DANVILLE, Ill. Bismarck State College men's basketball coach Jason Harris did a double-take when he walked through the ticket area at the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

Standing in the entry were Bismarck State athletic director Buster Gilliss and administrative assistant Dee Bertsch.

Gilliss and Bertsch told Harris they didn't plan on making the trip to Danville, Ill., to cheer on the Mystics.

They lied, but for good reason.

They wanted to have some fun and surprise Harris and the team. Harris, a first-year coach at BSC, succeeded Gilliss when he retired from coaching.

"It was definitely a surprise," Harris said. "I know they had to log a lot of miles and get up early to get here. I know the team really appreciated it."

Gilliss and Bertsch left their respective homes at 4:30 a.m. so they could catch their flight. Bertsch slept from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Gilliss didn't get any slumber.

After switching planes in Minneapolis, they flew into Chicago. From there, Gilliss and Bertsch drove three hours to Danville. The Mystics lost 85-64 to Delaware Tech in the opening round and were bumped into the consolation bracket.

Gilliss and Bertsch plan to stay for today's game against Henry Ford. Even if the Mystics win today, Gilliss and Bertsch need to leave Danville at 4:30 a.m. to catch their flight back home.

The surprise was almost spoiled. Gilliss told tournament co-director Dick Shockey that he was making the trip. Shockey told Bismarck State team host Chuck Kasper that Gilliss and Bertsch would be attending.

"The host asked Jason when I could be coming," Gilliss said. "Jason said we weren't coming. I thought Jason might figure it out when he saw the room assignments."

National exposure

As the Mystics were about to enter the gymnasium, they all stopped and looked at a sign-in board that was propped near the ticket takers. The board was full of names of recruiters from various colleges.

Gilliss said it's not uncommon for more than 200 college recruiters to go through the door at the national tournament. Not only do NAIA coaches check out the NJCAA talent pool, but the big-time programs also take a look. Among some of the colleges signed in were Youngstown State, Indiana University-Purdue, University of Indianapolis, Seattle University, Alabama and Loyola.

"When Doug Swenson played for us there were over 200 recruiters here," Gilliss said. "He was already being recruited heavily, but it being at nationals sparked additional interest."

Harris said playing in the tournament was a perfect opportunity for his players to get exposure.

"You can't ask for a bigger stage," Harris said. "That one whole section was full of coaches from NAIA to (NCAA) Division I. T.J. (McCauley) will be on the radar of some four-year coaches."

Gilliss said a national tournament appearance is beneficial overall for BSC. "It's a huge promotion for marketing on a national stage," Gilliss said.

Even though BSC hasn't been to the national tournament since 2001, the Mystics have come close the last couple years.

BSC dropped a two-point game last year in Nebraska even though its starting center, Brandon Hendrix, didn't make the trip. The Mystics lost to Hamilton College, which is now known as Kaplan University, of Nebraska in 2007-08 and 2006-07 in the District 4 title game. Hamilton had to later give up the two district championship trophies because it had used ineligible players but it was too late for BSC to play at nationals.

Expanding to 16

Gilliss said the tournament is likely to expand to 16 teams next season. NJCAA Division I allows 16 teams into its tournament.

Coach Harris favors taking 16 teams to the big dance of the NJCAA because the bracket is already set up for 16 teams. Johnson County, Phoenix, Kirkwood and Cecil all received byes on Wednesday.

"You want everybody to play the same amount of games," Harris said. "There are four teams that will play one less game."