Eric Gilbert
The Titans men’s basketball team enter the season with a chip on their shoulder, falling just a few points shy of playing for a national championship last spring.
Success has a long-standing history when it comes to Illinois Wesleyan University basketball. Since participating in NCAA division three tournament play back in 1984, the Titans have qualified 23 times, advanced to the Elite Eight six times, Final Four five times and have won a national championship. They have produced a professional player, and a successful one at that, in power forward Jack Sikma, not to mention a long line of all-American selections.
Senior point guard Dylan Overstreet is the newest appointed Titan to join the All-American squad, after being chosen as one of 24 Division III All-Americans for the upcoming 2014-2015 season. Overstreet, a 6 foot 4 inch point guard, was a second team all-Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection last season, leading the CCIW in assists for the second straight season (4.14).
Overstreet enters the season ranked number 16 in career assists at IWU with 257. He started the final 29 games last year averaging 9.9 points and 3.7 rebounds, which was good enough to earn him CCIW “Player of the Week” twice. Overstreet is one of many talented players who make up this years pre-season number four team in the nation according to the d3hoops.com.
Other returning starters include senior guard Pat Sodemann (9.6 ppg) and junior center Mike Marietti (5.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg). Senior sharp shooter Jordan Nelson (11.4 ppg) will look to play a more important role this season and stay active around the perimeter, while a deep sophomore class will look to be important contributors after having a year under their belt.
With fall sports coming to an end, the basketball team will give the Titan-faithful more than a few reasons to stick around the Shirk Center during the winter. The season opener is less than a month away, where the Titans will square off against Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 15.