SWCC men’s basketball eyes repeat title run

The more things change the more things will stay the same for Southwestern Community College men’s basketball team this year.

The Spartans return seven players from last year’s national championship winning squad, but of those seven players only one recorded a single start.

SWCC starts the season as the Division II preseason No. 1 and rightfully so. After a 36-1 campaign last season, head coach Todd Lorensen knows they have the players capable to lead them back to another title run.

“We’re coming into the season planning the same way,” said Lorensen. “Every year, things can change depending on how far you get into the season depending on how things are going.”

The plan, as of now, is to bring a very familiar motion-offense and implement a sturdy, half-court man-to-man defense.

One of the biggest changes SWCC will be facing this season is replacing and filling the minutes of the starters from last season.

Leading the way will be two sophomore guards, redshirt Khallid Edwards and Alijah Thomas.

Guard play was the defending national champions’ bread and butter last season. Two All-Americans, Brodric Thomas and Jordan Johnson, combined to average 28 points per game last year.

Alijah Thomas and Edwards averaged 6 and 4.8 points per game respectively, and while they won’t be expected to carry as much of the scoring burden as Thomas and Johnson did, Lorensen has high hopes for the returnees.

“Khallid and AT, they have a very large impact on our team on a daily basis, just with their energy,” Lorensen said. “Guys feed off them.”

Nate Lee is another returnee who averaged 4.5 points per game last season.

Lorensen isn’t as interested in filling the holes of last year’s players as he is seeing production from players up and down his lineup.

The fourth-year head coach is looking to some of his newcomers as well.

“We have kind of a stable of guys who can really do some great things for us (like) Chad Moran who is a Lewis Central graduate,” said Lorensen. “Tre Diggs, who redshirted for us last year, has just been solid every single day. Terence Shelby, he played in six games but got a medical redshirt after he broke his hand. He’s a high scoring guy.”

Any given night could be a break out scoring night for that trio. Lorensen said Shelby is capable of putting up 25 points when he’s on.

Moran’s 42-point outburst against Creston last year is all too familiar to locals. Gatdoar Kueth is another incomer Lorensen has high praise for.

“If we’re going to be as good as we want to be, or think we can be both those guys (Moran and Kueth) are going to have to play a major role for us,” said Lorensen.

Kueth and Lee were suspended for a scrimmage and a game following an offseason arrest for theft.

Along with a multitude of new faces, Lorensen is working with a new pair of assistants on the bench.

Joining the NABC National Coach of the Year will be Blake Peterson and Dillon (DJ) Jenkins. Prior to joining the Spartans, Peterson coached Division II college basketball, while Jenkins established his coaching career at the high school level.

“(Peterson) has very realistic experience and has a good feel for the game,” said Lorensen. “Coach Jenkins is a younger guy who is just getting into the college level. He coached at the high school level for five years and has a ton of energy.”

“I’m just really excited because they’ve both done a great job up to this point and I look forward to continue to watch them develop over the course of the season.”

Conference play

The Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) will once again feature formidable foes.

The only loss the Spartans registered last season came at the hands of Kirkwood Community College, which sits at No. 14 in the Division II preseason rankings.

Not far behind is Iowa Lakes, which finds itself at No. 18.

Those are the first two names on Lorensen’s list of top conference competition, but he admits the conference is strong “from top-to-bottom.”

“DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) historically has a great program and just from the roster they built I feel like they are going to be much improved,” said Lorensen. “In my opinion, Iowa Central has the best player in the league returning in Tray Croft, the point guard who averaged about 24 or 25 ppg.”

With only two years of athletes to work with, Lorensen will once again be looking to his fresh faces.

And still, Southwestern Community College finds itself at the top of the heap to start the season with even more hardware on its minds.

Banner info

The Spartans will unveil their 2017 NJCAA Division II national championship banner prior to their 7:30 p.m. home game on Tuesday, Nov. 7, in the Student Center gymnasium. The Spartan women's and men's teams play Marshalltown Community College. The women's game begins at 5:30 p.m.

National champion rally towels will be avaiable to the first 100 spectators and national championship banner T-shirts will be on sale throughout the night.

Roster

Sophomores — Alijah Thomas, 5-11, Des Moines; Khalid Edwards, 5-8, Des Moines; Dan Ngoyi, 6-3, Lincoln, Neb.; Brandon Reed, 5-9, Omaha; Kzhan Jimerson, 5-10, Fremont, Neb.; Terence Shelby, 6-2, Peoria, Ill.; Nate Lee, 6-4, Des Moines.

Freshmen — TreVonte Diggs, 6-4, Charlotte, N.C.; D'Marqueyon Whittington, 5-11, Lincoln, Neb.; Jordan Channels, 5-9, Collierville, Tenn.; Ryan Warren, 5-9, St. Louis, Mo.; Taylor Keeney, 6-3, Fremont, Neb.; Chad Moran, 6-4, Council Bluffs; Gatdoar Kueth, 6-7, Des Moines; Daniel Hailey, 6-5, Stanberry, Mo.; Mahrion Butler, 6-4, Memphis, Tenn.; Tavon DiPalma, 6-3, Waynesville, Mo.; Rasheed Barze, 6-1, Chicago, Ill.; Aldreias Campbell, 6-1, Des Moines; RoNeal Ross, 6-6, Omaha, Neb.

Schedule

Nov. 1 — vs. Graceland University JV, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 — vs. Little Priest Tribal College, 3 p.m.

Nov. 7 — vs. Marshalltown CC, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 1`4 — vs. Grand View University JV, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 17 — at Central (Neb.) CC, Columbus, 7 p.m.

Nov. 18 — vs. Southeast (Neb.) CC at Central Community College, Columbus, 11 a.m.

Nov. 21 — vs. North Central Missouri College, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 25 — at Little Priest Tribal College, 3 p.m.

Nov. 29 — at North Central Missouri College, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 — vs. William Penn JV at Indian HIlls CC, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 2 — at Indian HIlls CC, 7 p.m.

Dec. 8 — vs. Briar Cliff JV at Northeast (Neb.) CC, 5 p.m.

Dec. 9 — vs. Lake Region State College at Norfolk, Neb., 1 p.m.

Dec. 14 — vs. Kankakee CC, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 15 — vs. Southeast (Neb.) CC, 7 p.m.

Jan. 9 — at Southeastern CC, 7 p.m.

Jan. 13 — vs. Iowa Lakes CC, 3 p.m.

Jan. 17 — at Iowa Central CC, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 20 — at Ellsworth CC, 3 p.m.

Jan. 24 — vs. DMACC, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 27 — at Kirkwood CC, 3 p.m.

Jan. 29 — vs. Graceland University JV, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 3 — vs. North Iowa Area CC, 3 p.m.

Feb. 6 — vs. Northeast CC, 7 p.m.

Feb. 10 — at Iowa Lakes CC, 3 p.m.

Feb. 14 — vs. Iowa Central CC, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 17 — vs. Ellsworth CC, 3 p.m.

Feb. 21 — at DMACC, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 24 — vs. Kirkwood CC, 3 p.m.

March 3 — at NIACC, 3 p.m.

March 6 — Region XI quarterfinals, 7 p.m.

March 8 — Region XI semifinals, 7 p.m.

March 10 — Region XI championship, 3 p.m.