It’s 6 p.m. Tuesday night, snow is filling the Fort Lewis College campus and Bob Pietrack sits at the same desk he has the previous 11 seasons. His title is different, but his attitude is the same.
He’s returned to the Division II campus in Durango after a 77-69 overtime win Saturday night in his head coaching debut in an exhibition at defending Division I Mountain West Conference champion Wyoming. He’s joined by redshirt seniors Cade Kloster and Jared Smith along with assistant coach Daniel Steffensen – guys Pietrack calls “True ’Hawks.”
Nobody mentions anything about the win at Wyoming.
“How’s the weather out there,” Pietrack asks. “Is it getting nasty? I like that. It’s basketball season.”
Pietrack, a former Fort Lewis College basketball player himself, is wrapping up video of a press conference of Texas Tech head coach Tubby Smith, whose team played an exhibition against West Texas A&M on Monday. Pietrack is trying to gain every ounce of information he can on the West Texas A&M Buffaloes, the Skyhawks’ opponent Friday night in the regular-season opener.
He is surrounded by news clippings of previous Fort Lewis teams. He’s anxious to add more to his collection now as the head coach of the program he’s loved for more than 15 years.
At the end of every question, Pietrack echoes his excitement for Friday’s home opener. It will be his first game leading the Skyhawks inside Whalen Gymnasium after scrapping his associate head coach label for that of interim head coach in place of Bob Hofman, who will serve as head coach emeritus this season as he transitions toward retirement from the FLC program he spent 19 years coaching over the course of two separate stints in Durango.
“We’re excited for the season with a lot of returners back,” Pietrack said, noting he has six seniors and four juniors on the roster. “It’s always exciting to start the season with regional games that count so much in Division II. With the way they do it, these are just as important as conference games.”
The emphasis on this weekend’s Skyhawks Regional Classic with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff Friday night against West Texas A&M and the 3 p.m. tipoff Saturday against Eastern New Mexico hasn’t been lost on Pietrack’s players.
Kloster, who hit two big 3-pointers and paced the Skyhawks with 21 points in Wyoming brushes off the accomplishments in Laramie from a weekend ago.
“It was an exhibition game. We played to win, but we know these upcoming games are the ones that really matter,” Kloster said. “It’s in the back of our minds now.”
Kloster and Smith are two of FLC’s many experienced and talented players. The Skyhawks were picked to finish sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the preseason poll, but they aren’t placing any focus on such matters. It’s all business for a team that believes it can compete at the top of the conference the year after losing superstar center Alex Herrera.
They know they can play, and they want to continue to prove it.
“My freshman year we got in the RMAC championships. We’re hoping to go out with that great feeling again at the end of this year,” Smith said. “It’s been good for us to take initiative in ourselves. We’re a really unselfish team. It’s not about getting yours but making sure the team is winning.
“Pietrack does a good job making sure we’re level headed and knows it is a team effort instead of individuals getting the job done.”
Defense has been the biggest emphasis in practice so far. Without a dominant rebounder and shot blocker such as Herrera, the Skyhawks are looking to replace him collectively. It’s worked so far, as Smith and Rasmus Bach, two guards, led the team in rebounding at Wyoming.
Bach and Kloster were selected to the RMAC All-Preseason team. Bach is an electric talent on the floor when healthy. Though only a sophomore in terms of eligibility, he’s been around the program and gives FLC 11 players that could be considered upperclassmen.
The addition of junior guard Joshua Blaylock can’t be overlooked. Blaylock came to FLC from Otero Junior College where he was an all-region talent. He started at point guard Saturday and had 10 points, four assists and four rebounds before fouling out.
“Josh has a big roll for us,” Pietrack. “He guards the ball as good as anyone we’ve had in recent memory here. Very unselfish and very much about the team, so he’s a natural fit that way. He quickly came in and has become a ’Hawk. We’re excited for him to be here and for the home fans to watch him play.”
Also back is Kofi Josephs, who was fourth on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game last season before his season was cut short after six games because of hip surgery. He also scored 10 points in Wyoming.
Will Morse will come off the bench but play big minutes for the Skyhawks this year. The junior helped send the Skyhawks past Wyoming with two key assists and a 3 of his own. He shot 41.7 percent from long range a year ago.
With its roster, Pietrack can play nine or 10 deep any given night. He has options to play big or small, especially with a dynamic player such as Austin Haldorson, a second-year Skyhawk and transfer from Wyoming, capable of starting at center or playing as small as a small forward.
Kloster said not much has changed with the program despite a new head coach and a few new pieces to the roster. They’re ready to go out and prove they can compete right away.
“Coach P is the guy who brought most of us in,” Kloster said. “We’re just ready to go work for him.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
