Pioneers set for second season of the Fun & Gun

Nov. 3, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio – The 2005-06 season marks the 14th year that Doug Foote will be seated in the head chair on the Pioneers’ bench. Coach Foote is as excited as ever about his team, as Marietta begins its second year running the high-tempo and fan-friendly Fun & Gun offense.

Coach Foote has mimicked his offense to the one made famous by David Arseneault, the head coach at Grinnell (IA) College. Arseneault’s offense emphasizes shooting the ball every 12 seconds and incorporating a hockey-like substitution pattern. The result is high-scoring affairs in which fans around the Ohio Athletic Conference will continue to find tremendously exciting.

The Pioneers, who took major strides throughout the year as they grew more comfortable with the new system, return 11 of their 17 letterwinners, including a multitude of long-distance sharpshooters.

Junior guards Craig Stewart and Chad Sponseller were two of Marietta’s featured three-point guns a year ago and will be looked to for consistent scoring again in 2005-06. In 2004-05, Stewart shattered the school’s individual record for three-point field goals made (85) and attempted (250) in a season. He finished the year averaging 13.4 points per game. Sponseller, meanwhile, averaged 14.1 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Coach Foote will also look for more offense from junior center Matt Rucker (8.1 ppg., 4.0 rpg.) and junior guard Ryan Wilkinson (2.4 ppg., 2.6 apg.). When those four players are combined with a core of experienced sophomores and a host of talented freshmen, the Pioneers should once again put an assault on the record books this winter.

Marietta will open the season at the Buffalo State Coles Classic (Nov. 18-19). Joining the Pioneers and the Bengals at the 2005-06 tip-off tournament will be Nazareth (N.Y.) and Pitt-Bradford (Pa.).

The Pioneers will once again be active over the holidays, as they participate in the OAC/NCAC Challenge during the Thanksgiving weekend and then host the 35th annual Shrine Tournament between Christmas and New Year’s. Adrian (Mich.), Bridgewater (Va.) and Grove City (Pa.) are the programs coming to this season’s Shrine Tournament.

Other highlights on the schedule include the two annual Coaches vs. Cancer games — at Muskingum (Jan. 4) and at Marietta (Feb. 8) — Alumni Day against John Carroll (Jan. 8) and Winter Weekend (Feb. 4) versus Heidelberg.

“The OAC will once again be very competitive,” said Foote. “We are completely dedicated to the new style and the players are working extremely hard to improve at their roles in the system. I can promise that when teams take the floor against Marietta, their fans will have an exciting game to watch.”

Here is a closer look at the Pioneers by position: (Marietta uses three shifts that rotate into the game every few minutes.)

POINT GUARD: Look for junior Chad Sponseller and newcomers Andrew Good, Steve Luckhardt and Matt Rumer to run the point for the Pioneers this season. Sponseller has experience handling the ball and has proven to be a scoring threat from anywhere inside half court. Good is a sophomore who transferred from Kenyon where he average 8.5 points last season. Luckhardt and Rumer are talented freshmen that bring athleticism to the point position.

SHOOTING GUARD: The two-guard is the main sharp shooter on the floor in each shift. Junior Craig Stewart is the team’s biggest outside threat and should be one of the top three-point shooters in the nation this season. Sophomore Seth Amburgey and freshman Isaiah Creasap will also be featured at shooting guard. Amburgey saw time mainly at point guard as freshman. The coaches expect Creasap to be one of the top newcomers in the OAC this season. Rumer may also see time at shooting guard this winter.

THREE GUARD: Juniors Ryan Wilkinson and Eric Lechlitner, as well as sophomore Seth Imhoff, will be the primary third guards on the floor this season. Wilkinson is looking to bounce back from a sophomore season in which he played only nine games due to injury and return to the form he showed as a key player his freshman year. Lechlitner and Imhoff will be asked to play a more valuable role in the system this season.

TRAILER: A trio of sophomores — Matt Phillips, Kyle Reed and Matt Starner — will share the duties as the trailer this season. Reed and Starner saw extended playing time a year ago, while Phillips also earned minutes down the stretch. Their combination of length and athleticism should cause match-up problems for opponent’s post players.

POST: Junior Matt Rucker and sophomores Adam Rockhold and Randy Petit will be the big men on the floor for the Pioneers this season. Rucker brings the most experience to the floor and will be looked upon for his leadership. Rockhold and Petit, both hard workers who have made big improvements in their game since last winter, will help control the boards and set the important screens for Marietta’s offense this season.

Junior Craig Stewart and the Pioneers are preparing for some more high-scoring action in 2005-06