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MORE PLAYERS THIS YEAR
The 2006-07 Foresters add five new faces to the roster this season. With nine players returning, the roster will be at fourteen. It might have been fifteen, but Todd Dale has decided to forego playing this season.
But forget the basketball talk; let me tell you more about these individuals.
Kyle spent the summer helping his dad out on their dairy farm up in Michigan. Even with all of the work on the farm, he still found time to play some recreational basketball. Led by roommate and Forester fan Brian Lambright, their team finished second in the LaGrange (IN) Park League.
While Kyle valued playing the championship game at last year's National Tournament, he still feels there is more to accomplish. True to his laid-back style, Kyle is not intimidated by the high expectations placed on this year's team. Instead, he is quite confident in his teammates and what they are capable of doing as a team.
After the awards he garnered last season, no one would blame him if the recognition went to his head, but with Kyle it is quite the opposite. He just keeps everything in perspective and, if anything, he considers himself fortunate, "I get to play a game I love with some of my best friends," he says. "It doesn't get any better than that."
Kyle is looking forward to his senior season where he hopes to not only return to the final game, but to bring home the NAIA National Championship, in addition to the MCC Conference Championship.
This past summer James had an internship with Ackley Properties Management where he kept financial records and traded stock. He says that he learned a lot and even had fun in the process. He also did quite a bit of landscaping work with his brother, Ben, and they played in the Harlan Days basketball tournament. James was named MVP.
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However, the following week, he used up most of his planned lake vacation in the hospital because of a staph infection in his elbow. Thankfully, it didn't hinder his work ethic; he had a basketball in hand even before the doctors gave him the green light.
James predicts that this season is going to require some hard work, but also be a lot of fun. He is pleased with the abilities of this year's incoming freshman class. He's also pleased with the continued camaraderie of the returning players. "We are shaping up for another strong season," he says. "We have some really high hopes."
James is also excited about a planned addition to his already large family. Next summer, he will be Best Man for his older sister when she marries former HU baseball player, Greg Slee.
There will undoubtedly be a lot of eyes focused on Alex this season. As a senior and returning All-American, Alex is very much aware of the pressure to perform, but he's taking it all in stride.
To prepare for his final year of college, Alex didn't want anything to reduce his focus on his favorite sport, not even the traditional summer job. "I stayed home this summer," he explains. "I worked out at DeKalb High School four or five times a week and those workouts kept me pretty busy."
Like his teammates, Alex is looking forward to this season. "I think expectations will be high for this team," he admits, "but we will work hard every day to achieve what we want to achieve." Alex is certainly no stranger to hard work; he's well aware that individual talent is not enough. It takes work to turn natural talent into a useful capability, and a team must function as a unit to win a National Title.
"We lost two key players, but we have a lot of solid players returning this season who contributed last year," he says of his team-mates. "I think our biggest strength is our willingness to work together as a team."
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Kyle Ganton
James Haifley
Alex Kock
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