Success is the standard for the Fort Lewis men’s basketball program, winner of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles in 2002 and 2005, but even coach Bob Hofman did not expect his current team to start 4-0 in the RMAC and 7-1 overall.
After all, six of his top seven players moved on via graduation or eligibility expiration after posting a 22-6 record and sharing the most recent championship with powerhouses Metro State and Nebraska-Kearney.
“This is surprising to me,” Hofman said. “Last year’s team had one of the highest basketball IQs of any team ever by far.”
The former University of Colorado point guard relies on 25 years as a high school and college coach to start over with this freshman-dominated squad, emphasizing the finer points of passing and aggressive defense. Hofman is in the sixth season of his second go-round at the Durango school; he coached Fort Lewis four seasons from 1983-87 before taking a Division I job at Eastern Washington, where he won 1990 Big Sky Conference coach of the year honors.
With four quick, well-conditioned guards taking turns, the new Skyhawks are known for hounding and wearing out opposing point guards. They strive to pressure the ball on every trip upcourt and have forced 18.6 turnovers per game while averaging 11.1 steals.
“It’s fun to watch. And I don’t have to do it,” Fort Lewis forward Tim Bieri said. “That’s probably the No. 1 key to our start so far.”
The key pressure defenders are three Ryans and a Ben: Ryan Johnson, a junior from Eagle- crest High School; Ryan Jameson, a redshirt freshman from Durango; Ryan Mortensen, a freshman from Montezuma- Cortez; and Ben Martinez, a junior from Durango.
Mortensen, the son of a coach, Wade Mortensen, is an exceptional first-year player.
“He doesn’t have a freshman mentality,” Hofman said. “And he’s as conditioned as any player I’ve ever coached. He never gets tired.”
While Bieri is no slacker on defense, averaging an RMAC-leading 2.1 blocked shots and 2.5 steals, third-best in the RMAC, his responsibilities on offense have increased.
The Skyhawks’ lone returning starter and team captain, Bieri averaged 26.6 minutes and 12.4 points on team-leading 61.2 percent field-goal shooting last season. He now is logging 34 minutes per game and averaging 18.3 points despite a reluctance to be the main offensive threat.
“We fight with him,” Hofman said, chuckling. “We say, ‘Tim, you’re a 60 percent shooter, shoot the ball!’ He’s harder on himself than a coach has to be. If he misses a few, then he thinks he should stop shooting. I say, ‘If you miss seven in a row, you’ll make the next nine.”‘
Bieri, a 6-foot-5 junior from Berthoud, admits his shooting habits are a topic of discussion.
“I do get a lot of people telling me to shoot, but we have a lot of guys who can shoot lights out and I have faith in them,” he said. “Since I am one of the main returners, there’s not too much pressure, but I do feel a responsibility to get the offense going.”
Fort Lewis takes a break from conference play, beginning Wednesday with three games in California, as Hofman labors to integrate junior college transfer Gerald Bryant and five freshmen into the 10-man rotation.
“We’re still defining roles,” he said.
Fort Lewis freshmen Geoff Willcox, a 6-8 forward from ThunderRidge High School, and Nick McNabb, a 6-6 forward from Silver Creek, are among the works in progress.
“Willcox and McNabb are going to be great for us,” Hofman said.
Around the RMAC
Metro State men’s star Drew Williamson averages a conference-best 4.2 steals. … Colorado Christian’s Brian Stamer, a 6-6 sophomore from Highlands Ranch High School, totaled 41 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in two games last weekend. … Among the usual list of players’ favorites in media guides (food, music, TV show) is a different one, reflecting the academic side: favorite professor. In Ryan Jameson’s case, it is biology professor Joseph Ortega.
