2007-08 Badger Basketball Outlook

Are you ready!

Snow College head men’s basketball coach Michael Ostlund announced Friday the upcoming 2007-08 schedule. The Badgers will play a total of 30 regular season games, leading up to the Region 18 tournament in March, and hopefully their first ever trip to the NJCAA National Tournament.

The Badgers non-conference slate features tournament at Casper College (Wyoming), Trinidad State (Colorado), two in Arizona (Yavapai and Scottsdale), and a three-day SWAC challenge hosted by North Idaho.

Of the 30 regular season games, only 10 will be in Ephraim this year. “We will have to get used to playing on the road, that’s for sure,” said Coach Ostlund. “Hopefully that will prepare us well for the tough road games we will have in conference play.”

Though the home schedule is a little thin this season, the 2008-09 schedule is set up to be much more favorable. “We will have at least 14 home games next year, hopefully more,” added Coach Ostlund. “It will always be an advantage for us to play at home in Ephraim, in front of our loyal fans and the Rowdy Crowd student section. They got a little short changed this time around, but my commitment is to make it up to them in the future.”

The first home game is set for Friday, November 9th against Western Wyoming. Other home games on the non-conference side of the schedule include Salt Lake Metro (Tuesday, November 20th) and Pro Look Sports (Tuesday, January 8th). Both teams are comprised of former college players.

The SWAC begins Saturday, January 12th when the Badgers host in-state rival Salt Lake. A little extra rivalry feeling will be in the air as Coach Ostlund faces off with his mentor and good friend Norm Parrish on the sidelines. Coach O knows it will be difficult to try to beat the program he worked so hard to help be successful for the past five seasons, and to coach against someone he considers one of his all-time best friends. “I think it will be hard, at first, for both of us to view the other as the opposition,” says Ostlund. “But once it’s game time, it will become all about the players on both sides and our competitive nature will take over. The hardest part of the whole thing will be trying to actually beat their team- they have several key players and starters returning from a team that played in the region championship game last year.”

By contrast, the Badgers have only one returning player who saw action in the region tournament a year ago, and have 12 new players on the roster. “We will have to find other ways to make up for our youth and lack of experience, but we’re not into making excuses. Experience only comes by doing it, and do it we will.”

The remaining home games feature the familiar Scenic West foes: defending region 18 champions Southern Idaho visits Ephraim Friday, January 25th, followed by North Idaho Saturday, January 26th. In the month of February, Colorado Northwestern comes to town for two games as does in-state rival Eastern Utah February 22nd and 23rd.

The Badgers wrap up the regular season with two games at North Idaho February 29th and March 1st. The site of the region tournament (March 5th – 8th) will be determined by the women’s regular season winner.