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-Head Coach Jim Smith (6:12)
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University basketball coach Jim Smith begins his 46th season one win shy of 700 for his career entering the 2009-10 season. His 699 career victories rank him second all-time among NCAA Division III head coaches and 27th all-time in college basketball history.
Smith returns four starters and an experienced group of players as Saint John's seeks to improve on last season's 12-8 third-place finish in the MIAC and a 14-12 record overall.
Here's a preseason look at the Johnnies by position.
Backcourt (Point, No. 2 Wing)
A key returnee to the Johnnies' backcourt is sophomore point guard Andy Burns (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka). Burns started all but one game last season as a freshman and ranked second in the MIAC with 100 assists. He also averaged 32.1 minutes per game, good for second on the team, and was named to the five-man MIAC All-First Year team.
Sophomore Ryan Brown (Forest Lake, Minn.) played in six games last season but will look to increase his playing time this year at the point guard position. Sophomore Patrick Bowlin (Winona, Minn./Cotter) and freshman Sam Dittberner (New Prague, Minn.) will also compete for time at point guard.
Junior Sam Blank (Rollingstone, Minn./Winona Cotter) will compete for playing time at the No. 2 wing position this season. Blank played in 23 games last season and started one. He averaged 4.3 points per game in just 12.9 minutes per game last winter and finished the season with a .481 field-goal percentage.
Sophomore Andrew Latzke (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) will also be in the mix this season. He played in all 26 games and started three last season, averaging 5.7 points per game while shooting at a .358 clip as a freshman. Senior Michael Braun (Hopkins, Minn.) must overcome an injury and could contribute significantly if healthy this season. Sophomore Bennett Vathing (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and freshmen Josh Hibbison (Monticello, Minn.) and Chris Neumann (Winsted, Minn./Holy Trinity) will also vie for playing time this winter.
The Johnnies need to replace point guard Brandon Budach and wing Cole Isetts, who both graduated last spring. Both Budach and Isetts were leaders for the Johnnies last season both on and off the court. The two combined for 189 points, 72 rebounds, 31 assists and a shooting percentage of .539.
Frontcourt (Nos. 3 & 4 Wing)
The frontcourt will feature a pair of talented and experienced juniors, Aaron Burtzel (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) and Chris Schwartz (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln). Burtzel was the only player to start all 26 games for the Johnnies last season. He led the team in field goal percentage (.595), minutes per game (33.5), rebounds per game (9.1), blocked shots (20) and steals (35). He was also second on the team in assists (96) and third in points per game (11.3). Burtzel finished second in the MIAC in field goal percentage, third in assists, and fourth in rebounds and minutes played.
Schwartz started 25 games last season and led the Johnnies in scoring with 12.9 points per game. He ended the season third in the MIAC with 53 three-point field goals and was named MIAC honorable mention.
Sophomore Aaron Barmore (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) also returns after playing in all 26 games with 25 starts a year ago. Barmore averaged 29.7 minutes per game and 7.8 points per game. Barmore was the team's best free-throw shooter with a free-throw percentage of .820. He was also second on the team in rebounds per game (4.2) and third in assists (43).
Smith will also welcome back junior Todd Herman (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer), who started 10 of the 11 games he played in. Herman averaged 11.5 points per game before missing the second half of the season.
Post
Sophomores Garrett Bassett (Eagan, Minn.) and Chris Tengwall (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) are expected to see significant time at the post position this season. Bassett appeared in 25 games for SJU as a freshman. His size (6-foot-10) is sure to be an asset to the SJU post position. Tengwall brings another athletic body to the table. Last season, he appeared in six games and averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
Other key options for the Johnnies post position include juniors David Redfield (Eagan, Minn.) and Nermin Hujdurovic (Tuzla, Bosnia/Medical). Redfield played in 16 games for the Johnnies last season and averaged close to five minutes per game, while Hujdurovic appeared in five games for SJU last year. Freshman Chris Orgas (Lakeville, Minn./North) will add size and strength (6-foot-7, 250 pounds) at post this season.
The Johnnies have 11 home games scheduled in 2009-10, including the season opener Nov. 15 against nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point. SJU will participate in the tournaments at St. Cloud State (Nov. 20-21) and Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Nov. 27-28) before returning home for three consecutive homes games to begin the MIAC schedule against Bethel (Dec. 2), Carleton (Dec. 5) and Macalester (Dec. 9). The Johnnies play host to St. Thomas Feb. 13.
