On Saturday, Nov. 17, Monmouth College’s men’s basketball team will travel to Warresburg, Mo., to face Central Missouri State University in their first regular season game of the year.

The Scots will have a new coach this year, as Mark Vershaw was recently named as the man to lead the Scots. Vershaw is replacing Terry Glasgow, who coached Monmouth’s basketball squad for the last 35 seasons.

Glasgow led the Scots to 469 victories in his coaching career with the team. Vershaw is an inexperienced coach compared to Glasgow; he has never been the head coach for a college team.

However, Vershaw has had some considerable coaching experience as an assistant coach. He has been an assistant coach at East Peoria High School, Illinois Central College, Washington State University and Cornell University.

In addition, he had an impressive playing career in the sport; most noteworthy among his accomplishments came in 2000, when he led the University of Wisconsin to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.

Although none of the members on Monmouth’s 2007-08 men’s basketball team were recruited by Vershaw, he said they have responded to his strategies nicely.

“I think they’ve made an effort to buy into what we’re trying to accomplish here,” Vershaw said. “Our seniors have been doing a good job, and when you’re a senior you play with a sense of urgency since this is your last year.”

The Scots finished with a respectable 11-11 overall record last season, and they are looking to build on that success this season. Vershaw was fortunate enough to take over a team that features eight seniors on it, so Monmouth is not looking to have a rebuilding season, despite having a new coach.

Included among the seniors is Joe Terwelp, who was a major contributor for the Scots last season. He averaged 16.7 points-per-game and 6.6 rebounds-per-contest, both team highs.

Other seniors like Andy Moore, Jesse Haskett and Scott Scholten are expected to contribute on the court this season, in addition to providing leadership on and off the court.

Monmouth has already suffered a big blow when it comes to injuries this year, as senior Blaise Rogers will be out until the first of they year due to a broken bone. Rogers was third in scoring on last year’s team with 13.8 points-per-game; he was second in rebounds, averaging 5.5 each outing.

The Scots also lost Raun Singleton, their second leading scorer from 2006-07, to graduation; without Singleton and Rogers, somebody will have to step up and prevent the offensive burden from resting completely on Terwelp’s shoulders.

Vershaw said the team has many talented players who have not completely proven themselves in past years; he will be counting on them to step up this season.

Junior Corey Turner is expected to drastically increase his scoring average from last year; while a few freshmen are also expected to contribute in their first collegiate season.

“We have a mix of a lot of freshmen and seniors, so you have to break the ice at first,” Vershaw said. “Practice has gone well so far, but we have a big test this Saturday against Central Missouri.”

The Scots faced Central Missouri State University last year, and they were defeated by 28 points. Central Missouri competes in NCAA Division II basketball, and they defeated Central Michigan University (a Division I school) by five points on Nov. 13.

Monmouth’s home-opener will come on Nov. 24, when they host the Pizza Hut Classics tournament.

The Scots will compete in their first Midwest Conference game on Nov. 30 when they tip-off against Carroll College.

Other dates to mark on the calendar include Jan. 15, when Monmouth hosts Knox College and Feb. 13, when the Scots travel to Galesburg to play Knox.

Vershaw said one thing is for certain with this basketball squad: Monmouth fans will see the players play with “a real passion and desire.”

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