Men's Basketball

Head coach Pat Sullivan has seen a lot of different scenarios in his first 32 seasons at University of St. Francis.  The challenge he faces this year is certainly not new, but not one that he is afraid to tackle.

The Saints must replace a group of five seniors, including three of the top five scorers on last year’s team and an honorable mention All-America selection.  That honoree was none other than Chris Hobson, who averaged just under 19 points per game and earned first-team Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference accolades during both of his seasons at St. Francis. 

It marks the second year in a row that Sullivan has graduated an All-American, as Mike Smith – who moved on to professional basketball in Lithuania – left USF following the 2006-07 season with similar NAIA national honors.

Two of the top five scorers from last year are back, but one of them – senior center Ian Jones – may not be physically able to play while trying to recover from major knee surgery.

Still, USF returns just two starters from last year's 10-19 squad.  As Sullivan point out, they play the all important post and point guard positions for the Saints. 

Starting post Rob Rabenau, a senior, led USF in scoring during the CCAC season with an average of nearly 18 points per league game as opposing defenses often double-teamed Hobson.  Rabenau finished the season second on the team in scoring with an average of 11.5 points per game and was a first-team All-CCAC pick at the conclusion of the season.

Starting senior point guard Jeremy Kreiger led USF in a unique double for a playmaker -- assists (3.8) and rebounds (4.8). He started all 29 games, one of just two players (Hobson being the other) to start every contest. He was named an honorable mention All-CCAC choice following the season.

With Jones’ status in doubt, only four other players return who started at least one game in 2007-08. 

Senior forward Sam Robinson opened 11 games in his first year at USF and finished with averages of 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Junior guard/forward Tristan Therkield made six early-season starts as a transfer last year and averaged 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per outing.

Sophomore Jeff Miller started two games at shooting guard last season as the only freshman on the Saints roster. He scored a season-best 16 points in a narrow two-point setback at Olivet Nazarene late in the season. Senior Dan Kieres made one start at the small forward slot last season.

The only other players returning from last year's squad are senior guard Hozay McGaha and junior guard Ryan Gunderson. McGaha was limited to just one game last year due to injuries and Gunderson joined the team late after competing in football.  Gunderson is not playing football this season and is concentrating solely on basketball.

Six freshmen fill out the remainder of the Saints roster. Those half-dozen players include Derek Ciezczak, Robbie Butcher and Lukas Zebrauskas who -- like Miller -- are all from nearby Stagg H.S. in Palos Hills.  The other three rookies are Billy Hubly (Elk Grove), Floyd Trice (Hyde Park Academy) and David Altman (Homewood-Flossmoor).

All six newcomers will likely see some playing time with a few of them being tested early in their careers against what looms to be another daunting schedule.  The Saints open with home dates against a pair of traditionally strong NAIA schools in Huntington (IN) and Illinois-Springfield.  The non-conference slate also includes matchups with familiar NAIA foes such as St. Ambrose (IA), Ashford (IA), Siena Heights (MI) and Georgetown (KY).  The Saints travel to neighboring Romeoville for a second straight matchup with NCAA Division II Lewis.  USF will also play in three tournaments hosted by Judson, defending CCAC champion Robert Morris and Azusa Pacific (CA).

After all that comes the rigors of the CCAC regular season which features the usual home-and-home dates with Robert Morris, Olivet Nazarene and Saint Xavier.  All three of those schools have been regular participants of late in the NAIA Championship tournament.  And Sullivan knows that games with league foes Indiana-South Bend and Illinois Tech cannot be overlooked as well.  IUSB eliminated the Saints in the conference tournament a year ago and Illinois Tech was much improved in 2007-08.