By MAYAN PAZ
Tiger Media Network
After a long preseason that lasted one week longer than usual, the Division II basketball season is about to begin, and FHSU is ranked high in the preseason polls. The No. 9 Tigers will start their season against No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday and Sioux Falls on Saturday as a part of the Central Region Showcase in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The Tigers will have quite a different team this season compared to last. Katie Wagner DeGarmo and Olivia Hollenbeck, two of the best players in the MIAA over the past few seasons, have graduated and FHSU will now rely on some returners to take on a larger role in the team. FHSU also features a relatively large first-year class, which includes five freshmen and one transfer.
With so many new players joining, Head Coach Talia Kahrs faced a significant challenge in implementing her game plan with the new roster. However, she noted the team’s returners have been doing an excellent job of helping the newcomers adjust to the system.
“I think for the returners, probably practice is a little bit slower this preseason than normal, but we really wanted the new people to understand our concepts and what we wanted to do,” Kahrs said. “So I think it was a lot of learning for the new kids. And then, obviously, the returners knew what we expected, but they did a really good job of stepping up, leading, and teaching the new people, too.”
The team has had two scrimmages against community college teams and one exhibition against the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Those opportunities were used by the Tigers to find some of their new go-to players. Talexa Weeter had a tremendous 25-point performance against KU and will be a main piece for this team this year. The Tigers’ point guard, Brooke Loewe, is also returning to her role and will be the motor of the FHSU offense.
Weeter was the team’s third leading scorer off the bench last year with 14.6 points per game, while Loewe led the team and MIAA in assists (233) and assists per game (7.3) last season.
This season presents an opportunity for some returners who have played lesser roles previously to increase their playing time and influence. One such player is Ellie Stearns, who contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds against KU. Kahrs also highlighted freshman Olivia Mortensen, a freshman guard from Broomfield, Colorado, as a player who might be impactful for the Tigers. Mortensen started against KU and scored 7 points to go along with 6 rebounds.
Kahrs said the preseason games the team played were good preparation ahead of the season-opening matchups.
“We got to scrimmage two junior colleges, so that was helpful to see a little bit. Even though it doesn’t account for anything. And then we went to KU, and we learned a lot. It’s nice to play that game against a bigger, more physical team, just to kind of see where we’re at, what we’re capable of,” Kahrs said. “I think we did some good things, and then I think we learned about some things that we need to get better at. So that was good. And then, coming into this weekend, facing two really good teams, it will be a true test to see if we’re any good.”
With this new team, the Tigers will face tough opponents over the weekend. Concordia-St. Paul is ranked No. 11 in the preseason polls, and last season, the team posted a 29-3 record. They are the reigning champions of the NSIC. The Tigers will also play Sioux Falls, who went 17-14 last season.
FHSU plays its first 8 games on the road or in neutral site locations and won’t play in Hays until December 13.