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SDSU in Sioux Falls today
Jackrabbit men bring 2-game winning streak to Arena
by CHRIS SOLARI
csolari@argusleader.com
As they practiced Monday at the Sioux Falls Arena, something about the South Dakota State Jackrabbits seemed different.
Smiles and laughter haven't really been in abundance the past two years. Of course, that's what a win streak will bring for a group of guys that's experienced plenty of blues adjusting to Division I basketball.
"We're just feeling better," said sophomore forward Michael Loney, still dripping sweat from the two-hour workout. "To get some wins is just nice."
The Jackrabbits, now 3-7 after two straight wins, take on the Manhattan Jaspers at 7 p.m. today at the Arena. It's SDSU's first game at the Arena since moving to Division I and the first in Sioux Falls since 2004 at Augustana.
"It will be nice to get to see what the crowd is like up here in Sioux Falls," junior guard Eric Heien said. "It would be nice if some South Dakota players made some plays to have other South Dakota players be able to come and do the same thing to help build this program up."
SDSU only won back-to-back games twice and had just one win against Division I opponents last season.
Heien has become a surprisingly integral part of SDSU's mini-resurgence. After not playing in the Jacks' first two games, the 6-foot guard slowly worked his way into Coach Scott Nagy's rotation and eventually earned a starting spot at Marquette following Steve Holdren's season-ending knee injury.
Against Nebraska, Heien caught fire late for 12 points. He added 14 points in the overtime win against Denver on Dec. 10, then poured in 18 against Missouri-Kansas City last week while applying 40 minutes of stifling defense on the Kangaroos' top scorer, Quinton Day.
"I would say our morale is up right now, especially with two victories," Heien said. "That overtime win against Denver was big."
Heien played two years at Mount Marty before moving to SDSU last year and serving as a practice player while sitting out due to NCAA D-I transfer regulations. For the year, the 2002 Gettysburg High grad is averaging 5.9 points and 17.9 minutes with just eight turnovers.
"It just gives the other guys a little bit of confidence, too, saying, 'Look at Eric. If he can play that good, why can't I?' " Nagy said of Heien. "He can really shoot the ball, and he's been taking care of the ball. Anybody that can do those two things - shoot it and take care of it - is going to play for me."
Redshirt freshman guard Matt Cadwell, who practiced Monday with a protective helmet after taking an elbow to the head against UMKC, leads SDSU with 15.3 points a game. He and his backcourt mates should be tested against the lanky, athletic Jaspers.
Manhattan has created 109 turnovers this year, while the Jackrabbits have coughed it up more than 20 times a game.
"They live off that," Nagy said. "Last year, in the half-court, we did a really good job against them. But they scored so many of their points off turnovers and bad shots, it just killed us."
A year ago, it was the Jaspers' quick hands and pressure defense that created 33 points off the Jackrabbit's 24 turnovers in Riverdale, N.Y. Manhattan held on for a 73-69 win, overcoming Ben Beran's 20 points.
But while the Jacks are hitting a surge heading into this season's contest, so are the Jaspers. Manhattan has won three straight after an 0-4 start, defeating North Dakota State 76-62 on Sunday in Fargo.
Sophomore C.J. Anderson, a 6-6 swingman, is averaging 18.1 points and nine rebounds a game, both team highs. Three other starters are scoring better than 10 points a game for Coach Bobby Gonzalez's squad, which lost at Syracuse in overtime last month.
"The last few years, everyone talks about (the Jaspers) because they've been beating some real good teams," said Jackrabbit guard Jose Frias, a New York City native. "They're definitely a program that's on the rise."
Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.
SDSU in Sioux Falls today
Jackrabbit men bring 2-game winning streak to Arena
by CHRIS SOLARI
csolari@argusleader.com
As they practiced Monday at the Sioux Falls Arena, something about the South Dakota State Jackrabbits seemed different.
Smiles and laughter haven't really been in abundance the past two years. Of course, that's what a win streak will bring for a group of guys that's experienced plenty of blues adjusting to Division I basketball.
"We're just feeling better," said sophomore forward Michael Loney, still dripping sweat from the two-hour workout. "To get some wins is just nice."
The Jackrabbits, now 3-7 after two straight wins, take on the Manhattan Jaspers at 7 p.m. today at the Arena. It's SDSU's first game at the Arena since moving to Division I and the first in Sioux Falls since 2004 at Augustana.
"It will be nice to get to see what the crowd is like up here in Sioux Falls," junior guard Eric Heien said. "It would be nice if some South Dakota players made some plays to have other South Dakota players be able to come and do the same thing to help build this program up."
SDSU only won back-to-back games twice and had just one win against Division I opponents last season.
Heien has become a surprisingly integral part of SDSU's mini-resurgence. After not playing in the Jacks' first two games, the 6-foot guard slowly worked his way into Coach Scott Nagy's rotation and eventually earned a starting spot at Marquette following Steve Holdren's season-ending knee injury.
Against Nebraska, Heien caught fire late for 12 points. He added 14 points in the overtime win against Denver on Dec. 10, then poured in 18 against Missouri-Kansas City last week while applying 40 minutes of stifling defense on the Kangaroos' top scorer, Quinton Day.
"I would say our morale is up right now, especially with two victories," Heien said. "That overtime win against Denver was big."
Heien played two years at Mount Marty before moving to SDSU last year and serving as a practice player while sitting out due to NCAA D-I transfer regulations. For the year, the 2002 Gettysburg High grad is averaging 5.9 points and 17.9 minutes with just eight turnovers.
"It just gives the other guys a little bit of confidence, too, saying, 'Look at Eric. If he can play that good, why can't I?' " Nagy said of Heien. "He can really shoot the ball, and he's been taking care of the ball. Anybody that can do those two things - shoot it and take care of it - is going to play for me."
Redshirt freshman guard Matt Cadwell, who practiced Monday with a protective helmet after taking an elbow to the head against UMKC, leads SDSU with 15.3 points a game. He and his backcourt mates should be tested against the lanky, athletic Jaspers.
Manhattan has created 109 turnovers this year, while the Jackrabbits have coughed it up more than 20 times a game.
"They live off that," Nagy said. "Last year, in the half-court, we did a really good job against them. But they scored so many of their points off turnovers and bad shots, it just killed us."
A year ago, it was the Jaspers' quick hands and pressure defense that created 33 points off the Jackrabbit's 24 turnovers in Riverdale, N.Y. Manhattan held on for a 73-69 win, overcoming Ben Beran's 20 points.
But while the Jacks are hitting a surge heading into this season's contest, so are the Jaspers. Manhattan has won three straight after an 0-4 start, defeating North Dakota State 76-62 on Sunday in Fargo.
Sophomore C.J. Anderson, a 6-6 swingman, is averaging 18.1 points and nine rebounds a game, both team highs. Three other starters are scoring better than 10 points a game for Coach Bobby Gonzalez's squad, which lost at Syracuse in overtime last month.
"The last few years, everyone talks about (the Jaspers) because they've been beating some real good teams," said Jackrabbit guard Jose Frias, a New York City native. "They're definitely a program that's on the rise."
Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.