MEN'S BASKETBALL KEYS TO NEXT SEASON: EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE

A failure at times to put together two solid halves of basketball led to a somewhat disappointing 11-20 finish to the Dana College men’s basketball season. Highlights of the season included an upset of Great Plains Athletic Conference rival Midland Lutheran, 82-76, to give the Vikings a midseason boost; a win over Jamestown College, a team that finished the season ranked fourth in the NAIA; and a victory over conference foe Briar Cliff to break an 11-game losing streak against the Chargers.

Jeff Tesmer ’03 and Derek Hack ’03 provided senior leadership for the Vikings. Tesmer, who earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors, scored the 1,000th point of his career against York College Nov. 26. The floor general led the team in assists with 125.

Hack, a First-Team All-Conference player in the GPAC, had eight double-doubles during the course of his senior campaign and led the Vikings with 485 points, averaging 16.7 per game. He also tallied 19 blocked shots and 7.5 rebounds per contest.

Junior Chad Harder ’04 came up big on the defensive end this season, wreaking havoc on Viking opponents. Harder had 58 steals this season to lead the Vikings.

Sophomore Bruce Erdmann ’05 also earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors for averaging 12.2 points per game. He tallied 42 assists and 44 steals in the season.

With only four seniors (Jon Mauro ’03 and Brent Bintner ’03 were injured for the majority of the season), everyone got to see the floor and gain valuable playing experience.

The Vikings return 11 varsity players to their roster for next year. “We are young, but experienced. The future looks bright for Dana basketball,” said Coach Chris Fear.