When Lawrence coach John Tharp went to Division II Hillsdale last April, the Vikings knew the program was left in familiar hands. Joel “JoJo” DePagter played at Lawrence and worked as an assistant under Tharp before taking over as head coach.

In just his first year, DePagter has the Vikings atop the Midwest Conference at 8-0, 13-1 overall. He spoke with D3hoops.com’s Gordon Mann about that start, including the recent wins over No. 20 UW-Oshkosh and Grinnell. What is his approach to short-circuiting “the system” and how do we solve the scoring triangle between Lawrence, UW-Oshkosh and No. 7 UW-Stevens Point?

No. 5 Mass-Dartmouth is the last undefeated team standing, a position Lawrence held in 2006. The Vikings’ run ended in the Sweet 16 against Illinois Wesleyan. Is it better for a team to take a loss before the NCAA Tournament or is there no such thing as a good loss? You might be surprised at Coach DePagter’s thoughts.

Listen below.