Scots Have Something to Prove -- Basketball 2001

Release Date: November 14, 2001

Some coaches (like MC women’s coach Dennis Mann) don’t mind pessimistic preseason predictions for their teams. Terry Glasgow, who is entering his 30th season leading Monmouth’s men’s team, isn’t one of those coaches.

“Our kids were personally offended and insulted,” said Glasgow a few days after the Scots had been picked to place seventh in the 10-team Midwest Conference. “I think we’ll be better than that. I’ll tell you what - if we’re the seventh-best team in this league, this is a pretty good league.”

It’s true that some tough road losses did drag Monmouth down to a seventh-place finish last year, but the veteran coach has seen enough of his team after nearly 20 practices and scrimmages at Central Missouri State and Dubuque to believe “we’re going to have a very nice team.”

It’s also true that the Scots lost All-MWC forward Jeff Stenoish (13.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg) from last year’s squad, as well as post players Chad Schlosser and Paul Caulkins, who combined for 7.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in 27 minutes of action per game.

What Glasgow hopes is true when the real games begin is the vast improvement he’s seen in returners Troy Bennett (Monmouth, IL/Warren) and Lorenzo Pugh (Galesburg, IL/HS) and the contributions he expects from freshmen Jason Murren (Fox River Grove/Cary-Grove) and Nick Swing (Cissna Park, IL/HS).

We’ll have more on that quartet in a minute, but first a few words on a group of players who should be very familiar to Monmouth fans - Glasgow’s five seniors.

“It’s no secret that we’re going to be led by our seniors,” said Glasgow. “If they don’t have a decent year, we’re going to struggle.”

Three-time All-MWC selection Steve Glasgow (Galesburg, IL/HS), the coach’s son, leads the group, of which the coach says, “We’ve looked pretty good so far. With five seniors we should. At times, we’ve had all five on the floor at the same time. There won’t be any stage fright from that group.”

Glasgow calls his son “a warrior,” a term he believes also fit Stenoish.

“Physically, Steve will be very tough on the point guards in this league, and he’ll even give the 2’s and 3’s he comes up against all they can handle. If you’re going to guard him, you better plan to spend the day.”

While his son (13.4 ppg, 3.7 assists) will play a lot of point guard, Glasgow also hopes to move him to the shooting guard, where his scoring production could increase. For that to happen, one of the other seniors, C.J. Hollingsworth (Moreno Valley, CA/Notre Dame), or underclassmen Rob Purlee (Mt. Carroll, IL/HS) or Swing will have to prove they can take care of the basketball. Purlee, the Scots’ record-setting quarterback, will not be able to help on the hardwood until December at the earliest, Glasgow figures. Of Hollingsworth, the coach said, “He brings a level of excitement to our team because he’s so quick. He’ll guard the hell out of you.”

The other senior to earn All-MWC honors is forward Kenny Spranger (Moline, IL/HS), a junior college transfer who burst onto the scene last year by averaging 16.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.

“We need Kenny to be very good this year,” said Glasgow. “He doesn’t have to be great, but he needs to be very good. He’s going to be a scorer for us, but what he has to do is defend. We need him to get 5-8 rebounds every night. We can’t put all that responsibility on our big kids inside.”

Spranger is a Mr. Inside - Mr. Outside combo all by himself. He showed a knack for a nice back-to-the-basket game inside of 10 feet last season, but he can also knock down shots ranging from 15 feet to just outside the arc.

A senior who’s range goes even farther than that is Greg Kloepping (Mt. Carroll, IL/HS), who scored 15.0 points per game with 45 treys as a sophomore before an ankle injury cut his numbers to 8.7 points and 33 treys last year.

“Greg’s still struggling a little,” said Glasgow. “He needs to get his rhythm back. But he’ll kill you if you let him spot up and shoot. He’s got great range and he shoots with the same effortless stroke whether he’s shooting from 15 feet or 25.”

The final senior is Mike Roehm (Normal, IL/HS), a 6-foot-7 post player who’s had a rollercoaster career with the Scots. Roehm is certainly in the mix for earning some starts at the No. 5 slot for the Scots, but right now, says Glasgow, that starting berth belongs to Pugh.

“He’s really come on,” said Glasgow of the former GHS player who missed last season with a kidney ailment. “What we didn’t have day in and day out last year was someone who could deny the post. Lorenzo seems ready to go this year, and I tell him that he could be one of the dominant rebounders in this league. He’s a coachable, hardworking, talented kid. He’s not a complete player, but there are some things he can do very well.”

Among the players who will spell Pugh is Murren, a 6-7 freshman who started for a Cary-Grove team that reached the Class AA supersectional, averaging roughly eight points and three blocks per game.

“Jason is one of the quickest big kids off the floor that we’ve ever had,” said Glasgow. “Another thing I like about him is that, for a freshman, he makes that second and third effort. A lot of freshmen will make that nice first effort, then just kind of curl up. Jason’s going to be in that warrior class.”

If junior Dan Mahoney (6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) can overcome a knee injury, Glasgow can feel good about having four solid players to man the No. 5 slot. He’s already very pleased with the No. 3 position, where he ranks Bennett as a unique talent.

“Troy’s a very effective wing,” said Glasgow, who enters the year with a 415-234 coaching mark at Monmouth. “He runs the floor as well as any wing in this league, if not in all of Division III. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by his improvement from last year. It’s like night and day.”

Already a Warrior due to his high school career at Warren, Glasgow said that Bennett, who averaged a respectable 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 points on 54 percent shooting, is also a “warrior” on the court. While his scoring was complementary last season, the team will now count on him to join Spranger, Glasgow and Kloepping as a consistent offensive contributor.

Swing, who starred on a Cissna Park team that went deep into the Class A state tournament, is a three-point shooting threat who “handles the ball well” at the point and could play a major role in the Scots’ hopes this season. Glasgow is also high on freshmen Travis Miller (Pontiac, IL/HS) and Kyle Wilhelm (Mundelein, IL/HS), a pair of “smart” guards.

Although Glasgow makes no bones about disliking his team’s seventh-place status, he did reel off six teams that he feels could be factors in the race for the championship, including defending champ Grinnell, Illinois College, St. Norbert, Beloit and 1999-2000 league and tourney titlists Lake Forest and Ripon. Players to watch, he said, include IC’s Garrett Ingram, reigning Player of the Year Henry Grant (Beloit) and SNC’s Nathan Hoffman.

“I think you’ll see that the top teams are going to beat each other this year,” said Glasgow. “We’ve got to be able to get over some tough losses on the road and win 3-4 of those road games and 6-7 of our games at home. If we can do that, we’ll be in the playoffs.”

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