October 27, 2006
Contact: Evangel University Athletics 865-2815, Ext. 7282
The 2006-07 Evangel University men’s basketball team will have much the same look as it did last year. Four starters return to do battle on the hardwood and another starter returns from the 2004-05 season. The backup players are also talented with ten lettermen returning.
Tim Dial (6-7, Jr., F). leads the Evangel men into their 50th basketball season. Dial was an NAIA honorable mention all-America pick last season and earned second team all-Heart of America Athletic Conference honors. Dial averaged 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Todd Simon (6-6, Jr., F) was a third-team all-conference selection and Shane Nicholson (6-0, So., G) made his Crusader debut a success by winning honorable mention all-league honors. T.Simon contributed 11.3 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game. Nicholson utilized his passing ability to lead the team in assists with 123 (3.5). He also averaged 11.3 points per game and had 33 steals.
Head Evangel coach Steve Jenkins, who is beginning his 25th season at the EU helm this year, hopes to keep last year’s balanced scoring attack intact. For the first time ever the 2005-06 Crusaders had five players averaging in double figures. In addition to Dial, T.Simon, and Nicholson’s scoring, Ryan Luethy (14.1) and Jackson Capel (10.5) also had double-figure scoring averages.
Capel (6-3, So., G) came off the bench to get his 10.5 points per game average. His 39.7 3-point average (77-194) leads all returners. Starter Joel Brown (6-0, Jr., G) was a stabilizing factor during EU’s postseason run that carried the Crusaders into the second round of the NAIA II national tournament after winning the conference’s postseason tourney. Brown averaged 8.0 points and dished out 118 assists (3.4) while leading the EU team at his point guard spot.
Other returning lettermen are Austin Brewer (6-2, Jr., G), Jordan Chapman (6-3, So., G), Jerod Floyd (6-1, Jr., F), Drew Garrison (6-2, Sr., G), Steve Sanon (6-6, Jr., F), and Chad Simon (6-7, So., F). Floyd was a starter in the first five games last year; however, he broke an elbow in practice and sat out the season. Brewer, Chapman, Garrison, Sanon, and C.Simon each contributed to EU’s postseason success last year.
Starting guard Ryan Luethy (6-3) is lost to graduation this year as is Richard Morantus (6-3, F). Luethy led EU’s balanced scoring attack in 2005-06 with his 14.1 average. He also hit 42.9 percent of his 3 pointers (82-191) to lead EU in that category and topped all players with his 82.2 free throw percentage (74-90). Morantus brought great hustle to the floor and will be missed in 2006-07. The upcoming Crusaders team also looses the services of Blake Short, who will serve the team as a student coach in 2006-07. Blake injured his knee in a mid-January practice and missed the remainder of the season.
Last year, Evangel won five of its last six games and 18 of its final 22 to finish 24-11 and notched a No. 20 ranking on the final NAIA II poll. EU tied with MidAmerica Nazarene for third place in the conference, however, the Crusaders stormed thru the conference tournament to gain entry into the NAIA II national tournament. EU defeated Bellevue ( Neb.) 82-74, before, losing a highscoring affair to Huntington ( Ind.) - the national tournament runner-up - 104-93 in the second round. If the 2006-07 Crusaders can keep the momentum going they had at the end of the 2005-06 season, they will be in line to add one more challenger to the Heart of America Athletic Conference title race in 2006-07.