IPFW Opens 2015-16 Campaign At In-State Rival Valparaiso

Friday, November 13

Valparaiso, Ind.

8:30 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

Valparaiso

IPFW Opens 2015-16 Campaign At In-State Rival Valparaiso

11/12/2015 4:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Second-year IPFW men's basketball head coach Jon Coffman enters the upcoming 2015-16 season with the task of blending seven returning players and eight newcomers to the program. Coach Coffman's squad finished 16-15 a year ago, including a fourth-place 9-7 record in The Summit League, while making its second post-season appearance in as many years in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Mastodons, picked fourth in The Summit's preseason poll, open the campaign at defending Horizon League Champion, preseason Top 40 and in-state rival Valparaiso University in Valparaiso this Friday, November 13, at 8:30 p.m.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Friday, November 13, 2015 | 8:30 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Ind. | Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000)
Series History: Valparaiso leads overall 10-3 | Series stands at 3-3 over last six games
Radio: ESPN 1380 AM | Play-by-Play: Brett Rump
Live Video: ESPN3.com
Live Stats: ValpoAthletics.com

IPFW returns three experienced backcourt players in redshirt-senior Max Landis/Indianapolis (Perry Meridian), senior Michael Calder/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Northeast) and junior Mo Evans/Indianapolis (Cathedral), along with a pair of frontcourt veterans in senior Joe Reed/Greenwood (Center Grove) and redshirt-junior Brent Calhoun/Indianapolis (Warren Central) to form a strong team nucleus. Others returning include junior guard Trevor Osborn/Fort Wayne (Homestead) and redshirt-freshman guard John Konchar/Chicago, Ill. (West Chicago).

"We have a really unique roster make-up, which is exciting," said Coffman. "We have eight talented newcomers that we are adding to an experienced core that have won a lot of games in an IPFW jersey, that know our culture and we expect big things from them this season."

Evans (6-1, 185), the team's leading returning scorer, started all 31 games a year ago and averaged 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds along with team-bests of 3.3 assists and 54 three-point field goals. He posted 18 double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 20 points at Stetson, while adding 10 games with five or more assists. The Summit League's Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman in 2013-14, Evans led the way in the Mastodons' 99-55 exhibition victory past Division III Otterbein with 19 points in just 13 minutes, making 6-6 field goals, including 4-4 on three-pointers, and 3-3 at the free throw line.

"Mo experienced some transition last year, playing more on the ball in the point guard role, which he played in high school and he really grew throughout the season," explained Coffman. "We're going to play him both on and off the ball this season, and I believe that he is playing the best basketball of his IPFW career right now. Mo had a tremendous summer and has really grown as both a player and a leader."

Landis (6-2, 185) started 17 of 30 games and averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists, adding 40 three-pointers. He posted 13 double-figure scoring games, including a team season-high 27 points against Oral Roberts, while adding five games with five or more assists, earning All-Newcomer Team honors from The Summit League. Landis was named The Summit's Player of the Week last February 9 after averaging 23.0 points in wins against South Dakota State and ORU, making 13-18 field goals (.722), 4-8 three-pointers (.500), and 16-17 free throws (.941), adding four rebounds, four assists and three steals. He had eight points and three assists during the recent exhibition win.

"Max had a great second-half of our conference play last season," said Coffman. "He was really consistent down the stretch, he does more than just make shots, as he's shown that he is a great playmaker and he's relentless with his worth ethic and his motor."

Calder (6-2, 180) played in all 31 games and averaged 4.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists, adding 23 three-pointers while the team's top three-point shooter (.434). He posted four double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 12 points versus IUPUI. Calder had 14 points and three assists during the exhibition.

"Mike was thrown into the fire last year as a junior transfer and played a lot of minutes for us and was our leading three-point shooter," added Coffman. "He has tremendous work ethic and we have high expectations for his senior campaign."

Reed (6-8, 225), the team's leading returning rebounder, started 17 of 30 games and averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists, adding 10 three-pointers. He posted 10 double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 20 points at Western Illinois, while adding 15 games with five or more rebounds, including a season-high 10 boards at Dartmouth. Reed had two points and a team-high seven rebounds during the exhibition.

"Joe is a four-year guy for us, he knows what we do inside and out and has a great basketball IQ," said Coffman. "He really battled through some injuries last year and showed his toughness. He is primed to have a great senior year, and I am tremendously proud of how he has grown as both a player and a leader."

Calhoun (6-9, 260), who has dropped 60 pounds since the end of last season through consistent hard work and dedication, both individually and with the coaching staff, started one of 17 games and averaged 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists. He posted one double-figure scoring game with a season-high 12 points against Judson, while adding four games with five or more rebounds. Calhoun had 10 points, six rebounds and a game-high six blocks in 15 minutes during the exhibition.

"I have never been as proud of a player as I have been watching Brent transition his body through consistent hard work and discipline this off-season," explained Coffman. "He is playing at the highest level of his college career right now."

Osborn (6-0, 178) saw limited action in five games a year ago, while Konchar (6-5, 207) redshirted and added 40 pounds through hard work and dedication in the weight room. Konchar led the state of Illinois in scoring as a senior, averaging 28.9 points, and graduated as West Chicago High School's all-time leading scorer with 1,551 career points. He had 11 points, four rebounds and a game-high four steals in the exhibition.

"John had the best redshirt year that I've ever seen out of a guy in my 18 years of college coaching," added Coffman. "He now has a junior's body coupled with his high skill set and I am excited to watch him continue to improve over the next four years."

"Both John and Brent epitomize what our program and culture is all about with their off-season improvements. I use their improvements as an example of how our program operates because you can objectively see what they have done with their weight, and say 'wow' … these guys are working hard."

The group of newcomers include redshirt-junior transfer Andrew Poulter/New Braunfels, Texas (Canyon), junior transfer DeAngelo Stewart/Detroit, Mich. (Cass Tech), redshirt-sophomore transfer Racine Talla/Dakar, Senegal, along with freshmen Kason Harrell/Pittsburgh, Pa. (Hempfield), Charles Ruise Jr./Glen St. Mary, Fla. (Baker County) and Filip Serwatka/Elkhart (Concord). Juniors Bryson Scott/Fort Wayne (Northrup) and Xzavier Taylor/Chicago, Ill. (Morgan Park) have transferred from Purdue University and Bradley University, respectively, and will sit-out via the transfer rule.

"We have eight newcomers, who are all very talented and have an opportunity to make significant contributions during their tenures here," said Coffman. "If they work hard and learn how to play within our system, they all have an opportunity to compete and make an impact on our program and in our league immediately. I am really pleased with the 'fit' of the newcomers as a group!"

Poulter (6-10, 275) was at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock for two seasons, redshirting one, before playing at Western Texas College during 2013-14 where he averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. The true center had three points, a team-high seven rebounds and two blocks in the exhibition.

Stewart (6-4, 205) was at Alabama State University for a year before playing at Northwest Tech Community College in Kansas last season where he averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. The southpaw guard/forward had six points and four rebounds in the exhibition.

Talla (6-9, 195) took a redshirt season at USC Upstate before a non-playing year at East Central Junior College in Mississippi last season and has three years of eligibility at IPFW. The forward had two points and two rebounds in the exhibition.

Harrell (6-2, 192) was both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review Player of the Year in 2015, averaging 25.2 points at Hempfield High School where he scored a school-record 1,905 career points. The guard had 10 points and three rebounds in the exhibition.

Ruise Jr. (6-1, 190) was a three-time All-State second-team selection, averaging 22.0 points as a senior at Baker County High School where he scored a school-record 2,149 career points. The guard had 12 points in the exhibition.

Serwatka (6-5, 211) was a three-time All-Northern Lakes Conference first-team selection, averaging 20.4 points as a senior at Concord High School where he finished sixth in career points. The preferred walk-on forward had two points in the exhibition.

The Fort Wayne native Scott (6-1, 205) played two seasons at Purdue where he scored a career-high 18 points against Oklahoma State University as a freshman, garnering two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. The former local standout at Northrup High School was a Top 75 recruit nationally and a two-time Associated Press All-State second-team selection. He finished fourth in voting for Indiana's Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2013, averaging 23.5 points, and concluded his prep career with 2,042 career points to rank 33rd on the state's all-time scoring list.

Taylor (6-9, 255) played two seasons at Bradley where he started 25 games and posted a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) against Evansville as a freshman when he had a team-high 23 blocks. He helped Morgan Park High School to the 2013 Illinois High School Association Class 3A State Championship with his double-double effort of 11 points and 12 rebounds in the title game.

IPFW will jump right into a daunting schedule, that includes 10 games against teams that played in the post-season in 2014-15, with four games during the opening eight days of the season, and will play eight games during the first 16 days of the campaign, including its first game at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum against SIU Edwardsville on Nov. 21. The early portion of the slate also includes road games at Austin Peay University on Nov. 18 and Miami (Ohio) University on Nov. 24, before playing Jacksonville University, UNC Greensboro and Navy at an exempt tournament hosted by UNCG Nov. 27-29. Other non-conference highlights include consecutive road games at the University of Utah on December 5 before playing at Indiana University in Bloomington on Dec. 9, both preseason Top 25 opponents. A trip up to Western Michigan University on Dec. 22 will precede The Summit League opener against Oral Roberts University at Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 30.

"It's the most challenging schedule in my five-year tenure," said Coffman. "We've scheduled games against a number of high-level programs. It's a particularly difficult schedule due to both the number of road contests and the caliber of teams that we have scheduled. We are going to work hard to develop resiliency and the ability to compete on the road during our non-conference schedule. At the end of the day, what we're playing for is to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season, as we have over the past three seasons."

Coach Coffman and his staff, including assistant coaches Mark Downey (first year), Fort Wayne native Ryan Sims (fifth year) and former Mastodon Ben Botts '11 (second year) can't wait to get the season started with the unique blend of versatile talented players -- both veteran and new. They'll be looking to add to some of the program's most recent accomplishments that include 41 wins over the past two seasons that are the second most of any mid-major program in Indiana, the two most successful seasons in IPFW's Division 1 Era, as well. Over the past three years, the program has graduated five All-League contributors, five who have gone on the play professionally and recorded a number of program firsts … Mid-Major Top 25 ranking, an appearance in The Summit League Championship game, a seven-game winning streak, back-to-back post-season appearances and the program's first post-season win in 2014.

"I am proud of how we have been playing our best basketball in February and March over the past three seasons and hope to maintain this as we move forward," added Coffman. "Our mantra this season is to 'be better today than we were yesterday and to be better tomorrow than we were today.' Our focus this season is on 'today' and let the future take care of itself."