2004-2005 Midwest Conference Men's Basketball

Steve Wood
Grinnell

Wood, a sophomore guard from Peoria, Ill., (Richwoods HS) led Grinnel to a must-have win over Lake Forest Saturday, scoring 35 points on 10-18 shooting from the floor. Wood scored threes the old-fashioned way, hitting a basket and drawing the foul three times during the game. Wood also went 15-16 from the free-throw line for Grinnell who clinched the final spot in this weekend's Midwest Conference Tournament.

Steve Kohl
Ripon

Kohl, a senior guard from Muskego, Wis., helped the Red Hawks to a 2-0 week, clinching a berth in the MWC post-season tournament. For the week Kohl had 39 points at Beloit (breaking a Flood Arena Scoring Record), and 29 points at Carroll. Kohl was 21-31 from the field, 11-17 from the three-point arc, 15-17 from the free-throw line, he also had 16 assists and five steals. He also averaged 37 minutes over the last two games.

Nathan Hoffman
St. Norbert

Hoffman, a senior center from Green Bay, Wis. (New Lutheran HS), scored 64 points in three games as St. Norbert wrapped up an outright MWC title. The senior tallied 25 points in the victory over Lawrence, 15 in the win over Illinois C., and 24 in the win over Knox. Hoffman was also selected for his outstanding defensive play in the three games.

Steve Wood
Grinnell

Wood, a sophomore guard from Peoria, Ill. (Richwoods), led the resurgent Grinnell Pioneer basketball team to two big wins last weekend. Wood poured in a combined 82 points for the weekend scoring 38 in the win over Ripon and 44 in a triumph over Beloit. Wood hit a season-high six three-pointers against Ripon and drained 14 of 17 free throw attempts while dishing out nine assists. Wood went 13-16 from the charity stripe and 14-25 from the floor against Beloit.

Victor Garcia
Knox

Garcia, a junior guard from Albuquerque, N.M. (HS), scored a career high 44 points in a loss to Beloit. Garcia scored 22 points from the free throw line on 22-24 shooting and also contributed two assists and three rebounds in the effort. Garcia scored a game high 32 points on 12-17 shooting from the field in Knox's victory over Lawrence. The junior point guard also tallied two assists and two steals vs. Lawrence.

Kari Hannula
St. Norbert

Hannula a junior forward from Hortonville, Wis., (Hortonville HS) fueled St. Norbert to a 3-0 week as the Green Knights improved to 8-0 in the MWC. Hannula scored 63 points in three games - scoring 17 in a win over Ripon and eight points with eight rebounds in a win over Lake Forest. Hannula had 36 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals in a win over Grinnell. Against the Pioneers, Hannula had a career game by halftime, getting 24 points with 11 rebounds in 16 minutes in the first half.

Kenny Spranger
Monmouth

Spranger a 6-foot-4 forward from Moline, Ill., led Monmouth to a 3-0 homestand last week, lifting the Scots into contention in the MWC race. Spranger made 12-of-14 shots from the field and led Monmouth with 28 points in a 131-124 win over Grinnell. Spranger showed his scoring ability again striking for 19 points and 14 rebounds in a 66-56 win over Lawrence while netting 26 points to go with 10 rebounds as Monmouth edged Beloit 78-74 on Saturday. Spranger's averages for the week were 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists. He also shot 70.4 percent (31-of-44) from the floor.

Nathan Hoffmann
St. Norbert

Hoffmann a senior center from Green Bay, Wis., (New Lutheran HS) led St. Norbert over an outstanding holiday break, with the Green Knights posting a 2-1 record. Hoffmann scored 19 points in St. Norbert's 56-53 upset win over Hanover, which was ranked No. 20 in Division III by D3hoops.com at the time. Hoffmann then added 18 points in a 74-70 loss to Otterbein, a team currently 12-2. He then scored 19 points this past Saturday to key St. Norbert to a big 83-74 road win at Beloit.

Henry Grant
Beloit

Grant, a senior forward from Chicago, Ill., (DeLaSalle HS) netted 32 points against Rockford College, sinking 15 of 21 shots from the floor to lead the Bucs to victory. Against Lawrence, Grant netted 25 points and became the 15th player in Beloit men's basketball history to score 1,000 career points. In the two games Grant shot 65 percent from the field, was 9-of-13 from the line, dished out six assists and had three blocks.

Garrett Ingram
Illinois C.

A junior center from Mt. Sterling, Ill., (Brown County HS) had a game-high 20 points in the win over Knox. Ingram hit 9-of-15 field goals and 2-of-3 free throws. The junior also led the game with eight rebounds and four blocks.

Matt Petefish
Illinois C.

The six-foot point guard from Ashland, Ill., (AC Central HS) Petefish helped the Blue Boys post a 2-1 record to start the season. After three games Petefish is 16-31 in field goal attempts, 10-16 from three-point range, and 12-12 from the line with 16 rebounds and 14 assists. He is averaging 18.0 points per game.