Jimmy Kosieniak crossed the 25-point mark three times in Japan.
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Jimmy Kosieniak crossed the 25-point mark three times in Japan. |
Rose-Hulman visited Buddhist and Shinto temples before defeating Kyoto University 87-66 on Monday evening. Freshman Jimmy Kosieniak (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar) led the Engineers with 28 points, sophomore Chris Unton (Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) added 16 and sophomore Ryan Harris (Indianapolis/Park Tudor) contributed 14 points.
Rose-Hulman then traveled to its sister institution, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, to conduct clinics for local children and play the first international basketball game at Kanazawa. The Engineers defeated Kanazawa 81-61 on Tuesday behind 30 points from Kosieniak and 16 points from junior T.J. Holmes (Dennison, Ill./Marshall).
The Engineers moved to 3-0 on the trip by defeating Kanazawa 68-48 on Thursday. Freshman Jon Charles (Beatyville, Ky./Lee County) led Rose-Hulman with 28 points, Harris added 19 and freshman Michael Cash (Mason, Ill./North Clay) pitched in 13 points. Shaw and Kanazawa head coach Takashi Aoki, who served as a visiting assistant at Rose-Hulman with complete team access during the 1998-99 season, switched benches and coached each other’s teams late in the second half.
Rose-Hulman completed the trip by defeating the Nippon Institute of Sport, a squad that won Japan’s collegiate championship this season, 89-58. Kosieniak led the Engineers with 26 points, Harris added 13 and sophomore Clint Ferguson (Greenwood) tallied 13 points for the winners.
The Rose-Hulman men’s basketball team most recently traveled abroad in 1997 with a nine-day trip to Italy under head coach Jim Shaw. The Engineers previously traveled throughout Europe in 1975, to Hawaii in 1978, and to Russia in the early 1980s under John Mutchner.
Rose-Hulman finished the 1999-2000 campaign with a 16-9 record and tied for second place in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings. The Engineers won the 1998-99 SCAC championship and have appeared in three NCAA III Tournaments over the past five seasons.