COLORADO MINES MEN'S BASKETBALL
Game Notes - Week #15
RMAC QUARTERFINALS
at #4 Fort Hays State, 3/5/03 - Hays, Kansas, 7:00 pm

PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. PPG RPG APG FG%
10 Kevin Wagstaff G 9.0 3.0 3.7 .389
11 Stephen Bahl G 22.5 1.1 1.9 .467
20 Matt Luedtke G 14.8 5.0 2.6 .425
44 Farris Broussard F 5.5 5.7 1.9 .687
55 Mike McNish C 11.1 6.4 1.5 .642

OFF THE BENCH
No. Name Pos. PPG RPG APG FG%
3 Cole Henderson G/F 0.7 0.5 0.6 .455
5 Chad Friehauf G 3.6 3.0 1.3 .288
23 Ross Rhinehart G 3.2 0.8 1.0 .455
30 Justin Buckmaster F 5.3 4.0 1.0 .538
31 Bill Hadley G 0.5 0.2 0.2 .250
52 Ryan Woodson C 6.1 4.5 0.9 .505

THE HEAD COACH
Pryor Orser is in his second season at the helm of the Oredigger men’s basketball program. He claims a 23-30 overall mark and a 15-23 record in the RMAC during his time in Golden. Prior to coming to CSM, Orser served one year as the assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Montana in Missoula. Orser’s previous coaching experience also includes a four-year tenure at Northwest College in Wyo., where he worked as the head of the women’s basketball program and an assistant to the men’s basketball program, At Northwest, Orser led the women’s squad to the most wins in school history (22) during his fourth and final season, an improvement of 20 games from his first season on the sideline at Northwest.

LAST TIME OUT (3/1/03): Colorado Mines opened the second half on a 21-8 run and claimed an 82-67 victory at Regis in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon. Leading 38-34 at the break, CSM opened the first 10 minutes of the second half by outscoring the Rangers, 21-8, to take a 59-42 lead with 10:20 to play in the game. Mines sophomore guard Stephen Bahl scored 15 points, while sophomore guard Matt Luedtke added 15 points and six boards. Junior forward Farris Broussard chipped in 10 points and five rebounds for Mines and freshman guard Kevin Wagstaff totaled eight points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists.

ABOUT THE OREDIGGERS: Colorado Mines enters the tournament as the number five seed at 18-9 overall and 12-7 in the RMAC. Sophomore guard Stephen Bahl leads the conference in scoring at 22.5 points per game and is also among the national leaders in scoring. Sophomore guard Matt Luedtke tallies 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while senior center Mike McNish posts 11.1 points and a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game. As a team, Mines is ranked eighth in the league in field goal percentage (.471), seventh in free throw percentage (.699) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage at .384. As a team, the Orediggers are third in the conference in scoring offense at 81.0 points per game and 10th in scoring defense as they surrender 77.6 points per game.

ABOUT THE TIGERS: Fort Hays enters the RMAC Tournament as the number four seed with an overall record of 21-6, including 13-6 in the conference. The Tigers have won four of their last five games with the only loss a one-point setback at home to Metro State on Feb. 26. In their final game of the season, the Tigers knocked off Chadron State at home, 72-63, as Melroy McKelvey tallied 14 points and seven rebounds. For the season, Fort Hays is led by McKelvey who is ninth in the conference in scoring (14.9 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (8.1 rpg). Dominique Townes adds 12.4 points and 3.1 boards per game, while Jim Rhodes posts 10.0 points per contest. As a team, the Tigers are fifth in the RMAC in field goal percentage (.483), ninth in three-point percentage (.375) and ninth in free throw percentage (.696). FHSU ranks fourth in the RMAC in scoring offense at 78.5 points per game and second in scoring defense (67.7 ppg).

FIRST MEETING WITH FHSU (1/31/03): The Colorado Mines men’s basketball team had its school record 11-game winning streak snapped with a 78-72 loss to Fort Hays in RMAC action at Gross Memorial Coliseum. CSM raced out to a 20-8 lead at the 12:41 mark of the first half as sophomore guards Stephen Bahl and Matt Luedtke each hit a pair of three-pointers. However, FHSU would outscore Mines, 28-12 over the remainder of the first half to claim a four-point lead (36-32) at the break. Mines claimed its largest lead of the second half as a layup by Bahl gave his squad a 56-51 advantage with 8:25 to play, but the Tigers would go on an 8-2 run over the next three minutes to take the lead for good (59-58) with 5:07 remaining on a three-pointer by Jim Rhodes. Jonathan Raney added a three-pointer on the Tigers very next possession to push the lead to four points. Senior center Mike McNish led Mines with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Melroy McKelvey recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds for the victors.

SECOND MEETING WITH FHSU (2/14/03): Colorado Mines connected on 16-of-25 (.640) three-point attempts and defeated Fort Hays, 87-71, in RMAC men’s basketball action in Volk Gymnasium. Mines raced out to a 38-29 lead at halftime and opened a 14-point advantage (47-33) just four minutes into the second half on a layup from junior forward Farris Broussard. The Tigers responded by cutting their deficit to 56-49 at the 10:25 mark. However, the Orediggers regrouped with a 13-4 run to gain a 69-53 lead with seven minutes to play and the Tigers would not threaten after that. CSM sophomore guard Stephen Bahl tallied 24 points, two rebounds and two assists, while FHSU was paced by George Walker’s double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.

ALL-TIME SERIES WITH FHSU: Fort Hays State leads the all-time series with Colorado Mines, 29-4. However, the teams have split the last four games with Mines winning in Hays, Kan., last season, 75-62, and losing to the Tigers to conclude the 2001-02 season in Volk Gymnasium, 66-61.

LAST RMAC TOURNAMENT GAME (2/27/01): The seventh-seeded Colorado Mines men’s basketball team had its season end with an 85-55 setback at second-seeded Mesa State in the opening round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament. Mesa led 41-29 at the half and went on to outscore CSM, 44-26, in the final 20 minutes to claim the win. Kez Kennedy paced the Orediggers with 11 points, four boards and two steals, while Ken Hallum scored a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds for the Mavericks.

WHO’S IN???: Following is the quarterfinal schedule for the RMAC men’s tournament. All games are scheduled for Wednesday.

#8 Adams State at #1 Nebraska-Kearney 8:00 pm
#5 Colorado Mines at #4 Fort Hays 7:00 pm
#6 Mesa State at #3 Metro State 7:00 pm
#7 Southern Colorado at #2 Fort Lewis 7:00 pm

The four quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinal round to be contested Saturday at the World Arena in Colorado Springs. The first men’s semifinal is slated for 1:30 pm and the second at 6:30 pm.

UP NEXT FOR MINES: Should Mines win at Fort Hays on Wednesday, it would play the winner of the Adams State-Nebraska-Kearney game on Saturday at 1:30 pm at the World Arena.

NO LOVE IN FEBRUARY: The month of February has not been kind to the Mines men’s basketball team. Heading into the Valentine Month, the Orediggers stood at 15-3, however, the team is just 3-6 in February, including four losses by a combined 22 points. One win was an 87-71 triumph over Fort Hays on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day.

ON THE TUBE: The RMAC has announced that Adelphia Cable of Colorado Springs will broadcast the Wells Fargo Shootout Championship games live on television. The men’s championship game is scheduled to begin Sunday at 3:30 pm. A pre-game coaches show will air prior to the contest, which will be on channel 6 in the Colorado Springs service area. Adelphia cable’s Dan Cochell will handle the play-by-plya, while former USA Volleyball Olympian Kevin Barnett will handle the color commentary.

WHO’S A BALLER: When it comes to ball players in the RMAC, you need look no further than CSM sophomore guard Stephen Bahl. The Broomfield, Colo., native has led the RMAC in scoring since day one this season and is currently on top at 22.5 points per contest. He has scored in double figures in all 27 games this season, including a career-high 43 points in a 77-69 win over Augustana on Nov. 30. A two-time RMAC East Player of the Week this season, Bahl is fourth in the league with 88 three-pointers and is averaging 2.0 assists and 1.2 boards per game. He has topped the 20-point plateau 15 times this season, the 30-point mark on six occasions and has went over 40 points one time this season.

WHAT THE HAYS?: The difference in CSMs match-ups with Fort Hays this season was the three-pointer. In a 78-72 loss at Hays on Jan. 31, Mines made just 9-of-42 three-point attempts. In an 87-71 win in Golden on Feb. 14, the Orediggers connected on 16-of-25 from beyond the arc. The 16 three-pointers were the third most for Mines this season, who made a season-high 19 trifectas against Western State (Dec. 12) and 18 three’s against Grandveiw (Nov. 26).

LEADER OF THE PACK: With his 35 points in two games last week, sophomore guard Stephen Bahl became just the sixth player in Mines history to top the 600-point mark for a season. He has now scored 607 points this season and is the only player in the RMAC who has topped the 600-point mark.

SWISH FOR MCNISH: Senior center Mike McNish has not missed much this season as he has connected on 113-of-177 shot attempts this season and his .638 field goal percentage is fifth in the RMAC. Over his four years at Mines, McNish is shooting better than 63 percent from the floor and has scored 916 points in his four seasons as an Oredigger.

KEY FOR SUCCESS: Sophomore guard Matt Luedtke, a University of Montana transfer, has been an integral part to Mines’ success this season as he is second on the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (2.6 apg) and third in rebounding (5.0 rpg). Against Nebraska-Kearney on Feb. 15, Leudtke posted his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. In wins at Colorado Christian and Regis last week, Luedtke averaged 21.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest. He also connected on 12-of-26 from three-point range (.462) in the two wins that helped Mines clinch the No. 5 spot in the RMAC Tournament.

STAFF LEADER: Freshman point guard Kevin Wagstaff, an RMAC Freshman of the Year candidate, has been outstanding in leading the Oredigger offense this season. The Rampart High graduate is seventh in the RMAC with 3.8 assists per game and is also fourth on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg). In the two wins last week, Wagstaff averaged 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 assists per game.

NO DAYS OFF: Unlike the hit 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Colorado Mines junior forward Farris Broussard never takes a day off. The 6-foot-6 forward has started 24-of-27 games this season and is second on the team in rebounding with 5.7 per game. He is also averaging 5.5 points per night and is shooting better than 68 percent from the floor. In the 2002-03 season opener, Broussard hit a pair of free throws with 1.2 seconds left to give Mines an 81-80 win over Northern Colorado in the Colorado Mines Classic.

BUCK YOU: Senior forward Justin Buckmaster has give the team tremendous leadership and a defensive prescence this season. A co-captain, Buckmaster is averaging 5.3 points and 4.0 boards per game. In the two games against Fort Hays this season, Buckmaster averaged 3.5 points and 4.0 boards.

BRING THE WOOD: Sophomore forward Ryan Woodson has given the Oredigger bench a lift after he missed the first five games due to an injury. The 6-foot-8 Woodson is averaging 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 15.6 minutes off the bench. In the 87-71 win over Fort Hays on Feb. 14, Woodson posted 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

HOME SWEET HOME: CSM ended its 2002-03 home campaign with a 10-3 record with its three losses by a combined six points. Mines lost by one on a buzzer beater to Chadron State, three points to Metro State and two points to Nebraska-Kearney. Last year, Mines was just 3-11 in Volk Gymnasium.

SEVEN-ELEVEN: Seven of the 11 players on the CSM roster are Colorado natives. Only Matt Luedtke (Montana), Farris Broussard (California), Ryan Woodson (Arkansas) and Justin Buckmaster (Oregon) hail from outside the state.

FREE FOR THREE: Redshirt freshman guard Chad Friehauf, who is also the starting quarterback for the Mines football team, has provided the hoops squad with a lift off the bench. He is currently averaging 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and is also fourth on the team with 18 three-pointers made.

DYNAMIC DUO: Sophomore guards Stephen Bahl and Matt Luedtke have formed one of the deadliest duos in the RMAC this season. Combined, Bahl (22.5 ppg) and Luedtke (14.8 ppg) are the top team duo in terms of scoring (37.3 ppg). In addition, Bahl and Luedtke have combined for 180 three-pointers with Luedtke’s 92 hits second in the RMAC and Bahl’s 88 trifecta’s fourth. Either Bahl or Luedtke have led the team in scoring in 25 times this season.

DIAPER DIGGERS: The Colorado Mines roster contains just two seniors, both of whom were walk-ons to the program in Mike McNish and Justin Buckmaster, and one junior in Farris Broussard. The other eight players are in either their first or second season with the program. McNish, Buckmaster and Broussard are the only Mines players who have played in an RMAC Tournament game. The trio was on the 2001-02 squad which lost at Mesa State in the first round. McNish, the starting center in that game, played 20 minutes and had four points, three blocks and two boards. Buckmaster came off the bench and did not score in nine minutes, while Broussard played 13 minutes off the bench and had two points and a board.

BRING OUT THE BROOMS: For the first time in the history of the program, Colorado Mines swept the RMAC Western Division by going a perfect 7-0 this season. Mines was one of only two teams in the conference to accomplish that feat this season. Nebraska-Kearney, which is ranked second in the country, was the other.

CLOSE CALLS: One difference between this year’s squad and last year’s is their ability to pull out the close games. Last season, Mines was just 4-11 in games decided by 10 points or less, including 1-3 in overtime. This year, the Orediggers are 11-4 in games decided by 10 or less, 1-0 in overtime.

BEST IN D 2: CSM’s 18 wins are the most ever by the team as a Division II program and the third most in the history of the program. Mines’ previous high win total as a Division II program was 14 wins in its inaugural DII season (1995-96). CSM needs three more wins this season to tie the school record of 21 wins in a season set by the 1980-81 squad.

BLOCK PARTY: Mines is the top-ranked team in the RMAC in blocked shots with 129 swats in 27 games for an average of 4.8 per game. Senior center Mike McNish leads the way as he is ranked second in the conference with 1.5 blocks per game. Junior forward Farris Broussard is third (1.4 bpg), senior forward Justin Buckmaster is 12th (0.7 bpg) while sophomore guard Matt Luedtke is tied for 14th in the conference with 0.5 blocked shots per game. In the win at Adams State on Jan. 17, Mines blocked a season high 13 shots, including four blocks each by McNish and Broussard.

SCORE MORE: When Mines raced out to a 15-2 record to begin the season, it did so by scoring points. In those games, CSM averaged 85.4 points per game and topped the 100-point mark on three occasions. Since then, Mines is just 3-7, is averaging 73.6 points per contest and has scored more than 80 just three times. The Orediggers are 12-1 this season when scoring at least 80 points with its first loss coming at Chadron State (92-82) on Feb. 20.