CHICAGO, IL (November 21, 2002) - A year ago the point guard was playing forward, the top returning scoring threat was a reserve and the team's most veteran player was hardly seeing any playing time.

Such was the case with Sneed Deaderick, Lamar Townsend and Javier Sanchez, the top returning perimeter players for the North Park University (NPU) basketball team heading into its season opener at Concordia University in River Forest last Friday evening. Their improved play last winter gave head coach Rees Johnson reason for optimism for the 2002-02 season. And with the presence of top inside scorer Larry Moore, NPU seems to have the continuity it lacked for most of last season during an 11-14 campaign.

Johnson (52-48 in four years at NPU) lost one starter (Irving Richardson) early last season to a hand injury and his top scorer at the midway point (Maurice Vaughn) was gone by season's end. Those developments, along with some inconsistent team play in January, gave Townsend and Sanchez an opportunity for more playing time and they took advantage of the added minutes. Townsend led or co-led NPU in scoring in five of the team's final seven games and averaged 14 points per game after getting a chance to start. Meanwhile, Sanchez, who has lettered two years for the Vikings, scored in double figures in five of the final seven contests in which he participated.

Deaderick (10 points per game) can score points in bunches, too - he tallied 26 points against Menlo College of Whittier, California last year, for example - but his willingness to distribute the ball after switching positions coincided with improved team play after the Vikings lost 80-62 against Carthage College and 92-70 at Augustana College.

With Deaderick, Townsend and Sanchez combining for 41 points, the Vikings beat Millikin University 91-87 in the following game by shooting 56 percent from the field. Later, Townsend scored 25 points in a game against Elmhurst College and finished third in 3-point field goal percentage while finishing the year with a 6.6 points-per-game average. Sanchez averaged seven points per contest and shot 54 percent from the field, second best on the team. Assistant coach Paul Brenegan believes the Vikings can move up in the CCIW if the trio continues its strong play. The team's 6-8 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is deceiving, given that NPU lost three conference games by four points or less.

"Javier (Sanchez) gives us a toughness and physical presence that we need and Lamar (Townsend) is a kid who is going to be a special player for us," said Brenegan, the lead recruiter for NPU. "Sneed (Deaderick) seems more natural to the point for us and the more accustomed he gets to the point the better he gets."

Moore (6.9 points per game) received significant playing time for most of the season, but wasn't a scoring threat until midway through the year. In the final seven games, however, Moore shot 80 percent from the field (25-of-31) and finished the year shooting 61 percent from the field, with a conference-best field goal percentage of .622.

North Park's top returning reserve, senior Aaron Coleman, might start for the Vikings early this season. He scored in double figures three times in 2001-02. Richardson provided athleticism during last year's nonleague slate before being injured and gives the team depth at forward. Another returnee who could become a starter is guard Michael Lewis, although an injury to his shooting hand during preseason might hurt his chances. The coaching staff also mentioned Chris Edquist and Billy Lebeter, junior varsity players last year, among those who could see significant playing time.

Two transfers, senior point guard Jimmy Mack and junior forward Gibron Duhe, could help the Vikings down the road. Mack, a transfer from Chicago State University, is recovering from hernia surgery. Duhe played at the University of Seattle, a Division II school. A pair of freshman, 6-foot-10-inch center Justin Pratt and guard Avery Lawrence, give coaches optimism for the future.