Bethel University men’s basketball coach Steve Drabyn has seen a lot to like from his talented team so far this season.
He’s hoping the positive traits continue to translate into more success for his squad moving forward in the 2024-25 campaign, too.
The No. 10 Pilots are off to a strong start, even after a pair of losses in Florida prior to the holiday. Bethel sits at 10-3 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the Crossroads League. The Pilots lead the league standings, followed by Grace College, Spring Arbor and Saint Francis, all at 3-1.
“Overall, I’m pleased with where we are at right now,” Drabyn said in a phone interview. “I really love our team. We have great leadership. I think that’s our number one strength of this team. We have guys who are natural leaders and it’s always better to have a player led team like we do.”
“We’ve played well so far with a bullseye on our back being ranked No. 10.”
Drabyn, a former star guard at LaPorte High School (Indiana) and Belmont University (Tennessee), sees a lot of positives from his squad.
“This team practices well and they play hard,” Drabyn said. “We have a good combination of experience and youth. We also have good chemistry with unselfish guys.
“This is the best defensive group I’ve had in my six years here.”
The Pilots are allowing 75.9 points per game after losing to Florida Memorial University 101-81 and No. 18 Ave Maria University 94-82 in Florida back on December 16-17.
Bethel, which lost two of its top three scorers from last season, in former Penn High School star Drew Lutz (24 points per game) and Nathan Aerts (11.3 ppg.), has relied on tremendous balance on the offensive end to thrive. The Pilots have five players averaging double figures, with junior forward Alonas Peciulis and sophomore guard Luke McBride leading the way at 15.6 and 15.5 points, per game, respectively.
“It (our scoring balance) has been huge for us this season,” Drabyn said. “Teams cannot focus on just one guy for us as our depth is another of our strengths as a team. We are hard to guard as a team and we have been better in the paint this season too. “
The Pilots are also relying on seasoned veteran Trent Edwards in a big way. The 6-foot-4 graduate student guard is averaging 11.9 point per game, while shooting 54% from the field. Edwards also leads his team in minutes played and assists per game (5.4), while adding 4.3 rebounds per contest. The former NorthWood High School standout averaged 6.3 points per game a season ago as Bethel finished 20-11 overall and 10-8 in league play.
“Trent is having a great year for us,” said Drabyn of Edwards, the young man affectionately referred to as “Grandpa.” “He’s solid and consistent and just leads by example for us.
“Trent is smart, tough and crafty too. He handles the ball well, but his defense may be the strongest part of his game. He’s also willing to do whatever is necessary for the team to be successful.”
The Bethel roster also feature another veteran in former Jimtown High School standout Preston Phillips. The 6-8 graduate student forward has been limited to eight games after suffering a strained MCL. Phillips, who returned to the court for the two games in Florida, is averaging 13.1 points per game and is leading his team at 6.6 rebounds per outing. The Pilots also have Alex Ellenson, a redshirt freshman forward from Northridge High School, and freshman guard Payton Baird, who starred at South Bend Riley High School last season.
The Pilots started the season 8-0 before a 74-68 loss at No. 5 Georgetown College (Kentucky) on Nov. 26. Bethel already owns league wins over Goshen College (101-56), No. 13 Huntington University (96-90), No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan University (97-89) and Saint Francis (95-78. Bethel returns to action Dec. 30 by hosting Cornerstone University before conference play heats back up starting on Jan. 4 with a road game at Mount Vernon Nazarene.
“Overall, we need to have consistency on the defensive end,” Drabyn said. “We took a step back there in Florida, but I also give a ton of credit to the teams we played there. We just need to continue to trend upward in that area. We also need to shoot the 3-pointer better moving forward.”
Drabyn, who is 108-57 at Bethel, knows his team will have to keep trending upwards to make its mark in the league and beyond into postseason play. The Pilots finished 10-8 in league play a season ago and concluded their season with a loss in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament.
“We’re fortunate to be 4-0 and on top of the league right now,” Drabyn said. “But I know from my experience in this league that every team in it gets better as the season goes on.
“We’ve struggled some during my time here late in the season. I would love to play consistent, winning basketball into February this year. That’s our focus and our goal. To be consistent.”
