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Thompson Named Mustangs' MVP
Atkins Breaks Free Throw Attempt Records
Thompson Is Second-Team All-American
Helmink Receives NAIA Scholar-Athlete Honor
Mustangs Bow Out In Loss Against Black Hills State
Mustangs Win National Tourney Opener
Mustangs Place Two On All-GPAC First-Team
Marrs Named GPAC Player Of The Week
 Nick Thompson, a 6-6 senior forward from Bettendorf, Iowa, received the Most Valuable Player Award for the Morningside College men’s basketball team when the Mustangs hosted their post-season awards banquet on Saturday.
Thompson was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder and co-scoring leader this past season with averages of 14.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He also topped the Mustangs’ with 42 blocked shots for an average of 1.3 rejections per game and was the team’s best free throw shooter with 120 free throws in 149 attempts for 80.5 percent. Thompson made 162 of 337 field goal attempts for 48.1 percent and 33 of 93 3-point field goal attempts for 35.5 percent.
Thompson had 11 double-doubles during the season with game highs of 27 points in an 83-75 victory against Mayville State University on Nov. 14 and 18 rebounds in a 74-68 triumph against Johnson & Wales University on Nov. 8. He was the leading rebounder in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) with an average of 9.6 caroms per game in the Mustangs’ 18 league contests.
Adam Palmer, a 6-5 junior forward from Sioux City, received the Mustangs’ Most Improved Player Award. Palmer was the second leading scorer and top rebounder off the Mustangs’ bench with averages of 4.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 13 varsity contests the previous season.
Brady Helmink, a 6-2 senior guard from Fairbury, Neb., received the Mustangs’ Defensive Player of the Year Award. Helmink averaged 7.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his first season in the Mustangs’ starting lineup. He was one of the Mustangs’ top 3-point threats and best free throw shooters with 38 3-point field goals in 107 attempts for 35.5 percent and 43 free throws in 61 attempts for 70.5 percent.
Morningside posted a 24-8 record during the 2008-09 season and was the GPAC champion with a 15-3 league mark to qualify for the NAIA Division II National Tournament for the third time in the last four years.
 Seth Atkins, a 6-6 senior center from Grand Island, Neb., displayed a knack for getting to the free-throw line throughout his Morningside College men’s basketball career.
In fact, nobody in Morningside history did it better than Atkins, who went to the foul line a whopping 563 times during his four-year career to break the former Morningside record of 544 career free throw attempts by Tim West from 1995-99.
Aside from breaking the Mustangs’ career record for free throw attempts, Atkins also broke the Mustangs’ single-season record this season with 225 free throw attempts to break the former Morningside record of 213 attempts by Tom Betz in 1988-89.
Atkins was the Mustangs’ leading scorer this season with 478 points for an average of 14.9 points per game and was the Mustangs’ second leading rebounder with an average of 6.7 caroms per game. He had the Mustangs’ top single-game rebounding performance of the season with a 20-board haul in Morningside’s 66-56 victory against Midland Lutheran College on Jan. 7. Aside from leading the Mustangs in scoring, Atkins also topped the team in field goal accuracy with a team-high 171 hoops in 294 attempts for 58.2 percent.
Atkins finished his career with 1,218 points to tie former teammate Tom Regan (2002-06) for the 12th highest scoring total in Morningside history. He averaged 9.9 points per game during his Morningside career.
Nick Thompson, a 6-6 senior forward from Bettendorf, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder with an average of 9.4 caroms per game and finished just one point behind Atkins in the Mustangs’ team scoring derby with 477 tallies for an average of 14.9 points per contest. Thompson also topped the Mustangs with 42 blocked shots for an average of 1.3 rejections per game and was the Mustangs’ best free throw shooter with 120 free throws in 149 attempts for 80.5 percent.
Eddie Marrs, a 5-9 junior guard from Omaha, Neb., led the Mustangs with 76 assists and 59 steals for averages of 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Marrs was the Mustangs’ third leading scorer with an average of 14.7 points per game and had the team’s top single-game scoring performance of the season with a 35-point explosion in the Mustangs’ 84-77 overtime win against Dordt College in their regular season finale. Marrs was the Mustangs’ most accurate 3-point shooter with 37 3-point field goals in 99 attempts for 37.4 percent.
Mitch Carstens, a 6-3 junior guard from Grand Island, Neb., was the Mustangs’ most prolific 3-point shooter with a team-high 39 3-point field goals en route to a scoring average of 10.2 points per game.
Morningside posted a 24-8 record during the 2008-09 season and was the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) champion with a 15-3 league mark to qualify for the NAIA Division II National Tournament for the third time in the last four years.
 Nick Thompson, a 6-7 senior forward from Bettendorf, Iowa, has been named a second-team NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball All-American.
Thompson averaged a team-high 14.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for the Mustangs this past season. Thompson had 11 double-doubles and was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 23 of their 32 contests. He also led the Mustangs with 42 blocked shots for an average of 1.3 rejections per game. Thompson ranked second on the team with 66 assists and third with 35 steals for averages of 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He made 162 of 337 field goal attempts for 48.1 percent, 33 of 93 3-point field goal attempts for 35.5 percent, and 120 of 149 free throw attempts for a team-high 80.5 percent.
In addition to Thompson, the Mustangs’ Seth Atkins, a 6-6 senior center from Grand Island, Neb., was named an honorable mention All-American.
Atkins was the Mustangs’ co-scoring leader and second leading rebounder with averages of 14.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He led the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 171 field goals in 294 attempts for 58.2 percent and shot 50 percent or higher from the field in 25 of the Mustangs’ 32 contests. Atkins had the Mustangs’ top single-game rebounding performance of the season with a 20-board haul in Morningside’s 66-56 victory against Midland Lutheran College on Jan. 7.
Atkins finished his career with 1,218 points for the 12th highest scoring total in Morningside history.
Morningside posted a 24-8 record this season en route to the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season championship and a third NAIA Division II National Tournament appearance in the last four years.
Click here for the complete 2009 NAIA Division Men's Basketball All-America Team.
 Brady Helmink, a 6-2 senior guard from Fairbury, Neb., has been named a 2009 Daktronics-NAIA Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete.
Helmink has a 3.90 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with a major in chemistry. He also received Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition as a junior.
Helmink averaged 7.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as one of the Mustangs’ starting guards this past season.
Student-athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Morningside posted a 24-8 record and won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season championship with a 15-3 league mark this past season en route to its third NAIA Division II National Tournament appearance in the past four seasons.
Click here for the complete list of Daktronics-NAIA Men's Basketball Scholar-Athletes.
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Eddie Marrs |
Seth Atkins |
With five sophomores in the starting lineup, the future certainly looks bright for Black Hills State University’s men’s basketball team.
Morningside discovered the Yellow Jackets’ present is pretty strong as well when fifth ranked Black Hills State won its 14th game in a row with an 84-73 triumph against the 12th ranked Mustangs in Friday’s second round action at the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
It was Black Hills State’s first-ever victory against Morningside after the Yellow Jackets had lost regular season games against the Mustangs each of the past two seasons, including a 76-67 loss last year when Morningside made its debut in the refurbished Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center while its young players were getting their freshman initiation into collegiate athletics.
Black Hills state went on a 6-0 run to start the game and never trailed on its way to the Elite Eight with a 29-4 record. Morningside, the GPAC regular season champion, bowed out of the national tourney with a 24-8 record.
Eddie Marrs led the Mustangs with 21 points and eight rebounds. Senior center Seth Atkins was right behind with a 19-point, seven-rebound performance in his Morningside finale. Mitch Carstens added 12 points and Nick Thompson had 10 points and eight rebounds to share Mustang board honors with Marrs.
After their 6-0 run to start the game, the Yellow Jackets eventually increased their first half advantage to 18 points, 42-24, before taking a 44-31 lead into the intermission.
After a one-for-11 shooting performance from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half, the Mustangs’ outside shooting heated up after the intermission. The Mustangs struck for three consecutive 3-pointers to close within 64-58. Morningside eventually closed within three points, 65-62, when Seth Atkins scored from in the paint with five minutes left to cap an 11-1 Mustang run. Black Hills State held on by outscoring the Mustangs 19-11 to close out the game.
Luke Enos, the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) Player of the Year, paced the Yellow Jackets with game-high totals of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Clay Pottorff was next with 19 points. Cain Atkinson and Will Johnson, who joined Enos on the All-DAC first-team, chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds, respectively.
Morningside’s Carstens led all performers with four steals.
Box Score
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Eddie Marrs drives to the basket in the Mustangs' opening round triumph. |
Morningside overcame 31 turnovers and 35.6 percent shooting to move on from the opening round of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Tournament with a 62-60 nail bitter against Saint Thomas University on Thursday in Point Lookout, Mo.
The 11th-ranked Mustangs, 24-7, will face No. 5 Black Hills State University, 28-4, in the second round on Friday at noon.
Eddie Marrs led the Mustangs with 17 points in their opening round triumph, while Nick Thompson and Seth Atkins joined him in double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively. All three players had four fouls when the game ended, as did Brady Helmink, who was next in the Mustangs’ scoring summary with eight points.
Antonio Jones, the nation’s second leading scorer with a 23.8-point average, led the Bobcats with 32 points, but it took him 24 shots to accomplish the feat. Jones did much of his scoring from the foul line, where he converted 15 of 17 attempts. He was only six-for-24 from the field, including a dismal three-for-15 from beyond the 3-point arc. It was Jones’ 22nd scoring performance of 20 points or more this season. Jones, the NAIA national leader in steals, finished with six thefts.
As a team the Bobcats shot only 28.1 percent from the field and turned the ball over 23 times.
Cesar Jacobo Chavez, who like Jones, played at NCAA Division I Florida International University earlier in his career, added 17 points and 10 rebounds for 20th-ranked Saint Thomas, which bowed out with a 20-11 record. Saint Thomas, one of the nation’s most improved teams following a 10-18 finish a year ago, had won 11 of its last 14 games going into the national tournament.
Atkins and Thompson each had eight rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a 42-37 advantage on the boards.
Thompson made a pair of 3-pointers and Atkins also had six points to shoot the Mustangs to an early 16-9 lead. Morningside pushed its lead into double figures when a Marrs steal led to a Helmink layup to put the Mustangs in front 24-13 with 6:34 left in the opening half.
Morningside eventually increased its lead to 12 points, 27-15, for its largest advantage of the contest on a 3-pointer by Helmink with 4:40 left in the half. Saint Thomas answered with a 13-2 run capped by a dunk by Chavez to rally within 29-28 with 38 seconds left in the half.
The Mustangs, who led 30-29 at the intermission, never trailed in a second half where no more than six points ever separated the two teams. Morningside’s biggest lead in the second half was 45-39 after Mitch Carstens made a pair of free throws with 11:50 left.
Saint Thomas tied the score at 49-49 when Jones made two free throws with 5:31 left and tied the score again at 60-60 on a 3-pointer by Tracy Razz with one minute left.
Morningside took the lead for good, 61-60, when Thompson made the front end of a two-shot foul with 40 seconds left. Marrs added a free throw with three seconds left to account for the final margin.
Box Score
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Seth Atkins |
Nick Thompson |
Morningside’s Seth Atkins, a 6-6 senior center from Grand Island, Neb., and Nick Thompson, a 6-7 senior forward from Bettendorf, Iowa, were each named to the 2008-09 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Men’s Basketball First-Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.
The senior duo helped lead the Mustangs to this year’s outright GPAC regular season championship with a 15-3 league record. Morningside will take a 23-7 overall record into the NAIA Division II National Tournament to be held March 11-17 in Point Lookout, Mo.
Atkins, the only returning starter from a Morningside team that won last year’s GPAC title, is the Mustangs’ second leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He leads the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 159 field goals in 271 attempts for 58.7 percent. Atkins has shot 50 percent or higher from the field in 23 of their 30 contests and has the Mustangs’ top individual rebounding performance of the season with a 20-board haul in the Mustangs’ 66-56 victory against Midland Lutheran College on Jan. 7.
Thompson is the Mustangs’ leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 15.1 points and a league-high 9.5 rebounds per game. Thompson has 11 double-doubles this season and has been the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 21 of their 30 contests. He has made 154 of 320 field goal attempts for 48.1 percent, 31 of 87 3-point field goal attempts for 35.6 percent, and 114 of 142 free throw attempts to lead the Mustangs at 80.3 percent. Thompson also leads the Mustangs with 39 blocked shots for an average of 1.3 per game and ranks second on the team with 65 assists and 34 steals.
Aside from their two first-team selections, the Mustangs’ Eddie Marrs, a 5-9 junior guard from Omaha, Neb., was named to the All-GPAC second-team. Marrs is averaging 14.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and leads the Mustangs with 73 assists and 56 steals for averages of 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He also leads the Mustangs in 3-point field goal accuracy with 34 treys in 92 attempts for 37.0 percent. Marrs has the Mustangs’ top single-game scoring performance of the season with a 35-point explosion in the Mustangs’ 84-77 overtime victory against Dordt College on Feb. 26.
Morningside’s Mitch Carstens, a 6-3 junior guard from Grand Island, Neb., and Brady Helmink, a 6-2 senior guard from Fairbury, Neb., were each named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list. Carstens is averaging 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while Helmink is averaging 7.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Click here for the complete 2008-09 All-GPAC Men's Basketball Team.
 Eddie Marrs, a 5-9 junior guard from Omaha, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
He averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 assists in the Mustangs’ two victories last week to help Morningside wrap up the GPAC’s regular season championship with a 15-3 league record. The Mustangs, 23-6 overall, clinched a NAIA Division II National Tournament berth by winning the GPAC title.
Marrs scored a game-high 35 points for the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season in Morningside’s 84-77 overtime victory against Dordt College last Saturday in Sioux Center, Iowa. Marrs scored 25 of his points after the intermission, including 11 of the Mustangs’ 15 points in the overtime session. Aside from his 35 points, Marrs also grabbed nine rebounds to match his season’s high to go along with game-high totals of four assists and four steals.
Earlier in the week he made the winning basket with 14.9 seconds left in the Mustangs’ 65-64 victory at Northwestern College. Marrs scored 13 points to go along with a game-high four steals against Northwestern.
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