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AUG.
11 — Challenging Schedule In Place For 2005-2006
Daugherty
plans for ever-tough MCC with demanding November, December |
Goshen, IN — The Goshen College athletic
department officially released its 2005-2006 men’s basketball schedule
Thursday afternoon, detailing the program’s agenda in a highly
anticipated year.
For Goshen head coach Stan Daugherty, back-to-back 21-win seasons
equated to one thing when it came to planning for ’05-’06:
A more demanding schedule.
“I am excited about this year’s schedule from the standpoint
that it will be more challenging from the beginning of the season to the
start
of conference play,” Daugherty said. “I look for the conference
to be as strong as ever and we will have to play our best to
be in a position to win in any of the conference games. Hopefully our
pre-league schedule
will put us in some equally tough situations.”
With four teams that were ranked in the NAIA Top 25 at some point
in 2004-2005 and an NCAA Division II powerhouse helping to comprise the
Leafs’ pre-conference slate, it’s safe to say Daugherty has
reached his goal.
Goshen will open the season with its annual McDonald’s Maple City
Hoopfest, a tournament that promises to make the Halloween weekend
interesting. Calumet College — once ranked 25th in the nation last
season — and
Indiana University Southeast will both visit the Roman Gingerich
Center, with the possibility of a Goshen-I.U. Southeast championship
game on everyone’s
mind. Last season Goshen dropped a heartbreaking 78-77 overtime
decision in the Ramada Limited Indiana University Southeast Tournament
to the Grenadiers, as I.U. Southeast finished 2004-2005 ranked
23rd in the country.
Daugherty’s squad will get its fair share of difficult road environments
as well, traveling to Iowa to participate in a classic at Ashford
University that features both St. Ambrose University and Morningside
College, two
teams that finished ’04-’05 tied for 25th-ranking in the final
NAIA poll. The Leafs will also play in a holiday tournament at
NCAA Division III power Hope College, with details still to be
determined. Perhaps
the most difficult test will occur on Nov. 15, however, as Goshen
will serve as the home opener for NCAA Division II Grand Valley
State University,
a team that finished 18-10 last season in one of the toughest
conferences in the country. The Leafs will face the Lakers just
10 days after
they open on the road
against the University of Michigan.
These highlights help set a precursor to the rigorous Mid-Central
Conference season, where five of the nine teams were ranked in the NAIA’s
Top 25 at one time including Huntington University finishing ranked seventh
and Taylor University 14th.
“Overall it is an exciting and challenging schedule this year,” Daugherty
said. “It’s my hope that we can continue the tremendous fan
support that we received down the stretch last season. It should
be fun to watch.”
Goshen finished the 2004-2005 season with an overall
record of 21-11, reaching the 20-win plateau for the second consecutive
time, and in program history. The team’s MCC mark of 9-7 was
good for a third-place finish, allowing Goshen to host a MCC
Tournament game for the fist time in school history.
To view the Leafs’ 2005-2006 complete season
schedule, click here. |
Head
coach Stan Daugherty
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