February 22, 2001

By Chuck Mistovich

Ridder's Embry-Riddle on top again

Twelve years ago Coach Steve Ridder took over the one-year-old Embry-Riddle basketball program and thought the season would "never" end. It did, with a 4-24 record. That was past history, thank goodness. At the time, Ridder certainly wasn't thinking about winning a national championship, yet Year 2000 produced the NAIA I national tournament championship. And the Eagles may be even better this year!

The former assistant at Berea (Ky.) manufactured a 22-8 record in his second season at E-R and has won 19 or more every season. This year's 28-3 record has carried his club to the NAIA I final poll title, bopping runnerup 28-4 Siena Heights (Mich.) by one measly vote. Now the Eagles want more...a repeat No. 1 in the tournament.

Said Riddle, "I'm just elated with the final poll. To go wire-to-wire (as the top-ranked team) says something about the respect we've earned across the country. Even though we're excited about wrapping up an at-large bid (thanks to the high rating), I think it also brings additional focus to our efforts this weekend as we compete in our conference's final four."

Ridder, a former president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches-NAIA, loves the speed-of-sound pace, which is appropriate for an aeronautical school. The club has no super stars but, led by five double-figure scorers, E-R averages 93.5 points per game, making 49 per cent of their field shots and a slick 41 per cent on three-point shots. The Eagle play plenty of defense too, holding foes to 73.4 ppg and 43 per cent field shooting. One important statistic for Ridder is a rough and tough game, including winning on the boards by six rebounds a game.

Averaging 15 points per game are 6-3 sophomore Harold Pierson, 6-5 senior Kyle Mas and 6-0 junior Ryan Rothrock. Then come the heavy-duty guys. Heck, you wouldn't figure that 6-8, 255-pound Heath Fabacher (12.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) or 6-5, 235-pound Scott Moore (10.4 ppg) could fit into a cockpit at this flight training university. Ten players average over 10 minutes of playing action each game, and they all score over four points a game.

This season closely resembles last year. In 2000 the Eagles lost three straight games to close the regular season, and then lost their first round bout in the Florida Sun Conference. Then they won it all. Well, this year E-R lost two of their last four regular-season games heading into this week's conference playoffs.

This is a far cry from the team Ridder "inherited." He took over a program that was 0-21 the previous year and lost a game by 71 points. The coach likes change...and national championships.

Fred Smith's Siena Heights want No. 1 again

Three years ago Siena Heights won the national NAIA II tournament championship. They liked it. So the 28-4 finish this year for a second-place finish in the national poll is not foreign grounds to Coach Fred Smith's team. They just want that second national crown.

If the Saints have their way, they will win more than the five games that Coach Smith needs to achieve 400 career victories. The conference playoffs and then the national tournament likely will produce that historic mark.

Smith loves these Saints, who score more points than anyone in all of NAIA ranks. The Heights group led the nation in scoring with 95.1 ppg. But they better buckle up that belt a notch to win it all again; the club is making only 43 per cent of its field shots and allowing 81.8 ppg.

The ring leaders have been 5-9 senior Matt Baaki (18.9 ppg), 6-4 junior Sean Carlson (17.5 ppg) and 6-5 senior Jeff Gullekson (16.9 ppg, 13.4 rpg). Nine players average five or more points a game.