When the Wilmington College men's basketball team makes their second appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament 9 p.m. (EST) Friday, they will be facing a team with a plethora of experience.
The Washington University Bears, ranked second nationally, have made 21 NCAA trips – 18 of which were as a Division III school. The Bears are 31-15 all-time in the Division III tournament, and won the national title in 2008 and 2009. However, don't expect the Fightin' Quakers to focus on past pedigree.
"We are very excited to be in the NCAA tournament," said Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt. "Obviously, we are playing a quality opponent. But in the NCAA Tournament they are all good teams. WashU is a fantastic basketball team that is incredibly efficient. They are a continuity-based team. Every possession flows, and they have counters as well. They have good passers, good shooters and a great post player in the middle."
The Bears have four players averaging at least 11 points, including forward Chris Klimek. The 6-5 senior leads the team with 16.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. WashU features another post player just as effective as Klimek in junior Matt Palucki, who is third on the team with 15.1 points and pulls down 6.9 rebounds.
Senior Alan Aboona is possibly the catalyst to the Bears offense, leading the team with 138 assists. However, he isn't the only player consistently in a giving mood as Washington has assists on 68 percent of their baskets. He is also second on the team with 16.6 points per game.
Senior Tim Cooney is the fourth member of the double-figure quartet, dropping 11.1 points per contest.
Partly due to the Klimek and Palucki, Washington is outrebounding team by nearly 10 boards per game. In the only meeting between the two teams, a 73-62 Bears win last season, they won the battle on the glass by 20.
Competing on the boards is one of three keys for the Fightin' Quakers to be successful.
"If we can rebound to a sufficient level, be very disruptive on the defensive end and make them play faster, and we have to be efficient ourselves – we will be in a good spot down the stretch," said Hunt.
Senior Malcolm Heard II (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington), the OAC Player of the Year, lead the team in scoring (18.7 points) and rebounds (8.0). He has reached double figures in 24 of WC's 27 games, and has scored more than 20 points in 13 games. Junior R.J. Leppert (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) has constantly provided Wilmington with a scoring perimeter option. A second team All-OAC selection, Leppert is second on the team with 13.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.
While Heard and Leppert are leading the scoring charge, senior Taylor Wellman (Norwood, OH/Norwood) may be the most important player. He is the only WC player to have played in the NCAA tournament. Wellman, who was named the MVP of the OAC Tournament, averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds with a team-high 10 assists and four steals in the three postseason games. Wilmington is 9-2 this season when Wellman starts.