MHS Graduate preparing for NAIA Big Dance

Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball team begins first round play tonight in the NAIA Division II Men's basketball tournament. And for one former Madison Bulldog, it’ll be an opportunity to help the Tigers fight for a chance for a national title.

Brady Wiebe is in his second year with the Dakota Wesleyan team. The 2007 Madison High School graduate helped lead the Tigers to the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season title, only to lose to the University of Sioux Falls in the conference tournament. DWU picked up an at-large bid for nationals, and Wiebe says it’ll be important for the team to forget about that loss to the Cougars.

The Tigers have had to look past a lot this year. Microfracture surgery kept leading scorer Preston Broughton on the sidelines all year, then a torn ACL sidelined second-leading scorer Colby Fitzgerald midway through the season. Despite losing these two players, Wiebe says the attitude of the team has been surprisingly positive.

The Tigers have the 16th-seed and will face Grand View of Iowa tonight. Wiebe says they’ll have to shut down Grand View's inside game to get the win.

Tip-off from Point Lookout, Missouri is at 9:15 tonight. The winner of the game will face the winner between Fisher (Massachusetts) and top-seed Oklahoma Wesleyan Friday night.