Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Men's Basketball Competes At Al-Mar Cheeseburger Holiday Classic
December 20, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2006
Bowling Green, Ohio - The BGSU men's basketball team got an unexpected break from the grind of the 2006-07 season when it spent the afternoon competing against one another in bowling Wednesday afternoon at Al-Mar Lanes.
With the 24 players, coaches and support staff divided among six four-man teams, the group competed in a three-game series for the championship of the mythical Al-Mar Cheeseburger Holiday Classic.
"With finals and two games in four days, I thought as a group this would be a great time to enjoy one another away from the basketball court," said BGSU Coach Dan Dakich. "It's fun to see everyone away from their comfort zone, especially in a competitive situation. We appreciate Bill Wammes and his staff for all that they do for us at Al-Mar Lanes and we always enjoy this annual event."
Coach Dakich had great reason to enjoy the event even more since the team he captained, featuring assistant coach John Stroia, administrative assistant Art Furman and Assistant A.D. J.D. Campbell, rallied from a 40-pin deficit entering the final game to win the event with a 529.7 per game average.
"I really liked the consistency that our veteran group showed," said Dakich. "You really didn't see much drop-off in energy from the first throw to the last."
Assistant coach LaMonta Stone saw his team finish second at 508.3, senior Martin Samarco and his squad were at 507.3, junior Ryne Hamblet and his group were at 475.0, the Otis Polk's were at 471.3 and Matt Lefeld's quartet finished with a 466 average.
Dakich had the top overall average of the competitors at 162, but Lefeld was the top player performer with a 151 average, including a tournament-high 177 in his second game. Sophomore Brian Guerin was the next best performer averaging 142.3 pins per game, Stone averaged 137.7, and Hamblet recorded a 136.3 average.
Freshman center Marc Larson was "Rookie of the Year" with his 130.7 average and freshman Ryan Sims garnered "Most Improved" honors after he bowled a 95 in his first two games, but finished with a whopping 176 in his final game of the day.
The Falcons will leave tomorrow afternoon as they head to Huntington, West Virginia to take on Marshall, Friday night. The Falcons will regroup on Christmas Day and head to Green Bay, Wisconsin for a three-game tournament which begins December 27.
