Viking Basketball Teams Begin Season Play Tonight

CHICAGO, IL (November 21, 2003) - The 2003-04 North Park University (NPU) men's and women's basketball teams begin regular season play tonight as the men play a 7:30 p.m. home game against Edgewood and the women play Principia College during the two-day Stephen's Invitational in Missouri.

The men's team, coached by Rees Johnson, returns three key players from last year's 12-13 squad. Senior guard Javier Sanchez, a three-year player, averaged 8.4 points per game and will play forward. Lamar Townsend and Chris Edquist are slated to play at off guard this season. Townsend averaged 11.1 points per game in 2002-03, but an ankle injury has slowed his progress during the preseason, giving Edquist (a reserve point guard last year) a shot at starting.

Two transfer students, Cal Ecker (previously at Charleston Southern) and Matt Wolfe (Marquette University) are expected to start at point guard and forward respectively. Cal's appearance in the North Park lineup is a continuation of a long family history at the school. Cal's father (Jon), uncle (Ted), brother (A.J.) and cousin (Jack) all played at North Park. Each is among the leaders or is first in at least one scoring, rebounding or shooting percentage category.

Others competing for playing time at guard are junior Matt Lindahl of Iron River, Michigan (Grace Covenant Church) and freshmen Cory Wilks and Brent Roberts. Steve Reynolds of Southwest Covenant Church in Lockport, Illinois, is also on the North Park roster.

Returnees Gibran Duhe, Brett Mathisen and Bojan Arnautovic and freshman Dewon Byrd are the candidates for extended playing time at the post positions. The team's top player from last year, senior Sneed Deaderick, is appealing to the NCAA to get one more year of athletic eligibility, although no decision has been made. He averaged 16 points per game a year ago and was an All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) selection.

The women's team, coached by Jack Surridge, has its top two scorers back from last year's 8-16 club. Sophomores Megan Slattery and Shandrel Young finished second and third respectively in scoring during conference. Slattery made the All-CCIW team and Young set a conference record for foul shots made, making them bright lights during an 8-16 season.

Three transfer guards, Colorado junior college teammates Alana Benner and Tiffany Campbell and Laura Mount of Indiana University, give the Vikings plenty of firepower from outside. They'll replace graduated All-Conference point guard Amy Stoltz.

Returnees Redina Hall, Amy Prokopowicz, Molly Mitchell and Sara Teachout provide experience and defensive skills and Surridge is encouraged by the talents of freshmen Alex Coleman, Latoya Taris-James, Cassie Christensen and Emily Brown.

Both North Park basketball teams will play at home next Tuesday. The women's team hosts Benedictine University at 6 p.m. while the men's team plays visiting Concordia University of River Forest at 8 p.m. The women open CCIW play at Millikin University on December 2 while the men's team begins conference action at Millikin on January 10.

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