CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2022-23 American Rivers Conference's Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2022-23 American Rivers Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2021-22 Record |
| 1. |
Dubuque (5) |
61 |
21-7 overall, 14-2 A-R-C (A-R-C Champions) |
| 2. |
Wartburg (3) |
50 |
16-10 overall, 9-7 A-R-C |
| t-3. |
Buena Vista (1) |
44 |
15-12 overall, 11-5 A-R-C |
| t-3. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
44 |
14-12 overall, 8-8 A-R-C |
| 5. |
Loras |
41 |
18-9 overall, 9-7 A-R-C |
| 6. |
Coe |
35 |
20-7 overall, 11-5 A-R-C |
| 7. |
Simpson |
21 |
5-20 overall, 2-14 A-R-C |
| 8. |
Central |
16 |
7-17 overall, 4-12 A-R-C |
| 9. |
Luther |
12 |
8-17 overall, 4-12 A-R-C |
*Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own teams.
After winning the tenth conference championship and second in a row in University of Dubuque's men's basketball program, the Spartans are once again the coaches' pick to win the 2022-23 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Championship. Dubuque earned 61 points in the poll and five of the nine first-place votes. Wartburg is picked to finish second with 50 points and three first-place votes. Buena Vista, who finished tied for a second a year ago, and Nebraska Wesleyan picked up 44 points to tie for third in the preseason poll. The Beavers picked up the final first-place vote.
New Coaches:
- Joe Steinkamp, Central College -- Steinkamp jumps over to the Central men's basketball program after serving as the women's basketball head coach the past five years. Prior to being named the Dutch women's head coach, Steinkamp served as the assistant for the men's basketball program for 10 years. Steinkamp is a 2003 graduate of Central and former two-time letterwinner and co-captain for the Dutch.
National Spotlight: The A-R-C has jumped into the national spotlight in recent years with notable NCAA tournament success. It began in 2017 when Wartburg stormed through the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed and marched all the way to the Round of Sixteen. The team that was upset in the tournament semifinals that year, regular-season champion Nebraska Wesleyan, repeated as regular-season champion the following year and went on to win the conference tournament. Six magical wins later, the P-Wolves lofted the 2018 national championship trophy in Salem, Va., with a final victory over Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Wesleyan won again in 2019 and advanced to the second round of the national tournament where it suffered a mild upset loss. But NCAA at-large Loras carried the A-R-C banner, beating Albion in round one and then North Central in round two on the Cardinals' home court. In what turned out to be a COVID haze of a late winter, the 2020 championships -- both regular season and conference tournament -- went to the Prairie Wolves again and they won a first-round game before losing in round two. Last season saw the Dubuque Spartans earn the A-R-C automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in overtime to Case Western Reserve in the first round.
If you are keeping score, that's a national championship and two Sweet 16s in the last five tournaments and an aggregate record of 12-5.
The Schedule: Four of the nine league schools kick off the 2022-23 season Tuesday, November 8th with Central heading to Forest City, Iowa to take on Waldorf from the NAIA. Loras is set to host Concordia-Chicago out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC), Luther will host Grinnell out of the Midwest Conference, and Simpson is set to host Faith Baptist Bible, out of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).
Coe begins their 2022-23 campaign Wednesday, November 9th when they host Cornell College out of the Midwest Conference.
The University of Dubuque and Wartburg are set to kick off their seasons on Friday, November 11th with the Spartans facing North Central (Ill.) out of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and Wartburg traveling to face Macalester, a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
The final teams, Buena Vista University and Nebraska Wesleyan, will begin their seasons on Saturday, November 12th. the Beavers will face Westminster (Mo.), out of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) in Indianola, Iowa and the Prairie Wolves will host Colorado College, a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC).
The 2022-23 American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Tuesday, November 22 with six of the nine schools competing. Luther will travel to Cedar Rapids for a match-up with Coe, the Simpson Storm will host the Duhawks of Loras, and Wartburg will host the Dubuque Spartans.
On Wednesday, November 30, the final three teams start their conference slate of games. Buena Vista heads to Dubuque for a match-up with the Spartans and Nebraska Wesleyan is set to host Central.
The American Rivers Conference season is a 16-game double round robin schedule finishing on Saturday, February 18. The league's top six teams from the regular season standings qualify for the A-R-C Tournament. The Conference Tournament will be held Tuesday, February 21 (First Round), Thursday, February 23 (Semifinals), and Saturday, February 25 (Championship). Game locations for the A-R-C Tournament are at the higher seeded team's venue. The American Rivers Conference Tournament champion receives the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
2021-22 Season in Review: The University of Dubuque Spartans claimed their second consecutive American Rivers Conference Men's Basketball title with a 12-2 conference record. Buena Vista and Coe finished tied for second in league standings with 11-5 records. The Spartans finished the year with a 21-7 overall record, the Beavers, 15-12 overall, and Kohawks, 20-7 overall record.
| 1st |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Robbie Sieverding (16th season)
2021-22 Record: 21-7 overall, 14-2 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: 1st
Returning All-Conference: Brock Simon (Defensive MVP/Second Team), Sam Kilburg (First Team), Jaylin McCants (Second Team)
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
Robbie Sieverding - "We look forward to competing in a very strong basketball conference once again this year. We are excited about the potential of this year's team with a strong group of returners and a solid group of newcomers." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Sam Kilburg - Guard (Jr.) |
9.57-ppg // 2.68-rpg // 100-asts // 19-stls |
| Brock Simon - Guard (Sr.) |
8.75-ppg // 56.0-fg% // 80.0-FT% // 3.89 rpg // 55-asts // 31-stls // 20-blks |
| Jaylin McCants - Guard (So.) |
11.11-ppg // 52.0-fg% // 5.54-rpg // 30-stls // 19-blks |
| Josh Hammer - Guard (Sr.) |
4.82-ppg // 51.0-fg% // 3.89-rpg // 32-asts |
| Keegan Zimmerman - Forward (Sr.) |
5.36-ppg // 2.00-rpg // 18-asts |
| Hunter Snyder - Guard (Sr.) |
3.79-ppg // 86.0-FT% // 28-asts |
| Dylan Anderson - Forward (Sr.) |
5.61-ppg // 3.21-rpg // 23-asts |
| 2nd |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Dick Peth (26th season)
2021-22 Record: 16-10 overall, 9-7 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: t-4th
Returning All-Conference: Drew Olson (First Team), Jack Molstead (Second Team), Keagan John (Honorable Mention)
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 1
Dick Peth - "While only losing one starter from last year's team, we are excited to see the progress of our returning guys and blend of our talented newcomers. We expect another extremely competitive conference season as the A-R-C will again showcase top notch talent throughout the league." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Drew Olson - Guard (Gr.) |
15.42-ppg // 47.0-fg% // 83.0-FT% // 5.38-rpg // 128-asts // 81-stls |
| Keagan John - Guard (Gr.) |
10.15-ppg // 49.0-fg% // 4.04-rpg // 57-asts // 40-stls // 10-blks |
| Jack Molstead - Guard (Sr.) |
12.38-ppg // 4.62-rpg // 127-asts // 18-stls |
| Codey Hicks - Forward (Sr.) |
11.15-ppg // 74.0-fg% // 5.08-rpg // 17-blks |
| Marshun Williams - Forward (Jr.) |
9.54-ppg // 56.0-fg% // 79.0-FT% // 4.19-rpg // 15-stls // 14-blks |
| t-3rd |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Trevor Johnson (4th season)
2021-22 Record: 15-12 overall, 11-5 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: t-2nd
Returning All-Conference: Zane Neubaum (Second Team)
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
Trevor Johnson - "We are looking forward to another competitive season in the A-R-C. We have some exciting newcomers to mix in with our three returning starters as we transition after graduating six seniors last season. It's going to be another fun year and we can't wait to get going." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Zane Neubaum - Guard (Jr.) |
12.93-ppg // 49.0-fg% // 4.04-rpg // 33-asts // 20-stls // 20-blks |
| Simon Daniel - Guard (So.) |
5.69-ppg // 2.58-rpg // 33-asts // 14-stls |
| Gunner Reed - Forward (Jr.) |
4.22-ppg // 67.0-fg% // 2.22-rpg |
| t-3rd |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Dale Wellman (9th season)
2021-22 Record: 14-12 overall, 8-8 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: 6th
Returning All-Conference: Peter Lash (First Team), Landon Torneten (Honorable Mention)
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 0
Dale Wellman - "We're happy to return a lot of guys and have some experience this year, because we know the conference has so many good teams and coaches. It will be hard every night." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Peter Lash - Guard (So.) |
16.50-ppg // 79.0-FT% // 8.15-rpg // 28-asts // 19-stls |
| Landon Torenten - Forward (Jr.) |
11.04-ppg // 4.35-rpg // 48-asts // 25-stls // 22-blks |
| Carter Glenn - Guard (So.) |
11.69-ppg // 2.58-rpg // 71-asts // 25-stls |
| Jack Groeteke - Forward (So.) |
5.08-ppg // 3.00-rpg // 28-blks |
| Elijah Thatch - Guard Jr.) |
4.24-ppg // 6.59-rpg // 25-asts // 20-stls |
| 5th |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Chris Martin (7th season)
2021-22 Record: 18-9 overall, 9-7 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: t-4th
Returning All-Conference: Ali Sabet (First Team)
Starters Returning: 1
Starters Lost: 4
Chris Martin - "We are excited for the season to start. With so many amazing seniors graduating in the league, there will be a ton of new faces that we are looking forward to playing against! As always, the A-R-C will shape up to be one of the best in the nation." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Ali Sabet - Guard (Jr.) |
13.41-ppg // 90.0-FT% // 2.56-rpg // 79-asts // 19-stls |
| Declan Ciurlik - Guard (Jr.) |
8.00-ppg // 57.0-fg% // 78.0-FT% // 3.91-rpg // 43-asts // 17-stls |
| Myles Barry - Guard (Jr.) |
2.80-ppg // 49-asts // 11-stls |
| Tyler Bass - Guard (So.) |
6.88-ppg // 52.0-fg% // 80.0-FT% // 3.88-rpg // 14-stls |
| Alex Singleton - Forward (So.) |
5.15-ppg // 60.0-fg% // 3.04-rpg |
| 6th |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: Bryan Martin (11th season)
2021-22 Record: 20-7 overall, 11-5 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: t-2nd
Returning All-Conference: Cael Schmitt (2x First Team)
Starters Returning: 1
Starters Lost: 4
Bryan Martin - "We will rely heavily on the leadership and experience of our 2 outstanding seniors, Greg Hall and Boston Ferrie. Our league has earned a lot of national respect over the last few years and we expect that trend to continue this season. Each team in the A-R-C has plenty of talented players and is well-coached so we know we will have to compete at a very high level each game." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Cael Schmitt - Guard (Jr.) |
12.67-ppg // 109-asts // 49-stls |
| Greg Hall - Guard (Sr.) |
4.07-ppg // 11-stls |
| John Steffen - Guard (Jr.) |
3.08-ppg // 55.0-fg% // 74.0-FT% // 2.31-rpg // 20-asts |
| TJ Schnurr - Forward (Sr.) |
3.62-ppg // 51.0-fg% // 2.31-rpg |
| 7th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Brad Bjorkgren (8th season)
2021-22 Record: 5-20 overall, 2-14 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: 9th
Returning All-Conference: Chris Honz (Honorable Mention), Tajen Ross (Honorable Mention)
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 1
Brad Bjorkgren - "We are excited to see how well our returners mesh with our newcomers. The league returns plenty of All-Conference players and potential All-Conference players. You must be ready to play every night to have success because it is one of the top leagues in the country." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Chris Honz - Foward (Sr.) |
10.08-ppg // 56.0-fg% // 6.64-rpg // 39-asts // 21-blks |
| Andrew Curran - Guard (Sr.) |
11.57-ppg // 2.87-rpg // 64-asts // 17-stls |
| 8th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Joe Steinkamp (1st season)
2021-22 Record: 7-17 overall, 4-12 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: t-7th
Returning All-Conference: Josh Van Gorp (Honorable Mention)
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 1
Joe Steinkamp - "We really like our team, and we look forward to competing in a league with so many good teams and coaches." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Drew Edwards - Guard (Sr.) |
5.92-ppg // 5.00-rpg // 87-asts // 37-stls |
| Sam Beatty - Guard (Sr.) |
9.08-ppg // 3.63-rpg // 35-asts |
| Jalen Wilmington - Guard (Sr.) |
4.78-ppg // 1.87-rpg // 13-stls |
| Grant Johnson - Forward (Sr.) |
3.60-ppg // 48.0-fg% // 2.20-rpg // 12-asts |
| Kole Tupa - Forward (Jr.) |
6.46-ppg // 4.08-rpg // 56-asts // 12-stls // 12-blks |
| Josh Van Gorp - Center Jr.) |
11.91-ppg // 70.0-fg% // 5.70-rpg // 15-asts // 28-blks |
| Kaleb Brand - Guard Jr.) |
4.33-ppg // 75.0-FT% // 2.75-rpg // 23-asts // 16-stls |
| Kade Terrell - Guard (5th year) |
10.41-ppg // 3.14-rpg // 29-asts // 20-stls |
| 9th |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Mark Franzen (17th season)
2021-22 Record: 8-17 overall, 4-12 A-R-C
2021-22 Conference Finish: t-7th
Returning All-Conference: Ben Gill (Second Team)
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 0
Mark Franzen - "I like our group of returners and newcomers. We are looking forward to competing in our great league of players and coaches." |
| Players to Watch: |
2021-22 Statistics |
| Ben Gill - Center (Jr.) |
10.88-ppg // 57.0-fg% // 5.84-rpg // 23-asts // 13-blks |
| Aidan Bailey - Guard (So.) |
6.08-ppg // 2.56-rpg // 22-asts |
| Daniel Webster - Guard (Jr.) |
6.52-ppg // 3.40-rpg // 40-asts // 20-stls |
| Randall Days - Guard (Jr.) |
5.95-ppg // 75.0-FT% // 3.30-rpg |
| Andrew Lazinbat - Guard (Jr.) |
5.28-ppg // 48.0-3pt% // 3.64-rpg // 47-asts // 18-stls |
| Matthew Franzen - Guard (Jr.) |
6.56-ppg // 85.0-FT% // 2.56-rpg // 32-asts // 12-stls |
| Myke Shed - Guard (Sr.) |
3.38-ppg // 10-asts // 8-stls |
