Last season the Kirkwood men’s basketball team took home the NJCAA national championship, and only four players remain from that team. Similar to the women’s basketball team, after finishing fourth in the national tournament last season, the Eagles return just four players for the upcoming season.
Men’s basketball head coach Tim Sandquist and women’s basketball head coach Kim Muhl discuss their expectations for the upcoming season along with a preview for both teams.
Men’s basketball: Coming fresh off a national championship, the men’s basketball team has started the ‘25-’26 campaign hot, winning its first five games. The team is led by returning players guard Chris Coleman, guard Ben Bockman and forward Tyler Netolicky, with Coleman leading the Eagles in scoring to begin the season.
“We have 12 newcomers with this year’s group, so it feels a lot different than the last two years where we had a lot of stability with our roster,” said Sandquist. “We’re talented. We’re definitely big at our forward positions. We’ve got great size and physicality there, which is a strength for us with our group.”
With the team being so young, chemistry is still growing with the players on the court. Sandquist has a paper note in his office with a phrase about culture: “It takes time. You have to be patient, you have to be persistent, you have to be consistent and then you have to follow through with all of it.”
“I’m excited,” concluded Sandquist. “I’m excited for the year, but I also expect us to be right there in the end, too, when all is said and done.”
Women’s basketball: After a fourth-place finish in the national tournament last season, the women’s basketball team is back and hungry for more.
Opening the season 2-0, the Eagles’ second win was against fifth-ranked Illinois Central College. Through the team’s first two games, sophomore guard Olivia Wren is leading the way, averaging 19 points per game. Freshman forward Kaci Crum and sophomore guard Aaliyah Riley are tied for second in points per game, averaging eight points.
“I like our non-conference games being a little tougher,” said Muhl in response to playing a top-ranked team in just the second game of the season.
Muhl, who said he is very picky and precise when it comes to coaching (which has resulted in over 1,000 wins), thinks the team has a lot more to improve upon.
“We have to get a lot better. We have talent, but we are still doing a lot of things incorrectly,” said Muhl. “Mis-defensive assignments, not running play calls right. Just little stuff that freshmen do. The biggest difference between last year and this year’s team is that last year they were ‘come on, let’s go get them’ whereas this year it’s a process.”
However, Muhl’s approach to “the process” is what has made him a successful coach. For 37 years he has been faced with new teams and every season he has put up amazing results. Expect the same to happen for the ‘25-’26 season.
Categories: Basketball, Sports
