Sunday, November 14, 1999
NORTHERN KENTUCKY INSIDER
Young TMC team looks for 6th winning year in row
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Formerly a losing program, the Thomas More College men's basketball team has posted winning seasons five consecutive years. That's the good news. The bad:
The Saints slipped a bit in their 13-12 finish last year, and six seniors — including all five starters — graduated.
“There's not much experience there,” coach Terry Connor said. “But we'll have a whole new look. We're going to go up and down the court quicker. We've got some guys who can shoot it.”
In the season which opens Friday at Northern Kentucky University, Connor can't promise tons of victories. Not this year.
He can promise entertainment.
“It's a fun style to play,” senior guard Joe McClain said. “It's like playing street ball.”
Just 24.6 percent of TMC's production returns — and nearly half of that is McClain's 8.3 scoring average. He averaged 20.5 minutes per game last year, but no other returnee played more than 15 minutes a night.
It's an experienced team, but not a young one. There are five seniors. Connor said forward Michael McClurg (2.3 ppg) and guard Chris Dittman (2.4) are two potential stars in that group.
“Joe's going to be our go-to guy, obviously,” Connor said. “And our one junior, Corey Grace, we feel he's going to be absolutely dynamite for us.”
Grace, a Covington Catholic grad, is a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward; he averaged 6.7 points last year. He's the tallest of a small group.
The young kids look promising. Sophomores Mike Topmiller (St. Henry) and Adam Freeman are scorers, and classmate Jason Haggard (Ryle) is a strong rebounder. Freshman guard Kyle Booth set Gallatin County's career scoring and rebounding records.
“This feels like definitely more of my team,” said Connor, who took over in the middle of the 1997-98 season. “Last year was seniors; they're more apt to do it the way they've been taught.”
Said McClain: “We didn't have good unity last year. Now this is really Coach Connor's team. He's got an idea for what to do with this program.”
LOCALS BOOST TIGERS: Nine Northern Kentucky players have helped Georgetown (Ky.) College to the school's first 10-0 regular season and the No.1 ranking in the NAIA national football poll. Georgetown had a 9-0 regular season in 1965 but didn't make the playoffs; its best overall mark is 13-1 in its NAIA Division II title season of 1991.
Sophomore quarterback Eddie Eviston (Newport Central Catholic) ranks second in the NAIA in total offense entering its game Saturday, averaging 330 yards per game. He is seventh in passing (275.4 yards per game), having thrown 26 touchdowns and rushed for 491 yards and 11 TDs.
Other top locals (with stats entering Saturday):
• Sophomore linebacker Nathan Lindeman (Highlands) leads the team with 25 tackles for loss and has 58 total tackles.
• Junior linebacker Stephen Lickert (Highlands) is fourth on the team with 491/2 tackles and has two forced fumbles.
• Senior fullback Ashley Moser (Beechwood) has rushed 16 times for 105 yards (6.6 avg.) and a TD and caught four passes for 42 yards.
• Sophomore Dan Woolley (Beechwood), a backup nose guard, has 14 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
• Senior Chad Kinsella (Beechwood) is a backup offensive lineman for a team leading the nation in total offense (604.7 yards per game).
Georgetown will learn today of its first-round playoff matchup and site.
MORE TIGERS: Georgetown's volleyball team (32-4) also has gotten a boost from locals in reaching the No.4 national ranking in NAIA.
Junior outside hitter Noelle Nageleisen (Notre Dame) is second on the team in kills (352) and digs (288). Sophomore middle blocker Beth Vieth (St. Henry) leads the team in solo blocks (39) and block assists (54).
SKATING STARS: The Northern Kentucky Skating Club starred at the Eastern Great Lakes Regionals last weekend in Huntsville, Ala., qualifying five skaters for Junior Nationals next March.
Those qualifying:
• Samantha Skavdahl, 10, won juvenile ladies singles, and teammate Mary Siegel, 11, placed third in that event.
• Skavdahl teamed with Jordan Brauninger, 12, to place second in intermediate pairs.
• Skavdahl's sister, Stephanie, 12, won intermediate ladies singles.
• Ben Woolwine, 15, won intermediate men's singles.
All skaters are trained by Stephanie Miller and Ted Masdea.
DUSING WINS THREE: Texas junior swimmer Nate Dusing (Covington Catholic) won three events in an upset of No.1 Stanford last week.
The third-ranked Longhorns won 138-105 at Stanford in the first dual meet of the season. Dusing won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:47.67 and took part in the winning 400 medley (3:17.75) and 400 freestyle (2:59.02) relays.
RYAN STARS: Morehead State freshman Anna Ryan (Scott) has been named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference cross country first team. She finished fifth (18:53) in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships and ran in the NCAA District Meet Saturday in Greensville, S.C.
Neil Schmidt is The Enquirer's Northern Kentucky sports reporter. Call him at 578-5582 or send e-mail to nschmidt@enquirer.com.
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