Macalester has never been known to have a strong men’s basketball program. The last time the Scots won the MIAC championship was in 1981, as co-champions with St. Thomas. You’ll have to go all the way back to 1937 to find Macalester’s other championship. Since the MIAC began its playoff system 17 years ago, Macalester has been the only team that has not qualified for the tournament.

While it might be far-fetched to say that the conference championship will finally return to Macalester this season, the basketball program is definitely on the rise. Head coach Curt Kietzer’s team began the season as a legitimate favorite for a top six conference finsish and the team’s first playoff appearance.

In last Saturday’s home opener, a packed house at the Macalester Gymnasium saw just how much the team has improved as the Scots (3-1, 2-0 MIAC) defeated St. John’s, the defending conference champions, 62-60.

The Scots began the game by showcasing one of their strengths-defense-and quickly jumped out into the lead. Missing point guard Ryan Keating, last year’s conference MVP, to the Division III football playoffs, the Johnnies could not find their rhythym on offense. St. John’s shot just 25 percent from the field in the first half, including just one three-pointer out of five attempts, and committed 11 turnovers. Macalester entered the locker room at halftime with a 34-20 lead.

Macalester’s dominance continued as the first half began, jumping out to a 44-25 lead with 15 minutes remaining. From that point, however, St. John’s rediscovered last year’s championship form and fought their way back into the game with an offensive assault from behind the three-point line. Mike Nester, the Johnnies’ leader in the absence of Keating, scored 22 points in the second half, including four of the team’s seven second-half three pointers, to pace the comeback.

“Making three-point shots helped them to gain momentum and confidence,” Kietzer said. “With the big lead, we started to play conservatively, and we stopped being aggressive and held on instead of continuing to play aggressively.”

In the end, however, the 19-point deficit proved to be too much for St. John’s to overcome, and free-throws by guard Ryan Gerry ’02 put the score at 62-57 before a buzzer-beating three pointer trimmed the Scots’ final lead to 62-60.

Doug Benson ’02 had an outstanding all-around performance in what Kietzer called the center’s “best game of his career.” Benson lead the Scots in four different statistical categories; points (17), rebounds (15), steals (four), and blocked shots (three). “He played good defense for the entire game,” Kietzer commented. "He also played an excellent floor game."

Kietzer said he was “surprised” at his team’s difficulties from the free-throw line in the game’s final minutes, and the Scots shot just 60 percent from the line for the entire game. “I’m not concerned about one poor performance, I expect us to finish among the conference leaders in free-throw shooting this year.”

Forward Ben Van Thorre ’04 also added 15 points and eight assists to continue his excellent start to the season, and Patrick Russell ’03, who compliments the front-court trio, scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Gerry scored three treys en route to a 12-point performance.

The return of Russell to the lineup has already proven to be a key factor in the team’s improvement this year. In the 1999-2000 season, Russell led the conference with a scoring average of 19.6 points per game. “In the past, we had to rely on two, maybe three, players to lead us,” Kietzer said. “This year, we can still win games without everybody performing at their highest level. It’s unrealistic to count on a player to have a great game every time.”

“Russell’s return gives us a little bit of a cushion. We have four players-Russell, Van Thorre, Benson and Gerry-who are all capable of putting up big scoring numbers,” he added.

Kietzer also mentioned that Russell has become a much better defender and rebounder, making the Scots all the more difficult to score against. “We have several good defensive players, but what matters the most is that we come out focused and playing with energy,” Kietzer said.

As the Scots look poised for a successful season, Kietzer said that he “wouldn’t want to put limitations” on how far the team can go this year. “It’s going to be an excellent year for the MIAC, maybe even the best in recent memory, and while we are looking to improve, the teams ahead of us are getting stronger.”