Nov. 7, 2006

Men’s Basketball Picked to Finish 8th

Complete Poll

Pacific Lutheran University men’s basketball team was picked to finish eight place in the 2006-2007 NWC coaches’ preseason poll.

The Lutes are looking to first-year head coach Steve Dickerson to guide them to their first winning season in five years. Dickerson served as an assistant coach and associate head coach at PLU the past three seasons.

There are a number of key returnees for the Lutes this season. Josh Dressler was PLU's third-leading scorer as a freshman, averaging 12.7 points per game. Dressler led the Lutes in scoring in eight games, including career-high 29-point effort versus Pacific. Josh Vanlandingham was an All-Northwest Conference honorable mention pick for the Lutes after averaging 13.2 points and 3.4 rebounds last winter. With 10 total returnees, including four starters, the Lutes will be returning plenty of experience, and the freshman and transfers should provided some much needed depth.

Puget Sound is a narrow choice to win its fourth consecutive Northwest Conference basketball title, edging Whitworth 82-78 in points. Puget Sound received six first place votes with Whitworth receiving the other three.

The Loggers must overcome the loss of NWC coach of the year Eric Bridgeland, who is now an assistant coach at Pepperdine. Bridgeland led UPS to within a game of the NCAA Division III final four last season.

Whitworth finished 20-7 and 13-3 in conference play last season, with one of those losses being at the hands of the Lutes. The Pirates return senior guards Bryan Williams and Jon Young, but must overcome the loss of NWC Player of the Year Lance Pecht.

Willamette was third in the poll with 55 points. The Bearcats finished 13-3 in conference play last season. Only four points behind them is Lewis & Clark which returns honorable mention All-NWC guard Thomas Tillery.

Pacific was in fifth with 41 points, followed by Whitman and George Fox, with 36 and 35 points respectively. Linfield rounds out the poll in 9th place with 17 points.

The Lutes begin their season against Menlo on November 17th at the UPS Tip-off Classic.

- PLU -