Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball

Ceaser Named Mustangs' MVP

Mustangs Break Five School Records During 2004-05 Season

Ceaser Is Second-Team All-American

Mustangs Place Two On All-GPAC First Team

Mustangs Climb Into NAIA Top 25


Eddie Ceaser	Paul Larsen	Tim Johnson

Ceaser Named Mustangs' MVP

Eddie Ceaser, a 6-3 senior guard from Minneapolis, Minn., received the Most Valuable Player award for the Morningside College men’s basketball team when the Mustangs held their post-season awards banquet on Saturday.

Ceaser averaged 15.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and was the Mustangs’ leader with 135 assists, 69 steals, and 18 blocked shots for norms of 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.6 blocked shots per game. Ceaser’s 69 steals were just three shy of the Morningside single-season record of 72 steals in a season by Dusty Wadlington in 2000-01. He made 176 of 339 field goal attempts for 51.9 percent, 21 of 53 3-point field goal attempts for 39.6 percent, and 98 of 131 free throw attempts for 74.8 percent.

Ceaser was a two-time NAIA Division II All-American during his Morningside career, earning second-team honors this past season and third-team laurels as a junior. He finished his career with a school-record 161 career steals and as the eighth leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,311 career points.

Paul Larsen, a 6-2 junior guard from Neola, Iowa, received the Mustangs’ Defensive Player of the Year award, while Tim Johnson, a 6-4 junior forward from Fairfield, Neb., received the Most Improved Player and Outstanding Student awards.

Larsen, who also received the Mustangs’ Defensive Player of the Year award last year, averaged 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as one of the Mustangs’ starting guards. He dealt 39 assists and had 28 steals and seven blocked shots.

Johnson received the Mustangs’ Most Improved Player award for the second year in a row. He was the Mustangs’ most productive reserve with averages of 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He led the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 74 field goals in 139 attempts for 53.2 percent.

Morningside won 13 of its final 16 games to finish the season with a 20-11 record for its fifth 20-win season in school history and its first 20-win campaign since 1994-95. The Mustangs, who were ranked 25th nationally in the final NAIA Division II regular season poll, posted a 13-5 record in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) competition to finish third in the final league standings.

Mustangs Break Five School Records During 2004-05 Season


Brad Schmit	Eddie Ceaser

Morningside’s men’s basketball team broke five school records during the 2004-05 campaign en route to a 20-11 record.

The Mustangs’ individual record setters were Brad Schmit, a 6-3 junior guard from Jesup, Iowa, and Eddie Ceaser, a 6-3 senior guard from Minneapolis, Minn. Schmit made a team-high 78 3-point field goals this season to become the Mustangs’ all-time leader with 233 career 3-point field goals. He broke the former Morningside standard of 206 career 3-point field goals set by Chris Kuhlmann from 1987-91. Ceaser topped the Mustangs with 69 steals to become Morningside’s record holder with 161 career steals. Ceaser topped the previous Morningside record of 137 career steals set by Joel Weyand from 1993-97.

Morningside had a school-record 317 steals this season to shatter its former single-season standard of 272 steals set in 1994-95. The Mustangs broke their single-game steal record with 21 thefts against Midland Lutheran College on Dec. 11 to top their former mark of 20 steals against Westmar University on Nov. 18, 1995.

The Mustangs also set a school single-season record with 726 free throw attempts.

Aside from leading the Mustangs in 3-point field goals, Schmit was also the Mustangs’ leading scorer with an average of 15.7 points per game and led the team in 3-point field goal accuracy with 78 treys in 202 attempts for 38.6 percent. Schmit climbed into sixth place on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 1,382 career points.

Ceaser led the Mustangs with 135 assists, 69 steals, and 18 blocked shots for averages of 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.6 blocked shots per game. Ceaser finished his career as the eighth leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,311 career points.

Tom Regan, a 6-6 junior forward from Ewing, Neb., was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder with an average of 6.0 caroms per game as well as the team’s best free throw shooter with a team-high 100 free throws in 125 attempts for 80.0 percent. Regan moved into 39th place on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 818 career points.

Tim Johnson, a 6-4 junior forward from Fairfield, Neb., led the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 74 field goals in 139 attempts for 53.2 percent.

Ceaser Is Second-Team All-American

Eddie Ceaser, a 6-3 senior guard from Minneapolis, Minn., has been named to the 2005 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball All-America second-team released Tuesday, March 15.

In addition, the Mustangs’ Brad Schmit, a 6-3 junior guard from Jesup, Iowa, was named to the NAIA Division II All-America honorable mention list.

Ceaser averaged 15.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this past season to help lead the Mustangs to a 20-11 record. He led the Mustangs with 135 assists, 69 steals, and 18 blocked shots for norms of 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.6 blocked shots per game. Ceaser’s 69 steals were just three shy of the Morningside single-season record of 72 steals in a season by Dusty Wadlington in 2000-01. Ceaser made 176 of 339 field goal attempts for 51.9 percent, 21 of 53 3-point field goal attempts for 39.6 percent, and 98 of 131 free throw attempts for 74.8 percent.

Ceaser, who earned third-team NAIA Division II All-America honors last year, is the eighth leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,311 career points.

Schmit averaged 15.7 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game and was the Mustangs’ leading scorer for the second year in a row. He made a team-high 78 3-point field goals in 202 attempts for 38.6 percent, 162 field goals in 351 attempts for 46.2 percent, and 84 of 116 free throw attempts for 72.4 percent. His statistics also included 50 assists, 46 steals, and three blocked shots. Schmit had the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season with 30 points against Midland Lutheran College on Dec. 11.

Schmit is Morningside’s all-time leader with 233 career 3-point field goals and ranks sixth on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 1,382 career points.

Morningside finished the season with 13 victories in its final 16 games to post a 20-11 record for its first 20-win campaign since 1994-95. The Mustangs, who were ranked 25th nationally in the final NAIA Division II poll, finished third in the GPAC standings with a 13-5 league mark.

Click here for the complete 2005 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball All-America Team.

Mustangs Place Two On All-GPAC First-Team


Eddie Ceaser	Brad Schmit

Morningside’s Eddie Ceaser, a 6-3 senior guard from Minneapolis, Minn., and Brad Schmit, a 6-3 junior guard from Jesup, Iowa, are repeat selections on the 2005 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Men’s Basketball first-team as selected by the league’s 13 head coaches.

In addition, the Mustangs’ David Finklea, a 6-5 senior forward from Bellevue, Neb., was named to the All-GPAC second-team and Tom Regan, a 6-6 junior forward from Ewing, Neb., was named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list.

Ceaser was the Mustangs’ second leading scorer and third leading rebounder with averages of 15.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He led the team with 135 assists, 69 steals, and 18 blocked shots for norms of 4.4 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.6 blocked shots per game. Ceaser’s 69 steals were just three shy of the Morningside single-season record of 72 steals in a season by Dusty Wadlington in 2000-01. Ceaser made 176 of 339 field goal attempts for 51.9 percent, 21 of 53 3-point field goal attempts for 39.6 percent, and 98 of 131 free throw attempts for 74.8 percent.

He ranked second in the GPAC in steals, sixth in assists, eighth in scoring, and ninth in field goal percentage.

Ceaser, who earned third-team NAIA Division II All-America honors last year, is the eighth leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,311 career points.

He ranked third in the GPAC with an average of 2.5 3-point field goals per game and was the league’s sixth leading scorer.

Schmit is Morningside’s all-time leader with 233 career 3-point field goals and ranks sixth on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 1,382 career points.

Finklea was the Mustangs’ third leading scorer and second leading rebounder with averages of 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and had the Mustangs’ top single-game rebounding performance of the season with a 16-board haul against Dana College on Feb. 16. Finklea made 159 of 311 field goal attempts for 51.1 percent, 10 of 31 3-point field goal attempts for 32.3 percent, and 84 of 124 free throw attempts for 67.7 percent. He had 42 steals, 33 assists, and nine blocked shots.

Regan led the Mustangs in rebounding with an average of 6.0 per game to compliment a 10.8-point scoring average. He also led the Mustangs in free throw accuracy with 100 free throws in 125 attempts for 80.0 percent and made 117 of 249 field goal attempts for 47.0 percent. His statistics also included 42 assists, 31 steals, and eight blocked shots.

He ranked eighth in the GPAC in free throw percentage and ninth in rebounding.

Click here for the complete 2005 All-GPAC Men's Basketball Team.

Mustangs Ranked 25th In The NAIA

Morningside’s men’s basketball team has climbed into the national rankings and debuts at No. 25 in the final NAIA Division II poll released Tuesday, Feb. 22.

The Mustangs, who are 12-2 since the start of January, won 11 of their final 12 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) contests after a 2-4 start to finish the league season with a 13-5 record to gain the No. 3 seed for the GPAC’s post-season tournament that starts Feb. 22.

Morningside will take a 19-10 record into a 7:30 p.m. home-court first-round contest against city rival Briar Cliff University.

Morningside is one of three teams from the GPAC ranked in the NAIA Division II Top 25. GPAC regular season champion Northwestern College is ranked No. 1 and GPAC runner-up Concordia University is fifth. The Mustangs defeated Concordia in both of their regular season meetings.

Click here for the complete NAIA Division II Top 25.