The 2014-15 Mount Mary University Blue Angels basketball season is at an end. A year that saw the program make a giant step in the right direction. With one of the youngest rosters in the country, the Blue Angels fought for every success they had this season.
A long stretch of tough teams and learning to begin the season. MMU began with a roster of six available players, four of which who had never played at the NCAA level, the team had an uphill climb from that first tip-off.
Knowing full well that the team had to learn on the fly, Coach Marc Heidorf was adamant about one thing, "the standing goal every year is for us to be playing our best basketball in February." With the focus on the end of the year, the young team had time to learn from those early season miscues.
It took a few games for the young team to get in rhythm with each other, and to understand the difference from high school to collegiate basketball. As the first semester dwindled down, it started to click. After a tough loss to Clarke College, a team who finished third in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and earned a trip to their conference tournament, the Blue Angels bounced back in a big way.
In a game against Emmaus College, the rookie trio of Becky Onan (Fr./Grafton, Wis.), Chrisandra Freeman (Fr./Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Jasmine Meyer (Fr./Lansing, Kan.) took control of the game. The three accounted for 68 of the 77 points scored by the Blue Angels, and 74 percent of the teams rebounds. After such a big production from the freshmen, MMU defeated Emmaus for their first win of the season.
Not only was the team scoring effectively in their first win, but they dished out 22 assists and shot 57 percent from the floor on their way to the season highs in both categories. That effort just showed what MMU basketball can accomplish when they distribute the ball unselfishly, and take good shots.
Mount Mary had a four week stretch between games. Once that break was over, the Blue Angels had to get right back into the swing of things. A slow start after the respite as MMU ran into some tough opponents, but found their grove again as they played Illinois Tech.
The game against the Scarlet Hawks was the nail biter of the season for both teams. When Mount Mary took a modest lead, Illinois Tech would come right back and take a lead of their own, only to have the contest go back and forth seemingly all night. The game went down to the wire. After a clutch three-pointer to tie the game by Taylor Baumgart (So./Burlington, Wis.), the Hawks hit a well-defended shot to take the lead with 15 seconds left. Down a pair, Onan took the ball to the rim and took a hard foul. After shaking off the stars, Onan hit the freebies to send the game to overtime, where the Blue Angels took control and won 72-68.
One of the most memorable moments for coach Heidorf, "… the OT win at Illinois Tech. That was a game where the players could have given in 8 different times but did not. Some of them finally began to realize what they were capable of when they kept focus and worked together."
Following the big win against Illinois Tech, the Blue Angels would go on to win three out of their next seven games. With each victory, Mount Mary had to refocus their efforts in the second half to come away with the win. It seemed as though the Blue Angels came out from the locker room every time and either took 20 percent points away from the opponent's field goal percentage or came out shooting hot for an extended stretch.
The last segment of the 2014-15 season was a brutal one, not only was MMU facing tough opponents, but the team also had to play their final seven games in just over two weeks. But, the Blue Angels continued to push each other through the last weeks of the season. At times, MMU could only suit six Blue Angels due injuries, but they slugged it out to finish 5-18 on the year.
"It is hard for me to look at this season and not see it as a success… for now." Coach Heidorf explains, "the goal that many of these players were recruited on, is the idea of 'here is the program when you get here, how far can you help us take it in your four years here?' That is a four year goal. We took steps in the right direction. But to achieve THAT goal, we need to keep building over the next 3 years. A step backward next season and this year does not look like as big of an achievement."
The offseason will start immediately, and the Blue Angels and MMU fans alike are looking forward to what the future will bring for the program.
Season Notes:
Chrisandra Freeman finished in the top ten in the Association of Division III Independents in two major categories and top 15 in four. Fifth in points per game (14.1), seventh in rebounds per game (7.8), 11th in assists per game (2.1) and 12th in steals per game (1.3).
Taylor Baumgart led the team in assists, and was seventh in the AD3I in assists per game with 2.6.
Becky Onan used her skills from her 2014 AD3I goalkeeper of the year award to lead MMU in blocks this season, and was fourth in the AD3I with 1.4 blocks per game.
Jasmine Meyer led the Blue Angels in field goal percentage with 42.7 percent, enough for eleventh in the AD3I.