By John Sullivan

There isn’t much room for error in the MIAC between victory and defeat. The Johnnies basketball team (2-2 MIAC, 4-3 overall) learned the lesson the hard way, losing two close games to Carleton and Gustavus.

The Johnnies were overmatched and undersized against St. Cloud State last
Saturday, losing 82-56, the largest margin since the series was resurrected in 1999.

The Johnnies were out rebounded 15-4 on the offensive rebounds and 42-27 overall.

The Achilles heel of the Johnnies in the first six games has been their lack of size on the court and their bench play, or the lack thereof.

Their opponent’s benches in the first six games outscored the Johnnies bench 140-28.

Seven games into the season, the Johnnies have already repressed the three disappointing losses because everything in one game changed — Jason Fogt returned and the bench produced.

The 6 foot 9 MIAC Shaq, formally known as Fogt, returned to action helping the Johnnies to a 81-65 victory against UM-Morris. The bench against Morris scored more points in one game, 29, then they have scored the entire season.

First-year Sam Blank shot the lights out shooting 7 for 7 from the field and 4 for 4 behind the arch. He finished with a team high 19 points.

The Johnnies are hoping Fogt’s company in the paint and the benches production is a new trend not an exception. The Johnnies will need it to continue in order to them to get atop the wide open MIAC.

Macalester is the only undefeated team in conference play, but has a mediocre 4-3 overall record.

The Scots have won games the Johnnies have been losing. Macalester has won their three MIAC games by an average of 2.66 points.

When the Johnnies’ Big Daddy went down in the Johnnies first preseason game, the Johnnies lost their charismatic leader, inside presence and big man to crash the boards.

The prognosis right away for MIAC Shaq was that he would possibly be out the entire season.

A couple doctors’ opinions and six games later, the MIAC Shaq returned to the hardwood scoring eight points in limited play after occupying the bench’s caboose.

The Johnnies couldn’t have used a better boost than Blank and Fogt.

The Johnnies were losers of three straight games and needed a pick me up.

The addition of Fogt down low will give the Johnnies a powerful inside game and a screen setter to free up seniors Brady Brink and Ryan Lieser.

Fogt doesn’t solve the Johnnies bench problem completely, but he will lighten the load for first-year Aaron Burtzel who leads the team in rebounds, averaging 9.0 a game.

The Johnnies, with the return of Fogt, now have six players they can count on to compete in the MIAC: Brink, Lieser, Nick Johnson, Chris Schwartz, Burtzel and Fogt.

The Johnnies and coach Jim Smith are searching for bench players to step up for the main part of the MIAC season in January.

Blank, Burtzel and first-year Kyle Townswick will be the first three players off the bench
But no one has shown they can score or change the game coming off the bench against a team that isn’t named Morris the way Brink broke games open last year.

Then again, the Johnnies might not ever find another player like Brink.

Filed under: Johnnies, Sports by Justin Roth