Butler's Fleeger a big part of the GCC defense





GROVE CITY — Cody Fleeger is a forward trapped in a guard's body.
That makes him a pretty valuable guy on the Grove City College basketball floor.
Fleeger, a Butler High graduate who regularly put the kibosh on top scorers who faced the Golden Tornado, is doing it again for the Wolverines as a freshman.
"In high school, I always took pride in shutting down the other guy," Fleeger said. "I felt as long as I kept my motor running on defense, I could help the team."
Fleeger's engine is purring again at Grove City.
In his first season,Fleeger has played in all 11 games for the Wolverines and is averaging 15 minutes per contest.
Grove City coach Steve Lamie is using Fleeger as a change of pace on both offense and defense.
Fleeger is just 6-feet tall and weighs 180 pounds, but he is built like a train. He gives opponents fits, Lamie said.
"We saw him play in the summer (of 2007) and we thought it would take him a while to see playing time," Lamie said. "But the more we saw him through the winter, the more we saw his toughness and the way he played defense, we thought he could help us much sooner."
Fleeger has contributed on offense at Grove City, too, averaging 4.5 points per game.
Always quick to the hoop and a potent outside shooter, Fleeger is learning how to post-up — another mismatch for opposing guards.
"Posting up is something I have to get better at," Fleeger said.
Lamie said once Fleeger begins to click on offense, there will be little to stop his ascension.
"Defensively, he's already there. He's quick. He's tough," Lamie said. "Offensively, he's still looking for his shot. He's still trying to get out of that offensive mentality he had at Butler. I think that just takes some time. He's going to get a lot better."
Fleeger always considered Grove City the best fit for his skills.
Schools like Case Western Reserve inCleveland, Westminster College, Catholic University inWashington D.C. and a slew of other Division III schools contacted Fleeger.
But Grove City always was at the top of his list, not only because of basketball, but also because of the school's academic standing.
Fleeger wants to be a history professor someday and get into coaching the game, he said.
For now, he will concentrate on getting better for a program that has enjoyed a run of success.
Grove City has had only one losing season this decade.
"The program has a winning tradition and it's nice to be part of that," Fleeger said. "We expect to win every year."
Playing at Butler helped Fleeger prepare for the rigors of college basketball, he said.
"I think playing in a section like we did, where it was a challenge every night, playing tough big schools really transfers well to here," he said.
Fleeger certainly fits right in at Grove City, a program that has been near the top of the Division III defensive rankings for most of the decade.
In the 2001-02 season, the Wolverines finished second in the nation in rebounding margin and held opponents to 38 percent from the floor.
The next season, Grove City was in the top 10 nationally in both field goal percentage and rebounding margin.
Last year, opponents hit a mere 41 percent of their shots from the floor and this year, foes are shooting 38 percent.
To Fleeger, that's heaven.
"I really like how they emphasize defense around here," Fleeger said. "Defense is kind of my thing."