F ighting S ioux M en ' s B asketball 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 1 - University of ...

Senior Mike Johnson
always key and the Sioux possess one of
the North Central Conference’s best pure
shooters in Steve Bradley. The senior
knocked down nearly 40 percent of his
three-pointers last season, including
lighting up Minnesota-Morris for a careerhigh
eight triples on Nov. 24.
“Steve’s strength is shooting the ball and
you always need that person to come in and
knock down some jump shots for you and
he's capable of doing that,” said Glas.
Another player expected to work his way
into the rotation is junior college transfer
Shawn Swan. The athletic Swan was
named the Region 9 Player of the Year at
Northeast Community College (Neb.) last
season.
“His basic strength is going to be on the
defensive end–to be the guy that can shut
people down and not allow them to have
their offensive game shine that particular
game or when he’s on that court,” Glas
emphasized. “But he’s also capable of
scoring, I wouldn't say he’s a great shooter,
but he can score. He’s very good at getting
to the rim and creating opportunities for
others when they have to pick up Shawn on
the drive, he’s capable of passing the ball.”
2004-05 Season Outlook
A pair of freshmen will also
battle for playing time in Jimmy
Hoy and Tommy Leikas. Both
players redshirted last season and
fill out an impressive list of
guards on UND's roster.
“Tommy’s a pest on the
defensive end,” Glas notes.
“Guys weren’t too fond of him
guarding them in practice, he’s a
hard worker and Jimmy’s a great
young guy who works his butt off
and keeps getting better and
better each day, which may allow
him to be a factor in the future.”
The Forwards
Certainly a strength of the Sioux
this season looks to be the
perimeter game. With talent and
depth at guard and an
experienced mix of slashers and
shooters at forward, the Sioux
will hope to be able to provide
opportunities to get to the basket
through strong outside play.
One player who brings that hardnosed
get-to-the-basket attitude is senior
Mike Johnson. Now in his third season in
the starting lineup, the
success of the Fighting
Sioux will depend heavily
on Johnson’s ability to
slash to the rim and create
opportunities.
“Mike’s ability is to
defend people and he can
go rebound,” said Glas.
“He’s one of the better
rebounders on our team.
Offensively, he can get to
the rim, he’s good at
putting the ball in the
basket and slashing to the
hole and he’s also
capable of knocking
down the three-point
shot. It's just consistency
is going to be the key to
his success.”
Junior Evan Lindahl is
coming off an allconference
selection last
season and hopes to
provide the Sioux with
the scoring punch that he
Senior Todd Rypkema
did in 2003-04. The 6-foot-10 Lindahl isn't
your prototypical 3 or 4 player as he
possesses great touch from outside and the
ability to carry a team when he's knocking
down his shots.
“He’s really improved on putting the ball
on the floor and getting to the rim,” Glas
noted of Lindahl's off-season
improvements. “It’s just the strength factor
now, being able to bang with people down
there in the post and increase his ability to
defend and rebound the basketball.
Offensively, he's very gifted and will have
a significant impact on our team.”
Adam Jacobson will shift his focus to the
four-spot this season after mainly playing
at the wing last year. The junior made 14
starts last year as the Sioux struggled
through injury problems. Look for
Jacobson to provide all-around talent, as
the versatile junior can knock-down the
three ball as well as dish it out, finishing
fourth on the team in assists last season.
“With our offensive scheme this year, we'll
play more four out and one in,” Glas said.
“He fits that position for us, he can knock
down those perimeter jump shots and put it
to the floor and get to the rim.”
Fighting Sioux Men’s Basketball 2004-05
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