Feb. 3, 2003

By Chuck Mistovich
Basketball Times

It was a lousy week for the NAIA's two No. 1-ranked teams. It was not a happy time for coach Harry Osborne's NAIA I Georgetown (Ky.) Tigers or coach Dan Miles' NAIA II Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls as both saw their undefeated seasons go up in smoke.

For Osborne, his Tigers have fallen to last place in the Mid-South Conference, but that's not a real big deal when you are 0-1, right? The real disappointment came when Georgetown saw its 21-game winning streak end, and particularly the 40-game home winning streak when visiting Cumberland (Ky.) grabbed an 89-87 win.

It was just as tough in coach Miles' camp. Losing the 22-game winning streak was one thing, but the really big disappointment came for about 2,000 Oregon Tech fans who expected to see Miles win his 700th career victory. The invading Western Baptist Warriors didn't see it that way, with the 101-96 upset.

Georgetown should bounce back nicely during this 21-2 season, and shoot at doing what it couldn't do last year when the Tigers went down the stretch as the heavily favorite to win the NAIA title, only to see their season end at 35-2 in the NAIA tournament's Sweet 16.

Coach Osborne owns the 1998 national championship and a 212-36 career coaching record in his seventh season as head coach. That 86 per cent winning percentage comes to a very patient guy who spent his first 16 years at Georgetown as assistant coach to the successful Dr. Bob Davis and the late Jim Reid.

Georgetown has an amazing team on both ends of the court. The club scores 100.9 points a game and allows only 64.8. Most games don't produce a whole lot of stress on coach Osborne, since his club is winning each game by 36 points.

The coach, who said that "our athleticism may not be where it was a year ago," has been plenty pleased with the results so far, except for the season opener when coach Kevin Gray's Spalding (Ky.) stunned the Tigers, 83-75. Then came the 21-game winning streak for Georgetown. But the schedule has not been demanding, with eight of the wins against branch campus-type of schools.

In the loss to open the Mid-South Conference play for Georgetown, coach Don Butcher's 17-4 Cumberland team shot a blazing 71 per cent from the floor in the second half and won in the final seconds on a fast break layup.

Coach Miles' Oregon Tech club had played in only four games closer than 10 points until the loss. The Hustin' Owls, who have only two seniors on the team, are another game away from awarding the coach his 700th victory and then it'll be only three more seasons until the next century mark comes into play.

Oregon Tech has been winning each game by an 86.6 to 68.3 score, allowing only 39 per cent field shooting to foes. The club has five players averaging in double figures.

In Oregon Tech's first loss and denial of Miles' 700th career win, it was a rookie head coach doing the trick. Coach Justin Sherwood of Western Baptist collected only his eighth win this season in 22 games with the victory. Early in the season, Oregon Tech blasted Western Baptist, 85-69.

Sherwood took over a program that went 28-7 last year but graduations, transfers and injuries "robbed" the program of six of its top seven players. The new head coach is optimistic this season, saying, "Along with me, everyone is starting fresh. We're all starting from scratch together. We are young, but I think we have some talented guys."

Coach Korver Eyes Third Straight Final Four Finish
Kris Korver has had an amazing run as head coach at Northwestern (Iowa)...and it is only his third season at the school!

The coach joined the program three years ago after a high school coaching career, and won the NAIA II national title in his rookie season. Coach of the Year was a heckuva way to start his college coaching.

Then last season Korver guided his Red Rangers to the NAIA II tourney Final Four. He's on that same, successful path again this season with a 19-1 start that has his club ranked No. 2 in the NAIA II poll to Oregon Tech.

The top two basketball names at Northwestern are Woudstra and Woudstra. Senior Brandon Woudstra averages 24.3 points for Korver's men's team. The other famous Woudstra at the school is Brandon's sister Jaime, who averages 18.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the ladies' team which is ranked in the NAIA national top 15.

Oh, yes, there is a third Woudstra in the Northwestern program. It is father Earl Woudstra, a 1978 Northwestern alum, who is the women's head coach.

O'Malley Guides St. X into NAIA Top Five
Tom O'Malley had a sensational, 474-victory coaching career in the high school ranks, but all those wins probably can't top the 148-50 record he has assembled in his sixth year at St. Xavier (Ill.). His club has climbed to fourth in the latest NAIA I poll.

His Tigers set atop the Chicagoland Conference with a go-go style of play that pumps in 90.0 ppg and allows only 71.7. The dynamic duo for O'Malley are Mark Telander and Mike Rojas who each average over 18.5 ppg.

The real challenge in the league comes from 14-6 St. Francis (Ill.) which is quite a rebound for coach Pat Sullivan who had a dismal, 12-18 record last year. Sullivan has been head coach in 27 of the school's 30 basketball seasons, replacing Bob Penosky who coached the first three years of basketball at St. Francis. Top players in the program are NAIA All-America Nick Cardone with 14.1 ppg and Bob St. Leger.

Other Really Interesting Facts!
Ouch. It's pretty tough coaching the Ohio State branch campus in Marion. Coach Matt Fisher really took his lumps with Mid-South Conference games as his team, with no seniors, lost to Cumberland (Ky.), 124-27. Then there were two losses each to Pikeville (Ky.), 114-46 and 115-53, and to Georgetown, 139-46 and 127-31. Here's some advise for Coach Fisher. Don't schedule games in Kentucky next year!

Cascade (Ore.) is only in its 10th year of collegiate basketball but third-year coach Craig Moody has his club ranked No. 18 in the NAIA II poll with a 17-6 record. Cascade will have a tough time keeping up with the NAIA II's top team, Oregon Tech, in the Cascade Conference. The other toughies in the league are 14-7 Concordia (Ore.), coached by Brad Barbarick who is in his ninth season with the Cavaliers, and 13-11 Albertson (Idaho). Albertson's disappointing start might turn around quickly. Coach Mark Owen guided his Coyotes to 26-11 and 23-10 records in his two seasons as head coach, after serving as assistant for nine years for NAIA Hall of Fame coach Marty Holly, who handed off the head job to Owen in 2000.

Coach Ron Cottrell has the longest home winning streak in collegiate basketball with 49 straight home wins at Houston (Tex.) Baptist. The Huskies own an 18-2 record and are ranked No. 6 in the NAIA I poll.