October 15, 2007

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- With a touch of cold weather in the air and a recent dusting of snow on the ground it is inevitable that winter is moving in on Northern Minnesota. With the coldest months of the year creeping upon us brings with them indoor sports and the Bemidji State University men’s and women’s basketball teams are taking the signs of the cold weather as a green light to begin practice.

October 15th brings with it the first day NCAA member institutions can conduct basketball practice. For women’s basketball coach Mike Curfman and Matt Bowen, head coach of the men’s team it could not have come a day to sooner.

After spending the better part of the last two months conditioning, going through individual workout sessions and pick-up games too numerous to count, the teams are back in the gym and anxiously awaiting the season ahead.

The BSU women are coming off a season in which they posted an overall record of 14-14, gaining one more win than in 2005-06, and going 9-9 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The team earned a spot in the conference tournament but lost to Northern State 72-56 in Aberdeen, S.D.

Curfman returns 10 players from last season squad including four regular starters. Among the group returning are senior point guard Amy Lawson (Spencer, Iowa), senior center Stephanie Peterson (Bismarck, N.D.), and junior guard Heidi Matzke (Red Lake Falls, Minn.). Lawson and Peterson each were named to the All-NSIC Second Team while Matzke received All-NSIC Honorable Mention honors last season.

A strong crop of student-athletes that opened eyes in the league last winter returning along with the addition of five highly talented newcomers, could be a recipe for big things for the women’s basketball team in 2007-08.

The men’s team, under the tutelage of Bowen who is in his second season at BSU, is coming off a year in which it posted a 5-23 overall record and finished the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season with a 5-13 mark, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Southwest Minnesota State University.

The BSU men’s team return nine players from last years squad along with four out of the five regular starters. Bowen and his staff brought in a highly talented group of newcomers with six freshman and two junior college transfers. Included in this group are three all-state players including freshman Brady Fairbanks (Bena, Minn.) who was a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

With virtually everyone returning from last season’s team and such a highly talented group of newcomers joining them there is high anticipation hanging over them.

With so many returners and so many newcomers the Beavers will have to get things together quickly as they hit the court Oct. 31 at North Dakota State University for its first exhibition contest.

The Bemidji State women open their season with a exhibition contest versus South Dakota State University on Oct. 31 at 6:00 p.m in Brookings, S.D. The 2007-08 opener is set for Nov. 16 versus Colorado-State Pueblo at 4:00 p.m. in Pueblo, Colo.

The Bemidji State men open their season with three exhibition contests versus two Division I opponents and a Division III opponent. Oct. 31, the Beavers travel to North Dakota State University and then head south to battle Northern Iowa. The Beavers will wrap up their exhibition games with Wisconsin-River Falls on Nov. 10 in River Falls, Wis. at 3:00 p.m. BSU opens its 2007-08 season at the St. Cloud Tournament on Nov. 16-17. The Beavers will play the host team, the St. Cloud State Huskies at 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 16.

BSU men's practice schedule
Monday (10/15) 12-2 p.m. BSU Gym
Tuesday (10/16) 4-6 p.m. BSU Gym
Wednesday (10/17) No Practice
Thursday (10/18) 4-6 BSU Gym
Friday (10/19) 12-2 BSU Gym, 7-9 BSU Gym

BSU women's practice schedule
Monday (10/15) 4-6 p.m. BSU Gym
Tuesday (10/16) 4-6 p.m. Memorial Hall
Wednesday (10/17) 4-6 p.m. BSU Gym
Thursday (10/18) 6-8 p.m. BSU Gym
Friday (10/19) 4-6 p.m. BSU Gym

--bsu--