20 Questions with a Saints Athlete: Stephen Mahnken

   

Saints baseball played their first home games over the weekend and I had the opportunity to sit down with sophomore outfielder Stephen Mahnken to find out more about the man beneath the cap. Mahnken, who hails from Puyallup, Washington batted .266 and made 16 starts last season.   

What is your most embarrassing athletic moment?

• Freshman year of high school, in my first ever outing as a pitcher I did a first to third move. (This is illegal.)

If you could change one rule in your sport what would it be?

•  Wood bats instead of metal.

What is the one item you always take with you on the road?

• My Bible

What is your first memory you have playing your sport?

•  In coach pitch one of my best friends hit a line drive back at the coach and broke his arm.  

If someone were to star in a movie about your life, who would it be?

• Chris Farley

What is one of your pregame rituals or routines?

• I pray by myself before every game after we warm-up.

Who is your favorite professor you have had at SMU?

• Leon Chickering

What is one fear you have that people might not know about you? 

• Deathly afraid of spiders.

What is your favorite road trip to take?

• Cal Poly Pomona

Is there any significance to your jersey number?

• I have seven letters in all three of my names which equals 21.

Who is the best prankster on the team?

• Anthony Kuntz

What is the reason you decided to come to SMU?

• It was close to home.

What is your most prized possession with no value?

• My relationship with God.

What it your best non-athletic talent?

• I can grow a nice beard.

How do you want people at SMU to remember you? 

• Someone who showed the love of God to others.

What is the hardest class you have taken at SMU

• Psychology 101 because I didn’t buy the text book.

What is your nickname?

• Stevie ManCakes aka “Mahnken plays, breakin hearts.”

What is one thing you wish you knew how to do?

• Sing

Your autobiography is written, what’s the title?

• Man Cakes: A Love Story

What is one song on your iPod that would surprise people?

• Two Cellos (When I asked who this was, Stephen’s comment was: “Basically two guys who each have the cello and they just play them.) 

Look for my next post coming later in the week about SMU senior high Jumper Laura Tesch who will be competing in the GNAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Idaho.

Coming off a loss is always tough. Luckily, like coach Cooper always says “In basketball, you don’t have to wait for more than a week to get another chance.” This is true because today we get the opportunity to play the University of Alaska Anchorage on our home court and get back on the right track.

Earlier in the year, in January, we made our annual trip up north to play both of the Alaska schools. When we got out of the airport it was negative 17 degrees in Fairbanks, which was absolutely freezing. Thankfully when we got to Anchorage a few days later it was much warmer. But, the cold wasn’t the worst part of the trip; the losses were. We left Alaska empty handed which was really frustrating. So this time around we are looking for a little revenge.

This week in practice was like most weeks we have. We take what we did either the week before or against a team prior and change what we need to in order to be successful. Of course I can’t tell you everything we worked on because we want to keep some of our tricks in the bag, but I will give you a little insight.

Anchorage is without a doubt a good team. They are very balanced and have a number of guys on any given night that can make a difference. It doesn’t matter whether they start or come off the bench; they are all capable of having big nights to help their team win. The Seawolves are one of the top teams in the nation in three point percentage and are very good at getting their shooters open looks in places they are comfortable. We made it a point of emphasis all week that in order to be successful on Thursday night we would have to limit their shots from beyond the arc.

Normally when we play Anchorage, the game is a grind it out battle with a lot of contact and aggressive play. We know this; they know this. We talked about it during the week how we need to be strong with the ball and be crisp in order to limit our turnovers so we don’t give them any easy transition opportunities. The last time we played the Seawolves they outrebounded us by eight, which gave them numerous second chances because 18 of those rebounds were on the offensive end. As a team we also addressed this as an area of focus by trying to work on our box outs and rebounding techniques.

Other parts of the game that we discussed as a team included trying to play the game at our pace and working on our execution; both offensively and defensively. One of our biggest strengths as a team is our dedication to knowing who is going to be where and when. Collectively, we dialed into our concepts to make sure that we were all on the same page so we wouldn’t have any lapses.

Along with the men having two big games this week, so do the women. On both Thursday and Saturday nights, the women play before us with games against Northwest Nazarene University and Central Washington University. As well as having four basketball games on campus this week, it is also homecoming. On Saturday, the athletic department will be honoring new members into its hall of fame for their efforts and achievements.

With such a big week athletically, I hope to see a lot of fans and students out their supporting both Saints squads as we look to pick up some wins and get back into this conference race.

#Saintsalive

#Homecoming2013   

Western Oregon Game

Heading south to Western Oregon is one of my favorite trips of the year. For the last two years after shoot around, before the game in Monmouth, the team and I stop in my hometown of Castle Rock to eat our pregame meal. On the menu this year was a tasty pulled pork sandwich, grilled halibut, salad, along with some cookies and brownies for dessert. Needless to say the meal was very fulfilling and the team had a great time.  

Once we departed my house it was another couple of hours until we got to the gym. For the first part of the bus ride, most of the guys in the shuttle I was in took a nap. I’m not very good at sleeping on buses or anything, so I just played some games on my phone and enjoyed the drive south. Once the guys awoke from their snooze we enjoyed a few minutes recalling funny events that have happened within the team over the last couple of years. Then, before I knew it we were driving down the road towards the gym. From then on it was time to get ready for the game and work on getting a win.

Going into the game, the team was very focused because we had already beaten the Wolves earlier in the year at home and we wanted to come away with a sweep. Our warm-ups were solid, focused, and crisp. We started the game with as much energy as I have seen us play with in a while which was positive because that was one of the aspects we had been working on all week in practice.

Brady Bomber opened the game with a three-pointer and Rei Jensen followed a few possessions later with a dunk that really set the tone. Throughout the first half the game was back and forth until Western Oregon made a mini run late in the half to put them up by six. With the clock running down Brady hit another three to put us down only three points heading into the break.

Coming back to the floor in the second half we had no doubt that we could come out of this game with a win. The momentum Western Oregon used late in the first half carried over into the second half and they jumped out early.  The Wolves got their lead up to 17 at one point after a mid-range jumper in the lane. Even though we were down, I never doubted we wouldn’t be able to make a comeback.

A couple defensive stops and baskets put us down 11 with a little under two minutes to go. We picked up the pressure defensively and forced them into a few turnovers cutting the lead down to four with six seconds to go. Eric Taylor stole the inbounds pass up near half court and dribbled up for a three in hopes of getting fouled, but sadly the shot rimmed out and the wolves prevailed 72-68.

With two more big GNAC games this week, the focus will definitely be to build off some of the good things we did at Western Oregon and learn from our mistakes. This Thursday we play Alaska Anchorage, followed by Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday. Throughout practice this week we will definitely be trying to sharpen up on a few concepts in order to prepare for both those games. A couple weeks ago we travelled up to Alaska and came away empty handed with a sour taste in our mouths. Without a doubt, we are looking to come back strong and have a good week to get back on the right track.

Check out my blog later in the week for more insights as we prepare for our games.

#Saintsalive 

20 Questions with a Saints Athlete

20 Questions with a Saints Athlete: Angela Gelhar 

             

Coming off of a game last week where she scored 20 in a win over The University of Alaska Fairbanks, Angela Gelhar and I had the opportunity to chat in Harned Hall in between classes on Wednesday. Gelhar, a native of Vancouver, Washington and Prairie High School, followed in her sister’s footsteps when she decided to come to Saint Martin’s University and play basketball. Although she came to the same university as her sister, Angela is making her own mark as a student-athlete providing a much needed spark for the Saints who have a record of 11-9 going into a big game at Montana State Billings University on Saturday. 

1. What is your most embarrassing athletic moment?

-          I tripped last week twice in a row on the same possession against Fairbanks.

2. If you could compete in another sport, what would it be?

-          Swimming because it seems like a big adrenaline rush and you have to be in good shape.

3. If you could change one rule in your sport what would it be?

-          Players should be allowed more fouls per game.

4. What is the one item you always take with you on the road?

-          A sheep stuffed animal my mom gave me named Sheepy.

5. What is your first memory you have playing your sport?

-          Wearing the same lucky green shorts and having my hair down when I was a little girl. 

6. Who is the best opposing player you have ever played against?

-          Former Prairie High School and USC standout Ashley Corral.

7. If someone were to star in a movie about your life, who would it be?

-          Julia Roberts because she would be perfect. 

8. What is one of your pregame rituals or routines?

-          Definitely a nap.

9. What one word best describes you in your opinion?

-          Truthful. 

10. Who is your favorite professor you have had at SMU?

-          Biology professor Dr. Fulton because he made science fun and relatable. 

11. What is one fear you have that people might not know about you?

-          I have a bad fear of heights. 

12. What is your favorite road trip to take?

-          My freshman year the team went down to California and played in the Disney Classic and we got to go to Disneyland. 

13. Is there any significance to your jersey number?

-          When I came to college I just decided since I was at a new school I would have a new number. 

14. Who is the best prankster on the team?

-          Shelby Ferguson because she is always wearing a poker face. 

15. What is the reason you decided to come to SMU?

-          The school was close to home.

16. What is your most prized possession with no value?

-          The stuffed animal my mom gave me. (Sheepy) 

17.  What is your best non-athletic talent?

-          I can eat really fast. 

18. How do you want people at SMU to remember you?

-          As a hard worker in both academics and athletics.

19. What is the hardest class you have taken at SMU

-          Philosophy 

20. What is your nickname?

-          Coach Healy calls me baby G. 

 

(Courtesy of Brandon Sparks)