Junior Guard from Old Bridge Playing Well for Rebuilding BBC Defenders
CLARKS SUMMIT, PA–The Defenders of Baptist Bible College from the Colonial States Athletic Conference endured a difficult season in 2014-15. With only two seniors in the lineup, the relatively young squad suffered through a 2-23 campaign including a 1-17 mark in conference play. However, with just about everyone returning including former Timothy Christian hoops standout, Dan Decker, the Defenders should improve next year. Decker was a bright spot for the Defenders this past season. He played in all 25 games for BBC including 24 starts.
In those games, Decker averaged 33.2 minutes, 10.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Decker connected on 86 of 245 shots from the floor overall including 55 of 154 shots from beyond the arc for 36 percent, and sank 37 of 43 from the line for 86 percent. Decker ranked 2nd on the team in minutes, 3rd in scoring, 3rd in assists, 3rd in steals, 3rd in three point shooting percentage, 1st in three point shooting, and 6th in rebounding. The high point of Baptist Bible’s season was a stretch where the Defenders won both of their games during a three game stretch. Victories included a 58-56 victory over CSAC rival, Cairn University in Langhorne on January 21st, and an 82-68 win over Rochester Institute of Technology on January 26th.
In those two victories, Decker collected 27 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. His best performance of the two games came against RIT, where he made 4 of 5 from three point range and sank both his free throws for 14 points while dishing out 4 assists. Decker scored in double figures 12 times during the course of the season including a season high of 19 points twice against Marywood University on December 3rd and Immaculata University on December 6th. In those two games, Decker averaged 39.5 minutes, sank 13 of 26 shots overall from the field including 5 of 12 from long distance, and made all 7 of his free throw attempts. Decker also scored 18 on one occasion late in the season against Keystone on February 16th, and 17 twice against Messiah College on December 13th and Cabrini College on January 5th.
Decker, now a junior, is a three year starter at Baptist Bible College. During his freshman year at BBC, he played in all 25 games including 24 starts. Decker ranked second on the team in minutes (32.4 mpg), 4th in scoring (10.8 ppg), 7th in rebounding, 2nd in three point percentage, 3rd in free throw percentage, and 5th in both assists and steals. During that 2012-13 season, Baptist Bible went 7-18 overall including a 5-13 mark in conference play. Last year, during his sophomore season, Decker played and started in all 25 games for the Defenders, and averaged 35.4 minutes, 13.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He connected on 43 percent of his shots from the floor including 73 of 163 from three point range for 45 percent, and made 39 of 50 from the charity stripe. He ranked first in minutes, third in scoring, first in three point shooting percentage, 3rd in free throw percentage, and 5th in both assists and steals.
Last season, Baptist Bible College had its best season in the three years that Decker has attended school there. The Defenders finished 9-16 overall including a 6-12 mark in CSAC play. The highlight of the season came on February 15th when BBC knocked off then 2nd ranked Cabrini College by the score of 106-97. In that game, Decker collected 12 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. The loss was Cabrini’s first of the year at that time. This spring, Decker has decided to take on a second sport by going out for the school’s tennis team, and he is already enjoying a great deal of success there as well.