Both Viking Teams Face Promising Seasons

CHICAGO, IL (November 19, 2001) - North Park University (NPU) has produced two straight winning seasons in men's basketball and coach Rees Johnson expects the same kind of success this year, albeit with a completely revamped lineup.

The Vikings graduated four starters and a key reserve from a squad that finished 13-12 a year ago. But a large number of transfer students and the return of senior guard Jason Collins give Johnson hope that NPU can improve upon its 4-10 record in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Collins, who is from Aurora, Illinois, was a key contributor at guard for Johnson last year. He led the team in scoring with an average 13.7 points per game, shot 40 percent from the three-point line and usually drew the tougher defensive assignments on the perimeter.

Two other guards return after making an impact as reserves. Senior Byron Pullen averaged nearly five points per contest. Sophomore Javier Sanchez averaged nearly four points per game, getting valuable minutes during the conference season. Both Pullen and Sanchez are from Chicago. A junior varsity player, sophomore Chris Edquist of LaPorte, Indiana, will also vie for playing time at point guard.

Transfers who are expected to help North Park's front court play include 6-foot-6 senior Irving Richardson (Centenary College) and 6-foot-4 junior Sneed Deaderick (DePaul University). Richardson and Pullen played prep basketball together at Providence-St. Mel High School in Chicago. Another forward is Aaron Coleman, a junior from College of Lake County. The biggest transfer is 6-foot-8 sophomore Larry Moore from Kishwaukee Community College in DeKalb, Illinois. Meanwhile, guard Tyrone Hueston, a senior, comes from Dominican University.

Six freshmen are currently on the varsity roster, including two 6-foot-6 players - Joel Youngberg of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Jerome Burton of University Park, Illinois. Maurice Vaughn, a teammate of Sanchez at Prosser High School, is a 6-foot-5 forward, while Sam Harris, a 6-foot-3 guard, played at Providence-St. Mel. A fifth freshman is 6-foot-3 guard Ryan Voorhies of Jenison, Michigan. A sixth, Lamar Townsend, comes from St. Francis De Sales in Chicago.

Vaughn scored 19 points off the bench and Richardson and Collins had 12 points each as North Park opened its season Friday with a 76-66 home win over Dominican. The Vikings travel to Hawaii for a tournament and a non-league contest over Thanksgiving break and then return to Chicago for home games December 7 against Northwestern College of Minnesota and December 8 against Rockford University. The team's conference opener is at Illinois Wesleyan University January 12.

Unlike the men's team, the women's squad returns four players who started much of last season for coach Jack Surridge. The Vikings hope to better last year's 12-12 record with the return of first-team All-CCIW player Andrea Mendyk, who averaged 13.3 points per game.

Mendyk, a guard/forward from Chicago, is a three-year standout with 943 points and 138 steals to her credit, along with a 75 percent free throw shooting average. All three totals put her among the top players in the university's history. Classmate Heather Fitzgerald and junior point guard Amy Stoltz, both hailing from Des Plaines, Illinois, combined for 15 points a year ago. North Park had 146 fewer turnovers than its opponents - the ball-handling ability of Stoltz was a good reason for that margin.

The tallest returnee, 6-foot-1 junior center Carrie Swenson, scored 9.5 points per game a season ago and averaged nearly six rebounds. Swenson, who is from Little Falls, Minnesota, led her team with 39 blocked shots. Junior Sara Sietsema of Coopersville, Michigan, was a reserve last year, playing all 24 games.

The women Vikings opened at the Smith University tournament in Massachusetts this past weekend. The Vikings open their home schedule with a 7:30 p.m. non-league game against Benedictine University November 20 and play the CCIW opener at Elmhurst College December 6 at 8 p.m.

For more information about NPU basketball, call the school's Sports Information Director Chris Nelson at 773-244-5670.

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