MBB Preview: Blue Devils to head to Northwestern Saturday

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (2-6, 0-2 WIAC) will have had a 10 day break before traveling to the University of Northwestern, (1-8) Saturday, Dec. 20. Stout is coming off a 73-56 loss to UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10.

CAREER STATS: Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to check out the UW-Stout career high for points, rebounds, and assists of each Blue Devil player.

A LOOK AT THE BLUE DEVILS :   Senior Jarvis Ragland has been the Blue Devils' leading scorer this season, scoring in double figures in every game this season and is averaging 19.4 points per contest, along with a team-best 5.5 rebounds.  Ragland, who sat out most of last season due to injury, set career bests throughout the early part of the season, and pulled down Stout's first double-double of the season when he scored 25 points pulled down 15 rebounds in the Blue Devils' 90-80 win at Bethany Lutheran. Ragland is currently second on the team in assists with 14. With Ragland the team's only senior, it is not difficult to say the 2014-15 rendition of the Blue Devils is a young squad, the youngest collegiate squad long-time coach Eddie Andrist has ever had.   Returners to the program include only Ragland, juniors Hank Kujak and Reggie Kujak and sophomore Brett Ahsenmacher.  The Blue Devils currently have 11 freshmen on the roster. Andrist plans to use a faster paced offense this year, and rotate a lot of players throughout the game.

Freshman John Keefe is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points. Keefe went off for 30 points against Bethany Lutheran, missing only two shots from the floor during the game. Keefe is currently shooting at a 54.7 percent clip (29-53) from the floor and 41.7 (15-36) from 3-point range. Keefe has come off the bench in six of the eight games. Ahsenmacher is averaging 10.1 points. Ashenmacher has stepped up from a sixth man role to earning starts in six games. Keefe and Ashenmacher are the team's top 3-point threats. Ahsenmacher is hitting 14-38 from beyond the arc (.368). The duo leads the team in steals, with Keefe recording 10 and Ahsenmacher nine.

The Kujak brothers joined the team at the conclusion of the football season, and both have started each of the last five games. Reggie has been one of the team's more consistent rebounders over that time, as he is second on the team with five boards per game. He is also the team leader in blocked shots, swatting away six so far this year. Hank has been the team's best distributor with the ball in his hands, handing out a team-high 16 assists and has eight steals. After starting the first three games of the year, freshman forward John Lahti has become one of the Blue Devils main contributors coming off the bench.Lahti is fourth on the team in scoring with 5.0 ppg, while also pulling in 2.8rebounds per contest. Andrist has mixed up the starting lineup a few times early in the season, using four different lineups in seven games. Only Ragland and freshman Sam Ortmann have started all seven games. 

PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: The Blue Devils have been getting nearly 60 percent of their minutes played by freshmen, not surprising with a young team. The four upper classmen, Jarvis Ragland, Brett Ahsenmacher, Reggie Kujak and Hank Kujak have combined to account for 50 percent of Stout's scoring.

STOUT'S LAST TIME OUT: Twenty-first ranked UW-Stevens Point came out shooting from all over the floor in Wednesday's 73-56 UW-Stout loss. The Pointers shot 52.6 percent from three point range and 57.7 percent overall from the floor, while Stout shot 38.5 percent from three point range and 46.5 percent overall. Jarvis Ragland led Stout with 17 points . Brett Ahsenmacher added 10 points for Stout, while John Keefe scored nine on 4-5 shooting from the field, and added three steals. Reggie Kujak led the team with five rebounds. 

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN: The Eagles are 1-8, but over their last five games they have not lost by more than 10 points. On the season, the Eagles have been outscored, 74.0-65.3. Northwestern's lone win came Nov. 25 when they defeated Macalester College, 68-56. Porter Morrell scored 22 points to lead the Eagles. Michael Carney leads Northwestern in scoring with 13.9 points and Morrell is right behind with 11.4 points. Kyle Ooms is averaging 8.0 rebounds per contest and Caleb Jansen is averaging 7.1 rebounds. 

THE EAGLES LAST TIME OUT:  Despite five players in double digits, Northwestern fell to Luther College, 79-71, Dec. 13 in Decorah, Iowa. Luther led for most of the first half, but Northwestern captured the lead in the second half and held it for about five minutes before the Norse took the lead for good with about nine minutes left in the game. The Eagles got 16 points for Corey Sprenger, 15 from Porter Morrell, 13 from Michael Carney, 12 from Will Gisler and 10 from Caleb Jansen. 

LAST TIME STOUT AND NORTHWESTERN MET:  The Blue Devils hold a 14-3 advantage in the series, but the teams have not played since the 2003-04 season when Stout took an 84-60 win at Johnson Fieldhouse in the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout. Northwestern's last win in the series came during the 1999-2000 season, a 63-61 win at Northwestern.

AWARDS AND HONORS:   Jarvis Ragland was selected as the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week, Dec. 1 and as the WIAC Athlete of the Week Dec. 2 after averaging 22.5 points during the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Blue Devil team captain for the 2014-15 season is Brett Ahsenmacher.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Eddie Andrist (185-183 at Stout, 435-373 overall) is in his 15th year as the coach of the Blue Devils, and his 26th overall in the collegiate ranks. Andrist led the Blue Devils to their first NCAA Division III appearance five seasons ago when Stout advanced to the second round. Andrist coached at Mount Senario for 11 seasons and won three national championships. Andrist spent two stints coaching international basketball, working with the country of Qatar. | Northwestern: Tim Grosz, associate director of athletics and head men's basketball coach, guides the Northwestern men's basketball program for the 15th season in 2014-15. A graduate of Northwestern, Grosz was a key member of the varsity team during his collegiate career in the late 1980s.

CONFERENCES: Stout is a member of the nine team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Superior, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Whitewater and UW-River Falls. Superior will leave the conference after the 2014-15 season.

UP NEXT:  The Blue Devils will be at the St. Norbert College Tournament, Dec. 29-30, where they will face John Carroll University Monday, Dec. 29, and either St. Norbert or St. Scholastica, Tuesday, Dec. 30.


UW-Stout 2014-15 Individual Season Highs (Updated Dec. 11, 2014)

Points: 30, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 5, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 15, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Assists: 7, Hank Kujak vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Steals: 3, (6x) John Keefe vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10, 2014; Hank Kujak vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 6, 2014; Hank Kujak vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; John Keefe vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014; Brett Ahsenmacher vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014; D'Marcco Patrick vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014

UW-Stout 2014-15 Team Season Highs (Updated Dec. 11, 2014)

Points: 90 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Field Goals Made: 35 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Field Goal Percentage: .547 (35-64) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 12 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Free Throws Made: 28 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Free Throw Percentage: .800 (16-20) vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 42 (2x) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014;  vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: 16 (2x) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Steals: 11 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014


UW-Stout Career Bests (updated Dec. 11, 2014)

Jarvis Ragland - #3
Points: 25 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 15 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Assists: 4 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014

John Keefe - #4
Points: 30 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 5 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Assists: 4 vs. Ripon College,Nov. 15, 2014

Mac Oreskovic - #5
Points: 2 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 2 (2x) vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014;  vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:
Assists: 1 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014

D'Marcco Patrick - #10
Points: 15 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Rebounds: 2 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014

Zac Doll - #11
Points: 3 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 3 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 1 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014

Sam Ortmann - #12
Points: 8 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 5 vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:
Assists: 3 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014

Brett Ahsenmacher - #13
Points: 18 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 4 (2x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 6, 2014; vs. Plattsburgh State, Dec. 30,, 2013
Assists: 3 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014

Isaac Elliott - #14
Points: 11 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 3 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: 1 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014

Jalen Patterson - #15
Points: 9 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 3 (2x) vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014; vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Assists: 3 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014

Cory Speer - #23
Points: 5 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 3 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Assists: 5 vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:

Colton Williams - #24
Points: 6 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 4 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Assists: x

Bobby Green - #31
Points: 1 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 1 (2x) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014;  vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: x

Hank Kujak - #33
Points: 12 vs. Wartburg College, Dec. 1, 2013
Rebounds: 7 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: 7 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014

Reggie Kujak - #32
Points: 9 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 8 vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 6, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10, 2014

Alex Hammond - #35
Points: 5 vs. UW-Oshkosh, January 12, 2013
Rebounds: 1 vs. Northland College, Nov. 24, 2011
Assists: 1 vs. Northland College, Nov. 24, 2011

John Lahti - #42
Points: 10 (2x) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 6 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 1 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014

Jacob Lindgren - #44
Points: 6 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 2 vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 6, 2014
Assists: x

The Last Time...(updated December 11, 2014)

A Stout Individual...
Scored 30 points: 30, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
Scored 25-29 points: 25, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran (12/3/14)
Recorded 15 rebounds: 15, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
Recorded 10 assists: 11, Erik Olson vs. UW-Stevens Point (2/13/13)
Recorded 6 steals: 8, by Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran (11/21/08)

A Stout Team...
Had five players score in double digits:  vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014 - Jarvis Ragland (24), Isaac Elliott (11), John Keefe (10), Brett Ahsenmacher (10), John Lahti (10)
Had four players score in double digits: vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 25, 2014 - Alex Oman (26), Jimmy Whitehead (21), Josh Kosloske (12), Jay Higgins (10).
Scored 105 points: 109, vs. Crown College (2/15/11)
Scored 100-104 points: 102 vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Recorded 60 rebounds: 64, vs. Concordia-Texas (12/11/2011)
Recorded 55-59 rebounds: 56 vs. Northland College (11/24/12)
Recorded 25 assists: 25, vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Won 10 or more games in a row: 10, 2005-06 season
Lost 5 or more games in a row: 7, 2011-12 season
Was held to 40 or fewer points in game: 40, vs. Plattsburgh State (12/30/13)