Senior Strength Class Of ‘96 Carrying Freeman Scotties Down The Stretch And Perhaps To State

When Mike Thacker took over as head coach of Freeman’s basketball team, he was glad four seniors were there to greet him.

The quartet - Garen Friberg, Marc Reed, Nick Schuerman and Andy Hill - are an important reason the Scotties finished tied for third in the Northeast A League.

“Those four seniors have been playing quite well for us,” said Thacker, adding that each plays a different role for the team. “I’m a real believer in key senior leadership. If in the end we go to state we need them.”

Although Freeman’s 14-6 season record was the product of offensive balance, Friberg of late has become a prolific scorer and joins Reed inside.

Hill runs the team at point guard and Schuerman was Freeman’s defensive stopper.

“Garen has been playing really well all year, but the last few games he started putting up numbers,” said Thacker. “People think he is getting them in the offense. He gets 6 to 8 points a game off hustle and offensive rebound.”

Friberg is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points per game in league and 15.9 overall.

Both 6-foot-2 post players have had to work hard inside. Although Reed hasn’t produced Friberg’s recent offensive numbers - he averages just under 8 points per game - he has been responsible for 4 to 6 steals and deflections a game.

Hill, said Thacker, “runs the show for us and at times has (willingly) given up part of his game to stay within the system.”

Still, he is averaging 10 points per game in league.

Schuerman, the team’s secondleading scorer at 10.5 points per game, has come on offensively since recovering from an ankle sprain. More importantly, he is the player Thacker puts on the opposition’s best offensive player.

“I think the defensive end has given us the opportunity to be where we are,” said Thacker. “You still have to put the ball in the hole, don’t get me wrong. But you’re given more chances to win with good defense.”

Freeman’s defense enabled it to defeat league runnerup Lakeside and Medical Lake, the team the Scotties tied for third, at season’s end. A coin flip put Freeman into Friday night’s first round of the league playoffs against Deer Park.

If the Scotties won their playoff opener, they meet Lakeside today at 3:30 p.m. The NEA tournament concludes next weekend.

Thacker expressed pleasure with his first season at Freeman. Coming into a different school and throwing a new system at the kids, he said, could have been difficult, but everyone has made him feel like he belongs.

“I love it out here,” he said. “The kids want to work hard and it’s a family atmosphere. I’m just having a lot of fun.” Having four seniors to help carry the load didn’t hurt, either.

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