Cedarville College
Yellow Jackets
1999-2000 Men's Basketball
Season Outlook
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| Clint Hayes |
There is certain to be a new look in the Cedarville College men's basketball program in 1999-2000 and that doesn't include the refurbished floor of the Athletic Center that now includes a parquet-style playing surface. It will come in the form of the athletes themselves as players who saw limited playing time last winter as well as newcomers to the squad will have to produce if the campaign has any hopes of being successful.
Gone from last year's 21-12 club is 52 points per game with the departure of four key players. That quartet includes American Mideast Conference Player of the Year John Krueger, who graduated as Cedarville's second all-time leading scorer. Even with such big shoes to fill, fifth-year head coach Jeff Reep is pushing ahead to face what appears to be the most demanding schedule he's faced at the school.
"The guys have worked hard and we realize we're going to surprise some people," said Reep, who has 73 victories at Cedarville including back-to-back 20-win seasons. "The veteran players will have to step up and we must have some production from the newcomers."
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| Jason Marshall (right) |
Heading the brief list of returning players is senior captain Clint Hayes. The six-foot guard has been a three-year starter for the Yellow Jackets and will easily reach 1,000 career points. Hayes started all 33 games last year, averaged 10.1 points with a team-high 109 assists, and is Cedarville's all-time three-point field goal percentage leader with a .421 accuracy.
"Clint is a hard-nosed player that we expect to have his best year yet," Reep proclaimed. "He is the most experienced player we have and we will be looking for his leadership to be a strong influence on this team."
The man in the middle is 6-foot-8 senior Ted Forrest, who has established himself to be one of the best big men in the AMC. The Jackets hope he can take his game to the next level after putting together career-highs of 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds as a junior. Forrest earned All-NCCAA Midwest Region First Team honors.
The other two seniors are guards Kyle Mraz and Keith Minier. The six-foot Mraz is a four-year member of the program while the 6-foot-1 Minier returns for his second and final season. Each player will provide backcourt assistance off the bench.
Jason Marshall, a six-foot sophomore guard, saw action in all 33 games as a rookie. He will see considerable time at the point guard slot while classmates Robb Burt and David Dingeman will also be asked to make notable contributions. Burt, a 6-4 guard, has a shooting range that is practically limitless and Dingeman, a 6-5 forward, will need to make an impact on the front line.
That leaves six newcomers to round out the 13-man roster. The list includes freshmen Joel Jackson, Justin Horst, Brad Miller, and Brandon Hoffman as well as sophomores Justin Duncan and Curt Fleck.
Reep summarized the outlook by saying, "Our attack will have to be balanced. We don't have that one player that at any moment has the potential to take over a game. We'll need contributions from a lot of different players."
The schedule features a rigorous run through the American Mideast Conference. A two-game series with nearby rival Central State and a home date with Wittenberg also highlight the season.
