Vanguard men got a makeover

A watershed men’s basketball season at Vanguard University has been all about change. There was a change in the players’ mindset, a change in offensive and defensive philosophies and finally, a change in the color of Levi Seekins’ fingernail polish.

The result has been an at-large berth in the NAIA Tournament, which begins today in Kansas City, Mo. The Lions (20-12) face Georgetown of Kentucky (25-7) in the first round at 7:45 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium.

It’s the first trip to the national tournament since 1990 for Vanguard, which finished third in the Golden State Athletic Conference and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.

“It feels really rewarding,” said Seekins, one of the team’s four seniors ? three of whom had endured three straight losing seasons heading into 2005-06. “We’ve talked every year about going to Kansas City, but we never had the opportunity. Just to be able to work for four years and get this kind of reward is special.”

Seekins, a 6-foot-7 All-GSAC forward, and senior Horace Wormely, a 5-7 point guard who was named GSAC Player of the Year, said this year was different from the start.

“Coach [Bob] Wilson said from the beginning of the year, that we were going to change the tradition of Vanguard,” said Wormely, who averages 14.9 points, 7.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds. “He said it would start with the little things, like being on time to class and to practice, even tucking in our shirts in practice. Those were things we didn’t do in the past.

“When I first got here, Vanguard was winning six or seven [conference] games a year and that was OK. But this year, it was never OK for us to lose. The thinking used to be ‘We’re going to try to compete.’ But it’s not about just competing anymore; it’s about winning.”

Seekins said first-year associate head coach Fred Litzenberger spurred a commitment to defense.

“Fred got us into defense, into being a defensive-minded team,” Seekins said. “One of our goals became to shut [opposing] teams down.”

Offensively, Wilson’s decision to alter the offense near the end of December helped generate success.

“In the beginning of the year, our offense was more structured,” Wormely said. “But Coach Wilson made an adjustment to more of a read-and-react offense. That gave us a lot more freedom and I think it fit the strengths of our players better. When he made that change, I’d say around Christmas time, that’s when our season kind of turned around.”

The Lions were 7-7 through Jan. 5, including an 0-2 conference record. Starting Jan. 7, they won eight of their next nine and were 13-5 the rest of the way.

Seekins said Wilson’s flexibility extended to other areas, as well.

“His transformation as a coach this year has been amazing,” Seekins said. “He adjusted the offense to give us more free rein. And he also took more of a personal interest in the lives of his players. I think we felt a little bit more connection to him and the coaches, which made us want to play more and work harder for him.”

Seekins said the seniors ? including Wormely, Tim Burnette (6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game) and Leon Rosborough (who has played just 19 games due to various injuries) ? have particularly enjoyed this year’s success.

“Before, toward the end of the season, when you’re not going to make the playoffs, it’s hard to get up to go to practice, just because it’s so disappointing,” Seekins said. “You put so much time into the offseason and the season, but we weren’t ending up where we wanted to be. This year, there’s a chance to win the national championship and that’s fun to wake up to every day.

“I think more than some other teams, we realize how lucky you have to be to be in this spot. After being one of the bottom feeders for so long, we want to enjoy this opportunity and try to seize this opportunity.”

Seekins, on a lark, took an opportunity before one game this year to put some clear fingernail polish to use.

He switched to gold before the Lions huge road win over Azusa Pacific on Jan. 24. His 28 points included the game-tying layup with one second left in regulation and two three-pointers in overtime, the second to finalize the scoring in an 81-80 win.

“The first time I did it, I went out and had a good game, so I thought I better keep doing it,” Seekins said of painting his nails, which were pink for the postseason opener and will remain so in Kansas City. “We haven’t been losing much since I started and it has become a fun thing for me and kind of a way to mentally prepare for the game.

“I usually break out the pink for the big games,” Seekins said. “If we win [the national title], it’s probably going to be pink for the rest of my life.”dpt-vumenhoops16.IMGGraphicInfo1U1P0B7D200603161U1P0B7DNo Caption