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| Senior center Reagan Chapman and the Kingsmen have embraced changes to start the 2016-17 season. Photo by Ryan Goff |
It was only fitting, really, that a quintessential Division III basketball star found a home in D-III for his senior year.
Wolfgang Wood spent three years in the NAIA, first as an all-conference player for La Sierra, then as a role player for two seasons at Arizona Christian.
But he wanted to be closer to home for his senior year and, having been recruited by Cal Lutheran out of high school, thought of it as a destination.
The move has been a boon for both he and the Kingsmen. Wood is averaging a team-best 23 points during CLU's 4-0 start, its best since 1996-97.
A 6-4, 195-pound forward, Wood dropped 36 points in CLU's most recent outing, a 91-83 win over George Fox on Saturday. He was 15-for-22 from the floor and added 11 rebounds.
"You find out at the Division III level that guys who are very successful are those hybrid-type players that may not be physically gifted athleticism-wise, or just physical-stature wise, but they're gifted in all aspects of the game," Cal Lutheran interim head coach Geoff Dains said. "I think Wolf kind of falls into that Division III mold ... If there's a big guy on him, he has the ability to go outside and if there's a small guy on him, he has the ability to go inside."
Wood, Dains and company are off to a winning start despite some uncertainty just weeks before the season began. After 22 seasons and 345 wins at Cal Lutheran, head coach Rich Rider informed his team after its Nov. 8 exhibition game that he was retiring, telling the Ventura County Star that the timing was "just personal."
Dains, an assistant at CLU for 20 years, was handed the interim job while a national search takes place.
"You don't substitute 45 years of coaching overnight, but luckily I was with Coach Rider for 20 of them and he laid an unbelievable foundation from which we can grow," Dains said. "It was about as seamless as it can be."
Wood has taken on the challenge of becoming a senior leader while also being new to the program. With three players who have been around for four years on the roster (Reagan Chapman, Sam Cirillo and Jacob Dawe), it hasn't been a difficult process for him or the other two newcomers in the starting lineup, freshman Blake Miles and Citrus College transfer Caleb Richey.
"They've welcomed me in and I didn't feel uncomfortable coming in where I was the odd man out. I felt like they welcomed me in with open arms," Wood said.
"I think the biggest thing with our team is we have great chemistry. Everybody hangs out with each other off the court and loves being around each other, whether it's just talking about basketball or talking about life in general."
The team, like most, has its eyes set on a conference championship. With non-conference games dotting the schedule before SCIAC play really ramps up after the holidays, the focus in practice this week has been what needs to be done to eventually reach that long-term goal.
That means a lot more defense. Kingsmen opponents are shooting 48.3 percent from the field, including 42.3 from 3-point range, in the early going.
"That was the first thing we discussed at (Monday's) practice," Dains said of areas to improve. "We're happy with 4-0, but we obviously understand that there's some things that we really need to work on."
Success on the court isn't the only thing that drew Wood to Cal Lutheran. He's an aspiring broadcaster and was impressed by Cal Lutheran's communications program.
Working in and remaining around basketball would be ideal.
Wood's father, Leon, played six seasons in the NBA and is now a referee in the league. Wolfgang has appreciated learning from pops, while knowing there would be no requirement to follow his footsteps.
"Everyone in my family played basketball, so I guess it eventually caught up to me," Wood said. "My family never pressured me into playing basketball, they kind of said when you want to play, you can play. I started loving the game. I fell in love with the game and from there, it just took off."
It's a love for the game that makes Cal Lutheran and Division III a perfect fit, even for just one year.
Progress for Lewis and Clark
A year removed from a three-win season, Lewis and Clark's women have already surpassed that win total before December begins.
The Pioneers are 4-1, though just one game has come against Division III competition – an 88-71 triumph over Redlands.
Four players average between 9 and 13 points, with 5-11 senior Ayisat Afolabi the leader at 12.6, plus 9.4 rebounds.
"The biggest thing is they're having fun," first-year head coach Pamela Findlay told L&C sports information. "We design practice to get work done and have fun. They are so talented and it is fun to see those pieces come together. They're finally starting to click in transition."
Is the Northwest Conference in for a tougher test against L&C? We'll begin finding out this week. Pacific Lutheran and Linfield are the Pioneers' first NWC opponents Friday and Saturday.
Three athletic departments unbeaten
As we prepare to flip the calendar to December, three schools have undefeated men's and women's teams.
Two of them are in the Iowa Conference – Central (4-0 men, 5-0 women) and Wartburg (5-0, 4-0) – and the other is Whitman (3-0, 5-0).
Whitman (men, No. 5) and Wartburg (women, No. 9) each have programs in the top 10 nationally, with the other receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com top 25.
Jordan Cannon kept the Wartburg men unbeaten at Governors State on Saturday with a go-ahead jumper with 0.4 seconds left.
George Fox a fourth-quarter team?
All three wins for the eighth-ranked George Fox women followed a similar script last week.
The Bruins outscored Redlands, Chapman and Cal Lutheran 72-47 in the fourth quarter last week, pulling away from a 47-47 tie, slim 49-47 lead and going on an 18-2 run against CLU to rally for a 62-57 victory.
Kimberly Frost's personal 8-0 run separated GF from Redlands as the fourth quarter began Wednesday.
Northwest Conference play begins this week, so Pacific and Puget Sound will have to be ready for the final 10 minutes.
Men's top performers
Sam Amsbaugh accounted for almost half of Simpson's scoring total when he put up 40 points against St. Mary's in an 82-66 victory Monday. Amsbaugh shot 14 of 18 from the floor, made 3 of 4 3-pointers and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Kyle Roach averaged 24 points in a pair of wins for No. 12 Whitworth over the weekend. First, he had a career high 28, boosted by five 3s in a 95-87 win over Texas Lutheran. Next, he complemented Kenny Love's 25 points with 20, including four 3s, as the Pirates blew out Schreiner, 87-63.
La Verne is off to a 2-0 start, thanks in large part to Hakim Arnold. After a near triple double (22 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds) in the season opener against Oglethorpe (98-92), Arnold went for 29 points and 16 boards against Wisconsin Lutheran (84-72).
Nebraska Wesleyan's freshmen will grab plenty of headlines, but don't forget the holdovers from one of the best teams in school history. One of those, 6-5 sophomore Cooper Cook, was outstanding in the Prairie Wolves' home tournament. He had 29 points as NWU beat Blackburn 121-93 – a new top mark for points in the Dale Wellman era – then 20, including 18 in the first half, in Saturday's 104-103 win over Westminster.
Women's top performers
Mikayla Miller averaged 30 points as Gustavus Adolphus improved to 6-0, its best start since 2008-09. Miller notched 34 points and eight steals in a 67-47 win over UW-La Crosse, then 26 points, eight more steals and five assists as the Gusties beat Buena Vista 83-71.
Kylie Towry is Willamette's new career leader in 3-point makes. Towry surpassed the previous record of 174 when she made 5 of 9 as the Bearcats beat Walla Walla 88-56. Now at 178 3-pointers for her career, Towry has combined for 10 3s and 43 points in her last two games.
Emily Dine set a Central record with eight 3-pointers (on 12 attempts) on her way to 26 points as the Dutch beat Iowa Wesleyan 66-50.
Anna Madrigal knocked down 6 of 7 3-point attempts and scored 22 points as Luther earned its first win of the season Tuesday against UW-Platteville. The Norse tied a program record with 18 treys in the 99-90 victory.
It came in a loss, but don't fault Alaina Woo. The Pomona-Pitzer star went 6 for 11 from deep and scored 37 points in an 84-76 loss to Linfield.
Hidden gem of the week
Six (6!) Willamette players fouled out in Saturday's game against Augsburg. Jordan Jenkins, Nico Troplent, Dylan Critchfield, Jared Baumgartner, Johnny Verduin and Brendon McCullough all hit the bench early as the Auggies made 38 of 47 free throws and won 85-73.
Over to you
Have a story idea? Something you want to see featured here? Feel free to reach out. You can contact me via email (nathan.ford@d3sports.com) and find me on Twitter (@NathanTFord).
