MOOSEHEART, Nov. 10 - On the first day of boys' basketball practice, Mooseheart's players hit the stadium track and ran. Then they came inside and ran some more.

And they were told to prepare for a lot more running during the preseason.  Coach Ron Ahrens' message was simple:  The Ramblers basketball team will be in shape this season.

"You have to be in condition to do what we intend to do," Ahrens said. "It's hard to play man-to-man defense for an entire game and be strong in the fourth quarter if you're not conditioned. That's why we have to be conditioned more than ever before."

Mooseheart's shift to nonstop man-to-man defense occurred when Ahrens took over the program last year. The Ramblers used it throughout a 13-12 season and they will use it again this year. The 2009-10 season opens Nov. 23 against Elgin St. Edward at the Westminster Christian tournament. Tip-off is 6:15 p.m.

"We ran it all year, every game," Ahrens said. "We never went into a zone. We're looking to expand on that. We just did some basic stuff man-to-man. Now we're looking to do some different rotations, some things these guys can pick up, because they've played in the system for a year."

Ahrens has a strong core of players who played on that 13-12 team a year ago, and those players are seniors this year.
"We have a lot of guys who played a lot of minutes for us last year," Ahrens said. "Damion Moore, Shawn McReynolds, Jonell Crump, Munir Smith - all seniors -- they all got a lot of playing time for us last year."

Those core players are very aware of what Ahrens expects and they came to that first practice prepared for that running. They also know that on a team where there aren't many tall players, emphasizing other attributes is a must.

"We are really going to have to use our quickness," Ahrens said. "We hare going to have to play good man-to-man defense and we are going to have to run more than we did. We're not going to be very successful running our half-court offense and then trying to post up a guy like Crump, who's 6-2."

Mooseheart suffered two key losses to graduation. One was Brandon Moreno, who was the team's leading scorer. The other was Gabe Kendor, who played point guard. Finding a ballhandler will be one of the early-season challenges.

"We always have Shawn McReynolds, but I would really like to run him at a 2 (shooting guard) if we can," Ahrens said. "It's going to come down to how successful our sophomore, Isaiah Brigman, is in stepping up and getting some playing time. He or D'Andre Howell are probably going to play point for us."

Replacing Moreno's points provide another challenge, but one that might be met if the entire team scores collectively better. There were games last season when Moreno was the only effective scorer on the squad. But Ahrens said there are scorers on the roster and that he expects them to find their way to the basket. Smith averaged better than 10 points a game last year. McReynolds and Crump are two other key players in Ahrens' motion offense.

"(Crump) was nicked up at the end of football season last year and didn't get into a groove until after Christmas," Ahrens said. "I'd like to see (Smith) increase his scoring a little bit and I'd like to see (McReynolds) increase his scoring a little bit. I look for big things from Isaiah Brigman too. I'd like to see us more balanced than a year ago."

Mooseheart competed as an independent last year. This season, the Ramblers play in the Northeastern Athletic Conference, which includes nine schools for boys basketball: Mooseheart, Westminster Christian, Rockford Christian, IMSA, Christian Liberty, Rockford Christian Life, Alden-Hebron, Luther North and Keith Country Day.

"We've upgraded our schedule," Ahrens said. "We've dropped a couple of teams that we've played in the past and had success against. So we've taken some wins off our schedule. And then we've added Newark and Walther Lutheran and then the conference competition we're going to have. It's going to be tough."

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,800 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S. , Canada , Great Britain and Bermuda . Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 230 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville , FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.mooseintl.org, www.mooseheart.org, www.moosehaven.org, or call 630-966-2229.