Normally, college athletes would celebrate immediately after knocking off the No. 2 team in the country.
But, such was not the case for the Dakota Wesleyan men's basketball team.
Following the Tigers' 90-74 victory over Midland on Saturday at the Corn Palace, several DWU players returned to the court -- to get shooting reps in.
"Our shooters take pride in shooting the ball," Tigers second-year head coach Matt Wilber said. "We had guys that played significant minutes stick around after we played on Saturday. It's easy to trust guys to make shots when you know they're dedicated to working on it."
The Tigers' work ethic could explain why DWU is leading the country in field goal percentage, converting 55 percent of its shots from the floor.
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"That's the name of the game, right?" Wilber said. "If the ball goes in the hoop, things are good. My number one thing with shooters is that I want them to feel confident. I think we work pretty hard in practice to show them the shots we want them to take, so they know ahead of time."
Wilber said he has been working on installing a high-octane offense since his arrival. His teaching efforts have paid off.
"Our guys have the green light to shoot when they're open," Wilber said.
After beating two ranked opponents, the Tigers (11-0, 4-0 GPAC) improved from No. 15 to No. 4 in the NAIA national rankings after knocking off then-No. 2 Midland and No. 11 Morningside.
In addition to effort, DWU has the luxury of having a plethora of athletes who can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. Senior guard Kris Menning and junior guard Trae Bergh are averaging 19.1 points a game and 16.6 points per contest, respectively. Menning averages 3.09 3-pointers per contest, while Bergh recently scored 32 points against Midland. Bergh was named the Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the week for his standout performance against the Warriors.
The Tigers aren't afraid of shooting up a barrage of three-point shots, as DWU has attempted 292 3-pointers this season, making 124 of them. Taking shots from beyond the arc is all part of the plan for Wilber and company.
"We have the personnel to play that way," he said. "(Jade) Miller, Menning and Bergh are all very good shooters that don't think much about it when they shoot, and they expect to make them. If we're going to take jump shots, I'd rather have our guys take open three-point shots than tough two point shots, that's just how it goes."
The perimeter opens up each night for the Tigers mainly due to their post presence in Jalen Voss. The 6-foot-6 forward averages 21.1 points per game, and typically draws double coverage from opponents.
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"We play through Jalen. He opens up a lot of attention for our shooters," Wilber said. "He's so important because of the post presence he brings."
The Tigers hope to continue their win streak against Dordt College at 8 p.m. today in Sioux Center, Iowa.
