Sports
Jacks wings to carry twice the burden in 2013-14
Tyler Ohmann
11/19/2013
Editors note: In conjunction with Cory Fehringer, head coach of the Dakota College at Bottineau men’s basketball team, the Bottineau Courant has decided to do an early-season preview series of the players on the Jacks squad this season. Many of them are new faces. This week’s article focuses on wings.
For Dakota College at Bottineau, who is out to a 4-1 start this season, the wing position is a demanding position on both ends of the court.
It is also demanded of them to be in great physical shape.
“There is a lot of pressure on them to run the floor on the sprint possession after possession after possession,” said Jacks basketball coach Cory Fehringer. “Along with that, they also have to pick up the ball full court, and so there is several areas where they are key ingredients to not only our offense, but our defense.”
“I think the mixture of different parts has been good as far as our balance has been concerned,” Fehringer added.
Fehringer believes the Jacks have a supremely talented group of wings for this season.
“We have a mixture of guys who can shoot it really well, guys who can penetrate it really well and also guys who just have a balance of being able to distribute the basketball to other people,” Fehringer said.
He also notes that a lot is riding on their success as well.
“I think our wings are crucial, because of how much we ask them to pressure the basketball,” Fehringer said. “You ask them to be offensively aggressive and make good decisions, and the ultimate goal is for the point guard to get the ball to a wing and let the wing make the first decision in our offense.”
“They also have to turn and go from offense to defense at the drop of a hat,” Fehringer continued. “So as soon as the shot goes up their mind set has to change and they have to become a 94-foot defender.”
Julian Vasquez
The most veteran of the Jacks’ wings is sophomore Julian Vasquez, who was a red shirt for DCB last season.
Vasquez, 22, was the co-Miami area player of the year as a senior, when he averaged 26.1 points and 10.3 rebound per game. The player that he shared the honor with, none other than Tim Hardaway Jr., who is now in the NBA.
“We were fortunate enough to get him here after a rough stint in his first school,” Fehringer said. “I do believe that Julian Vasquez is one of the best players in the MonDak Conference.”
Vasquez is off to a strong start in trying to prove his coach right. In the Jacks’ first five games, he has averaged 15.6 points, six rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, while playing in only 24.4 minutes per game.
“I think he’s very skilled defensively and offensively,” Fehringer said. “If he has a fault, it’s probably that he tries to pass the ball too much.”
His best game was a 30-point performance against eighth-ranked, Division I junior college, Iowa Western.
“We rely on him to get our offense going, and to make plays,” Fehringer said. “He’s a big piece of the puzzle.”
Kolbi Selby
Another Jacks wing who will contribute a lot on offense is transfer Kolbi Selby. Selby, who is a strong three-point threat, is from South Dakota and transferred from Gillette Community College.
Fehringer said his ability to understand scouting reports and the team game, will help the team mightily.
“His maturity level, his leadership skills and the fact that he puts in more time in the gym than the majority of our team, really sets a tone as far as working on your craft is concerned,” Fehringer said. “I think he’s brought a higher-level thinking and habits that we don’t have in the program.”
In the Jacks’ first five games Selby is shooting a blistering 45.5 percent from downtown. He is averaging seven points per game. He hit 4-of-5 threes against the University of Winnipeg back on Nov. 2 in the Kevin Thom Classic.
Jake Arck
The 23-year-old Jake Arck is a unique find for the DCB team this season. A very versatile and athletic wing, Fehringer first met Arck at a fitness center in Colorado.
From there Arck, who had attended two other junior colleges, decided to transfer to DCB.
“He’s a kid who is a gym rat, and attempts to maximize his potential through his work ethic,” Fehringer said. “I think that he is a kid that in a stretch of 30 games you can rely on practice after practice, game after game because of his respect for the game of basketball and his loyalty to the team.”
Jalyn Turner
Late in the recruiting process the Jacks managed to recruit another wing in Jalyn Turner.
Turner, who was all-conference in the Chicago area, averaged 16 points, six boards and five assists per game his senior season.
Fehringer thinks he will bring a lot to the Jacks, especially on defense.
“He’s trying to find his niche in our offense right now, but defensively he is clearly a great on-ball defender,” Fehringer said. “Offensively he can give you points with the three, or a pull-up mid range or attacking you 1-on-1 at the rim.”
“He’s a player that game by game, especially by the time he becomes a sophomore will have a good understanding of what college basketball is all about,” Fehringer added.
Turner has played 72 minutes in five games for the Jacks, and has averaged 6.8 points per game.
DCB also has Travis Frye at the wing position. Frye is a combo-guard, and was mentioned last week in the point guard segment.
“I call him the best YMCA player in the area,” Fehringer said of Frye. “He can go into any YMCA in the area and just dominate.”
He is averaging 11 points per game, and has shot 50 percent from beyond the arc through five games.
DCB is counting a lot on this group of players, and so far they’ve been productive, but Fehringer knows he hasn’t seen all he can out of them.
Next week the Jacks walk out their big men.