UNI looks like the play in this one. Very impressive squad
UNI Men's Basketball
Youthful Panthers keep things humming
By RICK BROWN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
January 7, 2005
Worried?
Yes, Northern Iowa basketball coach Greg McDermott was worried.
"I know they were worried about losing (Matt) Schneiderman and (David) Gruber," Evansville coach Steve Merfeld said. "Obviously, these guys have stepped up."
"These guys" are freshman forward Eric Coleman and sophomore center Grant Stout, who will be in the starting lineup tonight when Northern Iowa meets Evansville at 7:05 in Evansville, Ind.
Evansville, 6-0 at home this season, is 1-2 in conference play and 7-4 overall. Northern Iowa, off to its best start since the 1989-90 season, is 10-2 overall and 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Northern Iowa opened MVC play with a 75-55 victory against Illinois State Monday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
Stout had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Coleman had 13 points and nine rebounds.
"At the beginning of the year, everyone looked on paper and said it was going to be hard for them to replace Schneiderman and Gruber," Illinois State coach Porter Moser said. "But they dominated us inside. I don't think they miss a beat. And the scary thing about it is that they are a freshman and a sophomore."
Schneiderman and Gruber were the heart and soul of a 2003-04 Northern Iowa team that won the MVC Tournament and finished 21-10 after a close loss to Georgia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gruber, an undersized post man, averaged 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds. Schneiderman, a forward who was a threat out to three-point range, averaged 11 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Entering today's game, Stout is averaging 11.5 points and eight rebounds. Coleman is at 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.
"Without question they're further along that I anticipated they would be at this point," McDermott said.'
Stout played 31 games off the bench last season, averaging 11.5 minutes.
"Grant played exactly the amount of minutes he needed to play last year," McDermott said. "That was great for his development."
Coleman has played with a maturity beyond his years.
"He's mature enough to handle the pressure of playing college basketball at a young age," McDermott said. "He's picked up our system extremely well. We've been able to throw just about anything at him, and he's been able to handle it."
Stout and Coleman bring something to this Panther team that Schneiderman and Gruber weren't able to.
"I'll never be able to put a price tag on how valuable their leadership was to the development of our program," McDermott said. "But one thing they weren't great at was passing. Stout and Coleman are very good passers."
Stout has 23 assists to 17 turnovers this season. Coleman has 21 assists and 23 turnovers.
"I think the thing that Coleman does that a lot of big frontcourt players don't is that he's an exceptional passer," Merfeld said. "He has a great feel for where people are, and finding the open man."
UNI Men's Basketball
Youthful Panthers keep things humming
By RICK BROWN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
January 7, 2005
Worried?
Yes, Northern Iowa basketball coach Greg McDermott was worried.
"I know they were worried about losing (Matt) Schneiderman and (David) Gruber," Evansville coach Steve Merfeld said. "Obviously, these guys have stepped up."
"These guys" are freshman forward Eric Coleman and sophomore center Grant Stout, who will be in the starting lineup tonight when Northern Iowa meets Evansville at 7:05 in Evansville, Ind.
Evansville, 6-0 at home this season, is 1-2 in conference play and 7-4 overall. Northern Iowa, off to its best start since the 1989-90 season, is 10-2 overall and 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Northern Iowa opened MVC play with a 75-55 victory against Illinois State Monday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.
Stout had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Coleman had 13 points and nine rebounds.
"At the beginning of the year, everyone looked on paper and said it was going to be hard for them to replace Schneiderman and Gruber," Illinois State coach Porter Moser said. "But they dominated us inside. I don't think they miss a beat. And the scary thing about it is that they are a freshman and a sophomore."
Schneiderman and Gruber were the heart and soul of a 2003-04 Northern Iowa team that won the MVC Tournament and finished 21-10 after a close loss to Georgia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gruber, an undersized post man, averaged 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds. Schneiderman, a forward who was a threat out to three-point range, averaged 11 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Entering today's game, Stout is averaging 11.5 points and eight rebounds. Coleman is at 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.
"Without question they're further along that I anticipated they would be at this point," McDermott said.'
Stout played 31 games off the bench last season, averaging 11.5 minutes.
"Grant played exactly the amount of minutes he needed to play last year," McDermott said. "That was great for his development."
Coleman has played with a maturity beyond his years.
"He's mature enough to handle the pressure of playing college basketball at a young age," McDermott said. "He's picked up our system extremely well. We've been able to throw just about anything at him, and he's been able to handle it."
Stout and Coleman bring something to this Panther team that Schneiderman and Gruber weren't able to.
"I'll never be able to put a price tag on how valuable their leadership was to the development of our program," McDermott said. "But one thing they weren't great at was passing. Stout and Coleman are very good passers."
Stout has 23 assists to 17 turnovers this season. Coleman has 21 assists and 23 turnovers.
"I think the thing that Coleman does that a lot of big frontcourt players don't is that he's an exceptional passer," Merfeld said. "He has a great feel for where people are, and finding the open man."