Pilz Brings Strong Work Ethic, Tradition of Success to UMSL Basketball

When he graduated from high school, Chris Pilz had no college basketball programs knocking down his door to recruit him. In fact, Pilz says he was hardly recruited at all. But the University of Missouri-St. Louis did come calling and offered Pilz a scholarship to play basketball for the Rivermen. He more than made the best of that opportunity.

During his career at Missouri-St. Louis, Pilz showed a dedication and work ethic rivaled by none, and that hard work paid off. Pilz played in more winning games, 72, than any other player in school history. He played on the last UMSL team to advance to the NCAA Regionals in the 1987-88 season. He was a Division II All-American in 1990-91 and finished his career as the second leading scorer in UMSL history with 1,673 points.

“I had a great career. I was fortunate enough to play for some quality coaches and great teammates that helped our program become highly successful,” said Pilz. “I don’t think anyone who has worn the Rivermen uniform has played with any more passion or effort than myself. To get the opportunity to become head coach is an exciting time for my family and I.”

Fast forward 12 years.

Chris Pilz had become a successful high school coach, with stops at Salem (Mo.) High School, Senath-Hornersville (Mo.) High School and then Hazelwood (Mo.) Central High School. Over that time, he accumulated a 184-108 record in 12 years of coaching. In six years at Hazelwood Central, he had a record of 107-55, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2001-02 with a record of 23-6.

Again, it was the University of Missouri-St. Louis who came knocking on his door to offer Chris Pilz a chance he had been dreaming of: head coach of a college basketball program.

Pilz returns to his alma mater to bring with him that same work ethic and dedication on the court that he showed as a player, and this time he will use it to lead the young men in his program back to the success he enjoyed while in uniform. Inheriting a team that finished last in the Great Lakes Valley Conference last year, Pilz thinks the one skill that can make the most immediate impact on the team is one he knows well – hard work.

“I think playing hard on the court is a skill – and if it’s a skill it’s something that can be taught,” said Pilz. “We emphasize perfect effort everytime we step on the court, whether its diving on the floor or taking charges. With our coaching staff’s enthusiasm, I think that is one area we can improve on immediately to help start turning the program in a positive direction.”

One difference Coach Pilz is looking to bring to the team this year is a more up tempo style of play. “We’re going to play as fast as we can. We’re not going to play out of control, but we’re going to push the ball and try to create some easy baskets,” said Pilz.

On defense, Pilz will be looking to create a system that puts the most pressure on the opposition and create some of those fast break chances on the offensive end. “Our base defense will be man-to-man, but we will use a multiple defensive system,” said Pilz. “My philosophy on defense is to dictate tempo to disrupt the other team’s offensive game plan.”

Pilz will try and instill those styles of play on a group of six returning players and seven newcomers.

One of the key returnees will be Ronnie Banks (Birmingham, Ala.), the lone returning senior on this year’s team. Banks was the top scorer from last season, averaging 10.3 points per game, and playing nearly 34 minutes a game. He led the team in three-point field goals with 42 and dished out a team-high 89 assists on the year. “Ronnie will be the quarterback of the ball club and he’ll be the guy that makes this team go,” said Pilz. “We’ll look to use his minutes on the floor more efficiently and our up tempo style of play will fit his skills on the basketball court.”

Another returning player who should see a lot of playing time is sophomore Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo.). Last year he led the team with 5.7 rebounds per game and averaged 8.8 points per game. Griffin saw a lot of success early in the season last year, scoring in double figures in 10 of the first 12 games. “Jonathan is another returning starter. He has a chance to be one of the top defenders in the league with his speed and physical play,” said Pilz. “We want Jonathan to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end and attack the basket more this year. I think his game will fit into our style of play.”

Sherome Cole (Sikeston, Mo.) will add depth to the backcourt as well, once he is able to return to the team from an offseason knee injury. He played in 18 games last year, missing some time to a shoulder injury suffered early in the season. Cole did show some ability late in the year when he scored double figures in six of the final nine games last year, including a career high 15 points in the final game of the season. “I’ve heard only good things about Sherome’s playing ability,” said Pilz. “We will be patient with him coming back from his injury. His speed should be a great asset once he’s back and healthy.”

The small forward position will be filled by three players: with returning junior Justin Foust (St. Charles, Mo.), and newcomers Josh Hardin (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) and Kevin Nordmann (Webster Groves, Mo.). All three will be expected to play a big guard, small forward position on the floor and all three have a similar style of play. Foust is back for his third season, and averaged 4.7 points per game last year while hitting 38.2% from three-point range. Hardin is a transfer from State Fair Community College where he helped lead the team to a 15-15 record last season, leading the team in three-point shooting along the way, and Nordmann is a transfer from Meramec Community College.

“All three of these guys can shoot the basketball really well,” said Pilz. “With their perimeter shooting ability it will create an advantage by pulling the bigger defender out on the floor.”

The Rivermen have two big men who should see a lot of time playing in the paint this season. Returning junior Jared Pratt (Elsberry, Mo.) has shown constant improvement since his first year and shows no signs of slowing down his progress this year. Some of that potential was shown last year at Lincoln when Pratt recorded career highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. “Jared is back for his third season and this should be his best season yet,” said Pilz. “He is working tremendously hard in practice and I feel like he may be the surprise of the league.”

Another player that has Coach Pilz excited about is junior college transfer Ike Attah (Port Harcourt, Nigeria), who played two seasons at Kaskaskia (Ill.) Community College. “I think Ike is a guy a lot of people are really going to like to watch play,” said Pilz. “He’s not light on effort and as a big guy who can run the floor really well. He should be a big inside presence for us.”

Coach Pilz also has a solid group of role players that he knows will be able to help spell some of the starters without having the team slip a notch in production on the court. Matt Brannon (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) is back with the team this year, and Tim Blakenship (Cardwell, Mo./Senath-Hornersville) are two guards who can both step onto the floor in the backcourt positions. Shad Willis (Fort Worth, Texas) should also see time off the bench this season at the forward position, as will David Watkins (Florissant, Mo.), a DeSmet graduate who is transferring from Missouri Southern. Watkins played in nine games with limited action for the Lions last season. Another player who could see time for UMSL is Steven Brown (Lancaster, Calif.), who will provide another body in the paint for the Rivermen.

Taking over a college program for the first time is a daunting task for any new head coach. Doing so in one of the top conferences in the country adds another obstacle to an already demanding task. Overall, Pilz knows it will not be an easy road to travel, but has been in that position before - when he first arrived at UMSL as a player.

“When I played here, the MIAA was one of the top conferences in the country and everybody said we couldn’t compete in that conference,” said Pilz. “With our hard work and team play, we eventually did win the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. My vision now as the head coach is to lead the Rivermen back to national prominence.”

“The Great Lakes Valley Conference is the best Division II conference in the country. We obviously face a tremendous challenge. Our goal is to get to the upper echelon of the conference,” said Pilz. “As we add recruits in the next few years that fit our system of play, I think we will be heading towards achieving that goal.”

The success of the conference in the past is one that Pilz hopes to capitalize on down the road. “With the strength from top to bottom in the GLVC, its proven that if you finish in the top part of this conference you have a good chance to get into the NCAA Regionals, and that’s is our ultimate goal,” said Pilz. “I’m not sure how long that’s going to take, but we do know that is where we want to go.”

It will not be an easy road, and it is not likely to be a short road to travel for Pilz and the Rivermen. But the Missouri-St. Louis basketball program is headed in the right direction, and with Chris Pilz, the program has a driver at the wheel who has been down that road before, and wants to travel it again.