UM-St. Louis Looking for Healing Touch in 2002-03

Men's Basketball Season Preview

Jazz great John Lee Hooker once had an album titled “The Healer.” UMSL head coach Mark Bernsen must have felt that album was named for him after the 2001-02 season. Bernsen was “The Healer” for an UMSL team that suffered numerous injuries, leaving Bernsen to heal the wounds.
Injuries decimated what could have been a great season for the Rivermen after a hot start. With a win over Division I Southeast Missouri State in an exhibition game and starting the conference season off with a win over Southern Indiana, everything looked bright. Then the injuries started mounting.
It began in the preseason, as UMSL lost two recruits – junior college transfer Jo’Van Fisher and freshman Jonathan Griffin – before practices started to knee injuries. Freshman recruit Jared Pratt missed the first nine games of the year with a foot injury and Daryl Saine played in the first three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Other day-to-day injuries later in the year caused some key players to miss games as well.
While it would have been easy to feel the blues and be down and out, the Rivermen followed the lead of their healer in Coach Bernsen, and fought hard the rest of the season to qualify for the GLVC Tournament for the third straight season.
As the basketball program now heads into the 2002-03 season, Coach Bernsen has taken a cue from another John Lee Hooker album in regards to last year’s injuries problems – “Don’t Look Back” – and instead has pointed his team on the future. Coach Bernsen has kept the spirits high and the determination focused heading into the new season and has the team ready to continue the success of a program that is rich in history and tradition.

Following is a look at the 2002-03 UMSL team by position:

Guards
The guard position plays an important role as the on the floor leader of the offense for UMSL, and it is a position that has a lot of versatility for Coach Bernsen, with a good mix of newcomers.
The point guard position is one that will see some new faces in junior college transfer Ronnie Banks. Banks played two seasons at Wallace (Ala.) Community College, where he was named to the Alabama Junior College All-Star Game.
“Ronnie is a tremendous leader with good strength at the point guard spot and is tough to guard,” said Bernsen. “He’ll bring some strength and defensive intensity to the team and will keep you honest on the offensive end by stepping out and hitting the three-point shot.”
Glenn Keller is a transfer from Lake Michigan College where he was an all-conference honorable mention selection his freshman year. Originally from Indianapolis, Ind., Keller led Arlington High School to a 37-7 record during his last two years and led the Golden Knights to the city championship twice.
“We recruited Glenn as a combo-guard and initially had him as more of a shooting guard, but he’s shown the ability to play both guard positions,” said Bernsen. “Glenn is more of a penetrating guard who can break down a defense and hit the mid-range jumper. He has a good feel for the game and will be valuable to the team with his height at the guard position.”
Sherome Cole is a freshman from Sikeston, Mo., who averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per game as a senior last year. He was named conference player of the year and is a two-time all-state player.
“Sherome is as good an athlete as we have on the team,” said Bernsen. “He has great quickness and is a mature freshman physically. He can play both guard positions, but he has been doing great at the point guard spot in practices and should see more time for us at that position.”
Derrick Redd is a second year guard who saw a lot of time at the point position last year as the season progressed, but Redd may see more time at the shooting guard position this year. Redd started in 16 games last season, averaging 6.8 points per game and he was third on the team in assists with 49 and second with 34 steals.
“Derrick has the ability to shoot and hit the glass, and he is always looking to score,” said Bernsen. “He should play a lot more two-guard this year as opposed to point guard spot he played last year, I think with his scoring ability he’ll fit in nicely at the two-spot.”
Javier Soto is another transfer, coming from nearby Meramec Community College, and will have one year of eligibility for the Rivermen. Soto is a good long range shooter who can play the wing position and helped lead Meramec to a 23-9 record last season.
“Javier is as good a shooter as we have. He has a quick shot and great range,” said Bernsen. “He’s a very smart player who will be a good asset against a zone defense for us with his shooting ability. His playing time will be determined by how well he can learn to guard in our defensive schemes.”
Matt Brannon is a product of nearby Florissant Valley Community College who helped coach Larry Graham’s team to a 22-10 record last year. Brannon graduated from Poplar Bluff High School where he averaged 18 points, six rebounds and three assists per game as a senior and was named an all-conference and all-district selection.
“Matt is a combo-guard who has a good mid-range jump shot and good strength,” said Bernsen. “His biggest hurdle will be his ability to adjust to the competitive level of Division II basketball, especially in a tough conference like the GLVC.”

Small Forward
Justin Foust is a sophomore who showed improvement throughout the season last year, and was the only player to see action in all 27 games for UMSL. Foust averaged 3.1 points per game, but showed his true potential late in the year with a 12 point, 10 rebound performance against Missouri Baptist. He also comes from a great high school program at St. Charles West where he was named St. Charles County Player of the Year as a senior.
“Justin can play either forward position depending on the lineup we’re using at the time. He needs to add some strength in order to guard the more physical players he’ll be matched up against inside, but has no problem guarding out on the wing,” said Bernsen. “He gives us a three-man who can hit the outside shot, has a good feel for the game and understands how the game is supposed to be played.”
Another local product is Jonathan Griffin from nearby Normandy High School, the same high school that produced former UMSL star Greg Ross. Griffin suffered a knee injury in the preseason last year and sat out on a medical redshirt, but has the coaches eager to see him on the floor this year. Griffin led his high school team to two-straight 20-plus win seasons and averaged nearly 15 points per game as a senior. He was a second team all-conference selection two straight years and set the school record for steals in a game with 11, while averaging nearly five steals per game.
“Jonathan is a very strong player and can play either the two or three positions. He has the ability to get to the basket as well as hit the jumper out to the three-point range,” said Bernsen. “His strength and quickness will benefit him in terms of playing time with his ability to play two spots on the floor. His toughest task will be figuring out some of the mental tasks in the game and coming back from a year off with the injury.”
Larry Wells is another junior college player from the Memphis area, transferring from Southwest Tennessee Community College. Wells led the team to a 42-18 record in his two years there and helped guide the team to a state and regional championship.
“Larry is a player who has a knack for finding an opening in the defense and making baskets anywhere from the three-point line and in,” said Bernsen. “His defensive work is improving everyday and if he can continue to get better on that side of the floor, he could be a big part of our success. Right now he is real comfortable at the two spot.”
Qwanzi Samuels is a junior college transfer from Labette (Kan.) Community College. Originally from Somerdale, N.J., Samuels averaged 17 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior and was an all-conference honoree.
“Qwanzi is one of the more complete players on the team. He has all the tools and is a very attractive option to have out on the floor,” said Bernsen. “He is a mature player who can play either forward position for us and he really understands how to play the game well.”

Power Forwards
Daryl Saine saw action in each of the first three games last year, and was already making his presence known inside controlling the boards. However, in the conference opening win against Southern Indiana, Saine suffered a knee injury that ended his season prematurely and left a void in the paint for the Rivermen. This year, he is expected to pick up where he left off and be that body in the middle for the UMSL defense and be a big rebounding presence.
“Daryl is a relentless offensive rebounder. He has quick feet that help him get great position inside and he has added a lot of strength after his injury,” said Bernsen. “He can hit the jumper out to about the 15-foot range and has continued to work at improving himself physically after last year’s injury.”
Jo’Van Fisher was another junior college transfer who had to sit out last season with a medical redshirt. Fisher tore his anterior cruciate ligament in preseason conditioning last year and will be seeing his first action for the Rivermen this year.
“Jo’Van is a physical specimen. He knows how to use his body and strength inside and move out to hit that mid-range jump shot,” said Bernsen. “He can guard on the perimeter with his quickness and go down low and guard inside with his strength. His maturity is a great asset to this years squad.”

Center
Mindaugas Adamonis (Men-dah-gus Adda-moe-nis) was a multi-purpose player for UMSL last year, serving in different roles to help fill the void left by various injuries, as well as playing through his own injuries. Originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, Adamonis has good offensive skills from the perimeter and has progressed well on the defensive side. Playing in 25 games, Adamonis averaged 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, and led the team with 11 blocked shots on the season.
“Mindaugas battled a variety of injuries last year, and was in and out of the lineup a lot, but I think he’ll be a lot more comfortable on the floor this year,” said Bernsen. “He has the size to play both the forward and center position, but is more of a perimeter big man who can step out and hit the three-point shot.”
Jared Pratt was another player who suffered through injuries for UMSL last year. Pratt suffered a foot injury during an exhibition game and missed the first nine games of the season. He saw limited action in the 16 games he played in, having to use his early games to get back in playing shape and adjust to the pace of play. Pratt had one of his best games late in the season and will be looked upon to carry that production into this season and help fill the void left by Scott Kassel, who graduated last season.
“Jared is a left-handed player, which makes him hard to guard inside because you don’t see a lot of lefthanders in the post,” said Bernsen. “He needs to improve on his interior defense but he has done better on that in the preseason, and he has a nice touch inside and is a very good passer from the post position.”

One of the biggest keys to a Mark Bernsen coached team is the versatility of the players. With the defensive schemes and offensive strategies, players who can fill different roles on the floor became very valuable and will likely see more time on the court.
“The guys that will play are the guys that can do more than one thing. Versatility is a key,” said Bernsen. “Triple threat players, the ones that can take the ball and drive, shoot or pass, are valuable on the offensive end. The better a player can use those attributes and add playing well on defense will get them on the floor.”
“It’s hard to get opportunities to play if you are a one dimensional player,” added Bernsen. “I think the guys we have on this roster either already have that versatility, or have the ability to be more complete on both ends of the floor, and how those players come together will ultimately lead to the success of our team.”
With last year’s injury problems behind them, and with Coach Bernsen having served as “The Healer” to keep the team together through tough times last season, UMSL made it through those obstacles and still qualified for the GLVC Tournament. This year, however, the Rivermen are focused on the future, and will strive to be more in line with another John Lee Hooker album, and that is “Simply the Best.”