Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Nov. 8, 2024 - Entering its second season under head coach Vince Kmiec '14/M '17, the North Central College men's basketball team will look to blend a large group of newcomers with its core of veterans as it seeks to ascend in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) standings.

Kmiec's inaugural season at the helm saw the Cardinals open with a 3-10 record before going 7-7 the rest of the way, finishing with an overall mark of 10-17 and tying for fourth place in the CCIW standings at 7-9. North Central defeated Carroll University, 58-54, in the CCIW Tournament quarterfinals before a 66-62 semifinal loss to Illinois Wesleyan University.

"As a team, staff and players included, I felt we learned the importance of culture," Kmiec said. "Everyone talks about having a good team culture, but what does it really mean? For us, I think it was more player empowerment and the realization that this is their team and our staff is here to facilitate their growth on and off the court. The players have to buy into the team identity that they create, and I felt the second half of the season we did just that and it showed in our performances as well as our camaraderie."

6-5 graduate student Ethan Helwig returns for his fourth season with the Cardinals after earning Second Team All-CCIW accolades and leading the team in points (12.0) and rebounds per game (6.9, fourth-most in the CCIW) while ranking fifth in the conference with a team-high 56 three-point field goals. Helwig enters the season just five points shy of becoming the 31st player in the program's history to score at least 1,000 career points, and he ranks sixth all-time in career three-pointers made (164).

Four other North Central returnees cracked the starting lineup a season ago. 5-10 seniors Drew Gaston and Terrance Moncrief averaged 8.5 and 5.3 points per game, respectively, as Gaston also turned in a team-high 22 steals and scored in double figures 10 times. 6-2 junior Sean Molloy put up 6.5 points per contest, emerging from a backup role to start six of the Cardinals' last seven games and scoring in double figures five times.

6-4 sophomore Tyler Swierczek started 17 contests, averaging 7.4 points per game and ranking ninth in the CCIW in three-point percentage (.378). Swierczek scored 25 points on 9 of 12 shooting in a 64-53 victory over Millikin Feb. 14, posting the Cardinals' highest individual point total of the season in conference play. Sophomores Tre Davis (5-10), Tyler DiSilvio (6-6) and Tyler Surin (6-2) also saw varsity action a season ago.

"We have three captains for this season, Ethan Helwig, Terrance Moncrief, and Sean Molloy," Kmiec stated. "I think all of them lead in their own and different ways which is a positive. That group has a nice foundation of experience and success that they can use to help out some of our newer players. However, everyone on this team should feel empowered to use their voice and hold their teammates accountable."

A large recruiting class intended to provide greater depth in the low post includes 6-7 freshmen James Bullock, Ethan Lewis, Bryce Smith and Justin Sveiteris, as well as Keagan Faulkner (6-5), Alejandro Diaz (6-3), Jaydon James (6-3), and Reggie Ray (6-3).

"I think we have seen some very big leaps from a lot of our freshmen that will make for difficult decisions as the year comes about, which is what you want as a coach," Kmiec pointed out. "The intense competition levels have been there from the pre-season and that only sharpens the person next to you."

Key among the team's goals for the coming season will be to improve ball and player movement on offense in pursuit of better shot opportunities. The Cardinals ranked eighth in the CCIW in field-goal percentage (.415) and ninth in assists (10.89 per game) a season ago.

"We flat-out did not shoot the ball well enough to win some of those close games last season," Kmiec said. "We put ourselves in too many one-on-one scenarios. Shooting percentages raise when players don't have to dribble or make a move into their shot. If we can take care of the ball and get more catch-and-shoot opportunities in rhythm, those numbers will improve."

The Cardinals begin the new campaign at Aurora University on Tuesday with a 2:00 p.m. tip-off before heading to the Pacific Northwest for games against Whitman College (Washington) and Willamette University (Oregon). North Central's first home game is Nov. 26 against Benedictine University, with CCIW play to begin Dec. 4 against Millikin University.  Click HERE for the full 2024-2025 schedule.