Men’s basketball to play with end in mind this season

A year removed from winning the GPAC before losing in the first round of the national tournament, the Northwestern men’s basketball team begins the season with a goal of winning the GPAC regular season title, earning a trip to the national tournament and making a run at the NAIA Division II title.
“We gained valuable experience at the national tournament last year,” said coach Kris Korver. “There is a desire to get back there and we’ve got to compete each day with the end in mind.”
The four returning starters are going to have to keep up the pace set last season. Juniors Ben Miller, Stu Goslinga and Daniel Van Kalsbeek and senior Walker Seim bring experience to lead the Raiders.
Miller, a 6-6 guard, earned honorable mention all-American honors after averaging 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. A 6-7 post, Goslinga posted a team-high .540 field goal percentage and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Van Kalsbeek, a 6-6 forward, also earned honorable mention all-American honors and led the Raiders with an average of 14.6 points per game. A 6-3 guard, Seim was named a 2011 NAIA Scholar-Athlete and made a team-high 56 from behind the arc last season.
Still, the stakes are high for a team that will be missing a combined average of 8 rebounds and 20 points per game from graduating seniors Ryan Hoogeveen and Brent Dunkelberger. Some of the help will come from seniors Jon Kramer and Ryan Stock.
A 6-0 guard, Kramer had playing time in 30 of the Raiders’ 31 games last year and a team-high 28 steals along with 5.8 points per game. Stock, a 6-4 guard, played in every game and contributed 21 assists and 10 steals.
The Red Raiders were recently ranked number one in the GPAC preseason poll and seventh in the NAIA Division II. According to Korver, the team can’t put any stock in the high rankings.
“It means there is respect for our program and our rich tradition,” Korver said. “It means you’re going to get everybody’s best games. We need to be performing and preparing at our best 24/7. The ultimate goal is to become a true team, in every sense of the word to be a group of tough, unselfish competitors.”
GPAC rivals Dordt and Morningside, picked second and third in the conference, respectively, are also ranked nationally. The Defenders are 16th and the Mustangs are 23rd.
“We’re in a tough conference,” Korver said. “There’s not a game within the conference that you can’t get beat. We have got to give it our all every game, every week.”
The Raiders open their season this weekend in North Dakota.