A Quick Look At: Bethel

Got a very nice and detailed reply back from Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer late Monday and his outlook for his team for the 2017-18 season.  This is a squad that had a great season last year; recording an overall record of 22-5 (16-2) in MIAC play with those two losses coming to powerhouses UST and GAC.  The Royals lost an incredibly tough MIAC semifinal playoff game to the Gusties down in St. Peter and, despite their solid record, Bethel was denied a berth in the NCAA Tournament; a very unfair snub, IMHO.  That alone should fuel a lot of fire for his squad this season and they'll be out to show that last season was definitely no fluke.  This team is in the elite status of the MIAC and they've earned their way there.

So how does Herbie see his team this year?  Here's how he describes it in his own words:


"We have 4 of 5 starters returning from a 22-5 team that probably overachieved a bit after the loss of Kali (Zimmerman)."

"Key Losses:  Kalli Zimmerman; 3-time All-Conference and All-Region.  Also, Shanni Moorse; 2-time All-Defensive Team and probably the best all-around defender in my time at Bethel."

"Key Returners:  Hannah Johnson; 6'1" junior All-MIAC.  Taite Anderson; 5'11" sophomore All-First Year and All-MIAC.  Abby Miller; 5'3" senior Honorable Mention MIAC (was our best player down the stretch last season and will be relied on for Senior leadership).  Angie Kirchoff; 5'8" senior 3-year starter at PG.  Jasmin Bretoi; 5'9" senior - one of the MIAC's best bench players last year in her first year with us and will be much better in her second season."


So what about the challenges facing Bethel this coming season?  Here's how Herbie sees it:

"Replacing Kalli and Shanni's leadership....Abby and Angie are our captains and are off to a great start but big shoes to fill left by Kalli and Shan....Tough non-conference schedule and 12 of our first 13 games are are road or neutral court games including at UW-River Falls who was 12th in the country when they lost Brynn Liljander and at CSB, at Concordia, at UST, and at SMU in an eight-day stretch before finals....Our only home game prior to January 10 is against George Fox; a perennial top-5 program....However, if we can survive this difficult road stretch in contention, we are then home for 8 of our final 10 MIAC games."


All I can say when I look at the Bethel schedule is - YIKES!  Talk about brutal.  First, the Royals set up camp down at Mt Vernon, Iowa on Union Pacific's "Overland Route" mainline on the campus of Cornell to take on CCIW opponent Carthage on Friday (11-17) and turn around the next day to take on IIAC opponent Buena Vista.  On Tuesday (11-21), Bethel makes that trip across the St. Croix River over to River Falls, Wisconsin to take on said Falcons team.  Then on Saturday (11-25) Bethel finally gets its first home game of the season.  The rub?  It's against that perennial powerhouse George Fox team out of the NWC.  Four days later, Bethel gets something of a breather (if you really want to call it that) as they make the short hop over to Roseville to take on Northwestern out of the UMAC.  Then it's time to dive head first into MIAC play with FOUR STRAIGHT road games:  at CSB on 12-2, then the roadie on U.S. Highway 10 and the BNSF's Staples Sub mainline up to Moorhead to take on Concordia on 12-4.  Then the hop over to St. Paul two days later on 12-6 to take on UST followed by a trip down the Mighty Mississippi and CP Rail's River Sub mainline to Winona to take on SMU three days later on 12-9.  At least the Royals give themselves a chance to bask in the tropics a bit as a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico is in the offing where they'll take on Westminster out of the PAC on 12-21.  After a well-deserved break for the Christmas holiday, it's time to hit the road again as they go down to St. Olaf shortly after the first of the year on 1-3 and then over to St. Kate's on 1-6 before they finally, FINALLY get to enjoy the friendly confines of Robertson Center again on 1-10 when they host Augsburg.  If that's not enough to get you battle-tested when you delve into the meat of the MIAC season, then I don't know what is.  The key for Bethel here to avoid the season-ending disappointment they suffered last year is to WIN those key, non-conference games against quality opponents - Buena Vista, UW-River Falls, George Fox.  If they do that AND finish in the top three in the MIAC with, say, 23-24 wins, it's going to be difficult to keep them out of the Big Dance.  But they have to take care of business where they can.  The good news for Bethel, however, is that they've got the goods to do it.  The only area where I'm a bit reticent when it comes to Bethel is their depth.  How long will it take for the newcomers and other reserves to develop to the point where Herbie and his staff will feel fully comfortable in giving them quality playing time to give his key starters rest when they need it?