Herman, Wartburg try to turn things around

     The Wartburg College men’s basketball team is trying to right its ship, and senior guard Sawyer Herman, a graduate of Monticello High School, is right in the middle of it.

     Herman had the highest-scoring game of his career Feb. 3, as Wartburg ended a four-game losing streak with an 85-77 home victory over Simpson College.

     Herman scored 28 points, shooting 9-for-16 from the field.

     Prior to that it had been a bit of a struggle for the Knights. After starting the season 9-2, Wartburg went 3-6 in January, including four losses in a row to end the month.

     “We’re going through a rough patch right now. We kind of did the same thing last year,” Herman said on Jan. 25, the day after a loss at Loras College in Dubuque.

     As a senior starter, however, Herman said the team’s struggles resonate more.

     “Last year I didn’t feel as much like it was my responsibility,” he said. “This year it’s more my responsibility.”

     Herman has started every game for the Knights this season, averaging 23.2 minutes per game.

     “I’ve kind of been streaky,” Herman said. “I played well at the beginning, and my defense has been solid the whole year.”

     This is significant, because Herman usually is assigned to guard the opponent’s best player. He said he has had to focus more prominently on his defense.

     “I wouldn’t have imagined that, coming out of high school,” he said. “My focus on defense has to be there all the time. “It’s not always fun, but it’s challenging, and it gives me extra incentive to get ready for games.”

     Defensively, he said his best game was an early-season conference game against Dubuque, when he guarded T.J. Lake and held him to eight points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field. Lake is averaging 26 points per game this season.

     His scoring has had an impact as well. Through 20 games, Herman was averaging 12.0 points per game. During a tournament at Waldorf College of Forest City in November, he hit eight three-point shots in a game against Graceland – tying the Wartburg school record – and finished with 26 points. He was 8-for-12 from beyond the arc and 9-for-16 overall in that game.

     Herman is majoring in business administration, with a focus on management and marketing.

     How will the team turn things around?

     “We’ve been talking about that a lot,” Herman said. “It feels like we’re not playing as well together on defense as we used to be.

     “But once we pick up the defensive end, both ends of the court will improve for us.”