Jan. 3, 2008

By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information Director

Tim VanOudheusden is among several juniors who have been playing major roles on the Lake Superior State men's basketball team since the day they stepped on campus. Their experience of having to find their own way through the grueling Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is unique.

VanOudheusden, a 6-4, 220-pound guard from Grand Rapids, Mich., along with teammates Mark Morse and Anthony Gibson, red-shirted in 2004-05 when the Lakers had veterans Scott Jamison, Steve MacDonald and Jim Clement. The team hasn't had a senior starter since that season. This year, first-year head coach Steve Hettinga, has picked starters from a pool of three juniors, three sophomores and one true freshman.

As young as their lineup appears to be, Hettinga has a roster full of players with game experience. VanOudheusden, who has logged nearly 1,300 minutes in 60 games for LSSU, describes that scenario as "the best of both worlds." VanO, as he is called, is averaging a team-leading 13.1 points per game and is one of three players averaging more than five rebounds per game.

"The season is going well, especially with everyone returning," said VanOudheusden during the week in which the Lakers posted back-to-back GLIAC wins over Mercyhurst and Ferris State. "We are all playing well and progressing toward our goals. We have been figuring out the new system and how to play our way into that system. It has been a bit challenging at times, but we're getting the hang of it now."

The Lakers got off to an 0-7 start, but their schedule included powerhouses Lewis (6-1), Northern State (10-1), Minnesota State-Moorhead (8-2), No. 2-ranked Grand Valley (10-0) and Gannon (6-1). They closed out the 2007 portion of their season by handing 10-0 Central State its first loss of the season.

"Playing against ranked teams such as Grand Valley and Northern State, those games were very good games for us," VanOudheusden said. "We definitely took a step forward. We just didn't end up with the win. We still felt like we were progressing. Coach always gives us quotes, and one stuck in my mind, `You only lose if you stop trying.' We just kept going at it."

VanOudheusden is adapting well to LSSU's new motion offense and is making the most of switching from shooting guard to the small forward position. He has scored in double figures in every game but two. He had a career-high 24 points against GVSU and career-high 10 rebounds against MSU-Moorhead.

"It started from the pre-season," Hettinga said. "Tim and Scott both, day-in and day-out, have been our most-consistent players in practice. We are counting on them to have good seasons. (Their pre-season work) carried over to the first few games, so their success doesn't come as a surprise to me.

"Tim is a unique match-up for the other team. He can guard most teams' `4,' and they definitely have trouble matching up with him. He is very athletic for his size, and can go inside or outside. He gives us more options...and options are definitely good."

VanOudheusden leads the Lakers in offensive rebounds. In fact, he is ranked sixth in the GLIAC in that category. But Hettinga would like to see him dominate on the defensive boards too.

"They're making gradual progress, but they're not where we want them to be, not anywhere close yet," Hettinga said. "If we keep working hard in practice, we'll keep improving as we go. The last couple games have been better. They'll see the results in games."

With freshmen and sophomores continuing to play key roles, VanOudheusden can't understate the importance of leadership that the junior class provides.

"Everyone is learning and growing together," he said. "For a large chunk of us, during our first season playing, we had no confidence at all and no understanding at all. It was a real disadvantage not having upperclassmen at the time. It is priceless that we can all grow together. It makes us better as a team and more comfortable on the court with each other."

VanOudheusden said that the juniors' job is to make the freshmen feel comfortable on the court and off. They help them gain an understanding of what to expect from different GLIAC teams and how to get through the rigors of the long season.

"They are all really good with each other, no matter what the year," Hettinga said. "As a coaching staff, we preach a family atmosphere. They are all giving each other the business, which is good."

VanOudheusden is managing to put up big numbers while tackling one of LSSU's toughest academic majors - nursing. He requires scheduling help from his professors in order to fit in clinicals that require overnight stays near hospitals such as Petoskey or Cheboygan.

"The professors are really good about helping us out, making sure we get everything," he said. "The professors are easy to contact. For example, I had a schedule conflict and had to switch a clinical from Petoskey to Sault, Canada. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to play that Thursday game...The clinicals sometimes take away from practice time and off-season training time. It's real tough. It's time away from the team, and it's hard trying to focus on both...Alyssa VanderWal and I are the first basketball players to go through it. I'm glad to have someone go through it with me."