Season Outlook
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| John Krueger |
Cedarville College basketball fans have every reason to be optimistic about the 1998-99 campaign. After all, the Yellow Jackets return the league's top scorer, the league's best freshman, and the team's top four scorers that accounted for nearly 70 percent of the offense from last year's 23-10 club. The proof will come when Cedarville embarks on a schedule that is expected to be more demanding with the new American Mideast Conference as well as some tough non-conference opposition.
Fourth-year head coach Jeff Reep previewed the season by saying, "The fact that our players have an extra year of experience as compared to the same time last year will make a big difference. We had several new players last season and it took a while to completely come together as a team. There's no doubt we have some talent, but everyone will need to realize what their role is for this team to be successful."
John Krueger, one of the most prolific scorers in Yellow Jacket basketball history, returns for his senior season with 1,778 career points to his credit. That total already places him ninth on Cedarville's all-time scoring list and he's destined to become only the fourth player to reach 2,000 points. The 6-foot-4 guard/forward led the conference at 22.4 points per outing last year.
Krueger is complimented by Jesse Deister, who was named the conference Freshman of the Year upon averaging 18.1 points. He also led the loop with 82 steals and shot 88 percent from the free throw line.
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| Jesse Deister |
"It's no secret that John and Jesse set the tone for much of what we do," admitted Reep. "They started every game last year and played more minutes than anyone else. But others recognize we have some experienced players elsewhere, too, that give us more than just a two-player attack."
Senior forwards Aaron Stumpf and Shay Richardson, who transferred to Cedarville for their first year in the program last winter, both averaged in double figures. Stumpf hit for 12.7 points in 31 games while Richardson, who started all 32 contests along with Krueger and Deister, added 11.4 points with a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game.
Other key returnees include juniors Clint Hayes, Ted Forrest, and Kyle Mraz. Hayes, a six-foot guard took on a new role at the point last year and supplied 8.0 points with a team-high 104 assists. He led the state of Ohio in scoring as a high school senior and then popped in 18 a game as a freshman at Cedarville before being asked to quarterback the team.
Forrest, a 6-8 center, has shown signs of being dominant in the middle and finished last season with a 25-point explosion in the playoffs at Transylvania. Mraz, who played in 29 games last year, is always a long range shooting threat and deadly from the free throw line.
The schedule is noticeably more demanding the year, mainly due to the expansion of the American Mideast Conference, formerly the Mid-Ohio Conference. NAIA Division I heavyweights Geneva and Saint Vincent join the fray with the usual rivalries established in the MOC. The Jackets also face road trips to Findlay and Wittenberg.