The season got off to a great start for the Cougars, who were ranked No. 19 in the NAIA Division II preseason poll, as MVNU won 10 straight games to start the year and 14 of the team’s first 15 as the team moved up to No. 5 in the January 16th poll with a 14-1 record.

After dropping four of the team’s next seven games to stand at 17-5, the Cougars closed the regular season by going 5-1 as MVNU improved to 22-6 overall and finished 9-5 in the rugged American Mideast Conference South Division. It marked the eleventh time in the past 12 seasons that the team has topped the 20-win mark.

The Cougars defeated Notre Dame College 94-84 in the first round of the AMC Tournament, but then MVNU fell 101-98 in overtime at top-seeded Malone College in the semifinals. After an excruciating three-day wait in which several tournament games across the country had to go their way, MVNU landed the final at-large berth into the NAIA Division II national tournament courtesy of its No. 22 ranking in the final poll. The team also finished the season 14-1 at home - a new record for best home winning percentage in a season - and improved to 26-2 in the friendly confines of the Physical Education Center over the past two years including setting a school record with a streak of 22 straight home wins at one point.

At the NAIA Division II national tournament in Point Lookout, Missouri, the unseeded Cougars squared off with 11th-seeded Oregon Institute of Technology in the first round of the 32-team event. After trailing by as many as 13 points late in the second half, MVNU had two three-point attempts at the buzzer come up short as the Hustlin’ Owls prevailed 77-74 to advance. Just like the previous year when the Cougars fell to eventual champion MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University in the national tournament, Oregon Tech went on to win the 2008 national title with MVNU having given them the toughest game along the way.

“In all honesty, this team surprised a lot of people and to a certain extent they surprised me as well,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming, who has posted a 374-217 record in 18 seasons at his alma mater. “After our run in the national tournament last year, we knew we had many holes to fill due to graduating an important part of our team. In order to stay competitive at a high level, three things needed to happen. Our best players needed to take their game to another level, our returning role players needed to step up their game, and some of our new players needed to come in and make an immediate impact.”

“All three of those things happened this year,” Flemming continued. “Ben (Falkenberg) and Dan (Borcherdt) showed why they are one of the best backcourts in the country. Players like Connor (Gregg), Evan (Yates), Andy (Francis), Bryce (Sanborn), and Matt (McKinley) really improved and made solid contributions. Jadin (Thomas) solidified our frontcourt and became one of the best players in our league. Brandon (Short) also made a significant contribution, especially for a freshman. By mid-season, we were not sneaking up on anyone. We had some quality wins early that gave us confidence for the rest of the season. We were very close to beating the team that won the national championship for the second straight year. I am very proud of what this team accomplished.”

Individually, seniors Connor Gregg and Evan Yates (pictured below) wrapped up their careers with the Cougars. Gregg averaged 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting a team-best 63.6 percent from the field (143-for-225) as he was named to the AMC South Division Third Team. He finishes his career with 792 points and 541 rebounds in three seasons and ranks seventh in school history with 79 career blocked shots. Yates averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 25 games and contributed 276 points and 270 rebounds in 108 career games as he was named to the NAIA Division II and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete Teams for the second straight year.

Junior guard Ben Falkenberg added another successful chapter to his outstanding career as he led the team in scoring (21.5 points per game), handed out a career-high 111 assists, ranked second in NAIA Division II in free throw percentage (91.7 percent), and nailed 126 three-pointers to rank fourth in NAIA Division II in treys per game (4.1). Among his many honors, Falkenberg was a repeat selection on the AMC South Division First Team, the NAIA Division II All-American First Team, the NCCAA All-American First Team, and the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Second Team. He was also an NAIA Division II and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete. Falkenberg now ranks fifth in school history in career points (1,997), third in career three-pointers made (354), and fifth in career free throws made (331).

Junior guard Dan Borcherdt averaged 11.0 points and shot 87.5 percent from the free throw line while leading MVNU with a career-high 129 assists and only 57 turnovers. He nailed a career-best 74 three-pointers and was also second on the team with 37 steals. Borcherdt was an AMC South Division Honorable Mention selection.

Junior forward Jadin Thomas made a big impact in his first season with the Cougars after transferring in from Columbus State Community College. He averaged 15.7 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds to go with a team-high 56 blocked shots. Thomas was named to the AMC South Division Second Team and selected as the AMC South Division Newcomer of the Year, and he was also chosen as an NCCAA Scholar-Athlete.

Freshman guard Brandon Short also posted a solid first season for the Cougars as he averaged 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while leading the team with 42 steals as he played in all 31 games with five starts. For his efforts, he was selected as the AMC South Division Freshman of the Year.

Junior wing Andy Francis played in all 31 games for MVNU with 30 starts and averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. Sophomore center Bryce Sanborn contributed 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 31 games off the bench, while junior forward Matt McKinley averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 29 games while shooting 57.1 percent from three-point range (12-for-21). Francis was the Cougars’ Champions of Character award recipient at the NAIA Division II national tournament, while McKinley was named to both the NAIA Division II and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete Teams. Sophomore guards Josh Taguiam and Jonathan Gurney, sophomore forward Joe Kalb, and freshman forward Adam Grimm rounded out the roster for MVNU and added depth for the Cougars.

Despite the loss of Gregg and Yates to graduation, the future looks bright for MVNU with a talented senior class returning with the goal of becoming the first group in school history to make the NAIA Division II national tournament all four years. Combine that with the rest of the returning players and a good recruiting class and the Cougars will be ready to play when the 2008-2009 season rolls around.