Sports
Fehringer selected to fill position formerly held by Ken Keysor
Tyler Ohmann
07/24/2012
Cory Fehringer, most recently an assistant coach at Dickinson State University, has recently accepted the men’s head basketball coaching position at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Within that, he will also coach the volleyball team for a year.
Fehringer, 27, will be one of the youngest junior college coaches in the country. He began his career as a point guard for Northeastern Junior College in Colorado, where he helped the team win a region title and gain national recognition.
From there he played a short stint at Colorado State University, but finished his playing career at Hastings College in Nebraska.
He stayed there to be an assistant coach and helped lead them to a successful campaign in their first year.
Following that he went to Dickinson State University for the 2011-12 season, and coached under Bluehawks fifth-year coach Ty Orton.
Collectively these experiences, Fehringer said,
“Prepared me for the first opportunity to be a head coach.”
“I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to be here at Dakota College at Bottineau,” Fehringer added. “I’m excited to work with the people in the athletic department, and I’m extremely enthusiastic about the players that are coming in, and where we are headed.”
Fehringer inherits the DCB men’s basketball squad that will return several freshman from last year’s team that was run by Ken Keysor.
Keysor stepped down after he was afforded an offer as a manager at Burke-Divide Electric Cooperative, which would allow him to spend more time with his children.
“Coach Keysor has been extremely positive about the guys that are going to be returning and some of the freshman that will be incoming,” Fehringer said. “There is an opportunity to be successful immediately as long as these kids are willing to work hard, they’re coachable and they have good attitudes, and those are the things we are looking to get right away.”
“Hopefully we can add a couple of pieces before the season starts, but I think the outlook is extremely bright,” Fehringer added.
Fehringer is looking forward to the basketball season, and seeing what the players can do.
“We’ll determine that at the point when we find out what our players are able to do, what they are capable of and what will put us in position to be most successful,” Fehringer said. “We aren’t going to be pigeonholed into one style, but I think the game today is played fast, but if you are going to play transition to score, you better be defensively disciplined.”
“Regardless of what goes on I think a staple of our team will be discipline and toughness on and off the court,” Fehringer said. “We’re going to have high expectations in the classroom, the same as we have high expectations on the court.”
The Lumberjacks went 11-22 overall last season and were 1-9 in the MonDak Conference.
Fehringer said the team will not dwell on the past.
“I’m not so concerned what Bottineau has done in the past,” Fehringer said. “My biggest concern is where we are at the day we arrive on campus, and that we strive to get better every day and the last day of the season, whenever that might be, that we are playing our best basketball.”
Whatever the case may be Fehringer is elated to work at DCB and help the teams he coaches succeed.
“During my visit there the athletic department is filled with individuals that want to see us take another step forward,” Fehringer said. “I think everybody is willing to put in some extra time and effort to get Bottineau to the next level.”
“Obviously our region isn’t easy by any means, but our emphasis will be on what we do and not on what other teams do,” Fehringer added.
The DCB volleyball team will return star Jordyn Sondrol and add Bottineau High School standout Ashleigh Aufforth for this fall.
The Ladyjacks finished 5-21 last season, but played strong in the Region XIII tournament and took third place.