WINONA LAKE – Kyle Johnson. Eric Gaff. Duke Johnson. Dennis Williams. For the better part of a decade, Grace College's men's basketball team has had a towering presence in the post. That won't be the case this season, however, and veteran coach Jim Kessler will rely on the experience of his backcourt. The Lancers open their season Saturday when they host Wilberforce at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, and leading the way will be a five-player senior class that includes standout guards Logan Irwin and Brandon Vanderhegghen. Irwin averaged a team-high 13.6 points and 4.4 assists last season, as Grace advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Division II National Tournament and finished the year with a 23-13 record. In a breakout season, Vanderhegghen averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a junior. Kessler will rely heavily on both of them this season, as the recently-voted NAIA Hall of Fame coach enters his 39th season with the Lancers, who are ranked 14th in the NAIA preseason national poll. “The potential of this team begins with the returning guards,” said Kessler. “We have five seniors, and two of them (Irwin and Vanderhegghen) received all-conference recognition last year. They weren't first-teamers, but they were certainly recognized as some of the premiere guards in the conference.” The other three members of the senior class include forwards Caleb Featherston and Kyle Fillman, who were also teammates at Norwell High School, and guard Drew Perrin. Fillman averaged nearly seven points and four rebounds per game last year, while Featherston chipped in with averages of five points, three boards and an assist. Perrin played in 31 games last year for Grace. “Kyle's been a starter for three years, he'll be one of the premiere rebounders I think,” said Kessler. “Caleb is capable of having some big games. We have veteran players. We don't have the bigs we've had historically for years, we've had a 6-10 player or bigger for I don't know how many years, so that'll change the way we play defensively and offensively as well. We're gonna have to be a little more perimeter oriented.” The rest of Grace's roster includes juniors John Swanson, Eric Miller and Tre Olive; sophomores Stephen Halstead, Chad Hoffer and Erik Bowen; and freshmen Josh Ruggles, Tim Swanson, Logan Godfrey and Mike Warren. Hoffer averaged nearly six points and three rebounds per game off the bench last year as a freshman. It was his first organized basketball since graduating from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 2008. At 6-foot-7, Fillman, Miller and Godfrey are the tallest players on Grace's roster. While the Lancers are shorter than they have been in recent memory, Kessler has a plethora of shooters at his disposal. Vanderhegghen is a proven three-point shooter, while Tim Swanson made 45 percent of his long-range attempts last season while playing for the Warsaw Tigers. Ruggles, of Wheaton, Ill., is a YouTube sensation because of his sniper-like shooting ability. “It's going to be a fun year because the guys love playing together, and they'll do what we ask them,” said Kessler. “I'm really looking forward to working with these young men. We want to play as hard as we can for as long as we can, and then we give the glory to Christ. We should be able to achieve that every game.” After Saturday's 2 p.m. home game against Wilberforce, the Lancers will play at Lawrence Tech on Nov. 3 and then return to the MOCC Nov. 6 to host St. Xavier. Grace will open Crossroads League play against Taylor on Nov. 24. The Lancers were picked to finish third in the league standings during preseason voting. Indiana Wesleyan is ranked second in the preseason national poll, while St. Francis is fourth and Bethel is 22nd.
