Opening Week Wrap Up

There were definitely ups and downs while going 2-1 in the opening week of this 2011-12 season. On Wednesday we traveled to Kerrville, TX and won a very exciting game against Schreiner University. Overcoming some mistakes down the stretch, two major plays were made by the Tigers within the final minute - John Boxberger '13 took a charge with 38 seconds left and the score tied, then Robert Kitzinger '14 knocked down a three-pointer with a few seconds left to give the Tigers the victory (as seen in the above clip). It was encouraging to see our guys regroup in the clutch moments at the end of a close and hard-fought game. On Friday, the team headed up to Georgetown, TX to take on Concordia University. We rarely face an opponent like Concordia in conference play, with their up-tempo style of play, full court pressure defense and tremendous athleticism. The guys really held their composure and handled Concordia's waves and offensive spurts through out the game, which resulted in a solid 14 point victory. On Saturday, we took on a very good Claremont McKenna and just didn't match the effort and energy of the opponent.

Overall, it was a good first week of the season and we have plenty to learn from - not only from the loss, but also from the wins. This upcoming week won't be any easier as the Tigers are on the road for three more games - Tuesday in Seguin, TX against Texas Lutheran, and Friday/Saturday in Ashland, VA for the ODAC/SCAC Classic against preseason #1 Virginia Wesleyan and host Randolph-Macon. These should be great games to prepare us for the following week's opening play of conference games against Hendrix College and Colorado College.

King of the Court - Fall 2011

Usually King of the Court takes place on the first day of practice (Oct. 15) to kick off the new season. With gym availability conflicts, this year's KOTC was pushed back a day to this past Sunday, Oct. 16. There could have been concern for tired legs for the testing, but after the results were compiled, the 2011 Trinity Tigers proved to have come back in spectacular physical condition this season. Team averages improved in every test! The personal and team dedication to working hard in the offseason is apparent, as every returning player made improvements from last year's KOTC. We couldn't be more excited!

While everyone gave a great effort and performance, only one individual can be crowned as the King of the Court. This year's champion is sophomore forward Jonathan Wilt. Jonathan placed in the top five in four of the five tests (1st in the sprint and 2nd in conditioning!), as well as recording high improvements in all but one test. It was a very close competition that was only determined by a few points, but in the end, Jonathan's consistency carried him to the crown!

Coach Taylor Takes Head Coaching Job

It is bittersweet to announce that Assistant Coach Hunter Taylor has taken the head coaching position at Spring Hill High School in Longview, TX. Coach Taylor is excited about the transition, as he will be taking over a talented Panther team that went 23-9 last season and was crowned the District 16-3A champion. Having gone to rival high school, White Oak, Spring Hill is a familiar school for Coach and he will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact. In fact, he will be putting his multiple talents to good use also serving as an assistant football and track coach, as well as teaching geometry.

His experience, enthusiasm and genuine interest in his players will ensure that Coach Taylor enjoys a great amount of success at the high school level. He was a tremendous influence on our team and we wish him nothing but the best.

Congratulations Coach Taylor!

Alumni Perspective - Mike Gilb '08

D3Hoops.com began a terrific conversation via twitter raising the question of why student-athletes and schools would choose to participate at the Division III level. This struck the interest of one of our Trinity Basketball Alums and spurred him to submit an insightful recollection in our latest Alumni Perspective.


MY TIME AT A DIVISION III SCHOOL

Sometimes people ask me what I would do if I could go back and do it all over. To be honest, I’ve asked myself the same question. If I put in more work in high school, could I have played at a big-time D-I program? What would it be like to play college ball in front of 30,000 fans or in an arena like Cameron Indoor? Even though I can’t answer those questions, as I look back at the time I spent at Trinity – the experiences, the games, the friends – I find myself wondering, if I could change things, would I even want to?

It’s going to sound cliché, but attending Trinity allowed me to be a true student-athlete and still have time to be a normal college kid. I went to all my classes, made friends, had fun, goofed off – and played a very high level of basketball. I truly believe Division III schools hold this unique advantage over D-I and D-II institutions. You are expected to be a student first, an athlete second. Please don’t get me wrong, we took basketball very seriously. During my time at TU, we won conference championships, competed for national championships, finished the season ranked in the top 5 nationally, took a Big 12 team with two future NBA lottery picks down to the wire, and won more games than any other stretch in school history. If you really wanted to get Coach upset though, you didn’t mess up on the court, you messed up off it. We were expected to be model students and model citizens. I’m not sure this sentiment exists at higher levels of the NCAA.

Because we were held to a higher standard, we worked harder than the average student. We did every bit of school work and found time to put in 3+ hours a day for basketball. We learned how to multi-task, how to juggle commitments, and how to manage our time most efficiently. We learned how to be grown men. We didn’t have notes handed to us – we learned class material and put in the hours to get good grades. We weren’t one-and-done players moving on – we became friends for life. We didn’t have a tutor doing the work for us – we juggled class, basketball, and a social life successfully. When we graduated, we could not only look back with pride on what we had accomplished at our time at Trinity, we could look forward to the future with confidence that those years had prepared us for what lie ahead.

In my mind, this is what makes Division III athletics so special. The expectation to succeed not only on the court but in the classroom forces you to become a well-rounded individual. Your time as an athlete will come to an end. Mine did, but I’m grateful every day for the lessons I learned as a Trinity University athlete and how ready I was for life after basketball.


Go Tigers.


Mike Gilb ‘08

Nine Tigers Make Academic Honor Roll

We are extremely proud to acknowledge nine of our Trinity Tiger basketball players for making the SCAC Spring Academic Honor Roll. The athletes are:

Clarke Allan '14
Ryan Beall '12
John Boxberger '13
Sam Dworkin '11
Matt Feldman '14
Sam Harris '12
Gil Melchior '12
Joe Shotland '14
Joel Van Essen '13

These guys embody what Division III and being a student-athlete is all about. Not only did they dedicate themselves to their teammates and contributed to our successes, but they also were able to balance their time and excel in the classroom, earning over a 3.25GPA for the semester. There are no mandatory study hours. We do not have special "athletic department tutors" specifically assigned to overlook our players' grade point averages. These guys are able to figure out how to be successful on both an academic front, as well as athletic.

Congratulations gentlemen - keep up the good work!

Class of 2015 Commitments

Trinity Basketball has now received five commitments for next year’s incoming freshmen class. The following players will be wearing maroon come October 15:

Charles Allen 6’3 Guard – Second Baptist School, Houston, TX – Averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds for a Texas 4A TAPPS semifinalist. Voted First Team All-District and Second Team All-State. Charles is an athletic guard who rebounds/defends very well, while combining deep shooting range and the ability to score in various ways off the dribble.

Jimmy Clark 6’3 Wing – Rockford Lutheran School, Rockford, IL – Averaged 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists his senior season. Voted to the Big Northern All-Conference Team, Illinois 1A/2A All-State Fourth Team, and a Rock River Senior Classic All-Star Game selection. Jimmy is a very physical perimeter player with the ability to score the ball in various ways and willing to do the dirty work for his team’s success.

Matt Hopper 6’4 Wing – Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch, CO – Averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists while shooting 40% from the three-point line. A three-time All-Continential League selection, while being named to the First Team his season year. Voted a Colorado 5A All-State Honorable Mention and Academic All-State selection. Matt brings tremendous athleticism to the wing position, with the ability to step out and make the deep three-point shot. He will also be playing on the Trinity Football team, where he was a First Team All-South Metro selection at the quarterback position.

Craig Saltarelli 5’11 Guard – Fairview High School, Boulder, CO – Averaged 14 points and 5 assists for a Colorado 5A State Runner Up. Named to the All Colorado State Tournament Team his junior season. Voted First Team All-Front Range League and Second Team All-Region, as well as, a two-time Academic All-State selection. Craig brings a great amount of versatility at the guard position, with the ability to score from anywhere on the court, along with a natural sense of finding open teammates.

William Young 5’10 Guard – St. John’s School, Houston, TX – William is transferring in from Arizona State where he was a redshirt freshman last season for the Sun Devils. In high school, he averaged 18 points, 8.5 assists, and 1.5 steals. A two-time TABC Large Private All-State and three-time All-Southwest Preparatory Conference selection. William is a gifted ball handler/passer and a true point guard with the ability to make big plays.

We are thrilled to bring in this athletic and skilled group of players, all of whom epitomize today’s “student-athlete.” Please join us in welcoming Trinity’s Class of 2015!

Guardian of the Game

Every year the National Association of Basketball Coaches holds their convention in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Men's Final Four. During the convention, the NABC hosts its annual awards show honoring many different levels of accomplishments throughout college basketball. This year, our own Coach Pat Cunningham received the "Guardian of the Game - Advocacy Award." This is quite the honor, as there are only four "Guardian of the Game" awards given each year - Leadership (Don Meyer, Northern State), Education (Charlie Coles, Miami, OH), Service (Bill Self, Kansas), and Advocacy (Pat Cunningham, Trinity), and recognizes Coach Cunningham for his years of hard-work serving the NCAA and NABC.

If you know Pat Cunningham, and haven't done so already, feel free in joining the Trinity Basketball Community in congratulating Coach for this tremendous (and most necessary) recognition.

2011 SCAC Tournament Wrap Up

There was some terrific basketball played at this past weekend's SCAC Tournament in Jackson, MS. The Tigers came out of the gates on fire Friday against Rhodes, but came up two points short of making the championship game against DePauw on Saturday. It was a tough way to end the season, but our guys "left it all on the court" and we couldn't have been more proud. For our players that are returning, this will hopefully motivate them to continue to improve over the off-season and build on this year's successes.

It was amazing to find ourselves in position to make a run at the SCAC Title this season, especially considering the slow start we had; but, that is a testament to the type of players we have on our team. They bought into what we were trying to accomplish as a group and therefore were successful. That attitude and dedication to the team was apparent in Saturday's game against DePauw. We were down early by double digits and it would have been very easy for our guys to start trying to take over the game individually, but instead, they continued to play the way the coaching staff was asking them to and gave themselves a chance to win the game at the end. Collective efforts like that often go unnoticed when a team loses, but it was really a defining quality in this year's team.

We're Goin' To Jackson

As much as we didn't want to call it a revenge game against Southwestern on Friday night, it sure felt like it. The intensity was high and the two teams fought all the way to the end, where the Tigers were able to avenge a heartbreaking loss to the Pirates on the late game heroics of Nick Caputo in early December. On Saturday night, the Tigers gave University of Dallas (who is currently a Division III Independent) a taste of what it will be like in the SCAC next year, as UDallas will join the SCAC beginning in the Fall. We couldn't have had a better "Senior Night," as our two seniors combined for 36 points (Luke Caldarera - 21 and Sam Dworkin - 15) and leading us to victory.

The Tigers finished the regular season strong, winning their last 6 games, ending with a 15-10 (11-5 SCAC) record, and earning the West Division #1 Seed for this weekend's SCAC Tournament - as Mr. Cash would sing, the Tigers are goin' to Jackson! The Tigers will match up against the East's #4 seed, Rhodes College, who are playing their best basketball right now and will prove to be a very difficult first round game. This year, the men's tournament will play the first round games at Belhaven University's Heidelberg Gymnasium, and the rest of the tournament at Millsaps College. The Tiger's will tip-off the tournament at 1 p.m. on Friday.

Click here for the 2011 SCAC Tournament Website.

Senior-Day Saturday

The last two seasons, Trinity Basketball has graduated a great deal of players (6 in 2009, 5 in 2010); each class leaving large holes to fill numbers-wise and talent-wise. This year's senior class is only comprised of two student-athletes, but will leave just as big of shoes to fill. Saturday's contest against the University of Dallas will be our annual "Senior Day," honoring the Tigers' Class of 2011. Now would be a good time to talk about these student-athletes.

#33 Sam Dworkin - 6'4 Forward - Portland, OR
Sam is definitely one of the most enjoyable personalities to come through Trinity Basketball. His light-heartedness and geniune ability to connect with his teammates through humor will never be matched, but don't let his smile fool you, Sam is also one of the hardest working players to wear the maroon and white. Seeing limited in-game minutes in his first three seasons, Sam came to work every day in AND out of practice. While others would sulk and lose motivation to better themselves as players, he jumped at every opportunity to develop his skills and athletic ability - some would call him a gym rat or workout junkie. Whatever you call him, Sam worked hard to become one of the conference's major three-point threats. This season, as a key contributor for the Tigers, Sam has kept defenses honest by being able to spread the floor and shoot with range. He is also a vocal leader on the floor - encouraging his teammates and generating enthusiasm every game. Off the court, Sam is a member of the Phi Sigma Chi fraternity and a double major in Business Marketing and Spanish.

#40 Luke Caldarera - 6'4 Forward - Houston, TX
Luke came into Trinity his freshmen year as a typical "Division III Tweener." Considered too short to play post, but not quick enough to play on the perimeter at the Division I level. Often high school players are passed up on athletic scholarships because of this "tweener" tag. The word "tweener" couldn't have sounded better to Trinity Basketball. Over Luke's career, he has been a key contributor to the success of the program through his ability to score and rebound the basketball. Having arguably the best midrange shot in all of Division III didn't come naturally to Luke though. He put in the hours (whether it was just him and a ball, on the shooting machine, or with coaches during the season outside of practice) and worked to become one of the most dangerous offensive threats the SCAC has seen the last four years (2-time First Team All-SCAC and 2-time NABC Second Team All-South Region). After Luke graduates, Trinity won't just miss a top 10 scorer in the history of the program,; we will be missing an energetic, passionate, and tremendous teammate. Off the court, Luke is a double major in Business Marketing and Finance.



Again, while it may appear that we are ony losing two players from this year's roster, what the Class of 2011 brings is so much more - work ethic, enthusiasm, dedication, passion (and always a great sense of humor, hence the above picture!). It will be exciting to see how they finish their already successful careers here in the next few weeks!

Tigers Clinch West's #1 Seed

Trinity Basketball collected two major wins this weekend over Colorado College and Austin College. With Southwestern beating Colorado on Sunday, the Tigers clinched the West Division's #1 seed in the SCAC Tournament on Feb. 25-27. The team will finish SCAC play with Southwestern Friday and then a non-conference matchup with future SCAC-member, University of Dallas, both at home.

SCAC Weekend Wrap UP

Trinity Basketball hit the road last weekend to two difficult places to play - Jackson, MS (Millsaps College) and Conway, AR (Hendrix College) and came out with two big victories, putting the Tigers a half game behind the top spot in the West Division of the SCAC. Everyone on the team gave a terrific effort and played as one unit. One Tiger was acknowledged for his performance - senior forward, Luke Caldarera, as he was awarded SCAC Player-of-the-Week, making it the second time this season, and third time of his career, that he has earned the honor.

Friday night's game in San Antonio against Colorado College will be crucial if the Tigers hope to earn that top West Division seed for the SCAC tournament in two weeks.

Looking Brighter In 2011

2011 couldn't have come any sooner for the Tigers. Ending 2010 with a loss to Colorado College on New Year's Eve was a difficult way for our guys to end the year, but instead of hanging their heads, they came together as a group and ran off three great wins against SCAC West Division opponents (Austin College, Millsaps College, and Hendrix College). Senior Luke Caldarera was spectacular, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in the three wins, earning him the honor of SCAC Player of the Week. While the rest of Trinity's student body was at home for holiday break, our guys brought the enthusiasm and intensity needed to carry the Tigers to victory - there were even a couple of energy plays the last two weekends (who knew we had players that could dunk?). If the Tigers can continue to improve each week, then this season could be very interesting by the end of February.