ALL EYES ON WELTONAll-American junior the focal point for Spartans
By George Clemen SPECIAL TO THE BEACON NEWS
It's safe to say a lot of people are going to be watching Aurora University's Larry Welton this year.
The junior forward averaged 22.8 points per game in AU's 16-11 2005-06 campaign, earning him All-American honors, and D3hoops.com has predicted a repeat performance from him this year.
"That puts him on the radar," Spartans coach James Lancaster said. "That's nice work, nice recognition for Larry, but it will also make sure he garners full recognition from everybody ... certainly most teams devise their game plan to control Welton."
For the 2006-07 season the Spartans find themselves up against new competition in the Northern Athletics Conference, with 11 teams as opposed to nine in the old Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference, and Welton's presence will be no secret.
In response, the Spartans have blended experience from their own familiar faces, and some newcomers as well, to keep an offense that averaged nearly 80 points per game last year running fast.
Returning for AU as starters are sophomores Dusty Magee (11.0 points per game) at point guard and Chad Trudo at guard (8.0 points per game), along with junior forward Doug Lambert (5.7 points per game).
"Dusty and Chad have done a lot to develop their bodies. They don't look like freshman anymore," said Lancaster, who expects better production out of the two guards after they were "thrown in the fire" in their first years to gain experience.
Lambert finished last season hot, averaging 13 points per game in his last eight contests, and Lancaster said he expects him to stay that way after Lambert put in an offseason full of basketball and visits to the weight room.
"All of these guys have the ability to take the pressure off Welton," Lancaster added.
Rounding out the starting five at forward comes a familiar face for some, junior Mike Leonard who transferred in from Waubonsee Community College.
Leonard does not just post up, but has the ability to play facing the basket and step out to the perimeter for additional looks on offense, while being the "team anchor" on defense, Lancaster said.
"It's nice to get a kid out of (Waubonsee coach Dave Heiss') program because you know he's gonna be schooled in the fundamentals of the game and the up-tempo style of game that we play, with a focus on defense," Lancaster said. "It's been a seamless transition for Mike coming into our program."
Other key transfers include sophomore guard Alex Shimko out of St. Francis and senior guard Darrick Leonard.
Darrick Leonard will be "adding maturity" to the program, said Lancaster.
Leonard comes in from the University of South Dakota, where he averaged 4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 19 appearances with the Coyotes last year, and led the North Central Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Other newcomers include freshmen forwards Shane Roland and Bre'an Liggett and guard Rashad Seaton, who along with familiar hometown favorites, like junior guard Luke Engelhardt out of Yorkville, will be mixing it up for the Spartans at several positions.
"That's probably what I'm most excited about our team, there's a lot of different things we can do offensively and defensively," Lancaster said. "We can be posting up our guards, we can get some outside shots from post players, and it allows us to do some different things defensively."
The test begins for AU in Crawfordsville, Indiana at the Wash College Little Giant Classic Friday against Indiana University South Bend, as the Spartans play seven of their first eight games of the season on the road.
The Spartans open at home Dec. 6 against Lakeland College, where since 2000 the AU men have gone 63-6.
"It's the same kind of basketball we've been playing here for the last dozen years, but I do like the pieces we have to the puzzle," Lancaster said. "I also feel that we're deep with young guys."
|
