A few minutes into the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, Augustana (S.D.) trailed by six points to Western Oregon and needed a spark. The Vikings turned to their first-team All-American senior forward Daniel Jansen (6'9''-F-94). By scoring eight quick points, Jansen got the Vikings on track and it was smooth sailing from there on out on the way to a 74-55 victory over Western Oregon Thursday evening at the Dr. Pepper Arena. 'It was a funny beginning for us, but I thought a little of that had to do with last night's game,' Augustana coach Tom Billeter said. 'It was a very difficult game against a talented team in Tarleton State. 'I didn't think were sharp at the beginning tonight and then we got it going. I really liked how we started the second half. Our defense all night was pretty stingy.' The stage is now set for two, first-time participants in the NCAA Division II championship game. Augustana, 33-2, will take on Lincoln Memorial, 34-2, at 3 p.m. ET Saturday. It will mark the second all-time match-up in Division II championship history that the No. 1 and No. 2 team will meet in the national championship. The last time was 1975 when Old Dominion defeated New Orleans 76-74. 'We didn't come here just to be in the national championship game,' Jansen said. 'We want to win it.' The only true intrigue in Augustana's semifinal win occurred in the first 5 minutes. Jansen missed the Wednesday's quarterfinal game with a foot injury. He didn't start against Western Oregon. The Wolves started well, opening an 8-2 lead. Jansen entered the game to a loud ovation from the spirited Augustana fans. Jansen definitely lifted the spirit of the team. 'For sure,' Augustana junior Beyer said. 'We weren't sure he was going to be able to play. He came out with that splash and gave everybody a boost of energy.' It didn't take long for Jansen to show why he earned first-team All-American honors. He immediately contributed, scoring a basket and he followed that with a 3-pointer that brought the Vikings to within one. 'I thought we got off to a good start,' Western Oregon coach Jim Shaw said. 'When Jansen came on the floor, the whole energy of the game changed. For guys old enough, he did that Willis Reed deal. He wobbled out there and banged in a couple of threes and the whole personality of their team changed. I thought they fed off him. Their energy went up.' After Western Oregon scored, Jansen hit a 3-pointer that tied the game. The Vikings didn't slow down. They increased their lead to 18-10 before the Wolves scored again. Augustana continued to play well the rest of the first half, extending its advantage to 34-16. The Wolves managed to garner just a little momentum heading into the locker room when senior Devon Alexander (6'1''-PG) hit a long 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, making it 34-19. But in 13 minutes, Jansen was too much to handle for Western Oregon. He led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 13 points on four of six shooting. Jansen only played four minutes in the second half, because the Vikings held a big lead and didn't need him. 'Not playing yesterday was very, very tough,' Jansen said. 'Being on the court and telling the coach I couldn't go was heartbreaking. I was crying, but I had to get my composure back and do something for the team even if it was not playing. 'I can't say enough about our training staff. They are amazing. They did a lot of stuff the past few days. They tried something new today. The second they did it, I felt better. I was feeling good before warm-ups. I felt good during warm-ups. I gave the coaches the green light. It wasn't about me. It was about our team and our staff.' At the start of the second half, Augustana made sure Western Oregon wasn't going to build off its halftime buzzer beater. Beyer drove inside the 3-point arc and hit a 10-foot jumper to make it 36-19. 'I just have to let the game come to me,' said Beyer, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. 'If I score a bunch of points, that's fine. If I don't, that's fine, too. I do what I got to do, but my role on team is to defend.' Western Oregon closed to 36-24, and then Augustana put the game away. It started with a 2-point field goal from senior Casey Schilling (6'6''-F-94) followed by a 3-pointer from Schilling. Senior Alex Richter (6'5''-G-92) continued the Augustana run with a corner 3-pointer and Schilling finished the 10-0 run with two free throws, giving the Vikings a commanding 46-24 lead with just under 15 minutes left. 'You have to give them credit,' said Alexander, who finished with 12 points. 'They are a good team. They don't make mistakes down the stretch. We fought our way back as best we could, but when you don't put the ball in the basket, it makes it difficult.' Courtesy of: ncaa.com
Sartor Named Erskine College New Men's Basketball Coach - 10 days ago
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Erskine College announced on Monday afternoon the hiring of Lee Sartor as the new head men's basketball coach. Sartor replaces Mark Peeler, who will become the school's full-time athletic director. Sartor coached the past fifteen years at Spartanburg Day School where he won three South Carolina Independent Schools Association state championships. Sartor coached the nation's top-rated high school player and Duke signee, Zion Williamson at Spartanburg Day. 'As I look to the future of our pr... [read more]
Erskine College announced on Monday afternoon the hiring of Lee Sartor as the new head men's basketball coach. Sartor replaces Mark Peeler, who will become the school's full-time athletic director. Sartor coached the past fifteen years at Spartanburg Day School where he won three South Carolina Independent Schools Association state championships. Sartor coached the nation's top-rated high school player and Duke signee, Zion Williamson at Spartanburg Day. 'As I look to the future of our program, I am encouraged that Mr. Lee Sartor has agreed to join the Erskine athletic staff as our new head basketball coach. Coach Sartor brings a great deal of experience from his outstanding coaching career at Spartanburg Day School, and I look forward to the years ahead as he leads Erskine's basketball program,' commented Erskine College President Rob Gustafson. Sartor will inherit a team that returns four of its top five scorers form last season. This includes All-Conference selection Austin Venable who led the team with 15.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as well as Jordan Watson who averaged 12.4 points per game. Courtesy of: erskinesports.com
From: gnacsports.com
by Montana State Billings Athletic Communications
BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana coaching legend Mick Durham will return home to lead the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team as its head coach, announced by the athletic department on Wednesday.
'We are very pleased Coach Durham has accepted our offer to become our head men's basketball coach, commented Yellowjacket director of athletics Krista Montague [read more]
From: gnacsports.com
by Montana State Billings Athletic Communications
BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana coaching legend Mick Durham will return home to lead the Montana State University Billings men's basketball team as its head coach, announced by the athletic department on Wednesday.
'We are very pleased Coach Durham has accepted our offer to become our head men's basketball coach,' commented Yellowjacket director of athletics Krista Montague. 'He has a tremendous basketball background, and a strong track record of recruiting, developing, and mentoring high-quality student-athletes. His vast experience, coming from both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels, naturally caught our eye right away. Mick's vision of how to build a program capable of competing at a high level in the GNAC and within Division II is impressive.'
Durham, a native of Three Forks, Mont., and alumnus of Montana State University, has spent the last seven seasons as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks which competes against MSUB as a fellow member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
'I am really excited to be coming home to coach again, and can't wait to get started at MSUB,' said Durham, whose 246 wins at MSU are the second-most in program history. 'I am really honored and appreciative of the opportunity given to me by Krista and Chancellor Larsen. I understand Montana and have experience in the GNAC, so we are ready to hit the ground running.'
Durham was named the GNAC co-Coach of the Year in 2012, after leading Alaska to a second-place finish in the GNAC standings and an appearance in the GNAC Championships semifinals. Two years ago under Durham's guidance, the Nanooks reached 15 conference wins for the first time in program history, and their 22 total victories were second-most in school history. The Nanooks advanced to the GNAC title game and narrowly lost to NCAA Final Four opponent Western Oregon.
'We could not be more excited for Coach Durham and his wife Donna to join our Yellowjacket family,' Montague said. 'He is a trusted and proven leader, who is deeply rooted in our state and region. We look forward to watching our men's basketball program flourish under his direction.'
Before his time at Alaska, Durham served as assistant coach at New Mexico State University for three seasons after 16 years as head coach of the Bobcats. While at MSU, Durham was named the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2002, 2005), and led his team to conference titles in 1996 and 2002. His tenure as head coach came after eight years as assistant coach for MSU, where he competed from 1974-79. Durham is still fourth in MSU history with 362 assists and a free-throw percentage of 81.6.
Durham succeeds Jamie Stevens, who resigned earlier in March after seven seasons as MSUB head coach. Stevens went 89-114 overall (.438) and was 52-80 (.393) in conference play dating back to the 2011-12 season. Durham is the 15th coach in MSUB history. Mike Harkins is the all-time wins leader as MSUB men's basketball head coach, with a record of 280-142 from 1960-76.
The Yellowjackets went 13-18 in 2017-18 and finished in ninth place in the GNAC with a conference record of 5-15.
Tony Pujol Named Head Basketball Coach at North Alabama - 25 days ago
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Tony Pujol , an assistant basketball coach at the University of Wyoming with 14 years of collegiate coaching experience, has been hired as the head men's basketball coach at the University of North Alabama, UNA Athletic Director Mark Linder announced Monday. A former assistant basketball coach at Appalachian State University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Alabama before taking a position at Wyoming in 2016, Pujol will be formally introduced at a press conference a... [read more]
Tony Pujol , an assistant basketball coach at the University of Wyoming with 14 years of collegiate coaching experience, has been hired as the head men's basketball coach at the University of North Alabama, UNA Athletic Director Mark Linder announced Monday. A former assistant basketball coach at Appalachian State University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Alabama before taking a position at Wyoming in 2016, Pujol will be formally introduced at a press conference at UNA on Friday (April 6) at 2:00 p.m. 'We had an outstanding pool of quality candidates and brought in four very impressive individuals,' said. Linder. 'The committee and I met with Tony and knew that he was the right fit at this time for the UNA basketball program. He has a high degree of energy, his preparation is off the charts and he wants to be here.' Linder added that Pujol has recruited in the state of Alabama and the Southeast for the majority of his coaching career. 'Tony has had tremendous success where ever he has been,' Linder said. 'We look forward to welcoming Tony, his wife Mayle and their family to the Shoals and to UNA.' Pujol becomes just the seventh head coach in the 87-year history of the UNA's men's basketball program. The Lions boast the richest collegiate men's basketball tradition in the state of Alabama with 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, eight regional championships, five Final Fours and two national championships. Pujol will lead North Alabama as the school begins its transition to NCAA Division I basketball in the 2018-19 season as a member of the ASUN Conference. Pujol helped lead Wyoming to a 20-13 record in 2017-18. In 2016-17, Pujol helped lead the Cowboys to the College Basketball Invitational Championship. The Cowboys finished the season 23-15 overall with a 19-3 home record. Pujol helped mentor Mountain West Sixth Man Justin James, as he also was named the Most Valuable Player of the CBI. Junior Forward Hayden Dalton also received Honorable-Mention All-Mountain West honors. The Cowboys set a school and MW record with 369 three-pointers last season. Pujol coached collegiately at Alabama for five seasons from 2010-2014 under head coach Anthony Grant. Pujol helped the Crimson Tide compile a 99-71 record during his time on the staff, including three-straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 1990-92. Alabama earned two NIT bids and one NCAA bid from 2011-13 and finished runner-up in the NIT in 2011. That 2010-11 Crimson Tide team featured one of the toughest defenses in the nation, as Alabama surrendered only 59.4 points per game, the eighth-lowest average in the nation. Alabama's tenacious defense helped it go 19-0 at home during that season. On the recruiting trail, he helped the Tide land a 2011 recruiting class that Rivals.com ranked as the fifth best in the nation with four prospects ranked in the top 100 nationally. After the 2013-14 season, Pujol stepped away from collegiate coaching to dedicated more time to his family and has coached the last year and a half in the AAU ranks in New Jersey. Previously, Pujol served under Grant at VCU from 2006-09 with Edwards and Jeremy Shyatt. The staff guided the Rams to a 76-25 record in those three seasons, including 45-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association. VCU won three conference regular-season titles and two tournament titles in that span to play in the NCAA tournament twice and NIT once. Two Rams from that team, Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders, would go on to be selected in the NBA draft. Pujol joined Grant's staff after two seasons at Appalachian State from 2004-06, where he helped the Mountaineers win the Southern Conference North Division in 2005. The team also earned the NCAA's Public Recognition Award based on the program's APR. His recruits would help ASU win a school-record 25 games the season after he left. Prior to his collegiate career, Pujol was a high school coach in south Florida for 13 seasons, including nine at Northwest Christian Academy in Miami, where he posted a 250-46 record with state titles in 1999, 2003 and 2004. He graduated from Sterling College (Kansas) in 1989 with a degree in business administration and was a standout in both basketball and baseball, earning all-conference honors on the diamond in his final three seasons. Courtesy of: roarlions.com
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