Nov. 13, 2008
MARIETTA, Ohio — With a full year of recruiting under his belt, second-year Head Coach Jon VanderWal is cautiously optimistic that his young team will continue their development, as the Pioneers look to lay a solid foundation for success on the hard court in the Ohio Athletic Conference. VanderWal welcomed six veterans and 11 talented newcomers to Fenton Court when preseason practice began in mid October.

Marietta’s coaches will once again look for senior All-OAC guard Isaiah Creasap to provide the on-court leadership necessary while the younger players make their adjustment to collegiate basketball. Creasap, who averaged 14.5 points last year, enters his final season as the school’s all-time leader in three-point field goals, having connected on 217 attempts from long range. Creasap, who has scored 898 career points, is just 58 three-pointers shy of the OAC’s all-time record of 275.

Creasap will have five teammates back who earned varsity letters in 2007-08, including fellow starter junior forward Daun Lutes. In his first season of collegiate basketball, Lutes averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds. In addition, senior forward Matt Kubachka will also look to play a larger role after contributing 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in his first winter with the Pioneers.

Marietta will open the season with games against Marygrove (Mich.) and host Adrian (Mich.) on Nov. 22-23. The Pioneers’ home opener is slated for Dec. 3 against Denison and their OAC opener will take place at home on Dec. 6 versus Ohio Northern. Marietta will once again host its Shrine Tournament at Ban Johnson Arena on Dec. 29-30.

Here is a closer look at the Pioneers by position:

Point Guard: Seniors Andrew Good and Mike Stanek, as well as freshman Kyle Lindquist, are battling in camp for minutes at point guard in 2008-09. Good and Stanek have both seen limited action during their careers with Marietta, but the coaches are confident that they will make bigger impacts as seniors. In addition, do not be surprised if senior Isaiah Creasap moves over from the wing to the point guard for stretches of time this season.

Wing: Senior All-OAC honoree Isaiah Creasap, the team’s leading scorer in each of the last two years, will be back on the court as the primary shooting guard in 2008-09. Creasap has averaged 12.5 points during his time with the Pioneers and proven to be one of the most consistent three-point threats in the league. Freshmen Joe Puch and Rydell Chrisman are also both very capable of providing another scoring threat at the two-guard this winter. Four freshmen—Trevor Halter, Zach Walton, Cody Campbell and Jordan Nichols—will compete for opportunities at the other wing position during the season and all should contribute in their first year with the Pioneers.

Post: Senior Matt Kubachka and sophomore Bradley Hinton return at power forward this year after being introduced to the Marietta system a season ago. Kubachka, who provides great athleticism in the paint, will step into a starting role, while Hinton will continue to be a strong option off the bench for the coaching staff. In addition, freshmen Kevin Knab and Zane Carter have both demonstrated their abilities during the preseason and will provide more depth at power forward. Junior Daun Lutes moves to center this season after starting 19 games at power forward last year. Lutes provides an active body down low and has shown a soft touch around the basket since joining Marietta as a sophomore. Newcomers Conner Kilpatrick and Josh Hahn are also ready to fill minutes in the paint in 2008-09.

Senior Isaiah Creasap and the Pioneers open the season at Adrian College on Nov. 22.