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McKendree College men continue to roll

15/02/2010 15:50:00 Earl Austin
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The McKendree Bearcats have been a model of consistency throughout the career of Hall of Fame head coach Harry Statham. Earlier this season, Statham (pictured) reached sacred coaching ground when he recorded his 1,000th career victory in 44 great years at McKendree. On Thursday night, the Bearcats reached the 20-victory plateau for the 20th time in 21 years with their 71-41 victory over Columbia College.

 Currently ranked No. 7 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) polls, the Bearcats are now 20-5 for the season after their 11 consecutive victory. They are also in first place in the America Midwest Conference with a perfect 9-0 record. McKendree has won 27 consecutive AMC games since the 2007-08 season. The Bearcats' roster is full of talented players from the St. Louis metro area who have found a home in Lebanon, Ill. with one of the nation's winningnest NAIA programs.

 
  The Bearcats are a high-scoring outfit that likes to spread the scoring around several players. The top scorer is 6'6" junior forward Eric Hobbie, who averages 16 points a game. The high-flying dunker from Vandalia, Ill. also leads the Bearcats in rebounding.
 
  Hobbie is the only McKendree player to average in double figures, but there are five more players that average between eight and nine points a game. Kenny Detmer, a 6'7" forward from nearby Breese Central, averages nearly 10 points a game. He is the only senior on the team. John Steppe (Effingham St. Anthony's) is a 6'4" freshman swingman who joins Hobbie as the team's top 3-point shooters.
 
  A couple of more metro east area bigs also get into the act as 6'7" junior Copelin (O'Fallon) and 6'6" sophomore Sean Rakers (Wesclin) also average nine points a game. Sophomore guard Karrington Pettiford (CBC) averages eight points a game while leading the team in assists. Freshman guard Andy Wolff (Metro East Lutheran) also averages eight points a game. Rashad May (Hazelwood Central) averages six points a game.
 
  The Bearcats are well on their way to another berth in the upcoming NAIA national tournament in March.

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