UW-Platteville's Jeff Skemp is a preseason all-America selection, and UWP is a possible breakthrough team, according to the Sporting News 2007-08 College Basketball magazine.
Skemp, a 6-10 center from Hazel Green (Southwestern High School), led the Pioneers in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) during his third year before suffering a season-ending injury after the eighth game. The Pioneers were 6-2 and ranked 13th in D3hoops.com before his injury and 7-10 after it. After receiving a medical hardship, Skemp has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
"Any time you have the combination of size and experience added back to the team, it immediately helps you," Pioneer Coach Paul Combs said. "Jeff is an impact player for us because of all his strengths. He started 59 straight games for us before he was hurt. He just gives us a different dimension defensively. He's able to disrupt or contest a lot of opponent shots."
Skemp and point guard Josh Langenfeld, who missed the entire 2006-07 season, re-join a team that features 11 other returning lettermen. All-conference guard Charlie Lohoff (12.4 ppg), forward Kyle Tetschlag (6.0 ppg) and guard Bo Richter (4.8 ppg) played in at least 24 games as sophomores, while Mike Shaw (25 starts, 7.4 ppg) and Curt Hanson (25 games, 7.8 ppg) were big contributors as freshmen. In fact, Shaw and Hanson--the WIAC leader in three-point shooting--were the highest-scoring freshmen since Tyler Selk in 1999-2000.
"We lost two good players in Mark Gossens and Mike Jamerson, but we're cautiously optimistic," Combs said. "We are confident we have a good returning group who has experienced the highs and lows of college basketball. When you look at Charlie, Bo, Kyle, Curt and Mike, those five played a lot of meaningful minutes and a lot of games. They were a big part of our season. One of the keys in the WIAC is having quality players with game experience. All five of those guys, plus Jeff and Josh, have that."
The Sporting News ranks Washington U. of St. Louis number one and UW-Stevens Point number two. The Pioneers face Wash U. Sunday, Nov. 25 in St. Louis and UW-Stevens Point Jan. 12 in Stevens Point and Feb. 23 on Bo Ryan Court. UWP also plays at Point Loma Nazarene, a team mentioned in the NAIA poll, and other non-conference teams with strong returning groups such as Webster, Dubuque, Clarke, Robert Morris-Springfield and George Fox. The Pioneer Ford/Tricor Insurance Tip-Off Classic features Beloit, Edgewood and Maryville Nov. 16-17 on Bo Ryan Court.
"Our schedule is something we're proud of," Combs said. "The WIAC is one of the top conferences in the country with so much parity that you have to play your best to win night in and night out. What better way do we have to get ready than to play the top teams from other conferences in the country?"
The Pioneers begin practice Sunday at noon. The Blue and Orange game is set for Oct. 28 at 3:30 p.m. with the Meet the Pioneers Night to follow the intrasquad contest.