GARY | It's no secret that Pete Trgovich III wanted to play Division I basketball following his prep career at Andrean and Munster. Expectations are pretty high when your father played at UCLA under John Wooden.

So when a circuitous route found him at the gym of IU Northwest playing hoops, his outlook changed.

"Coming out of high school, I was under the impression that NAIA wasn't that good and if someone didn't go Division I or Division II it might not be worth playing, but this league has a lot of undersized players that have gotten overlooked," the 6-4 senior guard said. "It really is a great league."

"He chose to continue to play for his love for the game," said his father and IUN coach Pete Trgovich, who is entering his third year with his son at the school. "I'm sure it's not what he dreamed of maybe, but he's playing basketball and has a lot of memories on the court."

One of those memories came last Dec. 22, when the 4,700 student-enrolled regional school traveled to NCAA Division I Eastern Kentucky, which was two years removed from playing in NCAA tournament. IU Northwest came away with a 74-73 win and spun the RedHawks into a winning mentality that carried them throughout the rest of the season.

"We had the mindset that we had nothing to lose and it was one of those experiences I'll never forget," said Trgovich III, who finished the game with 17 points. "We fed off that game and ended up with a great record."

Finishing at 21-13 and having the school's first winning record in its history, the Trgovich duo couldn't be happier now where they are.

Playing under the tutelage of his father, the self-admitted jump shooter averaged 19.7 points a game last season, which ranked him 22nd nationally in NAIA Division II.

"It just feels great to wrap up my career in the area," said Trgovich III, playing this year as a grad student with an accounting degree. "I've grown up here and had all my family at the games ... so it's been a great experience to be at home and have that support."

MEN'S BASKETBALL | IUN PREVIEW

More inside

Read a complete scouting report on IUN's men's hoops team. PAGE B3

Indiana looks for an exhibition victory over Grace College. PAGE B3

Scouting the 2009-10 IU Northwest men's basketball team

Who's back: Senior backcourt mates Jesse Howell (19.4 ppg) and Pete Trgovich III (19.7 ppg) likely will lead the RedHawks this season in scoring and will be looked upon for leadership. "Jesse Howell and Pete have become such leaders because they have been where these young guys want to go and they can make them better," third-year coach Pete Trgovich said.

Who's new: Youth will be served with five freshmen entering the program: Charles Popielarz (Clark), Josh Moore (Clark), Daniel McGee (Merrillville), Adam White (Chesterton) and Roosevelt Jones (Morton). "I know we have a young team and I'm not going to worry about wins early," Coach Trgovich said.

Outlook: IU Northwest had its first winning season in school history in 2008-09 and improved by 19 wins from the previous season. A younger roster, headed by Trgovich III and Howell, will face a more difficult schedule. "We couldn't get a Division I school to play us this year because they are staying away from us," Coach Trgovich said. -- Ryan Metz

Roster

No. Name Ht. Yr. Pos. Hometown

5 Jesse Howell 6-2 Sr. G Rockport

20 James Beard 5-5 So. G Gary

21 Walter Robinson 5-10 Jr. G Rockport

22 Charles Popielarz 5-6 Fr. G Hammond

23 Pete Trgovich III 6-4 Sr. G Munster

25 Josh Moore 6-1 Fr. G Hammond

30 Nick Panousis 6-0 So. G Highland

31 Daniel McGee 6-1 Fr. G Gary

32 Adam White 6-1 Fr. G Chesterton

33 Roosevelt Jones 6-1 Fr. G Hammond

34 Ashley Dunlap 6-0 Jr. G East Chicago

45 Matt Bryan 6-3 Jr. F Portage

Schedule

November

6 at East-West University, 5 p.m.

7 at Purdue Calumet, 4 p.m.

14 at Olivet Nazarene, TBD

17 vs. Judson, 7 p.m.

20 at Moody Bible, 7 p.m.

21 at Moody Bible, TBD

27 vs. Lindsey Wilson, TBD

28 vs. Campbellsville University, TBD

December

1 vs. Carthage College, 7 p.m.

2 at Robert Morris, 7:30 p.m.

5 vs. IU East, 6 p.m.

8 at Huntington College, 6 p.m.

10 vs. Purdue Calumet, 7 p.m.

17 at St. Joseph's College, 7 p.m.

19 at Indiana Institute of Technology, 3 p.m.

22 vs. Calumet College, 7 p.m.

January

3 at Robert Morris-Springfield, 3 p.m.

5 vs. Kuyper College, 7 p.m.

9 vs. Brescia University, 3 p.m.

12 vs. Grace Bible College, 7 p.m.

16 at Andrews University, 8:30 p.m.

19 at East-West University, TBD

21 vs. Moody Bible Institute, 7 p.m.

23 at Marygrove, 2 p.m.

30 vs. Robert Morris-Springfield, 5 p.m.

February

4 vs. Andrews University, 8 p.m.

6 vs. Marygrove, 4 p.m.

8 vs. Indiana Institute of Technology, 7 p.m.

12 at Kuyper College, 7 p.m.

13 at Grace Bible College, 3 p.m.

18 vs. Cincinnati Christian, TBD

20 vs. East-West University, 5 p.m.