-57 victory in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball Wednesday night inside O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
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Rose-Hulman men ranked 26th in Division III
Rose-Hulman’s men’s basketball team is ranked 26th nationally in the d3hoops.com national weekly poll released on Thursday.
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Gerken hits game-winner to put Rose-Hulman at 9-1 on season
Making the game-winning shot, with what turned out to be seven-tenths of a second to go, was probably the easy part for Jon Gerken on Saturday afternoon in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose women struggle from field in loss to Hanover
In the Rose-Hulman women’s college basketball game, frigid shooting undermined good work the Engineers did in other aspects of the game against Hanover.
The Engineers came out on the wrong end, 55-43. -
Efficient Engineers stifle Millikin
The word that probably best describes the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team is efficiency.
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Rose-Hulman women's basketball regains Clabber Girl Trophy
Rose-Hulman reclaimed the Clabber Girl Trophy for the first time since 2009 with an 80-74 women’s basketball victory over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Tuesday night in Hulbert Arena.
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Balanced Rose tops Fontbonne
Senior forward Nate Gissentanner came off the bench to deliver 14 points for balanced Rose-Hulman in a 72-54 men’s basketball victory over Fontbonne University on Wednesday night in Hulbert Arena.
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Rose-Hulman men's basketball preview: Engineers looking to follow up last year’s success
It’s pretty safe to say that expectations for the Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team have not been this high since the late 1990s when the Engineers reached the NCAA Division III tournament three times within a four-year period.
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Rose-Hulman women's basketball preview: Engineers continuing to improve
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team didn’t dominate many opponents last season when it ended up with records of 9-18 overall and 6-12 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
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Earlham tragedy leads to Rose football cancellation
Little did Rose-Hulman’s football players and coaches know, their 42-8 home victory over Anderson University last Saturday turned out to be their final game of the season.
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This weekend's Rose-Hulman vs. Earlham football game canceled
Due to Friday's tragic events involving three Earlham College students, the football game between Earlham and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been canceled.
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Anderson squeaks past Rose-Hulman
Anderson University scored in the 11th minute and held off a Rose-Hulman charge to earn a 1-0 men's soccer victory in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinal match on Wednesday night at the Engineer Intramural Field.
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Rose swimmers near top because of vets, youth
Rose-Hulman swimming depth is at an all-time high, putting the Engineers at No. 15 in the NCAA Division III national rankings.
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A bigger taste?
On the night of Oct. 14, Rose-Hulman basketball fans were treated to something described by a couple of men’s players as “spectacular” and “epic” when they all jammed into Hulbert Arena for the insititute’s first “Midnight Madness” to tip off a season.
The memorable site wasn’t a 360-degree dunk or a no-look, behind-the-back pass.
It was Rose men’s coach Jim Shaw performing the “Bernie Dance,” based on the deceased character from the 1989 movie “Weekend At Bernie’s.”
“For a second, I thought he was having a seizure,” senior starting guard Austin Weatherford said with a straight face later. -
Rose women picked for 6th
The Rose-Hulman women’s basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference this season, according to a preseason poll of league coaches released Tuesday.
Hanover and Franklin were selected for first and second respectively, with just two poll points separating the two squads. -
Rose-Hulman no match for Franklin
Franklin showcased its No. 23 NCAA Division III ranking from d3football.com in a 56-0 victory over Rose-Hulman in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football Saturday.
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Rose blanks Woods 3-0 in women’s soccer
Rose-Hulman women’s soccer coach Amy Helliwell is riding a youth movement to what she hopes could produce a strong turnaround in this 2012 season.
It has so far.
Led by freshman Hayley Gilliam, a Zionsville native, the Engineers improved to 5-4-1 for the season with a dominant 3-0 victory against cross-county rival St. Mary-of-the-Woods College on Wednesday at Jim Rendel Field. -
METRO ROUNDUP: Engineers dominate HCAC honors
Rose-Hulman Institute student-athletes earned three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards, in results released by the league office on Monday.
West Vigo graduate John Burt was named HCAC Defensive Player of the Week and Eric Schaible the Special Teams Player of the Week in football, and B.J. Thompson earned Player of the Week honors in men’s soccer.
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Snyder throws for two early TDs in Rose-Hulman victory
Rose-Hulman scored 33 points in the middle two quarters and held off a Defiance rally to earn a 33-20 victory in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference football opener for both schools Saturday.
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Rose’s record setter
Kyle Kovach got off to a great start in Rose-Hulman’s football season opener Saturday night in what turned out to be a heartbreaking 29-28 home loss to Kalamazoo College at Cook Stadium.
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