Scots to Be Tested Early as Part of 43rd Annual "Mose" Hole Classic

Tom Port, the 2004 MVP of the "Mose" Hole Classic, is averaging nearly 20.0 points this season.

Most years it’s an afterthought that The College of Wooster will advance to the finals of its own “Mose” Hole/ Kiwanis Classic, having done so each of the last 19 seasons by an average margin of 26.3 points in opening-round games. However, the Fighting Scots, who have gone on to capture six of the last seven “Mose” Hole titles and an even dozen during this stretch (since 1986), have their work cut out to make it 20 finals in a row, as they’ll play fellow nationally-ranked and current Ohio Athletic Conference leader Baldwin-Wallace College as part of the first round of the 43rd edition of this tournament.

The “Mose” Hole has a long tradition of pitting top-ranked teams against one another, including as recently as 2003 when then-No. 12 Wooster upended No. 4 Hanover College 68-61 in the championship game. Baldwin-Wallace (8-1), ranked 17th in the latest D3hoops.com poll, will not only be looking for the upset against the No. 2 rated Scots (9-0), but the Yellow Jackets are aiming to avenge last year’s decisive 94-78 loss at Wooster in the NCAA Div. III Tournament, also a first-round game.

Lycoming College (6-4) and Thiel College (2-7) will tip-off the annual “Mose” Hole/Kiwanis Classic on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 5:30 p.m., followed by Baldwin-Wallace vs. Wooster at 7:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

Baldwin-Wallace has certainly earned its national recognition, having won every game its played except for a close loss to current No. 6 Albion College (75-72) in the finals of the National City Holiday Classic, hosted by Allegheny College over Thanksgiving weekend. Since then, the Yellow Jackets have gotten off to a 4-0 start in the highly-competitive OAC, including single-digit victories at Ohio Northern University (67-65) and against Capital University (85-82). Long-time head coach Steve Bankson, now in his 25th season at the school, has Baldwin-Wallace putting up over 90 points per night (92.2), led by preseason All-American Tori Davis. The junior standout has lived up to his billing, as he’s pacing the OAC in scoring (23.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg) while also blocking 15 shots. Davis isn’t alone in the paint, as senior Dan Gundert  has been tallying 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. On the perimeter, the Yellow Jackets have two more double-digit scorers in senior Keith Aufmuth (12.8 ppg) and sophomore Brendan Schuler (11.8 ppg). They’re both 3-point threats, especially Schuler, who has hit over 50 percent from the arc (25-of-49), including an OAC-record 13-straight earlier this season.

Third-year mentor Don Friday brings a streaking Lycoming squad to Wooster, with the Warriors having won four of their last five. The only loss during that stretch was at 22nd-ranked Carnegie Mellon University (99-83). Defense is typically the name of the game for Lycoming, which has held five opponents to less than 60 points this season and average 64.1 points allowed on a .407 field-goal percentage. Offensively, senior swing-man Jonathan Pribble currently paces the team in scoring (19.9 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), and 3-pointers made (27), and earlier this season, he dropped 36 points on Widener University. First-year post Greg Sye has made an immediate impact, as he’s second to Pribble in both scoring (10.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg), while four other Lycoming players are averaging 6.0-plus points. Noteworthy, senior point guard Brad Musser has combined for 26 assists the last two games, including a school-record 14 in a 67-42 win over Elmira College, and he’s averaging 7.3 per game.

Thiel is a young team, consisting of four freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors, and two seniors who have played in more than half of its games. In spite of the Tomcats’ youth, fourth-year head coach Mike Snell set up a challenging schedule, including Capital (79-92), Div. II Indiana University of Pennsylvania (61-112), and this tourney. They offer a balanced attack with six players averaging better than 8.0 points per game and 10 double-digit minutes. Joe Herrmann is Thiel’s top player, as the sophomore forward does a little bit of everything, averaging team-bests of 16.0 points, 7.7 boards, 1.7 blocked shots, and 3.0 steals. The Tomcats also have several potent outside shooters, including junior Brad Bowman, senior Damien Williams, and senior Stephen Laird, who have combined for 35 3-poitners on 42.2 percent shooting (35-of-83).

The host Scots have been executing a high-powered offense under head coach Steve Moore to near-perfection thus far during 2005-06. Wooster is one of the top scoring teams in the nation at 102.7 points per game, having eclipsed the century mark four times already. One key is the Scots’ efficiency, as they’re converting 54.1 percent of their field goal attempts and 42.9 percent on 3-pointers. Also, they’re still maintaining their traditional emphasis of defense and rebounding, holding opponents to a .415 field-goal rate and owning +6.9 edge on the glass. Leading the way has been sophomore shooting guard James Cooper, senior forward Tom Port, junior post Tim Vandervaart, and senior guard Kyle Witucky. Cooper is second in the conference scoring race (20.9 ppg) and coming off a career-high 28 markers against Westminster (Pa.) College. Port and Vandervaart are at 19.1 and 14.9 points per game, respectively, with the latter also contributing a league-leading 9.4 caroms and 2.1 blocks. Five others are posting 6.0-plus points per contest, including Witucky (9.7 ppg), who has been as solid as ever at the point with 43 assists (4.8 apg), compared to just 13 turnovers.

On Friday, the consolation contest will take place at 5:30 p.m., while the championship is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. Trophies to the championship and runner-up teams will be presented and the all-tournament team will be announced at the conclusion of the title game.