2006-07 Season Set To Begin; MIAA Pre-Season Poll Released Thursday
ALMA, Mich. - The Alma College winter sports season are gaining momentum as today marked the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's annual basketball coaches tele-conference.
Alma College men's basketball returns to the hardwood this season after finishing 10-16 a year ago. With just two letterwinners from last year's team returning, the Scots have a bundle of unanswered questions, but head coach Ed Kohtala is confident that they are working hard in pre-season practices and will enter the 2006-07 campaign prepared to battle in the ultra-competitive MIAA.
Download 2006-07 Men's Basketball Media Guide
Download 2006-07 Men's Basketball Quick Facts
2006-07 Men's Basketball Schedule
2006-07 Men's Basketball Pre-Season Roster
MIAA Pre-Season Poll
1. Calvin (4) 10 points
2. Hope (3) 11
3. Albion (1) 19
4. Tri-State 28
5. Olivet 34
6. Kalamazoo 38
7. Adrian 41
8. Alma 43
MIAA Tele-Conference Transcripts of Alma College men's basketball head coach Ed Kohtala:
"Let's see. Where to start. As many of you know, I have a couple of daughters and the oldest is in kindergarten. She'll ask me questions and increasingly I have to respond with "I don't know" and she has gotten in the habit of saying "Daddy, just make something up."
"I feel like that's what I'm doing here, in a lot of ways, is just making something up. There are so many questions about my group. With the decision of our two leading scorers not to return to school. I'll do my best to weave my way through it. To pretend I have real answers at this point would be untrue.
"We have a group that's returned and in many ways is young, but I expect them to be mature. What I mean by that is that we had an excellent junior varsity program last year and those kids have made the commitment and worked hard through the summer.
"Isaac Smith, a young man who has been a member of our varsity program for four years, and is without question our unchallenged leader in terms of experience and understanding the league. He has really taken the team on his shoulders.
"We have a small group of guys with varsity experience who had great summers. David McNally, a sophomore had a great summer after last year during the season sort of falling into the point guard position when our point guard left at Christmas time.
"Jason Latz helped on both the JV and varsity teams and made a great commitment over the summer. Ryan DeHaan comes from a very strong high school program, has had a great summer and come back ready.
"To pretend that as a group that they have been tested, it would be as I do for my daughter, I'd be making something up.
"We hope to represent our school and our league well.
On the frustration of losing so many players and trying to rebuild a program with players coming and going:
"In each situation, it's very individual. You always want to examine yourself, it's a natural tendency. I don't know what it means, but I have regular contact with many of the kids that have come and gone.
"One of the things I did not anticipate is that you go out and get as talented kids as you can possibly get and play them. Those kids that as freshmen and sophomores prove themselves in our league suddenly have the potential for scholarship situations at other schools. You have to look yourself square in the face. When a kid has an opportunity, or perceived opportunity, to go somewhere for less money and graduate and do those things they want to do morally, it's almost impossible to stand in their way.
"With our kids, each has been an individual situation. Sometimes they have left because of family, sometimes it was money, sometimes it was academics.
"We don't feel the frustrations in practice or the teams we put on the floor. But for me, emotionally, when you invest in kids, it's hard to see them go. I tell them, though, to make sure when you graduate, I hear back. That's the bottom line goal, whether they're with us or somewhere else."
Posted: Thu, November 2nd, 2006 at 10:33AM
