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On the Prowl: At Media Day 2006
UNI Men's Basketball is just around the corner, and this year's Media Day saw a new coach with the same philosophy. The approach may be mildly different, but one has plenty of reasons to expect success from this team in the 2006-07 season. Of course, success depends a lot upon how you define it. As one walks through the brand-new McLeod Center south of the UNI-Dome, it's hard to imagine anything but "success" as far as where this program has come in the last five years.
New Coach Ben Jacobson hopes that he is another person in a long list of names concerning who is responsible for the thriving men's basketball program at UNI. There are those who have great confidence in the job he can do, starting at the top.
"There was no hesitation in my mind as to who I wanted as a coach," says Athletic Director Rick Hartzell.
As Coach Jacobson talked about the upcoming season, the same quiet confidence he's had in his tenure at UNI as both an assistant and as new head coach manifested itself. He expects things to run similarly, with a few minor changes, including offensive focus. Fans may have to start out the season getting accustomed to a new offensive scheme.
"We have to go inside," he says. With returning frontmen Grant Stout and Eric Coleman and highly-touted incoming freshmen Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch, the Panthers will look to feed the post as much as possible in the upcoming season. He talked a little bit like he might be revealing his offensive schemes to the public, but he wasn't the slightest bit worried. "Believe me, our opponents know," he muses.
Adam Koch later discussed the impact that the post will have on the season and how Stout and Coleman have prepared his game at the major Division I college level. "I'm couldn't be playing against anyone better during practice," he says. He, like everyone else associated with the program have the same expectations as in recent years.
"We expect a lot of success this season. We don't expect a dropoff."
UNI will continue to be a defensive-minded team. UNI averaged 57.8 points per game on defense, 2nd in the MVC. Only defensive juggernaut Southern Illinois was better at 56.5. UNI has spent a great deal of time in their first few practices stressing defense, and it seems as though defensive skill will determine how much playing time each player will receive on the floor. "We are going to become a great defensive team," stresses Jacobson.
New graduate assistant John Little reinforced that when talking about the incoming freshmen. "They've been working very hard. (Their playing time) all depends on how well they play defensively.
Jared Josten looks to be the starting shooting guard this season, and talked a little bit about what it takes to play for the Panthers. "We have to play team defense and concentrate. We emphasize toughness here," he says, reinforcing a major theme for the day.
Sophomore Travis Brown expanded on the themes for the day. "Our goal is the NCAA tournament. It takes a lot of hard work, but we listen to what the coaches say and we have to apply it."
He seems optimistic about the incoming freshmen as well. "A lot of the freshmen seem more comfortable this year. They all seem very mature."
When asked about playing in a brand-new facility that could easily end up being a landmark of UNI athletics, he broke into a smile. "I love change," he says. "It's a new atmoshpere, and it really excites me."
Although UNI has not been on a lot of prognosticator's tongues in the preseason, the outlook seems bright from within the program. Opponents may or may not know what to expect from a program that with a lot of versatile weapons on both sides of the ball, a mature set of freshmen, and of course, a new arena with a capacity of about 7400 that may send chills down the spines of opposing teams. All this seems to add up to a big year ahead for Panther men's basketball.
UNI Men's Basketball is just around the corner, and this year's Media Day saw a new coach with the same philosophy. The approach may be mildly different, but one has plenty of reasons to expect success from this team in the 2006-07 season. Of course, success depends a lot upon how you define it. As one walks through the brand-new McLeod Center south of the UNI-Dome, it's hard to imagine anything but "success" as far as where this program has come in the last five years.
New Coach Ben Jacobson hopes that he is another person in a long list of names concerning who is responsible for the thriving men's basketball program at UNI. There are those who have great confidence in the job he can do, starting at the top.
"There was no hesitation in my mind as to who I wanted as a coach," says Athletic Director Rick Hartzell.
As Coach Jacobson talked about the upcoming season, the same quiet confidence he's had in his tenure at UNI as both an assistant and as new head coach manifested itself. He expects things to run similarly, with a few minor changes, including offensive focus. Fans may have to start out the season getting accustomed to a new offensive scheme.
"We have to go inside," he says. With returning frontmen Grant Stout and Eric Coleman and highly-touted incoming freshmen Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch, the Panthers will look to feed the post as much as possible in the upcoming season. He talked a little bit like he might be revealing his offensive schemes to the public, but he wasn't the slightest bit worried. "Believe me, our opponents know," he muses.
Adam Koch later discussed the impact that the post will have on the season and how Stout and Coleman have prepared his game at the major Division I college level. "I'm couldn't be playing against anyone better during practice," he says. He, like everyone else associated with the program have the same expectations as in recent years.
"We expect a lot of success this season. We don't expect a dropoff."
UNI will continue to be a defensive-minded team. UNI averaged 57.8 points per game on defense, 2nd in the MVC. Only defensive juggernaut Southern Illinois was better at 56.5. UNI has spent a great deal of time in their first few practices stressing defense, and it seems as though defensive skill will determine how much playing time each player will receive on the floor. "We are going to become a great defensive team," stresses Jacobson.
New graduate assistant John Little reinforced that when talking about the incoming freshmen. "They've been working very hard. (Their playing time) all depends on how well they play defensively.
Jared Josten looks to be the starting shooting guard this season, and talked a little bit about what it takes to play for the Panthers. "We have to play team defense and concentrate. We emphasize toughness here," he says, reinforcing a major theme for the day.
Sophomore Travis Brown expanded on the themes for the day. "Our goal is the NCAA tournament. It takes a lot of hard work, but we listen to what the coaches say and we have to apply it."
He seems optimistic about the incoming freshmen as well. "A lot of the freshmen seem more comfortable this year. They all seem very mature."
When asked about playing in a brand-new facility that could easily end up being a landmark of UNI athletics, he broke into a smile. "I love change," he says. "It's a new atmoshpere, and it really excites me."
Although UNI has not been on a lot of prognosticator's tongues in the preseason, the outlook seems bright from within the program. Opponents may or may not know what to expect from a program that with a lot of versatile weapons on both sides of the ball, a mature set of freshmen, and of course, a new arena with a capacity of about 7400 that may send chills down the spines of opposing teams. All this seems to add up to a big year ahead for Panther men's basketball.
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