Kirkwood men ready for action (finally)
By Jim Ecker
Tim Sandquist knows all their names. He knows their strengths, he knows what they need to work on. And he knows they're all ready to finally play a game.
The young Kirkwood men's basketball team is scheduled to open the 2021 season at DMACC Wednesday night and then host Northeast Community College in their home opener Saturday.
The National Junior College Athletic Association delayed the start of the 2020-21 campaign for more than two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so all the junior college teams are beginning the season in late January instead of early November.
It's been a long wait for everyone, but it's given Coach Sandquist a chance to get thoroughly acquainted with all the new players on his squad. He knew all their names before they got here, of course, but the recruiting process was filled with ZOOM meetings and telephone calls instead of live scouting.
There are 14 new players on the roster. Only two players, Chris Burnell and Cortaviaus Seales are back from last year's team. Burnell started four games and averaged 5.9 points. Seales appeared in one game and was red-shirted, so he's starting over as a red-shirt freshman.
There are 11 true freshmen on the team and three new sophomores who transferred to Kirkwood. Calling the Eagles a "young" team is putting it mildly.
"We're REALLY young," said Sandquist. "That's something we're going to have to overcome this year."
They are young. But they are talented, according to Sandquist, so the expectations at Kirkwood remain as high as ever: Compete for the conference title. Make the NJCAA Division II national title. And try to win the fourth national title in school history.
"This group really has to come together and learn how to play together," said Sandquist. "And two, we have to learn how to win together."
Kirkwood finished 24-6 last season and came within an eyelash of reaching the national tournament in Sandquist's first year as head coach. The list of departures from that club includes such stalwarts as All-American Luke Appel, Devonte Thedford, Seybian Sims, DJ Purnell, Niko Gosnell, Griffen Clark, and Jamal Stephenson.
Some of them helped the Eagles win the national title in 2019.
"We lost some big contributors," said Sandquist. "We have to fill those voids. They won a lot of games and won a national championship. And they knew how to win."
Blake Brinkmeyer, a 6-foot-9 forward, has moved here from Indiana State, an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Missouri Valley Conference. Corvon Seales, who is Cortaviaus' older brother, has joined the Eagles after a stint at Minnesota State-Mankato, an NCAA Division II club. They give Kirkwood some valuable experience.
Caleb Delzell is a 6-foot-8 freshman from Camanche. Blessin Kimble is a 6-7 freshman from Charleston, Mo. Jaden Keller is a 6-5 rookie from Waterloo West. And there's Brinkmeyer, the 6-9 sophomore from prepped at West Des Moines Valley before enrolling at Indiana State.
"I really like where our frontcourt is at," said Sandquist.
Burnell, the only letterman from last year, is one of the leaders in the backcourt. "We're looking for a big season from him," the coach said.
The Seales brothers, from North Scott High School, figure prominently in the backcourt with Burnell. Sandquist also mentioned Noah King (Caledonia, Minn.), Da'Quavion Walker (Waterloo West), and Joich Gong (Mankato, Minn.) as key members of the backcourt heading into the season.
Sandquist said the starting lineup could change from game to game, depending on who's playing well and according to the matchups with other teams. He likes his team's depth and versatility as they head into the new year.
Kirkwood normally plays 28 games during the regular season, but the schedule has been trimmed to 22 games due to the late start. And instead of the regular season-ending in early March, it now will end in early April, followed by the playoffs.
"It's definitely going to be a sprint to the finish, as opposed to more of a marathon season," said Sandquist.
"We really like our squad," he said. "We really like our guys. I'm just anxious to see them play against somebody else. We've been playing against each other, for the most part, since August.
"I think our guys will be able to compete with anybody we play," Sandquist remarked. "It's a fun group to coach. I hope they'll be a fun group to watch."
