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Coach Platt's Outlook
Challenges and Prospects for the New Season
Optimism Reigns
Mark my words, I've never seen coach Platt in such a happy mood in the middle of September, when the basketball season is still a month and a half away! I can think of only three reasons why this is so:
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#1. He's just about finished up his fall harvesting,
#2. He really likes that new SUV he's driving around, or
#3. He got blessed with one heck of a bunch of good players.
Even though it may be because of reasons #1 or #2 or both (or all of the above), for the sake of HC Hoops News and, most importantly, for the |
benefit of my article, I'm going with reason #3.
Talent and Leadership
"We have some great new recruits in Alex, Doug and Trent, however it's going to be the leadership of the upper classmen that is going to make or break us this year," says Coach Platt.
"Chase Verba has been the vocal leader early on, and Adam Bontreger has set a great example for the younger guys," the Coach continues.
And that's a good point. Even though this team does have a lot of good playing experience, they are still fairly young; there's only one senior and three juniors on this team.
As Coach Platt says, "We're young and we're playing in tough league. To combat those two things, I think you will see one of the most versatile, compatible, and unselfish teams in HC history."
The versatility the Coach is talking about comes from having three 6' 6 guys that can bring the ball up the floor and some guards that can penetrate or play in the post. "We are going to look for the mismatches and get the ball to where it needs to go," Coach says.
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Playing the Best
It has always been Coach Platt's philosophy to play the best competition possible, and this year is certainly no different.
The Coach has put his players up to the task of playing three NCAA D1 schools, three NAIA D1 schools, and four NAIA schools that were rated in the top 20 at the end of last season. PLUS, they're in the toughest NAIA D2 conference in the country.
"There are two main reasons for scheduling the toughest schedule possible," Coach says. "The first reason is for the player's sake. I know when I played, I wanted to play against the best competition possible and that's the same mentality my players have. Secondly, if these teams can't prepare us for the tournament, nobody can," states Platt.
Over the past 5 years tough scheduling has paid off. The Forester have had a chance to STAMPEDE in four of them! Nothing like a trip to Branson.
-- by Ryan Thwaits
Forester Facts
Not Your Typical Small College Team
Nationally Recognized
Head Coach Steve Platt is starting his 11th season at Huntington College and, in the most recent five years, the Foresters have achieved national recognition.
The NAIA has a tournament qualification process which selects 32 teams from the 160 schools all across the country (some with more than 10,000 students) to compete for the national championship, based on their conference performances and national ratings. Huntington has qualified four of the past five years.
And the Foresters have done more than just qualify; they've made a mark. In 2000 the Foresters were in the Final Four; in 2002 the Sweet Sixteen, in 2003 the Elite Eight, and in 2004 it was another Sweet Sixteen, showing they deserved their #14 national ranking.
True to its mission, the NAIA values scholarship, and the Foresters have done well in that arena too. During Coach Platt's tenure, the Foresters have had 7 NAIA Academic All-Americans, and his teams have produced a combined 3.03 GPA over the past 6 years. You won't find that kind of balance of athletic performance and academic excellence at very many schools.
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