Five Cougars pass 1,000-point mark

MOUNT VERNON — Tuesday’s career milestone of 1,000 points for Mount Vernon Nazarene University junior guard Amy Sebastian marks yet another Cougar finding success. Sebastian isn’t alone in her scoring mark. Senior teammate Katie Keller surpassed the mark last season and is hot on the trail of Tara Seiter (1995-99) for the career scoring mark. There are also three players on the men’s team — seniors Mark Hess and Ryan Seesholtz and sophomore Ben Falkenberg — who have broken the 1,000-point barrier in their careers.

For each player, their accomplishment means something different. Each has achieved the accomplishment at different times in their careers — some early and others late.

For Keller, the moment came last season against Tiffin University.

“It has been a great accomplishment for me,” Keller said. “Coming into Mount Vernon, I had set goals for myself and I knew that if I worked hard, I could achieve those goals. My theme is team above self. I’ve had a great career, but I want to finish out strong and see where I go from there.”

Hess scored his 1,000th point with little fanfare. He topped the mark on the road against Nyack College in the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region championship on March 12, 2005. He now has 1,721 points and is eighth on the all-time MVNU list. He also ranks fourth in career rebounds with 910.

“I really don’t think about it,” said Hess. “It was the very last game of my sophomore year — a tournament game. I didn’t know how many points I needed. It was one of those things where I looked at the end of the year and realized I had eclipsed it. It was one of those things I had tracked down. I wasn’t following along I guess.

“One thousand points is something that I really went after following my first year and the situation I was put in,” said Hess. “I didn’t get it in high school so it is something I kind of wanted. To be honest, though — I think the other guys would say the same thing — the personal stuff isn’t important. What I will remember is winning, the championships and going out to nationals — the opportunities we have had. I finished high school nine points away from 1,000. We were one game away from state, but I don’t dwell on those things. That’s exactly how it is with college. I want to win and play for championships. The personal stuff you have to put aside. Yes, it is nice, but I want to see us win as a team and get back to nationals. When I look back, that’s what I think I will remember — the team memories, the trips we’ve had and the games we’ve won.”

For the other three, the 1,000-point mark came this season. Seesholtz scored his on Nov. 18, 2006, against LaRoche College in the Food for the Hungry Invitational. Falkenberg made his mark on Jan. 9 after scoring 26 points in a road win at Rio Grande.

“I had achieved it in high school so I kind of knew what to expect. I really didn’t expect it in college, though,” said Seesholtz, who now has 1,182 points and is tied for 23rd on the all-time list. He also ranks eighth in career rebounds (728) and 12th in career steals (166). “In high school, I was one of the top players so I kind of expected it. It is more of a privilege here because I didn’t expect it. Coming into my senior year, I realized I only needed so many points. It was really nice to be able to get it out of the way early and not worry about it. I was really excited.”

Falkenberg, who now has 1,165 points and is 25th on the all-time list, said, “It is a cool accomplishment. I think it means more for my parents than me, but it was fun. I’m glad it is over with because everyone keeps asking you stuff about it. Now, they are starting to ask me when am I going to get 2,000. I just tell them I’ve got a while. It was fun, though.”

For Sebastian, who is only the fifth junior to reach the mark, Tuesday’s seven-point game was just what she needed. She stands at 1,000 points exactly and is the 18th Cougar to reach the mark.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Sebastian. “One of my friends told me when I was about 50 points away, but I didn’t really think about it. I didn’t know I was as close as I was. ... It is a big accomplishment. Not many people get to achieve this. ... I didn’t really pay attention to it. It really wasn’t a goal. I just wanted to go out and help my team.”

Keller now has 1,636 points and is second on the all-time list. She needs just 82 more points to tie the mark of 1,718. With Keller closing in on the career scoring record, she is looking forward to reaching her goal.

“Since I got my 1,000th career points, it has become my goal to set the career record,” said Keller.

“It is a great accomplishment. If it comes down to it and that’s all I do, then I will be happy with it. As long as I had fun and don’t regret anything, that’s all that matters.”

As her college career winds down, Keller, who holds the MVNU career record for 3-pointers made with 246 to date, is trying to help build a team for the future.

“I let the game come to me,” Keller said. “I rely on my teammates. ... I want to go out there and perform like I know how. My points are far beyond what is on my mind. I want us to win and I want to make it into the tournament. If my points come along the way, I’ll be happy and enjoy from there.”

Keller has been through a lot in her career. Unfortunately, winning championships hasn’t been part of it. That hasn’t dampened her spirits, though.

“I came into this school knowing I was going to be here for four years no matter what happened,” Keller said. “I just do what I can and whatever happens, happens.

“It has been hard because in my career we haven’t done real well. We’ve got to continue to come together a team. ... I have five games left and I want to go out and show the fans we aren’t as bad as our record.”

Falkenberg is quickly making a name for himself. Originally recruited by MVNU coach Scott Flemming, Falkenberg took his game to the U.S. Naval Academy following graduation. The transition to the NCAA Division I level didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped, and soon, Falkenberg found himself remembering the Cougars.

Since coming to campus, Falkenberg has led the Cougars in scoring and is the fastest player to reach the 1,000-point mark in school history. He is now just 65 points from breaking the school record for most points scored in a player’s first two seasons — Ron Holmes had 1,229 after his first two years.

“The biggest difference in the Division I level and here is the size,” Falkenberg said. “I have no doubt, on a given night, a lot of the teams we play — Walsh, Cedarville, Huntington — could compete with several Division I teams. The difference is the size. Our swingmen are 6-foot-2. Their swingmen are 6-foot-7. It is a lot about size. I am the littlest guy here, but not by a lot. At Navy, I was the littlest guy by a pretty good amount. The talent isn’t what is different. It is the athleticism and the size. The speed of the game is also faster because of those things.”

Falkenberg is the Cougars’ leading scorer this season, averaging 25 points a game, and has broken his career-high three times. He last broke it on Jan. 20 when he scored 43 points against Wilberforce.

“I never stepped onto the court and say my goal is to get an x-number of points,” Falkenberg said. “I just go out there and do what I can to help us win. This year, it has been where they needed me to score for us to win, but there have been nights where that wasn’t case. It is about finding your role. I was in a neat situation because I had to redshirt when I came here because I transferred. I had a year to get stronger and mature before I stepped in. That kind of gave me a head start, which has helped me with my success.”

Even with his accomplishments, Falkenberg is quick to credit his teammates. Playing alongside Hess, Seesholtz and his other teammates has made him a better player; though, sometimes it may seem there aren’t enough balls to go around.

“It is a big strength, but at times, it is also our biggest struggle,” said Falkenberg. “We have guys that can do a lot of things. That’s been a battle for us, especially early in the year. We have a lot of guys that can put the ball in the hole. We had to find that right mix. We are coming along, but we still have a pretty good ways to go before we completely come together. It is a struggle when you have this much talent.

“To be honest, everyone on this team has a great attitude. For the most part, we just go out and play. I know at the end of the night, our common goal is to go out and win. I know if I take 25 shots and we win, the other guys aren’t going to be mad. At the same time, if I only have to take 10, I can’t be mad. It is all about giving the team effort. It is easier said than done, but we have to focus on that.”

The biggest impact on the Cougars’ 19-4 start has been the closeness of the team.

“Team chemistry really makes the difference,” said Seesholtz. “Since my sophomore year, we realized that the farther you go on, the more important it is. If guys aren’t getting along and things aren’t clicking, then is doesn’t matter what you do. You are still going to have an obstacle you have to overcome to be a great team. I’ve talked to other players from other teams and they all say they wish they had the team chemistry and team bonding that we have. They can see it in our play on the court. We are not only friends on the court, but off the court too. We know each other very well and that carries over onto the court. It makes us able to play together better.”

Falkenberg agreed, saying, “Team chemistry is very important. It is one of the reasons I left Navy. When I left, I didn’t shop around for any other school because I remembered the guys here and the type of guys they were. I told coach I wanted to come here. Having those guys in front of you, the good people that they are, really helps. They are great guys, especially in the way they handle themselves — they are very unselfish. They taught me not to get caught up in the petty stuff.”

“This is totally different from high school because I am around these guys all of the time,” said Hess. “I’ve lived with Ryan for three years. It is almost like you are brothers because you eat every meal with them, you sit with them and you watch games with them. It is the relationships that you form with your teammates that makes this worth it. Every year, our team chemistry has been so well. I have loved every second of it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They are friends for life. That’s how close we are.”

Hess and Seesholtz have played a major role in the men’s basketball team’s success in recent years. The pair has gone through the thick and thin, together learning what it takes to win.

“It has been amazing,” said Hess. “I am to the point where I’ve only got a handful of games left and I can’t believe it is over. As a kid playing with your buddies in your driveway, you never think your career is going to end, but it just goes by so fast. My scoring has gone down, but we have more scorers around me now. It isn’t as big of a deal for me. We are building for championships. I just try to go out and prepare and make our team as good as possible.

“This is the most talented team, by far, that I have ever been on,” added Hess. “It was tough for us early. I was out with a groin injury the first couple of games and we were trying to find ourselves. We had new guys coming in and guys playing new roles. Now, we are at the point where we know what everybody can do. We are jelling and meshing. It is kind of nice to see it all come together.”

With so much talent on the same team, it has taken some time for the Cougars to get where they are at. All of the players have had to learn what each brings to the court and how they can use it all to their advantage.

“It is really nice being able to watch each other play and learn from each other,” said Seesholtz. “We each bring different things to the game and to the team. We are able to use each other very well, especially this year. We almost have too much talent, but we have put it together well and learned from each other. We know where we can pick each other up. It has been a real privilege to play with them. For three people playing on one team to get 1,000, it is almost unheard of. I am just trying to enjoy it and enjoy playing with them. Ben is one day going to be a great player. It is fun to watch him play.”

“I think our biggest strength is that we can put five, six or seven guys out there that can all score,” Hess said. “We have three 1,000-point scorers and we probably have another couple of guys that will be on the team right now. That makes it tough to match up, especially when you have guys like me, Ryan and Ben. We all three play different positions. It is not like we are heavy at the guards or heavy in the post. We balance out and all of our games kind of compliment each other. It is really a good compliment when we play together.”

“Our games differ so much,” Seesholtz added. “It depends on who we are playing and the matchups on who is going to get the ball. We are able to get everybody some touches, usually. ... We look at the matchups at the start of the game and try to find a weakness. A lot of it happens in the middle of the game too. Once we find a weakness, we start going after it because the game changes as it goes.”

The Cougars are focused on higher achievements than they have had before. This year’s squad, which made the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Branson, Miss., last season, has its eyes set on both the American Mideast Conference title and the national title.

“Last year, being so close and making it to the elite eight, we had that taste,” said Seesholtz. “Now we want to get than championship. Last year inspired the team because we now know we can get there. It is not impossible. This year, we have the strength to be able to finish it. That’s one of our primary goals — being one of the top teams in the country. We know we can and that gives us a lot of motivation.”

”Ultimately, we want to win the conference championship and then go back out to nationals,” said Hess. “I really think we got some respect after going last year and now we have the mindset that we can go out and compete with anyone. They are good teams, but we are just as good. We are focused on the conference championship, but I don’t think it is above our heads to think national championship. We made it to the elite eight and a lot of teams would be aiming at the final four, but I don’t think that’s us. In practice and in our games, we are thinking conference championship and national title. That’s the things you’ve got to do in order to be successful.”

Falkenberg knows from experience what his team needs if it is going to go all the way. His team has changed its’ thought process as it tries to build on last season.

“The biggest difference between this year and last year is the mindset,” said Falkenberg. “Last year was all about getting to nationals. That was our goal — Branson from the start. For a while, it was looking like we weren’t going to make it. We were 14-8 before we hit our stride. It was a great time. This year, the best thing that happened was that we went out there and were able to watch those teams. When you look at them on paper, they look great, but when we saw them, we found out we could play with them. We beat teams like Emery-Riddle and we realized that those teams are great, but we are just as good. Coming into this year, we remembered that. We are trying to every day, get better; with every game, get better. We aren’t just trying to get there. We are trying to come home with something special at the end of the year.”

With so many great athletes on various teams, records are falling at a fast pace. All of the current athletes involved realize how special this time is in a Cougar uniform.

“Mount Vernon [Nazarene University] has a lot of great athletes,” Keller said. “There are more probably coming in. ... We have a lot of great athletes on our team.”

“There have been some great players here in the past, but they have been more spread out,” said Seesholtz. “When it comes to talent for the women and men, I think we have a lot of talent here now. They have been able to contribute early, which has led to a lot of the 1,000-point scorers. We have been able to jump right in and adjust quicker. I would say this is one of the high points for Mount Vernon [Nazarene University] sports.”