By Chad Courrier
ST PETER — When Jesse Van Sickle came to Gustavus Adolphus to play basketball, he knew about past teams and the success they’d had in the national tournament.
Now a senior, Van Sickle would still like a shot at that experience.
“This team has a lot of potential, and I think we can win the (MIAC) or the conference tournament and get to the national tournament,” he said. “Playing in a national tournament is one of my goals, and this is my last year.”
The Gusties open the season with a nonconference game Tuesday against Buena Vista University at Storm Lake, Iowa. Gustavus is coming off the first losing season (13-14) in coach Mark Hanson’s 18-season tenure.
“There is a sense of urgency and determination, not because of what happened last year, but because we expect to be battling at the top of the conference, not just to get into the conference tournament,” Hanson said. “It would be a lot easier if there weren’t so many good teams in the conference.”
Van Sickle, a guard from Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, is the Gusties’ top returning scorer, averaging 10.4 points per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, including 46 percent from 3-point range.
“It’s not in Jesse’s nature to do anything spectacular, yet he’s a spectacular shooter,” Hanson said. “If you could model a jump shot, you would model it after Jesse’s.
“But he’s so much more than that. He’s gotten tougher, he’s gotten more vocal, he watches more film. He does the things you’d expect him to do.”
Van Sickle said it’s been a quick three seasons at Gustavus, and he’s had a lot of fun.
“We’ve had one good season and a couple of disappointing ones,” he said. I’m hoping this year tops them all.”
Van Sickle and senior posts Sam Paulson and Ryan McPartland started all 27 games last season, with Paulson averaging 9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds and McPartland adding 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. At an exhibition game against Southwest Minnesota State last week, they were joined in the starting lineup by guards Dan Schmidtknecht and Phil Wirtjes.
“Those five guys all have two or three years of experience, and they’ve used it well,” Hanson said. “I think they’ve used the weight room better, too.”
Guards Seth Anderson, Tyler Grey and Adam Michel and post Paul Blacklock will play off the bench, and freshmen Ben Biewen and James Hill will also get a look.
“I think we had a great summer, and the practices this fall have been some of the most intense since I’ve been here,” Van Sickle said. “This is a group that’s willing to work hard.”
Sophomore post Bobby Johnson, who averaged 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds last season, won’t play this season after suffering a knee injury before school started.
“The guys said that the way he had been playing this summer, he would have been our best player coming back,” Hanson said.
The Gusties finished 13-14 last season, 11-9 in the MIAC. Gustavus won its first game in the conference tournament before losing to St. Thomas.
“There are six teams that think they can battle for the top two or three spots in the conference,” Hanson said. “St. Thomas is the pick, no doubt, but I’d be disappointed if we’re not battling for the top of the conference.”
