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Fort Hays State Men's Hoops Making Noise Early
By David Boyce
Fort Hays State's men's basketball team heads into its final game before Christmas with a chance to have a special first semester on the court.
The Tigers take on Bethel 7 p.m. Friday at home with just one loss.
At 8-1 overall and 3-0 and tied for first with Central Missouri in the MIAA, Fort Hays is definitely a team that could challenge for the conference title.
"We would like to finish the first semester on a very good note," Fort Hays coach Mark Johnson said. "If we could win Friday night I don't think we could have written up a better first semester than we had.
"We can definitely play better and we need to play better if we want to be a contender in conference. As far as win-loss record, I don't think we could ask for better."
Before conference play started, Fort Hays definitely opened some eyes across the MIAA by what it did Dec. 1 at Kansas State.
There were many whispers at the MIAA media day on Oct. 28 that Fort Hays was a team with enough talent to challenge Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist for conference supremacy.
Those whispers turned to actual talk when Fort Hays lost only 83-76 at K-State. The Tigers really put a scare into a talented, veteran K-State team that is currently ranked 17th in Division I.
"What helped us is we went into Kansas already (in an exhibition game) and really played Kansas decent for a half," Johnson said. "Our guys went to K-State and weren't intimidated by the surroundings or the circumstances. We just went in there and played.
"It was a confidence boost for us. K-State really gets after it defensively. I thought it was good for us to handle the pressure and handle the environment of the game."
Other than coming away with an upset victory, the outcome couldn't have been better for the Tigers, who played their first MIAA game four days later at Nebraska-Omaha.
Fueled by what they just accomplished at K-State, the Tigers were in the perfect frame of mind to get an early-season road conference win.
Fort Hays beat Nebraska-Omaha by 11 points. The win was significant in that the Tigers wanted to start conference play winning. They have gotten off to slow starts in conference since joining the MIAA in 2006-07.
Last year, the Tigers lost their first two MIAA games and started 2-5 before they won eight straight conference games. Fort Hays finished 12-8 and tied for third in conference.
"We've had to play catch-up," Johnson said. "Not that 3-0 gets you anywhere. It doesn't give you a top 1 or 2 finish, it just means we are off to a decent start and we don't have to play catch-up. If we can continue to be successful, good things can happen."
The rest of Division II is taking notice of the Tigers. Fort Hays is ranked 14th in Division II.
"We haven't discussed it," Johnson said. "I don't know if rankings this time of the year mean a heck of a lot because you haven't have gotten into the depth of your schedule and your conference. It's a reward for our guys working hard and having early-season success, but it really doesn't amount to much at all."
It will mean when Fort Hays returns to the court Dec. 30 at home against Washburn, the Tigers will face a team hungry to knock off a ranked team to boost its confidence.
Johnson is giving his players seven days off after the Bethel game to enjoy Christmas and relax before MIAA play begins in earnest.
"We need a break," Johnson said. "We've been going at it pretty hard, but when you are going well you don't really want a break. You kind of have mixed emotion about having this week-long period off."
Starting on Dec. 30, the Tigers will play three conference games in six days, including an early-season showdown at Central Missouri on Jan. 4. The Mules are the only other team in the MIAA that haven't suffered a conference loss.
If Fort Hays wins in Warrensburg, look out because the Tigers are roaring.
To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.
