Michigan Tech guard Marcus Tomaszek drives with the ball during a game at Horton’s SDC gym last season. (David Archambault/For the Gazette)
HOUGHTON — With the NCAA D2 Midwest Regional finals looming Friday, the Michigan Tech Huskies men’s basketball team is about to begin an important season for everyone involved in the program. The Huskies have experienced growing pains each of the past two seasons, but with a key junior group, the Huskies are in a position to take a big step forward this season.
“We have four players in this group that are returning as junior starters, but they didn’t perform well in either of the past two seasons.” Huskies coach Josh Buettner said. “I actually think they’re pretty similar. Even though they had the same record, last year’s team was a much better team. It was a really tough non-conference. We had our ups and downs.
“I truly believe that at the end of the season in February, we were one of the two or three best teams in the conference. We just played against them. That’s because we didn’t take care of things early in the season.”
Getting off to a better start is something Buettner is stressing to his team.
“The focus here is we need to be ready for this weekend.” he said. “We need to play in November.”
The Huskies will have to overcome the immediate hurdles in Missouri’s matchup with St. Louis. Lewis, Maryville, Winona State, Concordia St. Paul, Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Moorhead and St. Cloud State University from the SDC Gym Friendly Venue before playing their first home games on Dec. 5. It’s far away.
“Honestly, a smarter coach would have given us a little bit easier schedule instead of having the first six games against very good teams. Then you’re in a situation where you have no idea what kind of start you’re going to have. You’re just going to be pushed into a corner.’ You can go down here.” Buettner said. “I think we’re playing with confidence. I think the ball is moving and we’re ready to work on it. But good teams on the road are tough. We can’t play well. However, we still had some struggles, but we played well and were able to win both games. So I hope it’s the latter.”
There’s good news and there’s bad news. The bad news is that guard Dan Geresger opted to transfer to Northern Kentucky, hurting the Huskies’ depth. The good news is they got a great taste of life without Gerezger last season, and that should help heading into this season.
“That was really, really painful for us in terms of developing these roles.” said Buettner. “We have two different styles and he was a very talented player, but how we have to play with him and how we have to play without him is very different. It also caused a setback in our role development. Because then, when he was there, the players had to play a certain way. Maybe for other guys, the role would be different with him, and then when he gets back there. His role changed again, and so did some things about him.
“He was injured before the game started and then he was playing injured, so we didn’t have a fair perspective on how things were going to go. I think February, when I was healthy, was the first time I was able to really see what the relationship was going to be.”
Another piece of good news is the return of junior guard Marcus Tomaszek, who was named preseason player of the year last week. Tomaszek averaged 22.9 points per game, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“Marcus is a special player.” Buettner said. “He’s back and even stronger. He’s still lean, but he’s put on a little bit of weight and is playing with confidence. We’ve got some pretty special players here at Michigan Tech, but… When it comes to scoring goals in basketball, he is at the top level of any player.
“Honestly, he’s done a great job of being a bit of a playmaker as well. He creates a lot of upside. He’s going to get a lot of attention. Even when he scores, he still He’s not a selfish player, he has two or three guys pushing him. He knows there are games where he’s going to have to play a little bit more of a facilitator role and pick his position and really try to take over offensively. Yes, he’s a special player.”
Another key junior is guard Josh Therrien. He is a defense-first player who can also create timely buckets.
“Josh is one of the highest IQ basketball players we’ve ever met.” said Buettner. “Josh can shoot and he’s going to shoot well this year. His percentages went up between his freshman and sophomore years and hopefully they’ll go up again. He just doesn’t care. When he’s out there, he makes us very good offensively and defensively, whether he’s taking shots or not taking shots at all. He is truly the ultimate teammate.
“Last year we had some highs and some pretty lows. The lowest game was when he was out with the flu. We looked like we’d never played basketball before. He’s such an important person because of his leadership, his IQ, and all the intangible things he brings to the table.”
Two other key juniors are guard Nate Abel and forward Dawson Nordgaard. Abel started 16 games last season and averaged just 5.5 points, but was an important piece for the Huskies at various points during the season. Nordgaard is still tapping into his potential. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 7.9 points, but more importantly caused matchup problems throughout the season as his confidence grew. They will need him to continue playing like that this season.
Two more seniors will also be called up this season, making for a significant addition to the roster.
Guard Adam Hobson lost his starting role last season and struggled with some confidence after that, but bounced back strong. That’s all Buettner can ask of him.
“‘Hobbs’ is one of the ultimate Huskies.” Buettner said. “He’ll do anything for the team. His career has been kind of crazy. He came in and we had a conversation like this season, ‘What’s your career been like since you got here? Did you imagine that?” To be honest, his role last year was exactly what he imagined it would be.
“One of the things ‘Hobbs’ continued to do was continue to practice hard, continue to be a good teammate, continue to lead, continue to do all those things. He will be rewarded with a good year. I hope so.”
Similarly, the Huskies will ask a lot from guard Pete Calcaterra. The sophomore played in a number of big games for the Huskies, but struggled to score last season, averaging just 6.8 points per game.
“I’ve been saying this to Pete since the day he stepped on campus, he’s the X-factor.” said Buettner. “When Pete’s really good, we’re always really good. He does a lot of things that contribute to winning and we’re always looking at him for consistency. I hope Pete has a good year. We’re going to be a pretty good team, so I hope we can do that this year.”
Among the young players who can contribute this year, Buettner is looking for freshman guard Gabe Smith to earn playing time this season. Freshman guard Ty Fernholtz could also fill in at the point this season, along with sophomore guard Matt Schmainder, who gained experience last season.
Butner feels the Huskies have been through a lot over the past two seasons, but feels they are in a position to take a big step forward this season.
“Honestly, we’ve been through some struggles the last two years, but I think most of our players know they can play with anyone and beat anyone. I hope it helps you build your confidence again after going through the valley and not having to do something like that. We have good kids and players who believe in each other. I hope it will lead to success.”
