NIU coach Jim Molinari’s Huskies (7-7) have as good a record as does Molinari’s previous school, national power DePaul (8-8). That fact comes as a surprise not only to many local observers, but to some in the national media as well.

National basketball “expert” Dick Vitale, in his pre-season basketball preview magazine, for example, tabbed the Huskies to finish 9-19. With 14 games remaining on NIU’s schedule, Molinari’s squad is almost assured of surpassing the predicted victory total.

A victory over the Big Eight’s Nebraska squad and close losses to Top 40 Northern Iowa have opened the eyes of some opposing coaches.

“After the top four or five teams in the country,” said Northern Iowa coach Eldon Miller, “Anyone else that comes in here (Chick Evans Field House) would have a difficult time winning.”

Everyone else who has come to Dekalb has had a hard time. The Huskies have built a 7-1 home record. Failure to win on the road (0-6 going into Thursday’s match against Valparaiso) has proved to be NIU’s weak spot. Overall, Molinari has been satisfied with the progress of his young team.

“We had a good first half but we still have a long way to go,” said the first-year coach. “We did some good things and we could be 8-6, but we have had some good wins. I look at this first year record as a foundation to build on.”

That foundation is comprised of a roster that has only one senior and is anchored on the broad shoulders of junior forward Donnell “D-Train” Thomas. Thomas had his string of 36 consecutive double-figure scoring games snapped in NIU’s 69-51 loss to Missouri- Kansas City last week, but still leads the Huskies in scoring and rebounding with 17.9 and 7.3 averages respectively.

The recent additions of swing-man Mike Hidden, guard Bobby Smith and center Brent Varner gives the Huskies some needed depth going into the homestretch of the season. Injuries and eligibility problems early in the season forced Molinari at one point to dress team-manager James Schraut. The second half of the Huskie’s schedule features match-ups with Loyola of Chicago, Evansville and a season ending game at DePaul.

If the Huskies can match the 7-7 record of the first half in their remaining 14 games, Molinari’s squad would compile the best record for an NIU team since 1985’s 15-12 finish.