Men’s Basketball Picked Second in MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll

-FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State men’s basketball was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Thursday (Oct. 23) by the conference office. The Tigers finished with a record of 22-8 in 2013-14 and made their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Johnson.

Fort Hays State received two first place votes in the poll and was just six voting points behind last year’s national champion, Central Missouri. The Mules received 10 first place votes after tying for the MIAA regular season title last year. Washburn and Northwest Missouri State also received first place votes.

The Tigers return four players with starting experience, including one All-American, and six letterwinners from last year’s team that finished fourth in the MIAA regular season standings. FHSU looks to continue its success in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, as it has averaged just over 21 wins per season over the last seven seasons. The Tigers reached 20 or more wins in five of those seasons and produced at least 19 in all seven.

Junior point guard Craig Nicholson headlines the returners after earning an All-America Honorable Mention by Division II Bulletin. Nicholson was a unanimous All-MIAA First Team selection, and a Daktronics All-Central Region First Team and NABC All-District First Team selection. Nicholson had a record-setting season in 2013-14, dishing out 7.4 assists per game to break the school record he set one year earlier with 6.9 per game. Nicholson set the table for all his teammates, but still led the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game. He gave defenses fits with his dribble-drive ability drawing several fouls that allowed him to shoot 237 free-throws on the season, making 190, which set a new school record for made free-throws in a season and he shot 80.2 percent in the process. That shattered the old record of 169 made by Mark Wilson in 1978-79. He was just two attempts shy of Wilson’s attempts record for a season. Nicholson’s 222 assists in 2013-14 were third-most for a season in school history, only behind Raymond Lee who played more games in seasons with 237 and 228. Through two years, Nicholson has 904 points and 414 assists at FHSU.

Tomislav Gabric returns at guard after starting all 30 games last year. He gave the Tigers an all-around threat on the floor. Gabric averaged 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game with an ability to shoot outside or get to the basket off the dribble. His 6-foot, 6-inch frame at the No. 3 position gave several teams a match-up problem defensively. He shot 50 percent from the field, 37.1 percent beyond the 3-point line, and 76.7 percent at the free-throw line.

Junior Jake Stoppel and senior Jared Tadlock return for the Tigers in the post after combining for 30 starts last year. Stoppel was second on the team in rebounding and sixth in scoring, while Tadlock was eighth in scoring. Stoppel started 23 games and ranked second on the team in rebounding last year with 4.4 per game. He added 6.1 points per game to rank sixth on the team. Tadlock started seven games last year. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while hitting 19 three-point field goals and shooting 39.6 percent beyond the arc.

Also returning at the guard position are seniors James Fleming, Achoki Moikobu, and Nick Capiti. Fleming was the top scorer off the bench and a strong three-point shooting threat, while Moikobu was utilized as both a point guard and shooting guard off the bench. Capiti redshirted last year after playing in 26 games for the Tigers in 2012-13. Fleming finished last year at 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game and played in all 30 games. He drained 46 three-point field goals (most of any returner) and shot a great percentage at the free-throw line (83.7 percent, 77-of-92). Moikobu also played in all 30 games, averaging 4.7 points and 1.6 assists per game. Capiti averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in 2012-13.

Looking to make a splash immediately for the Tigers will be three transfers, two coming from NCAA Division I schools. Senior Royce Williams is a transfer from Weber State University, where he played 58 games in two years and shot 41 percent from the field last year to help the Wildcats to a Big Sky Conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. Dom Samac is a junior transfer from Denver University, where he played for two years. He made 11 starts last year for Denver, averaging 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Jeremy Wilson is a junior transfer from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, where he played in all 31 games last year, averaging 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Drew Kite looks to bolster the Tiger lineup in the post after redshirting his first year out of high school. The Scott Community High School product from Scott City, Kan., was a Kansas All-Class First Team selection as a senior, averaging 19.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. He helped Scott Community to three consecutive state championships in basketball, while averaging a double-double his final two years of high school.

The Tigers have three freshmen newcomers in Grant Holmes, Kade Spresser, and Hadley Gillum. Holmes was the all-time leading scorer at Concordia (Kan.) High School and a four-time all-state selection Class 4A, earning first-team honors as a senior. He averaged 21 points per game as a senior. Spresser played at Hoxie (Kan.) High School and was named the Class 1A Player of the Year as a senior by Kansas-Sports.com. He was an all-state first team selection twice and averaged 20.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game as a senior. Gillum was a Class 2A All-State First Team selection twice at Plainville (Kan.) High School, averaging a double-double over his final two years. As a senior, he averaged 21 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

The Tigers open the season with a pair of neutral site region games against Upper Iowa and Minnesota State-Moorhead in Maryville, Mo., November 14-15. The home opener for the Tigers will be on November 19 against Central Christian College.