A capacity crowd of nearly 100 Arkansas Tech fans filled the banquet room at Western Sizzlin in Russellville on Monday for a Green and Gold Club luncheon.
The luncheon was scheduled to coincide with the beginning of basketball season, and the attendance on Monday was reflective of the high expectations surrounding the Golden Suns and the Wonder Boys in 2010-11.
Arkansas Tech is one of just four institutions among 273 NCAA Division II members to be ranked in the preseason national top 25 poll in both women’s and men’s basketball.
The Golden Suns are No. 1 in the NCAA Division II preseason women’s poll, while the Wonder Boys are No. 13 in the preseason NCAA Division II men’s poll.
Green and Gold Club members heard from Dave Wilbers (photographed, top right), head coach of the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns basketball program, and Doug Karleskint (photographed, bottom right), head coach of the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys basketball program.
Wilbers and the Golden Suns opened their 2010-11 season on Sunday with an 80-67 win over St. Gregory’s University.
The fourth-year Tech women’s basketball head coach offered Green and Gold Club members an optimistic view on the season.
“I feel like we have all the right people in all the right spots that we need in order to be successful,” said Wilbers. “We have one of the biggest and fastest teams in NCAA Division II. We have a lot of potential to score, and we’re looking forward to a fantastic year.”
Karleskint and the Wonder Boys will start their 2010-11 campaign tonight (Monday, Nov. 15) with a 7 p.m. game against Ozark Christian.
“We want to be versatile,” said Karleskint, who is in his first year as Tech head coach. “Our team is built on speed rather than strength. We lost several talented players from a year ago. I’m not sure all of those guys can be replaced, but we have several new players who will fill important roles for us.”
In addition to the basketball coaches, Green and Gold Club members also heard from head volleyball coach Kristy Bayer. She reported on the Golden Suns’ 31-5 volleyball season, which included a Gulf South Conference West Division championship and a berth in the second round of the GSC Tournament.
Membership in the Green and Gold Club is open to any fan of Arkansas Tech Athletics. Giving levels start at $12.50 per month ($150 per year), and members enjoy several benefits throughout the academic year.
For information about becoming a Green and Gold Club member, call (479) 968-0337 or send e-mail to kdavis@atu.edu.
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