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Trine University Men's Basketball
2009-10 Outlook
What a difference a year makes for Trine University men’s basketball. Expectations were high in the Thunder camp last year, until personnel losses during the summer and another during the season left the Thunder largely undermanned and struggling to adapt to new roles.
“It was like a punch to the gut. We just didn’t have the kids capable - then - of stepping in and filling those roles. We just didn’t have the depth to find 30 points of lost offense,” Head Coach Rob Harmon said. "We had the ingredients, but we lost them at a point we couldn’t replace them. We have some depth at each position now that we can lose a guy and be okay.”
The 2009-10 squad is full of experience, with four seniors and five juniors with extensive playing time, plus newcomers who bring significant playing experience at other programs. “We may not have that 20- point scorer, but we’ll be balanced. There won’t be a big drop-off from Wes to the second and third guy,” Harmon said. [view more]
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Trine and Calvin played even for a half, before the MIAA-leading Knights pulled away to beat the Thunder 73-63 Saturday.
Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridan) scored 22 points and pulled down 6 rebounds, Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) and Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) chipped in 16 points for the Thunder (8-13, 2-7 MIAA). Ty Graham (Reese, Mich./Reese) recorded six assists and six rebounds.
The Thunder hit 39 percent of its field goal attempts (22-of-66), 46 percent from three-point range (5-of-15) and 60 percent of its free-throws (6-of-10).
With 15:16 to play in the final half, Jackson’s lay-up cut the lead to 42-41. Calvin (13-8, 8-2 MIAA) took control again outscoring Trine 12-5 over the six minutes to build an eight point margin.
The Thunder is back in action Wednesday hosting Olivet. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Adrian’s Delano Collins hit a three-point shot with just 5.4 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs a 51-50 lead and ultimately the win Saturday at Hershey Hall.
Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 17 points for Trine (8-11, 2-6 MIAA). Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) added 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss.
Trailing by eight points in the first half, Trine rallied to take a 21-19 lead at the 2:27 mark and led for the next 22 minutes. The Thunder built their lead to as many as 12 points in the second half.
Trine shot 40 percent from the field (19-of-48), 33 percent of its three-pointers (3-of-9) and 60 percent at the free-throw line (9-of-15). In the second half, Trine converted just 2-of-8 free-throw attempts. In the final three minutes, the Thunder went 1-of-4 at the line.
Trine is back in action Wednesday night at Albion.
Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) scored 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds to lead Trine in a 78-60 loss to Hope Wednesday.
Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) and Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridan) added 11 points apiece for the Thunder.
Trine (8-10, 2-5) shot 40 percent from the field (22-of-56). The Thunder hit 33 percent of its three-point attempts (6-of-18) and 56 percent at the free-throw line (10-of-18).
Hope (12-6, 5-2) took a 4-3 lead with 18:19 to play in the first half and never trailed again.
In the second-half, a jumper by Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) cut the lead to 62-52 with 8:57 remaining in regulation. The would-be comeback was short-lived, as Hope responded with a 10-0 run over the next 3:23 to build their advantage to 72-52. Trine would never threaten again.
The Thunder returns to action Saturday hosting Adrian at 3 p.m.
Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 16 points to lead Trine to a 71-63 win over Kalamazoo Saturday. The Thunder (8-9, 2-4) also got 13 points from Randall Harris and 12 points and eight rebounds from Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering). Ty Graham (Reese, Mich./Reese) chipped in nine points.
Trine shot 44 percent from the field (26-59), 73 percent at the free-throw line (11-of-15) and 40 percent behind the three-point line (8-20).
Kalamazoo built their lead to 18-12 with 10:45 to play in the first half. Trine would counter with a 25-12 rally to take a 37-30 lead at halftime.
The Hornets made it a 47-47 with 15:56 remaining, but could not take the lead in the second half. Kalamazoo challenged one last time, trimming the lead to 51-49 with 12:40 play.
Trine then put the game away going on a 18-6 run over the next 10 minutes to build a 14 point lead at 69-55 with 2:38 in the game.
The Thunder return to action Wednesday night hosting Hope in a 7:30 p.m. contest at Hershey Hall.
ALMA, Mich. - Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) scored 16 points to lead Trine to a 67-60 victory over Alma Wednesday in MIAA men’s basketball.
It’s the first Trine victory in the conference this season, and it also snapped a five game losing skid.
The Thunder started hot building a 39-21 halftime lead on on 59 percent shooting. That lead remained in double digits for about 15 minutes of the second half.
Alma cut the lead to 58-56 with 2:39 to play. Trine (7-10, 1-4) snuffed out any talk of a comeback, by answering with a 9-2 run to put the game away. The Thunder held off Alma despite being outscored 39-28 in the second half.
Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) had 15 points and Ty Graham (Reese, Mich./Reese) added 10. Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) pulled down seven rebounds to pace Trine.
The Thunder converting 17-of-29 shots from the field. The hot-shooting cooled off in the second half, as Trine hit just 7-of-24 of it’s field goal attempts.
From three-point range Trine shot 58.6 percent (7-of-13) and 12-of-20 from the free-throw line.
The Thunder are back in action Saturday, hosting Kalamazoo at 3 p.m.
OLIVET, Mich. - Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) scored 30 points and
added
six rebounds, but Trine ran out of gas losing 85-80 to Olivet in Michigan
Intercollegiate Athletic
Association men's action Saturday.
The freshman connected on 14-of-18 shots to lead the Thunder. Two other Trine
players
finished in double digits in the loss. Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 15 points
and Tab McNally (Williamston, Mich./Dansville) finished with 10. Deon Thompson
(Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) dished
out six assists.
The Thunder held a six point lead with 6:21 to play, before the Comets went on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to take a four point lead, and ultimately control of the game.
Trine’s conference struggles continued Wednesday as league-leading Calvin overpowered the Thunder 81-66 at Hershey Hall.
Trine had three players in double figures, but it wasn’t enough as they suffered their third straight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss. Their losing streak now grows to four in a row, with five losses in their last six games.
The Thunder (6-8, 0-3 MIAA) got 18 points from Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) and 14 from Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central). Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) and Glenn Alfieri (Troy, Mich./Athens) added 10 each.
The visitors jumped out to a 20-9 lead early, before Trine cut it to 22-21 about midway through the first half. With 11:47 remaining Weir connected on a three-pointer, but the Thunder could pull no closer. Calvin answered with a 10-4 run over the next 2:20 to build a 32-24 a lead. The Knights would extend their lead to 52-33 at halftime.
Trine outscored Calvin 32-29 in the second half, but could not come closer than 15 points late in the game.
Trine shot 46 percent for the game (27-of-59) from the field, 39 percent (9-of-23) from behind the three-point arc and 75 percent from the free-throw line, connecting on just three-of-four shots.
The Thunder returns to action Saturday at Olivet. Tip is set for 3 p.m.
OLIVET, Mich - Officials at Olivet have announced the Saturday, January 18 game has been moved up to 3 p.m. as part of the double header with the women's basketball team. Trine JV will face Olivet Thursday night.
A would-be Thunder comeback ran out of steam as Trine dropped a 69-61 decision to Albion in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball Saturday.
Trailing by as many as 26 points in the second half, Trine (6-7, 0-2 MIAA) cut the lead to just six points with 2:53 to play in the game. A Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) layup made it 63-57 but the Thunder could not come any closer.
Rogers finished with 19 points for Trine. Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) added 11 points and four assists
The Thunder is back in action hosting Calvin Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. Catch the live-play-by-play action live on 88x radio or by clicking here.
ADRIAN, Mich. - Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) hit a pair of free-throws to cut the Adrian lead to 64-61 with just 45 seconds remaining, but the Thunder could pull no closer as the Bulldogs downed Trine 71-65 Wednesday.
Jackson led the Thunder with 23 points including 8-of-12 shooting from the field. He also had six rebounds. Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) had 13 points, Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) tallied 10 points. Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) grabbed nine boards and dished out four assists.
The Thunder finished with 43 percent shooting (25-of-58), 31 percent from three-point range (6-of-19) and 64 percent at the free throw line (9-of-14). The Thunder also out-rebounded the host Bulldogs 37-34.
Trine is now 6-6.
ARLINGTON, Va., - Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 16 points and Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) scored 12 as Trine fell to Marymount College 72-54 Wednesday in NCAA Division III men’s basketball.
The loss drops Trine to 6-5.
Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) added nine points for the Thunder. Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) had seven rebounds.
Marymount took the lead about four minutes into the game and built a five point halftime lead 33-28. The Saints then built a 10 point for most of the second half. Trine cut the lead to 48-42, on a pair of free-throws by Ian Jackson with 12:06 to play in the game, but could pull no closer. The Saints rallied with a 9-2 run over the next four minutes to make it 58-44.
The Thunder open MIAA action January 6 at Albion, the game is a 7:30 start.
WINCHESTER, Va. - Trine opened up its holiday road trip on a successful note Tuesday edging Shenandoah 70-68. With the victory, Trine improves to 6-4.
The Thunder led by as many as 17 points before Shenandoah mounted an offensive assault in the second half. The Hornets scored 25 points in just under 12 minutes to cut the Trine lead to one point in the final 24 seconds.
Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) paced the Thunder with 24 points, including six three-point baskets. Glenn Alfieri (Troy, Mich./Athens) and Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) chipped in with 13 points. Trine is back in action today at Marymount in suburbian Washington, D.C, Tipoff is 4 p.m.
Anderson - No. 28 Anderson took the lead midway through the first half and built a 21 point lead in the second half as it outscored Trine 65-53 Saturday in men’s college basketball.
Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 20 points to lead the Thunder. Weir connected on 7-of-12 shots, including 5-of-12 three point attempts. Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) added 14 points. Deon Thompson (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) had seven points and seven assists.
The Thunder hit just 32 percent from the field (19-of-59), 86 percent at the free-throw line (6-of-7) and 32 percent from three-point range (9-of-28).
Trine returns to action December 29 at Shenandoah in Winchester, Va. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Click to listen
Anderson - Trine (5-3) looks to extend its winning streak to four games Saturday at intrastate rival Anderson (7-1). The Ravens, ranked No. 28 in the weekly D3hoops.com poll, have also won three straight with wins over Defiance, Mount St. Joseph and Bluffton.
Trine is led by three players in double-digits: Wes Weir (12.0), Ian Jackson (10.7) and Scott Rogers (11.8). Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
ROYAL OAK, Mich. - The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has named Trine forward Scott Rogers its Player of the Week in men’s basketball for games played through December 12.
Rogers, a freshman from Waterford, Mich. (Kettering HS), scored 53 points and shot 85 percent from the field (23-of-27) in leading the Thunder to three consecutive wins for the week.
He scored 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in an 82-75 win over Franklin, Ind., and added 14 points and 10 rebounds, including the game-winning basket with four seconds remaining, as Trine outlasted Dominican, Ill., 94-92, in triple overtime.
Rogers, who is being honored as Player of the Week for the first time in his career, grabbed 17 rebounds for the week and made all six of his free throws.
River Forest, Ill. - Trailing by as many as 15 points Trine scored a 94-92 triple overtime victory over Dominican Wednesday in Division III Men’s basketball.
A Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) layup with just :04 left in the final overtime proved to be the game winner. On the next Dominican possession, a would-be game-tying layup missed the target as the buzzer sounded to end the final overtime.
Trine improves to 4-3, Dominican drops to 1-5.
Glenn Alfieri (Troy, Mich. /Athens) scored 22 points and ripped down 12 rebounds for Trine. Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind. /Perry Meridian) scored 20 with 7 rebounds. Rogers had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 12 points for the Thunder.
Deon Thompson (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) pitched in with nine points.
Dominican had a 15 point lead at 36-21 with 2:40 left in the first half before the Thunder took the lead at 61-60 with just 1:18 to play in regulation.
The Thunder shot 48 percent (24-of-50) for the game from the field, 23 percent from behind the arc (3-of-13) and 60.9 percent at the line. (14-of-23)
Thunder also managed to come back from deficits of three points and four points in the overtime sessions.
Trine is back in action Saturday at 3 p.m. hosting North Park. Click here to listen to the live play-by-play audio of the game.
River Forest, Ill. - Trine (3-3) heads north, by northwest tonight to face the Domincan Stars (1-4). The Stars are in the midst of a three game losing streak, while the Thunder are fresh off a hot-shooting victory over Franklin Monday night.
The Stars average 66.4 points a contest and allow 75.4 ppg. Trine is is scoring 60.5 ppg. and giving up 64.3 ppg through the first six games. Follow the game action here: [Live Video] [Live Stats]
Trine field goal shooting was practically perfect in the second half as it converted 78 percent of its shots (18-of-23) to beat Franklin 82-75 Monday in NCAA Division III basketball.
Leading 33-30 at halftime the Thunder used dead-eye aim to spark a 9-0 run over the first 3:06 of the second half. The rally resulted in a 42-30 lead for the Thunder. Hot shooting continued as Trine hit 15 of it's first 17 shots to take control. Trine finished with 57 percent shooting for the game - including 48 points in the paint. Trine improves to 3-3 on the season. Franklin drops to 3-4.
Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering ) scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line. Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) scored 18 points, hitting on 6-of-10 shots and 6-of-7 at the line.
Wednesday at Dominican in suburban Chicago.
Trine hosts Franklin Monday at Hershey Hall. The game was originally slated to be played November 16 but a family emergency at Franklin forced the schedule change. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
HAMMOND, Ind., - Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 16 points and Ian Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridan) added 14 as Trine dropped a 78-60 decision to Purdue University-Calumet Saturday. The Thunder drop to 2-3 on the season.
Deon Thompson (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) chipped in eight points and 5 rebounds for the Thunder.
Leading 39-34 at halftime, Purdue Calumet opened the second with an 8-0 run to build a 13 point lead to cruise the rest of the way. The Thunder trimmed the lead to 64-56 with 5:16 remaining, but could pull no closer.
Trine enjoyed 46.9 percent field goal shooting in the first half (15-of-32), but went cold in the second hitting just 29.4 percent (10-of-34) to finish with 37.9 percent shooting for the game. The Thunder struggled beyond the arc, hitting just 3-of-22 three point attempts. At the free throw line they hit 7-of-9.
Trine is back in action Monday hosting Franklin at Hershey Hall. The game was rescheduled from November.
WESTVILLE - Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) scored 16 points and ripped down nine rebounds to lead Trine to a 69-62 win over Purdue-North Central Tuesday in men’s basketball. With the win Trine improves to 2-2 while the host Panthers drop to 3-7 overall.
The Thunder also got 15 points from Chris Mislan (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) and 12 from Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central). The Thunder is back in action Saturday at Purdue-Calumet.
WESTVILLE -
The Thunder hit the road Wednesday to face NAIA foe Purdue-North Central in men’s basketball. It’s the first game in eight days for the Trine who outlasted Bluffton 60-56 November 24 at Hershey Hall. It’s also a chance for Trine to move to .500 on the season.
Trine (1-2) is scoring 50.7 points a game, while opponents average 57.0 a game. Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) scores 9.3 ppg and Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) adds 9.0.
The Panthers (3-6) are in the midst of a three game losing streak, but they have little trouble scoring. PNC is averaging 72.0 points a contest while giving up 76.5 per game. PNC boosts four players (Ryan Sisson 20.7, Jordan Delks 12.5, JF Ndomb 11.4 and Nathaniel Carroll 10.9) who average in double-digits.
Trine weathered an 18-2 Bluffton run early in the second half to beat Bluffton 50-46 Tuesday at Hershey Hall.
Scott Rogers (Waterford, Mich./Kettering) poured in 15 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Thunder. Glenn Alfieri (Troy, Mich./Athens) and Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) added nine and eight points each as Trine notched its first win of the season.
Trine is back in action December 2 at Purdue-North Central.
A second-half Thunder surge wasn’t nearly enough as Ohio Northern held off Trine 71-63 in the consolation round of the Lee Pfund Classic at Wheaton College Saturday.
Wes Weir (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) scored 17 points and added five rebounds for the Thunder. Deon Thompson (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) finished with 13 points and four assists. Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) had 12 points. Harris also was an-all tournament selection.
The Polar Bears went on a 20-7 run in the first half to build a 15 point lead and 45-25 margin at halftime.
Trine outscored the Polar Bears 38-26 in the second half. Trine shot 31 percent in the first half (10-of-32) and 48 percent (12-of-25) in the second half. Trine could pull no closer than eight points late in the game.
WHEATON, Ill., - Wheaton went on a 9-2 run midway through the first half to build an 18-11 lead en route to a 54-39 victory over Trine Friday in the opening round of the Lee Pfund classic. Trine (0-1) will face Ohio Northern tonight at 5:30 (Central Time). The Polar Bears lost a 72-69 decision to McMurry in the early game.
Trine hit 28 percent of its shots from the field, host Wheaton did not fare much better hitting just 38 percent. Trine committed 21 turnovers, while out-rebounding Wheaton 38-37. Randall Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Aiken) scored eight points for Trine.
Click here to track Trine live stats versus Ohio Northern
WHEATON, Ill., - Trine opens up the 2009-10 season tonight against Wheaton in the opening round of the Lee Pfund Classic. It’s the Thunder versus their namesake, Wheaton Thunder. Trine is excited to get the season started after a Franklin family emergency postponed the would-be season opener Monday.
This is a Trine squad that’s finished 7-19 but has depth, experience and coaches believe could provide a real challenge for 15th ranked Wheaton. Wheaton finished 26-4 and won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). They’ve got a new coach and lost several key starters. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Central Time. Click here for in-game stats from King Arena.
Tonight's men’s basketball game with Franklin has been postponed and will be replayed Monday, December 7 at Hershey Hall. Tip-off comes at 7 p.m.. Franklin officials asked to have the game rescheduled following the death of a player's father in an automobile accident. The Trine University family extends its sympathy.
ROYAL OAK, Mich. - The more things change, the more they stay the same in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball.
Calvin and Hope who’ve collectively won or tied for a part of the conference title nine of the last ten years are picked to win it again in 2009-10. The west-Michigan teams both garnered four first-place votes.
Trine is tabbed to finish sixth after finishing 9-17 and 3-11 in the MIAA last season.
“I’d rather surprise people, I’d rather be the dark horse, than not live up to expectations,” Trine Head Coach Rob Harmon said. “I do think we’ll surprise people and our fans will see a big difference in our play. Our experience will pay off.”
Calvin won titles in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006 and again in 2009. Hope won the conference outright in 2007 and 2008, and tied Albion in 2003.
2009-10 MIAA Men's Basketball Poll:
1. Calvin - 10 (4)
1. Hope - 10 (4)
3. Olivet, 23
4. Albion, 24
5. Adrian, 32
6. Trine, 34
7 Alma, 45
8. Kalamazoo, 46
() indicates first place votes
**Calvin and Hope both received four first place votes and four second place votes, creating the tie for first place in the poll.
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