64934 wk pdf 51.qxp - University of North Dakota Athletics

2006-07 OUTLOOK
the UND program, which will help with
the transition of a new coach and the skill
to lead the Sioux.
“Guard play will be critical to our success,”
Jones said. “There is a lot of depth
at these positions which will be a strength
of ours.”
Doyle, who played in 26 games last season
and started in 24, was one of UND’s
top scorers in 2005-06. He finished third
on the team with 10.3 points per game,
which ranked 19th-best in the North
Central Conference. Doyle also shot a
team-leading 42.9 percent from behind the
three-point line.
By Matt Schill, Publications Editor
There are many things different about
the 2006-07 University of North Dakota
men’s basketball team. For the first time
in 18 years, there is a new coach at the
helm of the program. There’s a new assistant
coach, too. Three seniors have graduated
and there are nine players on the roster
who have not played a game for the
Sioux in previous seasons.
However, there are many, if not more,
things that have remained the same. The
tradition. The pride. The sense of the community.
The family. Those are the things
that make Fighting Sioux basketball special.
And even with the change, this is still
the same UND.
“We want to lay the foundation for the
future,” new head coach Brian Jones said.
“As a program we are interested in
doing the right job right all the time and
not only on days when we feel good.”
Jones was named the 18th head coach in
UND history on May 19, 2006. Before getting
hired at UND, Jones, a Rock Island,
Ill., native, spent the last seven seasons as
an assistant on Steve Alford’s staff at
Iowa.
During Jones’ five years as assistant
coach, the Hawkeyes went 98-64 (.605),
received three NCAA Tournament invitations
and won a pair of Big Ten tournament
titles.
Jones has big shoes to fill at UND,
replacing Rich Glas, who is the winningest
coach in Fighting Sioux history.
“We’re really going to focus on the
process,” Jones said on the day he was
hired. “The process for me is teaching and
learning, coming together as a unit and
understanding what it takes to be a championship
style team consistently. We want
to pride ourselves on excellence and doing
the right job all the time.”
Assistant coach Chris Johnson and graduate
assistant Jayden Olson have stayed on
board from last season, while Ryan Moody
was hired as an assistant coach to replace
Randall Herbst, who took a job in Florida.
The Sioux will also have a new look on
the court. UND has only five returning
players that have playing time in a Sioux
jersey last season.
That doesn’t mean the Sioux don’t have
any playing experience, however. UND
has five new transfers this season and
returns three players that were redshirted
last season.
Jones said unity will be a big part of this
team.
“Early on, chemistry will be the most
important thing to our ball club,” Jones
said. “We must understand our roles and
perfect them throughout the season. With
a lot of challenging road games early in
difficult environments, we will need to
draw upon our unity and identity to be successful.”
GUARDS
Juniors Josh Doyle and Jimmy Hoy
anchor a deep group of talented guards.
Both upperclassmen have experience in
Jimmy
Hoy
Hoy appeared in 27 games last season
and started 15. He averaged 7.2 points and
4.1 rebounds per game. Hoy also has
become a leader in non-game situations as
well, leading the Sioux during workouts
and during practices.
Also returning to the Sioux are sophomores
Wes Porter and Daniel Harkins.
As a freshman last season, Porter came off
the bench for most of the season and averaged
10.5 minutes a game.
Harkins also had a successful freshman
year. Harkins appeared in 26 games and
made 16 starts, averaging 7.6 points per
game, but was hampered at the end of the
year by an injury.
From there, it is a bit of unknown. The
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