An historic run propelled the Central men’s basketball team through the Iowa Conference tournament and into the NCAA Division III National Tournament. There, the selection committee paired the Dutch with the eventual national champions in St. Thomas. It was the consensus of the players that they were right there with the Tommies. So it has been their mission during the offseason to bulk up and improve in preparation for the 2016-17 season. Coach Craig Douma says the team has been hard at it to get to the level that St. Thomas was and currently is at. With Nebraska Wesleyan joining the conference this fall, teams will lose two non-conference games, and league matches will start earlier in the season. The Dutch will play another Wesleyan team: Iowa Wesleyan to begin the season on November 15, and their first Iowa Conference contest is on November 30 at Coe.