Gary Holquist is ready to win games.
Following a 20-win 2008-09 season, the Minnesota Duluth men's basketball coach made a difficult decision -- to usher in a youth movement while rebuilding the proud program. Holquist ultimately wanted to lay the foundation for long-term stability.
Struggles, youthful missteps and losses ensued, but that wasn't altogether surprising. It was, in fact, part of the process, a process Holquist expects to pay dividends in 2011-12.
"It's time to win games," Holquist said during the Bulldogs' Oct. 14 media day at Romano Gymnasium. "As a competitive person, you want to compete, win games. I've never strictly felt that it was life or death, but I think you retool programs with the idea that at some point it's gonna come to fruition and you're gonna have success.
"And I think that time is now."
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UMD, sporting a promising collection of underclassmen a year ago, faltered after an attention-grabbing 8-3 start. The Bulldogs endured a nine-game losing streak and won just two times during the season's final two and a half months.
Growing pains, life lessons, character-building experience ... whatever you call it, Holquist and his tight-knit squad are eager for tangible results, those that come in the left-hand column of the won-loss ledger. This is a program accustomed to churning out 20 wins and vying for the NCAA Tournament, so the past two campaigns (10-16 last year, 7-20 in 2009-10) were difficult to stomach.
Again, though, part of the process.
"I think the expectations in our locker room are high, and I don't think a lot of people outside of our locker room think that, but that's why we play the games, and that's why I'm excited for the season," said Ryan Rasmussen, the team's lone senior.
Why so much excitement? For one, UMD returns all five starters from a team that showed flashes of being ready to turn the corner last season. There's nine returners overall, with three players -- who combined to average less than 10 points -- gone from last year's roster. Add in a talented crop of newcomers, headlined by Detroit native Derrick Stephens, and it's easy to understand the optimism.
Rasmussen and fellow captain Jake Hottenstine give UMD a potent backcourt. The duo combined to shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range in 2010-11, while averaging 32 points a contest. Brett Irvin, a 6-7 center, was a double-digit scorer en route to being named the NSIC Freshman of the Year. Those three players are expected to provide what's become a staple of successful UMD teams: strong inside-outside play.
"The talent on this team is comparable to my freshman year (when UMD won 20 games)," Rasmussen said. "It's a lot similar."
That's music to the ears for so many UMD fans who have shown patience while letting the Bulldogs find their way. Holquist admitted that he likely never would have retooled a program as a young coach. He said he would have chased junior college players and transfers. Such an approach, however, hinders stability. Conversely, it creates a revolving-door scenario where there's simply too much roster turnover.
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"Don't get me wrong: I wanna be successful, I wanna win games, but you also wanna do it the right way," said Holquist, who's entering his 15th season as the UMD coach.
The Bulldogs should know plenty about where they're headed following a challenging start to the season. They play 10 of their first 13 games on the road, including the Nov. 12 opener at Michigan Tech. If they can hover around .500 through that stretch, opportunity beckons with seven of their next nine games at Romano.
"This year, it's gonna be important for us to win those road games," Hottenstine said. "And I think after we win those road games, it will be easier on us once we come home."
The UMD basketball program is hosting a free youth clinic Nov. 5 at Romano for youngsters in grades first through sixth. The first 200 players will receive a T-shirt, and all participants will get lunch and free admission to the UMD football game against Crookston that afternoon.
