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Players step up in stretch run for Witt men

As Tigers scratch and claw for good seeding spot in NCAC tourney, Weide helps cause.

Wittenberg’s Jacob Weide (left) competes for a loose ball in a game earlier this season. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic

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By David Jablonski, Staff Writer 9:53 PM Tuesday, February 9, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — The stretch run is here, but there’s still plenty the Wittenberg University men’s basketball team doesn’t know about where it is heading.

With four games to play in the regular season, the Tigers could end up in second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference, or sixth — or anywhere in between.

The Tigers (16-5, 8-4 NCAC) have two games remaining against teams they should beat. Earlham, which they host at 7:30 p.m. today, Feb. 10, and Oberlin have three NCAC victories between them.

Wittenberg also plays two NCAC teams it lost to the first time around: Wooster and Wabash.

There are good signs for the Tigers as the season winds down. They seem to have overcome the minislump that saw them lose to Wooster, Wabash and Allegheny in an 11-day stretch.

In the last two wins over Ohio Wesleyan and Hiram, they have gotten key contributions from unlikely sources. One of those is sophomore Jacob Weide.

The 6-foot-7 sophomore forward from Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., has totaled nine points in the last two games and played important minutes at the end of both contests.

“It’s been great,” Weide said. “Just practicing, being out (of the rotation) for a while was tough. I just hung in there. I just put a focus on giving it my all, doing everything coach told me.”

Weide played 18 and 15 minutes in Wittenberg’s first two games of the season. When football players Michael Cooper and Josh McKee returned to the team, he fell out of the rotation all together.

From Dec. 12 to Jan. 27, Weide appeared at the end of five games, never playing more than four minutes. Then at Ohio Wesleyan on Feb. 3, he got another chance. He played 19 minutes and scored five points.

He followed that up by playing 12 minutes against Hiram. He scored two key baskets in the final minutes.

“I was just excited that coach had confidence in me,” Weide said. “I felt a little bit of pressure, but I knew I could do it all along. I just wanted to show it.”

TIPOFF TIPS

Who: Earlham College (3-18, 1-11 North Coast Athletic Conference) at Wittenberg (16-5, 8-4 ).

When: 7:30 p.m. today.

Where: Pam Evans Smith Arena in Springfield.

Radio: WUSO-FM (89.1).

Series: Wittenberg leads 57-13.

Last meeting: Wittenberg won 88-64 on Jan. 27.

Last game: On Saturday, Wittenberg beat Hiram 66-58. On Sunday, Earlham lost 74-61 to Denison.

Starting lineups

WITTENBERG Yr Ht Pos. PPG

Chris Sullivan Jr. 5-10 G 12.7

David Nowicki Sr. 5-9 G 6.6

Mark Snyder Sr. 6-6 P 7.1

Josh McKee So. 6-1 W 10.3

Michael Cooper So. 6-4 W 6.2

EARLHAM Yr Ht P PPG

Kyle Calder So. 5-11 G 6.6

A.J. Sutherlin So. 6-5 F 17.9

T.J. Ferrick Sr. 5-11 G 1.1

Dustin Rusk Fr. 6-5 F 3.7

Marty Broderick Fr. 6-6 C 5.0

About Wittenberg

No Wittenberg player has a double-double this season. Mark Snyder fell one rebound short with 17 points and nine rebounds against Hiram on Saturday.

Earlier this season, he had 10 points and nine rebounds at Denison, 12 rebounds and nine points against Marian and 10 rebounds and nine points against Olivet.

About Earlham

The Quakers have lost 14 games in a row. They last won Dec. 5 against Oberlin.

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