There were not high expectations in Cedar Falls as this burgeoning young school has just recently jumped from Division Two into the big time that if you consider the big time the Mid-Continent conference. Well, there are changes happening everywhere in college sports and this league has just changed their moniker from the Mid-Con to the Summit League with the rationale there were just too many conferences that sounded the same as yes, the Summit does ‘stick out.’ This teacher’s University just changed their name from State College of Iowa to Northern Iowa and have a long-term plan to get this program into big time college basketball which may include joining the prestigious Missouri Valley Conference.  Of course to be able to do this this program has to take baby steps and the first one is ending up in this conference and trying to make an impact.  The Panthers have also hired a fresh-faced former player in McDermott.  Part of this master plan is to play as many big-time programs as they can especially from the Midwest in some home and homes and try to get some recognition for this program and hopefully bring in some talent from outside the Hawkeye State.  

Sure this may be a process first program but you still got to have the players to perform their roles and though none of these guys are going to play at the next level they sure got the job done in their first year in their digs. Sophomore center Jason Reese was the main offensive weapon for the Panthers.  A solid post option who has a variety of moves and the strength and agility to pull them off with his six foot eight inch frame and a solid 240 on the plate.  Reese has a good overall game but does not have the type of size you would prefer at the center spot and he is not a shot blocker. But he does have the body and the work ethic to bang with anyone in this league.  He is the type of player that fans love because he makes the most out of his ability and plays with all desire and heart.  Reese led the team in scoring as a true freshman and though he is not a great board guy he sure takes up a significant amount of space.  This Des Moines product is the definition of corn fed and will be leading the team in the paint for the foreseeable future and this kid is not afraid to go toe to toe in the lane with anyone no matter how big they are! 

Senior Pete Spoden is a Stud. No other way to say it. Spoden is everything you want to be not only in a basketball player but he looks the part as well.  He looks so tough that Jack Palance may be intimidated. Spoden is a good board guy but does not have the size to dominate offensively inside though he does get his fair share of putbacks and is a bull getting to the rim. Nobody stands in the way when the ‘Big Guy’ comes down the lane.  The Dubuque product did help out consistently defensively and his rebounding will be missed.  This kid is so tough that when he broke his wrist he played two more games until they made him shut it down as strangely this six foot six 225 pounder might have a shot at the pros.  Well, in some sport as his athleticism has drawn the attention of the Cowboys who are famous for drafting athletes from other sports and this kid would be a heck of a tight end. Wherever he goes this kid will have an impact as he did in Cedar Falls as wherever this kid went he was respected and even idolized.  At least by the young ladies of Cedar Falls as this kids rugged good looks became quite an issue for the coeds.  . 

McDermott will be basically starting a double power forward lineup but he does have some more standard talent on the roster coming back. Junior Ron Lemons is a more prototypical small forward.  He started most of the year and contributed with solid minutes being able to score inside and out and help on the boards. This 6’7 kid from Des Moines is a team player and is a gifted passer for a big man. He does not get the recognition he should but he got invited to an all-star trip down under last summer and showed he belonged with some elite talent.  Lemons said after he returned that he learned a new style of play and is hoping to bring some of the skills he has acquired back to Cedar Falls.  He is the kind of terrific all-around talent every team needs on their roster. 

Bill McCoy is another junior wing who can score and pass.  This 6’4 Mr. Do everything was a big time recruit two years ago from tiny Iowa Falls and has not disappointed.  McCoy is a jackknife type player and got asked to play point last year as this team lacks a true quarterback.  McCoy is a solid distributor and his size helped but he is not quick enough to guard the athletic waterbugs in this league.  He will be moved back to the wing as McDermott has made it clear he is bringing in some studs including one Mr. Basketball Iowa to run his team this year.  McCoy will have to fight off some studs on the wing though as another Mr. Basketball Iowa took made his presence felt last year for the Panthers with not only his talent but his unreal intensity.            

Sophomore guard Randy Kraayenbrink is an aggressive player who brings a lot of emotion to the floor and sometimes gets a bit out of control. ‘Lunetic Fringe’ as he is known is a dang good basketball player who can heat it up when he gets going.  Kryaayenbrink also likes to go hard to the hoop and is not afraid of contact.  This small town kid (in tiny Paullina Iowa he is a legend) loves to get to the foul line and will also hit an open jumper and yes he has range past the fringe.  The fans love his aggressiveness and he has his own little rooting corner of McLeod called the ‘Kray Kray Korner’ where all of lunatic fanatics hang out.  His aggressiveness is contagious and he has most definitely become a leader on this team. He is one heck of a shooting guard but Miller had another pretty good one with his own routing section as well.   

The bench for McDermott is not deep in talent but there is some experience. Senior Jerry Waugh is 6 foot 3 and plays forward and can score but barely played after transferring from Iowa. This small town Iowa kid (Redding) was a huge recruit coming out of high school but has seemingly been lost the last three years.  He will get one more shot to shine after backing up Lemons last season at the three.  Another senior, Dick Beetsch, actually got more time on the court off the wing then Waugh did last year.  He had a terrific career with the Panthers not only on the court but on the football field.  The six footer from Mankato Minnesota (one of the rare non-Iowa recruits on the roster) is the top wide receiver on the football team and has been a valuable asset off the bench here. He will not be eligible until at least December this year and McDermott has plenty of guys coming in to challenge for jobs.  Fellow seniors Howie Pigg (great name for these parts) and Jerry Holbrook are also in the mix in the back court.  Holbrook got some minutes at point but like McCoy is not really a quarterback, he is more like Beetsch.  Sophomores Robbie ‘Angels’ Williams and Nick Nurse got more time on varsity then expected as they are true point guards but neither is going to keep their minutes long if McDermott has his way.  Which he will as he is the coach.  The front court returning players are in the same boat including James Jackson who was going to start at center.  He came into the year with high expectations after a good sophomore year but got hurt early on and was lost for the year and opened the door for Reese.  Fellow seniors Craig Kneppe, John Martin and Ken Huelman helped out as much as they could up front but they are undersized though like all Panthers are solid fundamentally.  Huelman played the most as he does go a svelte 6’8 and can score and board.  The other two are smaller but thicker but none of these three look to get more then mop up minutes with the new kids McDermott is bringing in. One of these kids the former Panther player has coming is his son Doug who is a stud.  He is a year away so won’t help this year but this forward can flat play especially on the offensive end. 

Coach Greg McDermott is a disciple of the old school method of playing basketball.  You play the game the way it was meant to be played with good fundamentals, sound defense and good teamwork.  You do not rely on superstars to carry your team though that might be changing in the near future. This way of thinking seems to be going out the window but McDermott showed that you can succeed with his style of play.  At least you can to a point.  The Panthers of Northern Iowa will still need to get some more talent if it wants to get over the hump and win a few conference championships or play in some postseason tournaments.  Of course this is just the type of style of play that drives big school’s nuts when they have to face a team like this in the big tourneys.  The problem is getting there.  But for now, the fans of Cedar Falls love the way their team plays and will continue to support them no matter what happens. And no matter who or where they play!