WINONA LAKE - Grace College's men's basketball team is yet to play a game this season, but already the Lancers are getting national recognition.
After an up-and-down season in which they posted a 17-16 record with a roster chock full of underclassmen, the Lancers enter the 2010-2011 campaign ranked 17th in the NAIA Division II national poll.Veteran coach Jim Kessler's team opens the season Monday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Andrews University, and the Lancers boast talent, depth, height and experience.
As if he were putting together a puzzle, Kessler certainly believes he has the pieces to work with.
"On paper, it looks like we have the pieces to the puzzle," said Kessler, whose team was picked to finish second in the Mid-Central College Conference after it was just 6-10 in the MCC last season.
"We have play-makers, we have shot-makers," he continued. "As a coach, those are things you look for. We have the pieces to be pretty good."
Among those pieces are seniors David Henry and Stephen Kaufman; juniors Duke Johnson, Dayton Merrell and Jacob Peattie; sophomores Elliot Smith, Bruce Grimm Jr., Tannan Peters and Lee Ross; and highly-touted freshmen Greg Miller and Dennis Williams.
With the graduation of frontliner David Swanson, who averaged 15 points and nine rebounds per game, the 6-foot-11 Johnson returns as Grace's leading scorer.
Johnson posted seven double-doubles in the Lancers' final 16 games and finished the season with averages of 14 points and eight rebounds.
"Duke has really transformed himself," said Kessler, who enters his 34th season with the Lancers with 609 career wins. "A couple years ago he wouldn't look to shoot. The last half of last year, he really changed. He had the luxory of playing with an All-American in Eric Gaff two years ago, and alongside David Swanson the last couple years. Duke really finished strong last season, and we expect big things out of him this year."
Smith averaged 12 points per game last year as a freshman, while Henry averaged 11 points per contest during an injury-plagued junior season in which he played in just 10 games.
With Henry, Smith, Merrell and Ross, the Lancers were already deep in the backcourt. Grace's backcourt got even better with the addition of Grimm, a Rochester High School graduate who finished runner-up for the 2009 Mr. Basketball award and was a member of the Indiana All-Star team.
After concluding his prep career with a 40-point performance in the Class 3A state championship game, the 6-1 Grimm started five games last season as a freshman for NCAA Division I program East Tennessee State.
Now in Winona Lake, running the point for the Lancers' new motion offense, Grimm has the talent and tools to be one of the premiere guards in the NAIA.
"I've never seen a more outstanding performance by a high school kid in person," Kessler said of watching Grimm in the 2009 state finals, where Grimm set a record with eight three-pointers. "He's very unselfish, almost to a fault. He won't jump out at you at first, because he's such a team player, but he's a winner, and he makes his teammates better."
Other newcomers to the program that make Grace's roster intriguing are Miller and Williams.
At 6-6, Miller has the ability to play in the frontcourt or backcourt.
Miller graduated from North Miami High School as the Warriors' all-time leading scorer with 1,569 points. As a senior, Miller averaged a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds per game.
"I call him diesel because he packs a big load," Kessler said of Miller in the Grace media guide. "He can shoot the three at anytime and is strong enough to take you down low to score. Put together his stretch-long arms and great hands with his uncanny timing on the boards, and he snags rebounds that you don't think he can get."
Williams, a 24-year-old from Jamaica, could be a fan favorite in the Orthopaedic Capital Center. At 6-11, Williams not only adds more height to the Lancers' frontcourt alongside Johnson, but Kessler describes him as long and athletic.
Williams' game features various skyhooks and dunks. In the Grace media guide, Williams is referred to as the Jamaican Jammer.
The Lancers have a third player listed at 6-11, Adrian Makoli. The Lakeland Christian Academy grad from Germany, however, will redshirt this year.
One of the tallest teams in the nation, the Lancers also list freshman Jared Treadway at 6-7.
"We're bigger than a lot of Division I teams," said Kessler. "We're unproven, we haven't won any games yet, but this team has the potential to be pretty good. They're quality young men, and I think the community and our alumni will enjoy watching this team play."
Other members of the team include junior Benjamin Euler, sophomores Taylor Long, Nathan VanDuyne and Jay Hinkel, and freshmen Michael Humphrey, Jacob Goodman and Morgan Michalski.
After Monday's season opener, the Lancers will host Ohio-Eastern University Nov. 6 for Homecoming. The women's team will play at 1 p.m., followed by the men at approximately 3 p.m.
Grace will host its annual Optimist KCCCF Tournament Nov. 12-13, and will open conference play Dec. 1 when it hosts Bethel.
