Eric Fiegi admits he sometimes wonders how he would fare against competition at the NCAA Division I level. But the 6-foot-9 center has never second-guessed his decision to play basketball at Western Baptist College, a private NAIA school in Salem that has only 800 students.

And why would he?

Fiegi has not only emerged as one of the top players in the nation at the small college level, he’s also put his team on his back for the ride.

The former South Medford High standout leads the nation in scoring at 29.6 points per game for the Warriors, who are 11-0, ranked third in the NAIA poll and off to their best start in school history.

"There’s always a part of you that wonders how you would stack up in the Pac-10 or someplace like that," Fiegi says. "But I’m extremely happy with the success I’ve had at this level and I’ve never had any regrets.

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"I think this is the level I’m supposed to be at."

Fiegi averaged 21 points as a freshman and 24 last season, and has ratcheted up his game to an even higher level this season. He’s shooting a sizzling 62.6 percent from the field and a respectable 72.7 percent from the free-throw line.

In addition to his scoring exploits, Fiegi is pulling down 9.5 rebounds and blocking 2.5 shots per game.

Fiegi attributes his enhanced scoring to his teammates. Senior guards Jeff Dunn (18.5) and Matt Larson (11.0) are also scoring in double figures for Western Baptist, while senior forward Ben Morris (9.2) and freshman forward Tyler Roberts (9.0) are close.

Joel Worcester, a junior from Eugene’s Churchill High, runs the point for the Warriors, who are averaging a whopping 103.8 points per game.

"All of those guys are shooting above or near the .500 mark, and all of them can hit the 3-pointer," says Fiegi, who has scored 40 or more three times, including a career-high 43 against Cascade College on Nov. 30. "So if you double me they’re going to hit their shots. It’s like pick your poison."

Western Baptist coach Justin Sherwood agrees, but he says there are other reasons Fiegi is playing better than ever.

"He spent a lot of time in the weight room last spring and that added strength allows him to power through defenders," Sherwood says. "Plus, his conditioning is better. He beats his guy down the floor fairly often and gets into some secondary fastbreak situations.

"If nothing else, it allows him to get good position and not have to fight for it, and if we can get him the ball before the defense is truly set up, then whoever’s guarding him is behind the 8-ball."

Fiegi is also a load to cover in the halfcourt. He has several moves in the low post and is a superb shooter from 15 feet in. And if you foul him, chances are he’ll make both free throws. He’s 48-for-66 from the line in the Warriors’ 11 games.

"He’s got a nice turnaround jumper, he’s got a jump hook from the baseline and he can go right and then step through with his left hand," Sherwood says. "He does a lot of good things on the block, and you rarely see the same move twice."

Defensively, Fiegi is more comfortable this season because he’s matching up against centers rather than the power forwards he often guarded a year ago.

"I do a better job defending in the paint and it’s a lot easier to focus on rebounding," he says. "I’m in my natural position now at both ends of the court."

Fiegi knows his team probably won’t go unbeaten once it begins play in the Cascade Conference, where opponents such as eighth-ranked Albertson and defending national champion Oregon Tech loom. But he and his teammates have set goals of winning the conference and national titles.

"We put it out there," he says of winning a national crown. "We’ve got the kind of team that can do it, so why not make that a goal?"

Once he graduates with a degree in history in the spring of 2006, Fiegi hopes to play professionally in Europe or Australia. Eventually, he’d like to teach and coach.

But for now, he’s thrilled to be the proverbial big fish in a small pond.

Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail dhunt@mailtribune.com