Nate and Dain Swetalla are transferring to Augustana.
Nate is a 6-6, 210 pound guard/forward who played for the last two seasons at Division II Minnesota State-Mankato after redshirting as a freshman and he will be a junior in eligibility next fall. Dain is a 6-9, 218 pound forward/center who spent this past season at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and will be a sophomore at Augustana.
Their father, Ray Swetalla, is an assistant coach at Augustana under Grey Giovanine.
“We are excited that both Nate and Dain have decided to join our Augustana basketball family,” said Giovanine. “Both are excellent players who will have a positive impact in our program. I am happy that they will be able to play together for two years in their basketball careers and that they will get a chance to be coached by their father. Ray has been a tremendous asset to our program since joining our staff prior to the 2003-04 season and I know he welcomes the opportunity to coach his sons.”
Dain averaged 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this past season at Kirkwood where he helped lead his team to a 29-8 overall record. Nate got into 18 games and scored 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting, 4-for-9 from three-point range. More on the Augustana incoming class farther down.
Casey Thran (Glenburn, Pa.), who played at Abington Heights HS, has notified Scranton of her decision to transfer from Connecticut College and join the Lady Royals for the 2005-2006 season.
Thran, a 5-10 forward, started 19 of 23 games and averaged 11.2 points, a team-leading 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.4 blocks per game for the Camels, who went 10-13 this past season. She scored a season-high 22 points in a 73-70 loss to Trinity (Conn.) on Jan. 21.
“Casey will be a welcome addition to our roster,” says Strong. “With the graduation of (forward) Tara Gemmel and (center) Eileen Webster, we really need help in the front court. Casey has already proven herself to be a proficient scorer and rebounder on the collegiate level, so I’m thrilled she chose to join our program and finish out her education closer to home.”
Aaron Gowell, point guard at Muskegon (Mich.) Community College, is transferring to Elmhurst. “Aaron is just the perfect fit for our team,” Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer told the Muskegon Chronicle. “He is a good passer, solid shooter and an outstanding teammate.”
Eastview (Golden Valley, Minn.) HS top scorer Zach Johnson will play at Carleton.
Chris Page of Amherst (Wis.) HS will attend Lawrence. The Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook reports that Nicolet’s Ryan Kroeger (6-2), Waterford’s Jayce Appelgren (6-2) and Sheboygan South’s B.J. Harry (6-7) are in Lawrence’s incoming class as well.
The rest of the Augustana men’s incoming class:
Justin Bertrand, F, 6-5, 210, Sterling, Ill. (Sterling HS)
Jeff Becker, F, 6-6, 190, Melrose Park, Ill. (Walther Lutheran)
Chandler Collins, F, 6-6, 170, Dolton, Ill. (Thornridge)
Ryan Foelske, F, 6-6, 210, DeKalb, Ill. (DeKalb)
Mike Kolze, G, 5-11, 165, Lake Zurich, Ill. (Lake Zurich)
Ryan Kuecher, C, 6-7, 230, Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sandburg)
Mike Thomas, G, 6-1, 180, Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North)
Alex Washington, G, 6-2, 175, Wheeling, Ill. (Wheeling)
Wisconsin Rapids guard Trevor Stratton, who has had teammates reported heading to UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point, will play at Carroll.
Erik Carlberg, a 6-5 forward, is headed to Penn State-Behrend from Riverside High (Oakmont, Pa.)
Marcus VanderHeide is transferring from Division I Canisius to Hope. The 6-6 forward played in all 29 games as a freshman this past season and averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.2 minutes a contest.
Warren (Ill.) HS guard Ryan Hahne will play at Dubuque.
Brendan Fuller (Alexandria, Va./Bishop Ireton) and Paul Biagioli (Waverly, Pa./Abington Heights) will join the Royals for the upcoming 2005-2006 season. Biagoli, a 6-5, 190-pound small forward, averaged 18 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as the Comets of coach Ken Bianchi finished this past season with a 21-4 record. He also averaged 9.6 points and 3.5 rebounds his junior year as Abington Heights won the Lackawanna League championship en route to a 20-6 overall record.
“I’m very happy to land a local product of Paul’s caliber,” said Scranton coach Carl Danzig. “He plays above the rim and possesses some very solid shooting skills. He’ll provide a real shot in the arm to our program, especially on the perimeter.”
Fuller, a 6-6, 195-pound forward, was a four-year letterman for the Cardinals of former Marymount coach Chuck Driesell. He served as team captain his senior year and averaged six points, three rebounds, one assist and one block per game. “(Brendan is) a smart, heady player who will provide versatility for us at the power forward position.”
Julie Fults of Lincoln (Ill.) Community High School has committed to attend Millikin and play basketball.
Whitney Young (Chicago) HS team captain Rovina Broomfield is headed to Washington U. “We are delighted to have Rovina join our basketball family,” said coach Nancy Fahey. “Rovina brings an understanding of what it takes to win championships, coming from a winning tradition at Whitney Young. She has the athleticism and demeanor to be a terrific defender. Rovina will be fun to coach during her career at Washington University.”
Menchville (Va.) HS Lindsay Riesbeck is heading to Randolph-Macon.
Congratulations to the Division III spring sports champions:
This was a move you could see coming. Tom Murphy, longtime head coach at Hamilton and a 600-game winner, was forced to retire from Hamilton at the end of the 2003-04 season.