Junior core helps lead Vikings basketball

Losing four seniors from a nationally-ranked program is never easy to overcome, but for the men's basketball program this season, head coach Tom Billeter looks at it as an opportunity.

"We have a neat situation," Billeter said.  "We lost four really good seniors last year, but our young guys performed well when they had playing time.  There is a nice mix of young and old in this group."

Leading the team will be junior Cody Schilling, a pre-season All-American honorable mention.

"Schilling is a great guy to play beside," sophomore Cameron McCaffrey said.  "Anytime you have someone of his skill set on the court, it makes the team tougher to beat."

Behind him, two juniors, Nate Truex and Derrick De Zeeuw, received ample playing time last season, and will be called upon to help lead the team.

Other players expected to have significant roles are seniors Adam Peterka and Chad Hetterman, along with sophomores McCaffrey, Leif Nomeland and Eric Jorgenson. 

Redshirt freshman Brennan Olson will compete for playing time as well.

"It's great having a number of players we can go to," McCaffrey said.  "The fact that we have such great athletes on our team make us a threat in every game."

Missing from the team are guards Jordan Dalton, Kenny Brown, David Foster, Elliot Thomas and forward Lee Stephens.

Another high-scoring threat the Vikings will have on the court is McCaffrey, who averaged 12.9 points per game last season, along with a 43.5 free-throw shooting percentage.

"Hopefully I can continue to build on last year," McCaffrey said.  "As long as the team is winning, it doesn't really matter to me how many points I have."

With 11 of the team's 17 athletes having had some playing time last year, the squad hopes to use that experience against their opponents.

"We have a nice nucleus to start," Billeter said.  "We feel we've got a good program here."

That being said, Billeter knows that pre-season practice can change a lot of things.

"Right now, I honestly couldn't say who the starters would be," Billeter said.  "We have 17 kids on the roster, and all of them could be starters."