Four starters return for ranked Judson
Judson University's profile is rising among NAIA Division II men's basketball programs.
The Eagles return four starters from a squad that won 16 of its last 19 games last season to finish 17-13. That team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament and landed a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.
The reward? A No. 21 preseason ranking in the NAIA Division II coaches poll released last month. It marked the first time the Eagles have cracked the Top 25 since December 9, 1991, when they were 24th.
However, the ranking didn't take into consideration a key preseason injury that has Judson off to a 1-3 start through Tuesday's 98-78 loss to visiting Olivet Nazarene.
Sophomore Anthony Ahlers, a 6-foot-7 center from Magnolia, Ill., suffered a back injury during the first week of fall practice and isn't expected to make his season debut until Dec. 1 at the earliest, according to third-year Judson coach Tony Tompkins (38-24, 20-4 CCAC).
Last year, Ahlers worked his way into the starting lineup at the start of CCAC play. He finished the year averaging 4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game to go with 30 blocks. He had improved greatly in the off-season and was looking strong in practices before the injury, according to his coach.
“He's our best defender inside, our best rebounder and he's put on a lot of muscle so he's a big piece of the puzzle,” Tompkins said. “I still think we're a good team. We just have to really be clicking on all cylinders right now. It doesn't mean we can't do it without him, but it will be nice when we get him back.”
Three veteran starters will soften the temporary loss of Ahlers, though Tompkins concedes it will be a small lineup until his big man heals. The Eagles return senior guard Jim Kuban (5-11) along with junior guards Landon Skinner (6-2) and Josh Edwards (6-2).
Skinner (15.1 ppg.) and Edwards (14.4) led the 2009-10 team in scoring. Both were named first-team all-CCAC. Kuban (11.2 ppg.) was an all-CCAC honorable mention selection. However, the Eagles are mainly inexperienced beyond those three.
Ahlers's center position is currently being shared by junior forward Caleb Sutton (6-6), who transferred from Illinois-Springfield, and sophomore Jason Roy, a 6-7 resident of Bartlett who attended Wheaton Academy. Roy played in 2 games as a freshman and gained experience with the junior varsity.
Deon Thomas, a junior transfer from the College of Dupage, has also joined the starting lineup.
Giving the Eagles a scoring lift in the early going is freshman guard Luke Labedzki (6-2), who was named honorary co-captain of the Daily Herald All-Area team as a senior at Bartlett last season.
Labedzki is averaging 14.8 points per game through his first four games, highlighted by a 29-point performance in a 104-100 victory over Indiana University-Northwest.
“Luke's definitely a scorer,” Tompkins said. “We're just trying to get him better on the defensive end and trying to get that focus on the rebounding because he's built like a bowling ball. He can do some damage down low or outside.”
Tompkins said this team will get better as the season progresses, particularly after its starting center joins the lineup.
“We're not having the start we wanted, but we still have a lot of meshing to do yet,” he said. “I really like our guys. Right now we're talking about sharing the ball and using better shot selection. It's been a learning curve for all of us.”