MSM 2011-12 Basketball Preview

Miss. State Head Coach Rick Stansbury

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>>> MSM | MISSISSIPPI SEEN

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“Bully” was ready to roll the Tide out of Starkville as a huge crowd showed up at Davis-Wade Stadium on November 12 for the Dawg’s annual match-up against Alabama. The MSU “gameday team” has made DWS one of the top places to watch a college football game in the SEC. MSU fans pack the stadium every home game to show their support for the Bulldogs.

2 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE |3 Photo by Greg Pevey, Mississippi Sports Magazine

>>> MSM | MISSISSIPPI SEEN

Photo

by Bobby McDuffie, Ocean Springs 4 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

FLYING HIGH...

Golden Eagle wide receiver Ryan Balentine gets a lift from lineman Lamar Holmes after one of Balentine’s two touchdown catches during the Golden Eagles 48-24 blowout win over the Rice Owls. Balentine caught seven passes for 144 yards along with two scores of 46 and 23 yards courtesy the arm of Austin Davis.

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 5

>>> MSM | MISSISSIPPI SEEN

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by GregSPORTS Pevey, Mississippi

BIRDS EYE VIEW...

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>>> MSM | MISSISSIPPI SEEN

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by GregSPORTS Pevey, Mississippi

MAJOR HARDWARE...

The BCS Coaches’ Trophy made a visit to Oxford during the Alabama game on October 15. The trophy consists of a Waterford Crystal football affixed to an ebony base, and carries a value of over $30,000. The winning school retains permanent possession of the trophy, as a new one is awarded every year. The football portion of the trophy weighs approximately 8 pounds and together with the stand, it weights about 45 pounds and stands 34 inches tall. It is handmade by an artist in Ireland and takes nearly 3 months to complete.

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Volume 4, Issue 2 2011-12 College Basketball Preview

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>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Contents...

Inside...

14 GODFREY’S TAKE:

STEVEN GODFREY

The Search is on at Ole Miss

26 LEGENDS

Will Rick Stansbury have his Dawgs ready to make a run deep into the NCAA Tournament?

SERIES Destined to play

professional baseball, Dave Whitney found his place on the hardwood and eventually the College Basketball Hall of Fame

32 MSM Q&A

40 TOP DAWG

THE ACTION STARTS ON PAGE

2011-12 College BASKETBALL Preview

16

20

The Next Big Thing

Monta is the Man

30

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. of Olive Branch is giving Mississippi NASCAR fans hope of having a local star

Bulldogs’ Dee Bost is back for his senior year with high expectations

48 “SPOON” Former Golden Eagle and NBA star Clarence Weatherspoon cherishes his role as ambassador for Southern Miss

72 THE DAWGHOUSE:

Photo courtesy Mississippi State Sports Information

NASCAR

Former Rebel Sean Tuohy talks basketball, Ole Miss and the NBA

BRIAN HADAD

The Lesson of Dantae Jones

What’s Next in MSM?

NBA

Monta Ellis, The Man of Many Names, still proving he’s got game - By Tonya Huffman

- By Chuck Stinson To Contact MSM > LETTERS, STORY IDEAS AND PHOTO SUBMISSIONS • Email MSM at publisher@ mssportsmagazine.com or mail to Mississippi Sports Magazine, 405 Knights Cove West, Brandon, Mississippi 39047. Letters should include writer’s full name, address and home phone number and may be edited for clarity and space.

PLAY BALL! Some may think that football is tops in Mississippi, but others will argue that Mississippi has become a baseball state! Spring is around the corner and the diamond will be warming up in February. Don’t miss Mississippi’s ONLY College Baseball Preview coming in January 2012.

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 13

>>> MSM | GODFREY’S TAKE

The Search is on at Ole Miss...

By Steven Godfrey Featured Columnist

P

ete Boone’s third failed coaching tenure will officially be his last at Ole Miss. After an adversarial relationship with David Cutcliffe (the program’s most consistent coach in three decades) ended in a hasty firing, and despite weathering the entirety of the Ed Orgeron debacle, the stunningly schizoid run of Houston Nutt at Ole Miss was given an official expiration date on Monday, November 7, and Boone along with it.

The Rebels fired their third football coach since 2004 on November 7. This time the administration’s trigger man, known to have had stilted relationships with all three men, overshadowed a head football coach’s dismissal. Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones announced that Boone would step down as athletic director, but would stay up until but not exceeding December 2012. The timetable move is assumed to appease fans frustrated with the overall malaise of the Rebels’ “Big Three” sports (a glut we outlined earlier today) while still standing tough against the “Forward Rebels” campaign that has dogged Jones and Boone through various newspaper ads and media outlets. Jones, still young in his tenure as Chancellor, likely wants to send a message that he won’t be bullied Sources have said that it’s highly unlikely Boone will stay on until December 2012, and that a replacement will likely be named by next summer. Boone is the chair of the SEC athletic director’s association and will see out the remainder of the 2011-’12 academic year.

Jones also announced that Boone will not be involved in the search for a new Rebel coach (Boone famously declared that Nutt would be his “last head coaching hire” in December of 2007), and that a committee co-chaired by former Ole Miss player Archie Manning and FedEx Executive Vice President Mike Glenn.

14 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

Jones also confirmed that the same committee would chair a search for a new athletic director. Jones said that Manning and Glenn had yet to meet regarding the matter.

When questioned, Jones also responded to the other most notable topic surrounding Ole Miss: the continued controversy among a vocal group of fans and alumni regarding the replacement of the schools’ Colonel Rebel onfield mascot with the Mississippi Black Bear.

Jones slammed the dissent by stating that “schools with a pig and a chicken for mascots have had plenty of success,” and remained steadfast in supporting the student-led vote for the black bear.

As for Nutt, the lame duck coach seemed shaken at first while addressing the media, but quickly launched into trademark proselytizing. He cited Ole Miss’ location relative to other SEC schools as a hindrance to recruiting (a fact he used to highlight the school’s potential when he was hired in ‘07) and various injuries (most notably linebacker D.T. Shackelford this spring) and recruiting misfires as a reason for his 6-14 record the last two seasons. Nutt also told the media “you’re not far off ” repeatedly, in reference to the tal-

ent recruited to Ole Miss in Nutt’s last two signing classes.

How Ole Miss handles the two-fold hiring process will define the long-term future of the university’s athletic identity. Despite the on-field implosion under Nutt since last season, money has poured into the “Forward Together” capital campaign (unofficially titled to respond to dissent groups like “Forward Rebels”), created to address building a brand new basketball arena and bowling in VaughtHemingway Stadium, among other projects.

In a bizarre turn, Nutt inadvertently endorsed the fund raising efforts when he acknowledged that a program the size and funding of Ole Miss’ created a challenge competing in the SEC. “It’s like fighting giants out there sometime. Do you think Florida likes having four losses? Do you think Tennessee does? They’re going to do everything they can to get better.”

Nutt will coach the final three games of Ole Miss’ season including the November 12 homecoming matchup against Louisiana Tech, November 19 hosting undefeated LSU, and the season finale at Mississippi State November 26. - MSM

Follow Steven Godfrey on Twitter® @38Godfrey

The Candidates...

A

s of press time, speculation is rampant as to where Archie Manning and Mike Glenn will find the next Ole Miss head football coach. There are countless names being considered and already the baseless rumors are flying.

With no clear frontrunner, we’ve broken down the list of speculated names into five categories, and a special first one dedicated solely to the Pirate on every school’s wish list:

The Leach Factor

Former Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach

I’ve been told personally by multiple sources at Ole Miss that Leach would likely never be considered for a job with the Rebels. His “eccentricities” are one thing (this is still the former home of Ed Orgeron, after all), but his actions during a nasty breakup with Texas Tech (refusing communication with various university officials, “lawyering up” without consultation with Tech) casts a long shadow with potential employers.

Keep in mind, Rebel fans: Ole Miss beat the brakes off of Leach’s best Red Raider team at the 2009 Cotton Bowl. What he proved in the Big 12 doesn’t necessarily translate to the SEC. All that being said? I like the hire for one huge non-football reason: Leach will unify this divided fan base, or cast out wouldbe factions who don’t get on board. He’s virtually unflappable and enough of a wildcard to bypass any preconceived notions a national media member or recruit’s family might have about Ole Miss.

The Big Splash

Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart

Also known as the “big fish” tale category, these are the hot names that would absolutely NEVER happen: Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, Tony Dungy. Closer to reality, this is also the list or practical names coveted by just about everyone else in college football, the top name being Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. Nothing is trendier than landing former Nick Saban assistants (Jimbo Fischer, Will Muschamp, Derek Dooley) despite their so-far checkered results on the field.

If the Rebels landed Smart, it would be a moral victory among college football insiders and Rebel booster to prove to the nation Ole Miss can grab an elite coaching prospect, something it hasn’t done since Tommy Tuberville.

The Gimmick Guys Sharing a “Big Splash” designation as well, Gus Malzahn is the hottest offensive coordinator in the country after leading Cam Newton and the Auburn offense to a national title in 2010.

Many folks on The Plains give him as much credit (if not more) as head coach Gene Chizik for the BCS title. His version of the spread option, when outfitted with the right personnel, has been unstoppable and now widely imitated.

Malzahn and Tiger assistants loyal to him flirted briefly with Vanderbilt last winter before staying put to wait on a better offer. If Malzahn doesn’t consider Ole Miss a viable landing spot, learn the name Chad Morris (offensive coordinator, Clemson).

Morris came up through the Texas high school circuit and once coached former Rebel Jevan Snead. He’s a friend of Malzahn’s, and employs close to the same offense.

The Youth Movement One oft-wished for quality in a coach among Rebel fans is a youthful coach willing to grow with the program.

If you want youth and promise, there’s Justin Fuente, the 35-year-old offensive coordinator of TCU, who oversaw one of the nation’s best attacks last season. If the Rebels dare to embrace Generation X to lead them, don’t forget Leach disciples Josh Heupel (34, offensive coordinator and former QB at Oklahoma) and Neal Brown (32, offensive coordinator at Texas Tech).

But how young is too young? Ole Miss hasn’t tapped a coach in his 30s in the modern era of the game, and it’s unlikely that a school burned by unproven assistant Ed Orgeron would put their faith behind any of these candidates at the present time.

The Good Old Boys Two of the hottest names in early speculation have strong Mississippi ties. Hugh Freeze is a former offensive assistant under Ed Orgeron and the current head coach of Arkansas State. Freeze is strongly endorsed by some existing boosters and has a huge vote of support from the Tuohy family, stars of the “Blind Side.”

Freeze has reenergized dormant Arkansas State in his first season, exactly like freshman head coach Mark Hudspeth of Louisiana Lafayette. Hudspeth came to the Cajuns after working under Dan Mullen at Mississippi State, and has strong ties to the Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama recruiting territories – he played at Delta State and was once the head coach at North Alabama.

If poaching a former MSU assistant wouldn’t raise enough eyebrows, there’s always USM head coach Larry Fedora, currently riding his best season yet in Hattiesburg.

Would Ole Miss embrace a C-USA coach without even a single conference title? It’s hard to see excitement for Fedora unless USM were to run the table for the rest of ’11, and even then it’s a stretch.

The Retreads To many including myself, Houston Nutt never felt exactly right for the Rebels, despite his early success. The man was property of Arkansas, and in some ways always will be.

Would the Rebels make the same kind of move with a Rich Rodriguez, late of Michigan and before that, his home state of West Virginia? The much maligned Rich Rod was last seen being obliterated by Dan Mullen’s Bulldog offense in the Gator Bowl, which might be enough to keep Ole Miss away.

And what about the last Rebel head coach to leave willingly? Rumors persist that Tuberville wants back in the SEC after a nasty breakup with Auburn, and is no fan of the “unique” environment of Lubbock, Texas and the Big 12.

Would Ole Miss fans dare consider taking the turncoat back?

Anything can happen in a coaching search, but it would take a lot “no thank you’s” from the names mentioned above for the Rebels to ever dream of opening up that pine box.

Arkansas State Head Coach Hugh Freeze MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 15

>>> MSM | NASCAR

THE NEXT BIG THING Olive Branch native Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is giving Mississippi NASCAR fans hope of having a local star

Story by Chuck Stinson Photos courtesy Roush Fenway Racing

16 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

R

icky Stenhouse, Junior was born to be a race car driver. Like a lot of kids, he grew up being a multi sport athlete in Olive Branch, but his fate was decided long before he decided it. Or so it seems. “I was born during the day and my dad was racing that same night. It has always been there.” Ricky’s dad, Ricky Senior, was obviously a dedicated racer and a pretty good one at that. “He was good at racing sprint cars and won a lot of races. It was fun gong to the race track knowing we had a chance to win every weekend.”

With that kind of blood pumping through your veins, it’s hard to deny your heritage and Ricky hasn’t fought it.

He grew up watching his dad behind the wheel, mainly at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas, where he would later master his craft. “My dad says I had already raced a bunch of laps before I got in a cart when I started racing at six. I never missed a lap my dad raced. I would play around and clean the car when he would race. As soon as he got on track I quit playing around and would go watch. He said he felt like he knew for a long time that was what I was going to do,” said the 24 year old Stenhouse who, at the time of this interview, led the NASCAR Nationwide Series by 15 points with three races remaining. There is no question he is his father’s son.

If that wasn’t enough to determine his fate you can toss in the fact that his mom (Lisa) is a nurse, a good person to have around when you like to drive things and drive them fast. “I grew up riding motorcycles. I was always banged up and she would always take care of us and that is good.”

And, according to Ricky, she was always a cool customer when he was racing, “She’d much rather me be racing that dad. She was always nervous when he was racing.”

Ricky never strayed too far from his dad’s shop or side.

“He started building engines out of our garage. He builds anything. He built a lot of my race motors. He will build anything, it doesn’t matter. I worked in there with him and played basketball and a lot of baseball. I really played every sport all the way until middle school and freshman year.

Then I just played golf and focused everything on racing.

“When it came down to it, he got me to make up my mind so I would devote 100% of my effort to it and I wasn’t going to give up racing. I grew up at the race track. I wasn’t about to give that up. After that I put a little more time into racing and didn’t do anything but race.”

He has been on the fast track ever since.

Currently driving for Roush Fenway Racing, Stenhouse was named the rookie of the year on the 2010 Nationwide Series and this year in contention for the Series Championship. In 31 races this year he has picked up two wins and is consistently finishing in the top 5 or 10. He has 14 top 5 finishes this year and a mind boggling 23 top ten.

To get to the point, he has had to impress a lot of people, a lot of people with a lot of pull in the world of racing.

He did just that with a very simple formula. “You go out and win every weekend and they recognize you for sure.

It doesn’t matter if it’s dirt racing or asphalt racing, they recognize you one way or the other.”

Among those impressed with his driving, Tony Stewart and Jack Roush. “My senior year we started racing really good in sprint cars and I always wanted to race for a living but I didn’t know what level I was going to race at. I didn’t

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 17

ON THE TRACK know if I was going to race sprint cars for a living my whole life. In 2007, I got to Indianapolis and started racing sprint cars for Tony Stewart and said this is it. This is what I am going to do for a living. I won a lot for Tony.

Then all of a sudden we had a really good year and I ended up here at Roush Fenway.”

The key to his success in 2011? Consistency has been the biggest factor on the track but mainly in the garage which is where consistent winners are built. “A lot of seat time is good. This year I have the same team as last year that worked hard even when we weren’t running good. They put 100% effort into it and we get along great. Everybody that builds these race cars are putting a lot of effort into making them the best they can. It is definitely a team sport.”

He is modest when describing his own ability pointing only to his past experiences as a reason for his success. “I don’t feel like I have anything special. I’m aggressive. I can run a race car that loose. Real sideways and still hang on and keep it in control. That is what you have to have in these stock cars. I think that comes from racing on dirt and always running the dirt cars sideways”.

His days at his dad’s shop have shaped how he works today. “I’m in the shop every day.

I come in and workout in the mornings and hang out here (Roush Fenway Racing) the rest of the day. Although he doesn’t have the leniency he had with his dad. His crew doesn’t let him get too ’hands on’ when it comes to tinkering. “I get in here and start grabbing things and doing the things that I can do”, he said sounding like a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar one too many times.

“They don’t like me to get in there and work on things that can go wrong. I do a little bit but not as much as I used too. They got people to do that stuff ”.

Needless to say, Stenhouse is living the dream. One that has taken him to the top of his sport when he got his first start in the Sprint Cup Series racing in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this year.

He spent time talking with his boyhood idol Jeff Gordon then raced against him. He had a great weekend too qualifying 9th and finishing 11th. “That was cool racing with those guys and the obviously the crowds are a lot bigger for the cup races. It was just unreal.”

He also noted his off the track perks as well, channeling that inner kid that still resides in him. “I got to go to Fenway Park and hang 18 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

In 2011, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. had two wins, 13 top-fives, 21 top-10s, and three poles.

“You go out and win every weekend and they recognize you for sure. It doesn’t matter if it’s dirt racing or asphalt racing, they recognize you one way or the other.” out with the Red Sox and run around the stadium. “ He doesn’t always think like that kid though.

Given his ability and success you would think he would be pressing to get on the Spring Cup circuit full time as soon as possible but that is not the case. He thinks like the 18 year veteran of racing he is. “Hopefully we can win

the (Sprint Cup) championship and represent them (Roush Fenway) next year. I don’t want to jump in too early. I want to make sure I am 100% ready when I get there. “ There is one problem right now for Ricky is comes from the tough economic times. Sponsorships are tough to come by for race teams.

His ride with Roush Fenway is unsecured for

2012 and he has driven an unsponsored car for most of this season. But again, he is wise beyond his years when addressing the issue of his future, “Right now our main focus is getting this championship done for Jack. It would be his sixth championship and that would be cool.” He is confident that his unsecured future will be secure, “I’ll be at Roush Fenway and racing something, I’m just not sure what”.

As for that run at the championship, he will continue to race the way he has all season.

His plan was not to hold anything back as he made the stretch run. The only race that might be raced differently is the final race at Homestead, Florida. “We are in a points race when it gets down to Homestead and that is the last race and you know exactly what you need to do. Now, we just go out and every week and do what we’ve been doing but as far as pit calls we will probably be a little conservative”.

Stenhouse knows one speed and that is full throttle, something that doesn’t change, not even in the wake of Dan Wheldon’s death on the Indy Car Circuit just days before this interview. “I grew up racing open wheel cars.

You are going to have stuff like that happen.

As a race car driver you don’t think about it.

You know the risk that are out there. You don’t let it affect you. I know anything can happen on the road today. You can’t think about it.”

He doesn’t look too far past the next race but he did say that in five years he wants to be running full time on the top NASCAR circuit, winning and contenting for titles. All just part of the blueprint that has been laid out for him since the day he was born. - MSM

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 19

>>> MSM | NBA ON THE COURT

MONTA IS THE MAN The Man of Many Names Still Proving He’s Got Game Story by TONYA HUFFMAN Photos courtesy Monta Ellis

W

hether you call him “Mr. Basketball,” “The Mississippi Bullet,” or even “The Future,” the monikers all refer to a seventh season Golden State Warriors NBA player who has proven his game time and time again all under a name known since his past - his birth name: Monta Ellis.

A shortened version of his grandfather’s name, Montana---his name is pronounced Mon-tae, and as a child, he would always think and say that there would come a day where his talent and desire to earn decent pay would warrant him a spot in the NBA. And Monta prepared thoroughly for that day.

Monta Ellis was born on October 26, 1985 in Jackson, Mississippi. He was the middle of three brothers raised by his mother Rosa.

As a single parent, Rosa relied on her parents to help with her boys. The entire family lived in a house in the Georgetown section of Jackson, a poor neighborhood comprised of tiny, one-story homes. Monta’s older brother Antwain was the best basketball player in the neighborhood, standing 6’8” and comparing

20 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

favorably to NBA star Tracy McGrady. Monta learned from and idolized Antwain.

While Monta was in grade school, he watched his brother lead the Lanier High School Bulldogs to a state championship in 1999 while serving as the ball boy on that title-winning team coached by Thomas Billups, uncle of NBA star Chauncey Billups. A year later, as the Bulldogs were closing in on a second state championship, one of Antwain’s close friends and teammates was killed in a drug deal gone bad. Antwain never recovered from the loss, and his fervor for basketball seemed to fade after this incident.

With his brother out of the game and no longer utilizing his talent, the family had to cope with the situation and go on. “I saw that look of disappointment on my mother’s face, that look that broke her heart. I did not want to see that look on her face again. But I took everything my brother taught me and moved forward,” said Monta.

Watching how the legendary Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to the top and with the emergence of Kobe Bryant, slender Monta mimicked their moves on and off the court

and soon had unstoppable speed and a good shot. Also important was that Monta was making good choices, for even as gangs and drugs plagued his environment, he steered clear and, instead, released his energy on the court by practicing endless hours on his own, shooting at a makeshift rim his grandfather had nailed to a telephone pole.

As Monta progressed to Lanier High School, he was the definition of raw talent.

But having played a minimal amount of organized basketball and having eschewed pickup games most of his adolescent life, the concept of a “team” was foreign to Monta. As a legend who coached two plus decades with the Bulldogs, Coach Billups, like Superman, had x-ray vision and could see past Monta’s lack of team experience and skinny frame. He saw potential in the lanky freshman, for he had watched him as an eighth grader totally outclasses his competition.

As Billups had a reputation as a combustible coach, he was called the “black Bobby Knight” and Monta was drawn to him. Monta figured that Billups would both help him both move closer to his dreams of going pro, and serve as a father figure. Billups filled both roles well.

The coach took Monta under his wing and had so much confidence in the youngster that he entrusted Monta with a very important job - to run his team over the next four years, provided that the young player would listen to him and learn. Billups assured Monta that he’d take him to the top. When upperclassmen bristled at the idea of a freshman running a championship-caliber squad, Billups proved that he had Monta’s back.

“Coming from elementary and middle school, I’ve know and been around Coach Billups for so long. Him entrusting me as a freshman to take the team to the top was a good feeling. Being on this team was a great fit for me. It was my time and opportunity,” said Monta. And Monta proved his partnership with Billups by performing up to par.

Donning his #11 jersey as a freshman and sophomore point guard, Monta turned into a force to be reckoned with on the court and he shined as an upperclassman shooting guard.

Already skilled at attacking the rim, Monta learned how to read the court and play a gambling style of defense. He became adept at stealing passes and refined his mid-range jumper to the point where it was almost automatic. And he got much practice polishing his skills with the summer AAU teams he

Jackson native and former Lanier High Bulldog Monta Ellis MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 21

played for that complemented high school hoops. By the time he was a junior, in front of a capacity crowd at the Mississippi Coliseum, he scored 42 points in a 75-80 loss versus renowned neighboring high school basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, then the USA Today #1 ranked prep- basketball team in the country.

Even though Lanier lost against Oak Hill, Monta’s 42 points was the most ever scored against Oak Hill by an opposing player. As Monta progressed to senior status, he continued to electrify on the court. In one game versus South Gwinnett High School he again scored 42 points. And in a game against Greenwood High School, he scored a careerbest 72 points. Monta’s best high school hoop year was as a senior when he averaged 38.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 4.5 steals, while shooting 80.0% on free throws, 46.0% on field goals, and 48.0% on three pointers.

Leading Lanier to a 129-16 record in his four seasons as a starter, throughout his four years in high school, Monta averaged 28.9 points, 4.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game at a shooting accuracy of 78.0% in free throws, 46.1% in field goals, and 43.5% in three pointers. Performance yields accolades and Monta certainly earned his share throughout his sophomore and junior years.

In 2003 and 2004, Monta was a runner-up in the 4A state championship as the ranking respectively was (31-4) and (30-5). Monta won the 4A state championship as a freshman in 2002 (33-5) and as a senior in 2005 (35-2), a feat that yielded him a #12 national ranking by USA Today. Throughout his high school prep career, he scored a total of 4,167 points, making him second all-time in Mississippi history. He also received first-team all-state recognition from The Clarion-Ledger in all four of his high school seasons and was named Mississippi’s Mr. Basketball by the paper in 2005. Monta was humbled to accept this first ever moniker and honored to earn all the accolades.

“My high school days were great times. It was great to earn the nickname and so many awards. All of my hard work, the blood, sweat, and tears paid off. I got out of the game what I put into it,” said Monta. “From the neighborhood I came from where many negative elements dwell, it was a blessing and honor to make it this far.”

Following Monta’s senior year, he was named to the 2005 McDonald’s All-America Team. Parade Magazine also honored him as Co-Player of the Year along with Greg Oden.

Monta was clearly under the microscope, as he impressed college and pro scouts. The next obvious step for Monta was to fully polish his basketball skills by pursuing higher education and maturing in a solid college program. And Monta even verbally committed to Mississippi State to continue with Bulldog tradition. But, 22 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

actually, college was Plan B for Monta while Plan A, something he’d been told to do since 10th grade, was to go straight to the NBA. As the 2005 NBA Draft Day approached, Monta’s Plan A became both a reality and a dream come true. The Golden State Warriors tabbed him in the 2nd round, 40th overall pick. Monta had mixed feelings about his draft day. “I was both disappointed and happy. I was disappointed because I waited longer than expected to get drafted, and again I saw that look of disappointment on my mother’s face. On the flip side, I was happy because I finally got drafted. But I look at the great side of it, namely that I made it to the NBA,” said Monta.

Because the Warriors were already stacked with experienced guards, the plan was for the assistant coach to take Monta under his wing so he would learn enough to rise to the lineup within a season or two. But in the second half of the 2005-2006 season, when injuries

plagued a couple of veteran players, Monta rose up quicker than ever. Late in the season, Monta saw more and more minutes off of the bench, and he actually started three games. By April, Monta was part of the regular game rotation, scoring in double figures in eight of the Warriors’ final 11 games. Playing in 49 games with 3 starts, Monta finished the 2005-2006 season averaging per game 6.8 points, 1.6 assists, and 2.1 rebounds in 18.1 minutes.

As the Warriors noticed that Monta was ready for more minutes, they gave him the opportunity to reward their confidence in him over the off-season as he was highly regarded as one of the players to watch during the 2006 summer league. However, a sore knee kept him out of summer league play. But by his second 2006-2007 season, Monta improved immensely and showed great potential.

In a January 24, 2007 game versus the New Jersey Nets, Monta hit his first career-game winning jumper shot as time expired, giving

the Warriors a 110-109 victory. On February 24, 2007, Monta recorded a double-double with 17 points, five steals, and a career high single game 13 assists versus the Los Angeles Clippers. And Monta was selected to play in his first NBA All-Star game in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. He scored a dunk-filled 28 points in 21 minutes in a victory for the sophomore team on 13 for 16 shooting. Monta was thrilled to make his first All-Star appearance.

“It was pretty cool to make my first All-star Appearance. I was in a great situation, and hard work pays off. I was humble and grateful. This All-Star appearance is another accomplishment I can put in my chapter of accolades,” said Monta.

By the 2006-2007 season’s end, Monta averaged per game 16.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 34.3 minutes, and his 47.5 % shooting from the field was tops among Golden State guards. Monta’s great stats netted him NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. He was pleased with his solid performance, appreciative of his teammates, and grateful to win the award. “It was great to win the Most Improved Player Award. I fell into another great situation. I remember my early days playing basketball, and I followed Coach Billups’ style. I also had great teammates,” added Monta.

The Warriors eventually made a major accomplishment, snagging a 2007 playoff berth, the first time since 1994 that the team made

it to post season. The Warriors took home a surprising first-round victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Their next post-season opponent was the Utah Jazz, and Monta averaged 8.0 points per game and 2.3 rebounds in 21.6 minutes. Although Golden State’s great run ended in the second round against Utah just for them to make it to the post season was quite a momentous step for the franchise.

Following the playoffs, the Warriors jettisoned a couple of their players to free up about 10 million dollars in salary cap space for the next 2007-2008 season with which they could sign Monta and a teammate to extended contracts and allow Monta more time at the shooting guard spot. During the 2007-2008 season, Monta signed a six-year $67 million contract extension with the Warriors, making him the highest paid player on the team.

Since the Warriors traded a couple of players, Monta confirmed both the team’s confidence in him and his worth by stepping up as the standout shooting guard. Monta played clutch ball, pulling the Warriors through close games and for this is often referred to as “The Future” of the Warriors’ franchise.

Teaming with teammate Baron Davis in the backcourt, Monta blossomed into a superb offensive contributor. He also showed his mettle as an offensive rebounder. Monta shot 53.1% in field goal percentage, ranking him among the best in the NBA among

shooting guards. On January 24, 2008, in a game against the New Jersey Nets, exactly one year to the day of his first ever game-winning shot also against the Nets, Monta scored 39 points, as he was 13-for-18 shooting from the field and 13-for-14 in free throw shooting.

In February 2008, Monta became the ninth guard in league history to average at least 20 points per game while shooting 60% from the field in a single month. After the final game of this streak, Monta was honored by assistant coach Sidney Moncrief, one of eight players to achieve the feat.

“Being honored by Coach Moncrief was nice, and it felt pretty cool. It was a good feeling,” said Monta.

Also in February, Monta scored over 30 points for 4 straight games. Monta was widely recognized as the league’s fastest player in the open court and he posted good numbers throughout the 2007-2008 season. Playing in 81 games with 72 starts, he finished the season averaging per game 20.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 37.9 minutes.

Heading into the 2008-2009 campaign, Warriors fans received surprising bad news when the team announced that Monta needed surgery on his left ankle and would miss nearly half the year. As the injury was initially reported as having occurred in a summer pickup game, it later became clear that Monta had hurt himself riding on a moped. Though MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 23

not a motorcycle, riding on a moped did qualify as a dangerous activity, violating paragraph 12 of his player contract, and the Warriors suspended Monta for 30 games and reserved the right to void his contract if he did not fully heal. During Monta’s hiatus, he had time to think about the results of his choice. Once this bad situation was over, he vowed to move on, and he kept his focus on basketball.

The Warriors struggled without Monta, so his presence on the court was missed. He returned to the court in late January and in a home game and win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 23, 2009, he scored 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. It seemed as if Monta was gradually on his way to retrieving his momentum.

But his injury forced another hiatus, and it wasn’t until early March that Monta returned to normal.

During the month of March, Monta averaged 23.5 points per game, shooting 49% from the field and 87% from the free throw line.

On the up and up, in an overtime win in an April game versus the Sacramento Kings, Monta scored 42 points along with 9 rebounds and 9 assists. By the 2008-2009 season’s

end, both playing and starting 25 games, Monta averaged per game 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 35.7 minutes.

As the 2009-2010 season arrived, Monta missed 18 games due to injury and illness, but overall he stayed relatively healthy. Throughout the season, he played and started 64 games, averaging career high figures in scoring with 25.5 points, the 6th best in the league, 4.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 steals in 41.4 minutes played. Monta had a career high tying 6 steals in a single game on November 20, 2009 versus the Portland Trailblazers. Within the season, on 24 occasions, he scored 30 plus points, and three times, he scored 40 plus points, including a career high 46 points on a February 3, 2010, in a game versus the Dallas Mavericks. During the season, Monta became the first NBA player to play every minute in at least 13 games in a single season since Gary Payton did during the 1999-2000 season.

During the 2010-2011 season, Monta kept it going strong. On an October 27, 2010 win against the Houston Rockets, Monta tied a career high 46 points with 2 assists and 2 steals. Averaging 39.7 points,

24 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

From Lanier Bulldog and McDonald’s High School All-American to NBA star, Monta Ellis will go down as one of Mississippi’s all-time greats.

7 assists, and 2 steals, Monta was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for December 20-26. Throughout the 2010-2011 season, fans have watched Monta play and start 80 games and finish the season averaging 24.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 40.3 minutes. But since the last game played during this season, NBA fans have been unable to see Monta or any of their other favorite players dribble and dog on the court.

A few weeks before the NFL lockout ended, on July 1, 2011, the NBA lockout began. As a labor agreement was unable to be reached by early October 2011, the NBA cancelled the remainder of its preseason schedule and the first two weeks of the regular season was also scrubbed. It is hopeful that the league and players union reach an agreement so that some of the 2011-2012 season can be salvaged. If this happens, Monta hopes to continue to give his best and impress, and

whenever he does start playing, he also hopes to reach an important goal. “I would love to win a championship,” said Monta with a smile.

On any given night, half of Monta’s points come from lay-ups, dunks, and wide-open jumpers. He is also good one-on-one, able to create a little more space and then sky over a defender to take his shot. His jumper is on point, and he is comfortable running an offense. Being from Mississippi, and known as one of the fastest players on the court, and as a prolific scorer who makes difficult shots, Monta garnered the nickname “The Mississippi Bullet.”

Besides fulfilling his goals in life in basketball, Monta’s goal off the court is to help those less fortunate. In 2010, Monta established a foundation named after his first and last name initials and his jersey number. His ME8 Foundation supports nonprofit organizations and, in partnering with the Ronald McDonald House, exists to strengthen the community through philanthropic gifts in public service, education, preventative health, and

community development, and promote vigilance with issues that plague the community.

When visitors log onto the foundation website at www.me8foundation.org, they often find pleasure in donating or even attending or supporting various events that the foundation hosts, including providing Thanksgiving meals to the homeless in Mississippi, donating school supplies to under-served communities in various states, distributing Christmas gifts to nonprofit agencies, and supporting retreats for adolescents to discuss teen issues. Establishing his ME8 Foundation is Monta’s civic duty, desire, and means the world to him. “It my goal to and passion to make a difference.

Change begins with me,” said Monta.

So regardless of what you call “Mr. Basketball,” “The Mississippi Bullet” continues to prove that he has a good grasp of “The Future” on and off of the court and for what he is capable of accomplishing. When given the opportunity, the sky is the limit for this Mississippi native. - MSM

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>>> MSM | MS LEGENDS

ONE OF A KIND:

DAVE WHITNEY Destined to play professional baseball, Dave Whitney found his place on the hardwood and eventually the College Basketball Hall of Fame Story by Chuck Stinson Photos COURTESY MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM

26 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

L

egendary Alcorn State basketball coach Davey Whitney thought his legend might be formed in another sport. “I was a pretty good baseball player. I had a strong arm and was a pretty good hitter. I thought I was going to the major leagues”. His career and legend didn’t quite pan out they way he thought it would and his legend was eventually molded on the basketball court as a coach.

Whitney was a standout athlete in multiple sports growing up in Lexington, Kentucky. Baseball might have been his first love but he was pretty good at basketball too. “Before they integrated in the state of Kentucky I made all state at Lexington Dunbar. I made all national and we went to the national black high school tournament in Tennessee. I went on to college and made the all conference team”.

Still his first love was the diamond.

He could have played in the Negro Leagues while he was attending Kentucky State but his dad, who had worked for a dollar a day, insisted his son stay in school and finish. Davey did as his dad wished and became the first family member to graduate from college. But graduation night in 1952 he was finally playing professionally, “The day I graduated I was playing in Dayton, Ohio that night for the Kansas City Monarchs.

His first year the diminutive Whitney hit over .300 and was drawing favorable comparisons to the player he replaced, Ernie Banks, even from teammate and Negro League legend Buck O’Neil. But his career was interrupted after two seasons for a stint in the Army. He continued to play sports while enlisted. After leaving the service Whitney thought his major league dream would soon be a reality but it didn’t quite work out that way. “I went to spring training with the Monarchs. It was slow getting back to full speed and then I started playing well. I thought they were going to sell me but they would not give me any of the money. A buddy of mine and I quit because they wouldn’t sell us”.

And just like that Whitney was off to coach high school basketball. “They needed a coach at Clarksville, Tennessee and they hired me”. The young coach made an impact instantly by winning over 270 games in nine years, coaching his team to the All National Negro Tournament title one season and finishing sec-

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 27

ond and third there in two other years. That led him to Texas Southern for his first try at college coaching and it was a stint that didn’t sit well with Whitney, “I got disappointed”, the coach said. “I expected more support from Texas Southern when trying to rebuild that program and I didn’t get it. We could have done a better job if we had more support.”

In 1969, after five years at the Houston, Texas school, Whitney was offered the job at another Southwestern Athletic Conference School. This one in Lorman, Mississippi at Alcorn State. He took it without hesitation because of the lack of support he felt he was getting at TSU. Now it was up to him to recruit kids to the country school in Jefferson County. “It took some selling. I must have impressed them that I was a winner. If you can’t impress kids that you are a winner at the top then you were going to have a hard time recruiting. We were honest with the families told them exactly what they were coming into. We got other kids as good as they were and put them together and if they believe in themselves and believe in their coach and the coach believes in them. That was our secret to success.”

28 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

Everything stopped in the state of Mississippi that day. You couldn’t even get a ticket. Nobody gave us a chance to win. I impressed on our kids that we had a chance to win. They are not better than we are. If we did the things that we practiced on and that we believed it then we had a chance to win. It just so happened in the last few seconds.

- Dave Whitney on Alcorns upset win over Mississippi State in the 1979 NIT The other secret was that Whitney found a gold mine of talent and didn’t have to leave the state to get it. “The established team in Mississippi didn’t think that the kids were the caliber of kids they needed to win, so Jackson State and I got the cream of the crop. Prior to me coming to Alcorn, Jackson was getting the cream of the crop. I think that was the most important part.”

With local talent as his foundation, Whitney’s legend started to grow and he became known as the Wiz. He would compile over 560 wins during his two stints at Alcorn State and 12 conference championships. “The kids believed in me and I believed in them. I didn’t have any favorites. It was a team sport and they believed in that. I still believe my success was I impressed their families, I impressed the

kids. They believed in me, their families believed in me and I believed it them. I think that was the greatest thing that ever happened in my coaching, that everybody was on the same page”.

While recruiting one day, one player found out about the coach’s no favorite’s philosophy first hand. “I went to recruit a kid and his brother had tremendous success playing for me. I went to recruit him and he said, ‘Coach what are you going to give me?’, and I said, ‘Your brother didn’t get a shoestring and you’re not as good as he is. Do you think I’m going to give you something?’, and I walked out. He said, ‘Coach I’m going to sign’.

To this day, Whitney still doesn’t play any favorites. “I never did single out anybody. I know who is my best player ever and I know

who the top ten ball players I have had but I never said simply because the guys that never got any recognition that made them good.

I don’t want to take away from that second teamer or third teamer that made the first stringer play well.”

Ten years into the job the coach was already successful, his legacy was cemented in the 1979 season when he led the Braves to a come from behind win over Mississippi State in the National Invitational Tournament’s opening round. “Everything stopped in the state of Mississippi that day. You couldn’t even get a ticket. Nobody gave us a chance to win. I impressed on our kids that we had a chance to win. They are not better than we are. If we did the things that we practiced on and that we believed it then we had a chance to win. It just so happened in the last few seconds. People don’t realize we were 16 down in that ball

game. We came back and won.”

That win rippled through the state but the next year, Whitney and his Braves won a game that would ripple through the nation as Alcorn beat South Alabama in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. That was the first time ever that a team from a Historically Black College or University would win an NCAA Tournament game. He had no idea of the significance of the win because he had taught his players to believe in themselves and to believe in him. “I must have impressed them (his players) that we could win anywhere and we played as such. “ The Wiz would win two more tournament games during his career and push the likes of Georgetown, Kansas and Stanford to the limits in some of the games his teams didn’t win. The Stanford game was during his second stint at the school after his return to Lor-

man in 1996. He returned to rebuild a once proud program that had fallen on hard times after his early retirement seven years earlier in 1989. A retirement that wasn’t forced but instead a lack of perceived respect by the coach who was at the top of his game. “The reason I quit I didn’t think I was being treated with the money situation. I was the lowest paid coach and I was whopping everybody’s ass”.

Time in between his Alcorn State stints was spent in the CBA as an assistant winning a championship and on the coast winning a semi-pro title. He walked away from the game when he was ready to walk away for good in 2003 after his second run with the Braves and says pointedly that “If I missed it, I wouldn’t have quit it”.

He does hate to see where the game has ended up for the SWAC, teams forced to play unwinnable money games on the road for the majority of their out of conference schedule because of budget concerns. He feels that is taking a few of the key elements of success out of game for the league’s teams. “Our conference doesn’t have a home base any more. We play in so many ball games with money you don’t have a chance to win. You can’t win on the road like that. Your fan base is the most important. They are going to help you recruit and win. Winning solves everything. It solves money. It solves fan support. It solves recruiting. They can’t play teams like Kansas, Kentucky, Cincinnati, North Carolina, Duke and Syracuse. They can’t win. It’s money conscious. If you are winning the fans are going to come. Whoever thought an Alcorn Jackson State game was so bad that you had to let people in free. That’s BS. You can put it in there like I said that.”

At 81, Whitney spends his time going to a few basketball games and playing a lot of golf, he’s shot his age twice this year. Most importantly though, he cares for his ailing wife of 59 years, Bernice at their home in Biloxi and he wouldn’t have it any other way because of the support she showed him over the years. “She went everywhere. She was a part of it too. Kids and their moms and dads came in and she was a tremendous support. I never was one to take it home that much. As far as the parents, she would tell them what kind of coach I was and what I expected. Kids would have trouble with their girlfriends they could come talk to her. They could always come to the house.”

An inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, the coach has no regrets about the path his life has taken.“I’m happy with everything that happened. When you coach you want to be successful. It takes a lot of other people to help you be successful and I don’t ever want to forget that”.

Yet still to this day his mind will sometimes wander to his first love, “I could have been a hell of a baseball player.” - MSM

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 29

2011-12 college The “Big 3” all won 20 or more games during the 2010-11 season, but none of them made it to the NCAA Tournament.

Will this be the year they get over the hump?

30 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

college BASKETBALL Preview Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 31

>>> MSM | SPOTLIGHT

Q&A: Sean TUOhy The former Rebel guard led Ole Miss to it’s only SEC Tournament Championship in 1981 and was a four time All-SEC selection, member of the SEC All-Century Team and still leads the SEC as the all-time leader in assists with 830 Q&A by Mississippi Sports Magazine

S

ean Tuohy is a hard man to hold down for an interview. The foster parent of former Ole Miss Rebel and current Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher spends his days overseeing a vast fast food empire in the greater Memphis area, in addition to serving as a motivational speaker and TV analyst for the Memphis Grizzlies.

We grabbed the former Rebel point guard for a quick moment to share his thoughts on Ole Miss’ make-orbreak campaign for the NCAA Tournament, the state of basketball in Mississippi and even some fond memories of the very old Tad Smith Coliseum.

MSM: Do you think a change needs to be made to the way basketball is marketed in Mississippi? With the focus almost exclusively on football, has the sport lost something in recent years?

TUOHY: It’s inaccurate to think it’s about basketball itself. People love the sport. There’s no such thing as having to market basketball when there’s a chance of winning, and for Ole miss, they just have to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Andy [Kennedy] has been so close these last few years. You’re looking at just two games that go a different way and he’s in on some of

32 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 33

those seasons.

But basketball in Mississippi is fine. [Mississippi] State has had a huge amount of success, and when Ole Miss did it was an absolute frenzy. It wasn’t just a one time deal when I played, either. Obviously we had some success, but then again in the Rob Evans years and the early part of Rod Barnes’ career there as well.

Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information

MSM: Now there’s an entire set of new alumni that haven’t experienced those kind of years.

Ole Miss hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2002.

TUOHY: The key to building interest is to be relevant in February and March, and that’s the time when you can’t really hide your record. It is what it is. I don’t care where you are or who you are, it’s not any different in Mississippi than anywhere else, when you win in those months and put together a successful run, you’ll have people at the games. You’ll have them hanging from the ceiling.

MSM: Ole Miss has finally announced plans to replace Tad Smith Coliseum with a brand new facility as part of their ‘Forward Together’ capital campaign. Most would say it’s long overdue, but certainly you’ve got some great memories in the Tad Pad. TUOHY: I think it’s at least fifteen years overdue. It’s been embarrassing for fans and Ole Miss for a long time. You can have old arenas and then make them new again, but [Tad Smith] has gone beyond that point of saving it. You have to start over. I’ve seen the new plans and they’re amazing, I wish I was a 15-year-old player right now who could start a career playing in it.

But absolutely, I’ll always have great memories of playing there. For the players, Tad Smith is great. It’s fun to play on, the fans are right on top of you, you get true bounces everywhere because it’s a great court. I’ve played basketball everywhere, all over the country, in front of 30,0000 and 50,000, and when you can pay ten bucks to sit courtside and see the whites of the players’ eyes, you can’t beat that.

MSM: How did the situation get to be so dire?

Certainly some of the apathy towards basketball can be attributed to the condition of Tad Smith.

TUOHY: That’s a great a question. It wasn’t because I wasn’t screaming. People give me a lot more credit than they should for having some kind of pull around Ole Miss, because I complained about it for years. It got to be a situation where every year doing something about it got put off until next year, and then suddenly its among the worst facilities in the SEC and the nation, and that’s not where you 34 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

want to be.

MSM: The Southeastern Conference’s TV deal was structured with football in mind, but the hidden benefit is that more SEC basketball will be shown nationally than ever before.

Will we see the quality of SEC basketball improve outside of just Kentucky?

TUOHY: I have no doubt about it, and you’re right, all 12 teams right are benefitting from the exposure. You can always recruit regionally, but now you can go so much further because of the television exposure. I think it’s a great situation for Andy and a team like Ole Miss. The league has suffered some in the last ten years, but I think that’s over now, and you’re going to see more programs on the rise.

MSM: How has the NBA Lockout hurt the Grizzlies franchise, and the city of Memphis?

Last season was that franchises’ unquestionable breakthrough, and now fans are left with nothing.

TUOHY:: It’s killing our city right now. Ev-

eryone wants to see them playing right now, especially after the way last season ended.

They were a bucket or two away from meeting Dallas in the Western Conference Finals.

And they became the perfect regional team, not just for Memphis but for fans in Mississippi and Arkansas and all over Tennessee.

They were hard working guys who developed professionally in this city, just a team of good kids.

Also, it makes me unemployed right now. I guess I should ask Michael [Oher] for a loan.

MSM: Now your son is carrying on the family tradition and attending Loyola Baltimore on a basketball scholarship.

TUOHY: Obviously it’s huge for me personally. He’s a great kid, and a really good basketball player, a smart player too. It’s tough when your kids are smarter than you are, and all three of mine are. A reporter asked him the other day if it was tough being my son and playing, and he replied, ‘No, it’s not that big a deal. It’s not like my dad was Keith Carter or anybody.’ - MSM

RON FRANKLIN

PETE PONDS

AL JEFFERSON

JEFF BOWER

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 35

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

OLE MISS

BY STEVEN GODFREY,

REBELS

thegodfreyshow.com

SCHEDULE

Nov. 3 North Alabama Nov. 11 Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 14 Grambling St. Nov. 18 Drake University* Nov. 19 Marquette/Winthrop* Nov. 20 Marquette/Winthrop* Nov. 21 TBD* Nov. 25 Miami Dec. 1 @ DePaul** Dec. 4 @ Penn State Dec. 10 Mississippi Valley Dec. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette Dec. 17 @ Southern Miss Dec. 21 Middle Tennessee St. Dec. 30 @ Dayton Jan. 3 SMU Jan. 7 @ LSU Jan. 11 Arkansas Jan. 14 @ Auburn Jan. 18 Mississippi State Jan. 21 @ Georgia Jan. 26 Florida Jan. 28 South Carolina Feb. 4 @ Alabama Feb. 9 @ Mississippi State Feb. 11 Auburn Feb. 16 Vanderbilt Feb. 18 @ Kentucky Feb. 22 @ Tennessee Feb. 25 LSU Feb. 28 @ Arkansas Mar. 3 Alabama SEC Tournament Mar. 8-11 SEC Tournament New Orleans, La. TBA * Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands ** Big East/SEC Challenge

ANDY KENNEDY

Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information

36 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

2010-11 TEAM STATS

REGINALD BUCKNER

Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information

T

he expectations have never been clearer, and they’ve never been more understood by Andy Kennedy: Ole Miss basketball has a NCAA Tournament drought of ten years running come March of 2012, and it’s Kennedy’s job to break the streak… now.

The five years under the former Cincinnati interim coached have proven successful (his 38 SEC wins and 105 total victories are the most by any coach in program history in their first five season), but, often by just a few missed games each time, the Rebels have failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Their decade-long dry spell is the conference’s longest.

“Obviously we haven’t reached that goal yet, and it’s something we’re very conscious of as a team. But we’re confident now more than ever about the direction of this program,” Kennedy said.

That direction has the university riding shotgun, as the Rebels’ brand new, multi-million dollar practice facility is now fully functional. The complex is a first in Ole Miss history, but is already a footnote with the news that the Tad Smith Coliseum, long since outdated in size and amenities among modern facilities in the conference around the country, will be completely replaced by a new arena in the coming years as part of the “Forward Together” capital campaign.

With so much change on the horizon, Kennedy will debut a team of almost entirely fresh

faces this year. Point guard Chris Warren is gone, and with him the de facto face of the program on the court, as well as his points (third most in school history). While Rebel fans will certainly recognize names like Terrance Henry and Reginald Buckner, 2011-’12 will be about newcomers – some arriving with levels of promise previously unseen in Oxford.

One new face is an old one: Murphy Holloway will return to the Rebels this fall after spending a year away from the program at an-

TEAM STATISTICS.................... UM.............OPP SCORING ......................................2513 ..............2350 Points per game .....................73.9 ................69.1 Scoring margin ....................... +4.8 .................FIELD GOALS-ATT ................... 868-1964 ...... 803-1889 Field goal pct .......................... .442 .............. .425 3 POINT FG-ATT ....................... 260-740 ........ 212-607 3-point FG pct .......................... .351 .............. .349 3-pt FG made per game ..........7.6 .................6.2 FREE THROWS-ATT ...................517-684 ......... 532-740 Free throw pct ........................ .756 .............. .719 REBOUNDS ................................. 1229 .............. 1144 Rebounds per game ...............36.1 ............... 33.6 Rebounding margin .............. +2.5 .................ASSISTS ........................................ 415 ................480 Assists per game .....................12.2 ................14.1 TURNOVERS ................................. 435 ................441 Turnovers per game ...............12.8 ................13.0 Turnover margin .................... +0.2 .................Assist/turnover ratio ................1.0 ..................1.1 STEALS ......................................... 180 ................203 Steals per game .......................5.3 .................6.0 BLOCKS ........................................ 180 ................ 115 Blocks per game ......................5.3 ................. 3.4 WINNING STREAK .........................0 ....................Home win streak .......................5 ....................ATTENDANCE .............................108120 .......... 138587 Home games-Avg/Game ....17-6360 ..........12-8512 Neutral site-Avg/Game ............ - ...............5-7290 Score by periods ...... 1st ..... 2nd .....OT ... Total Ole Miss ....................... 1210 ......1297 .......6 .........2513 Opponents ...................1137...... 1200 ...... 13 ........2350

2011-12 ROSTER No. 1 3 4 5 10 12 13 15 20 22 23 24 31 32 34 45

Name................. Pos...... Ht........... Wt....... Yr....... Exp......................... Hometown (Prev School) Terrance Henry...........F..........6-9............. 210......... SR............3L....................................... Monroe, La. (Carroll HS) Jamal Jones................F..........6-8............. 185......... FR............HS.......................................Searcy, Ark. (Searcy HS) Demarco Cox...............C..........6-8.............280......... SO........... 1L..........................Yazoo City, Miss. (Yazoo City HS) Dundrecous Nelson....G..........5-11............. 195......... SO........... 1L...................................Jackson, Miss. (Murrah HS) LaDarius White...........G..........6-6.............208......... FR............HS...............................McComb, Miss. (McComb HS) Maurice Aniefiok.............G............6-5...............205...........FR............. HS.... Lagos, Nigeria (Ikeja HS/Huntington [WVa.] Prep) Dale Hughes...............G.......... 6-2..............197..........JR............RS........................... Columbus, Miss. (Florida A&M) Steadman Short.........F..........6-9.............230......... SR............ 1L....................Simpsonville, S.C. (Chipola College) Nick Williams..............G..........6-4............. 210..........JR............ 1L........................................... Mobile, Ala. (Indiana) Brock Shorter..............F.......... 6-7............. 216..........JR............RS......................... Coldwater, Miss. (Coldwater HS) Reginald Buckner.......F..........6-9............. 225..........JR............2L...........................Memphis, Tenn. (Manassas HS) Will Norman...............G.......... 6-5.............206......... FR............RS...................Lafayette, La. (St. Thomas More HS) Murphy Holloway.......F.......... 6-7.............240..........JR............2L.................................. Irmo, S.C. (South Carolina) Jarvis Summers..........G..........6-4............. 182......... FR............HS.................................Jackson, Miss. (Provine HS) Aaron Jones................F..........6-8............. 214......... FR............HS............................Pascagoula, Miss. (Gautier HS) Jelan Kendrick............G.......... 6-7............. 210......... FR............RS........................................Atlanta, Ga. (Memphis) MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 37

other SEC school (South Carolina) in a transfer-out-and-in flurry of paperwork that’s perplexed everyone from the NCAA to Kennedy.

“You know, as we put together the appeal for Murph to come back, we realized that there’s probably no precedent for this. It’s hard to think there’s ever been a situation quite like this one,” Kennedy said.

Closer to home, Kennedy will fill out this new look Rebel squad with three Dandy Dozen players (Pascagoula’s Aaron Jones, McComb’s Ladarius White and Jackson’s Jarvis Summer), giving this Ole Miss team more of a Mississippi flavor than on some of Kennedy’s previous teams.

As the decade mark approaches on the Rebels’ March Madness misses, Kennedy contends that while unproven and largely unknown, this roster will be among the school’s best ever.

Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information

DUNDRECOUS NELSON

BACKCOURT

Nick Williams, the 6-4 junior from Mobile, Ala. (last year: 6.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG) is the single returning starter to the Ole Miss backcourt, making his offseason progress that much more crucial to how the Rebels will be able to move the ball early in the season as new players find their roles.

“Nick needs to be a guy that makes open shots. He needs to guard his position. I sometimes refer to him as a utility infielder. We need to be able to put him in a lot of different positions. He has to be versatile for us and be consistent. One of the things that I had to catch myself last year from forgetting was that it was his first year in our program. He sat out a year and was going from one program at Indiana to us. He was also making a huge transition as it related to his position,” Kennedy said.

Sophomore Dundrecous Nelson (last year: 7.2 PPG) will join freshmen Jelan Kendrick, the school’s first-ever McDonald’s All-American, and a host of incoming first-years: Jarvis Summers, Maurice Aniefiok, LaDarius White and Jamal Jones.

Kendrick comes with a bit of an asterisk – he won’t be eligible to join the team on the court until after finals are completed in December because of his transfer status from the University of Memphis. Kendrick is expected to contribute immediately, though, and will lead the largest backcourt in the Andy Kennedy era (and likely school history). While most coaches downplay a nearly all-freshmen backcourt, Kennedy is raving about what his new longer, rangier guards can provide.

“It is going to allow us to do things differently than we ever have, especially defensively.

There were times when we were overmatched physically in our backcourt and I do not think that will be the case this year. I am excited about the versatility of the group first and foremost.”

38 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

“There will be times where I can foresee a lineup of guys, none of whom are under 6’6”6’7”. This will give us a lot of versatility on the ways in which we defend things. There is no question that as this team continues to develop, evolve and its identity becomes clearer, we will have the ability to do things in a vastly different way than we did in the past.”

Nelson will looked upon early to fill the void left by Warren and the departed Zack Graham – Kennedy estimated the loss of those two players takes 33 points a game with it. Nelson played in all 34 games last season and started seven “I have said from day one that you see the biggest improvement in the level of play in guys between years one and two. Dundrecous is just a sophomore and got a lot of experience last year. We need him to be consistent.

He is probably in the best shape of his life physically, which is going to allow him to play more minutes and be more productive. He is certainly going to be able to put the ball in the basket, which he proved last year.”

Kennedy hasn’t ruled out Summer run-

ning the point, even as a true freshman. The Provine High School product has impressed the coaching staff early with the speed of his development, and with Kendrick sidelined until December, the freshman could see plenty of chances early.

“He has an immediate ability to lead and has always been a leader. He has a toughness and an edge to him. He is going to have a great opportunity in that lead guard role for us early in the season. What he does with that is up to him.”

FRONTCOURT

It’s hard to count Holloway as a “new” addition, since Kennedy and his staff know exactly what they’re getting, and what they’re getting is a strong, physical rebounding forward that led Ole Miss in boards for his two seasons in Oxford.

“As a kid with all the stars, bells and whistles, we know what he can give us. We have seen him get 20 rebounds in an SEC game. We have seen him have multiple double-doubles.

He was on pace when he left here as a sopho-

Photo courtesy Ole Miss Sports Information

TERENCE HENRY

more to be the all-time leading rebounder in our program. Obviously, his value is unquestioned.”

Holloway’s return – he was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA and the SEC shortly before press time – pairs him with senior Terrance Henry as the experience on the floor for the Rebels. Henry is the top returning scorer for the Rebels (last year: 9.7 PPG), and figures to be the go-to scoring option as the guards gel.

More senior experience comes in forward Steadman Short, while junior Reginald Buckner has become a strong shot-blocking presence. Demarco Cox saw little time at center last season, but figures to mix into the rotation.

“Terrance has always been a hybrid player.

He played a lot of 3-4, but most of his time has been at the 4 position because that’s where his opportunity was. Now, with the loss of our backcourt, there is more opportunity away from the basket. We are trying to allow him to get the majority of his minutes at the 3 spot.

A lot of that depends on what happens with

Murphy and how Demarco develops, along with Steadman Short.”

Joining the upperclassmen will be Jones, a 6-8 prospect Kennedy says “is on his way to 6-10… every time I see him I think he’s grown a quarter of an inch.” Short’s participation early in the year will be limited by a stress fracture to his shin.

SCHEDULE

Unless your name is Kentucky, the SEC has been far from a sure thing in terms of RPI and strength of play by a league schedule alone.

In past years the Rebels have played national heavyweights (Villanova, Kansas State, West Virginia) and upstart tourney teams (UTEP, East Tennessee State) as a way for Kennedy to both test his team early before conference play, and grab a quality win here or there.

This year’s schedule may lack a certain “big” non-conference game, but Kennedy contends that it’s deceptively strong, with teams like Ole Miss that might not be headliners, but on the cusp of making noise in March – Miami, DePaul and Dayton, and the conclusion of the

current contract with Larry Eustachy’s Southern Miss team, this year in Hattiesburg.

“I’d love to keep that series going. I think it’s been good for Mississippi and great for both programs. You know when you face a Larry Eutstachy coached team that they’re going to be well disciplined and play you hard, and I think it’s worked well for both programs,” Kennedy said.

Ole Miss will also make a holiday tournament trip, to the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas.

The Rebels are scheduled to face Winthrop (appeared in the 2010 NCAA Tournament), Marquette (six consecutive NCAA Tournament bids since 2006) and Drake (’08 Tournament bid), with Drexel, Norfolk State, TCU and Virginia also participating.

“The field in St. Thomas is stacked. We are in the same bracket as Marquette, which is a top-25 caliber team out of the Big East.

Virginia is supposed to have their best team in quite some time on the other side of the bracket along with a handful of others.,” Kennedy said.

A pair of wins here could position the Rebels with quality wins for a NCAA Tournament resume before the month of December begins, but Kennedy’s had a number of strong looking cases for the Big Dance from non-conference play alone – it’s been conference play where Ole Miss has struggled to string together winning streaks.

After all five SEC teams earning a big to March Madness in 2011 came from the Eastern Division, the conference abandoned the East/West divisional format in hoops to better even conference tournament seeding, but the scheduling structure (two games against Western Division teams, one against Eastern Division teams) is still intact, with the Rebels opening a four game stretch against Western teams before facing Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Of the East’s five Tourney teams last season, the Rebels will face three (Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee) on the road this year.

“We have a lot of challenges leading into SEC play, as is typically the case. We open SEC play on the road as we usually do, and by then we will have a pretty good feel about who are.”

Kennedy’s success will be measured by that one sole qualifier – a bid to the NCAA Tournament – but the majority of the players he’ll attempt to use to get Ole Miss to March Madness will be filling crucial roles and taking on new positions as rookies. But Kennedy is aware of the task and doesn’t shy from the expectation of the fans and university.

“We keep high expectations for ourselves, first and foremost, and we want to see the same kind of success the fans do. We’re confident now as we’ve come this far with the program that we’re headed in that direction.”

- MSM

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 39

>>> MSM | SPOTLIGHT

TOP DAWG

Bulldogs’ Dee Bost is back for his Senior year with high expectations for himself and his teammates

By Paul Jones,

D

247sports.com

ee Bost’s talent and athleticism was never questioned when he signed with Mississippi State over four years ago. After all, the Concord, N.C., native is the only athlete in North Carolina history to be named MVP in state title games in both football and basketball.

After a standout rookie season in 2008-09 and being named to the All-SEC Freshman team, many wondered if he would be around Starkville for his entire college eligibility. But three years later, the 6-foot-2 and 176-pound point guard is preparing for his senior year in the Maroon and White.

Surprised? Yes, Bost admits he is.

“I never envisioned myself being here four years,” said Bost.

“But sometimes that is how it plays out and you have to do what you got to do. But it was worth it being here four years and it’s been a good choice.”

After his sophomore season, Bost did entertain those thoughts of turning pro early and bypassing his final two seasons at MSU. He entered the NBA Draft and then failed to re-

40 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

OUR VOTE...

MSM’S 2011-12 BAILEY HOWELL AWARD PRE-SEASON FAVORITE

Photo courtesy Cincinnati Bengals

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 41

move his name before the deadline. Eventually, Bost served a nine-game suspension last year via the NCAA and also had to miss the entire fall semester due to academic reasons.

With his thoughts of turning pro that spring, Bost failed to collect the minimum hours needed that semester.

What it all led to was Bost not giving a second thought to entering the NBA after last year, his junior season.

“With rumors of the (NBA) lockout, I already knew the chances were slim of them playing this year,” said Bost. “So I already had my mind made up that I was coming back and finishing out my career here.”

Of course, last season is one Bost and his teammates just soon forget. With Bost out for several games as well as center Renardo Sidney (also due to NCAA violations), the Bulldogs struggled out of the gates and never recovered. The end result was a 17-14 record and no postseason invite.

Bost only played in 17 games but still ranked first on the team with 106 assists and is likely to leave Starkville as the school’s alltime leader in assists.

“Last year it was real tough to stay motivated for the simple fact of practicing and knowing you are not going to play,” said Bost, who ranked second on the team last year with 15.3 points a game. “You are out there just practicing for the fun of it knowing you can’t play until later in the year. But at the same time, you have to stay motivated for yourself because when you do get out there, you have a point to prove.

“It hurt us a lot. Missing myself and Sid at the same time kind of threw us off track.

The team had to prepare a different play and change the game plan to stuff they normally wouldn’t have done.”

But looking to the 2011-12 campaign, Bost has high hopes for the Bulldogs and for good reason. Yes, the Bulldogs did lose a trio of starters, including Kodi Augustus and Ravern Johnson. But numerous contributors are back including a talented freshman class.

But most of all, there’s been no drama this offseason and that is a far cry from this time a year ago.

“We have everybody for the whole year and no suspensions,” said Bost. “That alone is the main thing. We just have to go out there and we’ve taken on a different mentality. We have a different mindset to win every game we play.”

There’s also another positive sign, added Bost, and something that was desperately missing last year.

“I see everybody working harder than last year,” said Bost. “We have all bonded off the court and we all hang out with each other and that’s something that didn’t happen last year.

Off-the-court bonding is something that leads to on-the-court bonding. Nobody is being selfish and everybody is playing to win. The 42 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

mindset is to play to win.”

Naturally, being a senior brings on more leadership responsibilities for Bost. That’s something he’s always displayed, though, previously in his career.

And one of his top priorities is pushing Sidney to be in shape so he can help the team to the best of his abilities this year.

“He’s been real good and he’s worked a lot harder than he has in the past years,” Bost said of Sidney. “His mindset has changed and he’s not causing any problems or stopping his workouts.

“But I know I have to push him and it can be hard at times when we’re running and I am tired and trying to be vocal. I try to help him get through it and to keep pushing and to not stop. I know he hears everybody telling him to keep pushing. In previous years he would be stopping but he isn’t doing that now.”

Bost admits he pushes Sidney not just for the good of the team, either, but for his future at the next level.

group but also underrated in my eyes cause I have seen what they can do.”

During the summer, Bost and the Bulldogs got the luxury of extra practice time and games with a trip to Europe to face international competition. Over that stretch of games, Bryant and Smith also got minutes at point guard and Bost remained in the backcourt at shooting guard.

That isn’t normal for Bost nor does the move come natural to him. No doubt he is a point guard first and foremost. But with time, he said he will get “accustomed” when he is asked to play that spot.

“I am not real comfortable at the two,” said Bost. “I try to do it sometimes and it is something I have to get more accustomed to, and that will come with more practice. I will get better at it and it means I have to be versatile.”

Back to the talented freshmen like Hood and Smith, Bost was in their shoes a few years ago. He can relate what they will experience this year and guys getting thrown to the SEC

“I see everybody working harder than last year,” said Bost. “We have all bonded off the court and we all hang out with each other and that’s something that didn’t happen last year. Off-the-court bonding is something that leads to on-the-court bonding. Nobody is being selfish and everybody is playing to win. The mindset is to play to win.”

As a team captain and also Sidney’s friend, Bost said it can be a thin line to walk at times.

“I tell him I am here to help you and I am going to be on you,” said Bost. “While we are on the court it’s all business and he knows that. He knows I am his friend but I also mean business on the court. I tell him he has a family to feed and it’s not all fun and games, and he has a good future in basketball and could make it a living.”

Unlike last year, Bost has helped in that leadership category, he pointed out, and Sidney is starting to join that group.

“Brian Bryant, and Arnett Moultrie are leaders and Sid is getting better,” said Bost of the team’s leadership. “Everybody is being more vocal and trying to lead by example at the same time.”

Unlike years past in the backcourt, Bost should have more help this season with the likes of Bryant but also a couple of newcomers. In the offseason MSU inked the likes of Deville Smith and Rodney Hood and both could have an early impact with the Bulldogs.

“We haven’t been very deep lately, at least not in the last couple of years,” said Bost. “So it kind of helps me out and helps everybody else out. We have a lot of versatile players and I feel with the freshman class that we got, we have more depth and those freshmen will prove a lot this year. I think they were a highly-rated

fire right away.

“I can just teach them stuff that I didn’t know when I first came in and help them out,” said Bost of the new rookies. “I can help them through the mental part of the game and how things will go and how fast it will be and how to adjust to it.”

For Bost, that time is now. Whether fans believed it or not in the past, he is preparing for his fourth season in the Maroon and White. Not only is this season is last chance for a deep postseason run, it is also crucial for the prospects of a professional career on the hardwood.

“It’s a real sense of urgency,” said Bost. “It’s do-or-die for me right now cause this is my senior year and my last go at it. Not only that, I am also playing for my future and I want to fulfil my dreams at the next level. Me winning here and our team being successful will also affect my future.”

And ending his college career with a long journey into late March or early April, would be the “perfect ending” to his time in Starkville.

“A perfect ending?,” said Bost. “I don’t want to get to far ahead of myself. But I would say make it to the NCAA Tournament and then take it one game at a time. Then try to at least work out way to the Sweet Sixteen and hopefully further on to the Final Four.” - MSM

BILLY BREWER

JACKIE SHERRILL

JOHN FOURCADE

JOHN BOND

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 43

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

MISSISSIPPI STATE

BY PAUL JONES,

BULLDOGS

mississippistate.247sports.com

SCHEDULE

Oct. 29 Florida Tech (Exh.) Nov. 4 Pikeville (Exh.) Nov. 7 Eastern Kentucky* Nov. 9 Akron* Nov. 12 South Alabama Nov. 17 Texas A&M** Nov. 18 St. John’s/Arizona** Nov. 21 Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 25 Tennessee-Martin Nov. 27 North Texas Dec. 3 West Virginia # Dec. 10 Troy State Dec. 13 Florida Atlantic Dec. 17 @ Detroit Mercy Dec. 22 Northwestern St. & Dec. 28 @ Baylor % Dec. 31 Utah State Jan. 7 @ Arkansas Jan. 12 Tennessee Jan. 14 Alabama Jan. 18 @ Ole Miss Jan. 21 @ Vanderbilt Jan. 25 LSU Jan. 28 @ Florida Feb. 4 Auburn Feb. 9 Ole Miss Feb. 11 Georgia Feb. 14 @ LSU Feb. 18 @ Auburn Feb. 21 Kentucky Feb. 25 @ Alabama Feb. 29 @ South Carolina Mar. 3 Arkansas 0SEC Tournament Mar. 8-11 SEC Tournament New Orleans, La. TBA * 2K Classic Opeing Rounds ** 2K Classic - Madison Square Garden # SEC/Big East Challenge & Jackson (Mississippi Coliseum)

RICK STANSBURY

Photo courtesy MSU Sports Information

44 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

2010-11 TEAM STATS

DEE BOST

Photo courtesy MSU Sports Information

L

ast year Mississippi State often came up on the short end of the battles on the hardwood and finished just 17-14 overall and 9-7 in the SEC. The Bulldogs missed out on postseason all together but they also battled themselves for much of the season, too.

And that led to many losses as well.

Off-the-court issues, suspensions and a nationally-publicized fight between Renardo Sidney and former Bulldog Elgin Bailey were among the many things MSU basketball fans recall from the 2011-11 campaign. Including Bailey, the Bulldogs had two players transfer out of the program as well.

However, head coach Rick Stansbury and his program recently experienced a somewhat quiet offseason. Outside of seldom-used center John Riek, there were no transfers and no underclassmen looking to bolt to the NBA. On top of that, the Bulldogs also had the opportunity to get in some practice time with a five-game exhibition schedule in Europe.

MSU did graduate seniors Ravern Johnson and Kodi Augustus from last year’s squad. But Stansbury also returns several key contributors from last year, including senior guard Dee Bost and former UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie, who sat out last year due to transfer rules.

“I think this team has a chance to be a very good team,” said Stansbury. “I think that of most of my teams, but for sure that it of this team. What this team has to do and I forgot this on our Europe trip. I looked out there on the floor and there was only one returning starter out there. I didn’t realize that and Dee was my only (returning) starter on the floor.

We have a mixture of veterans and youth here

and even though Arnett has been around, he hasn’t played a game here.

“And plus, Sidney wasn’t with us (in Europe). There are some new pieces and we’re gonna depend on some young guys. We’re going to depend on a couple of freshmen who haven’t done it at this level. We’re going to depend on another guy (international signee and Latavia native Kristers Zeidaks) that has never scored a basket at this level.”

Yet with all that youth and inexperience, Stansbury did have the luxury of getting an early look at most of his squad with the Europe trip and had the chance to do some preseason mixing and matching.

“It was a great trip and a great trip in a lot

TEAM STATISTICS................... MSU............OPP SCORING...................................... 2165............... 2177 Points per game...................... 69.8............... 70.2 FIELD GOALS-ATT..................... 739-1701.........799-1917 Field goal pct. .......................... .434............... .417 3 POINT FG-ATT.........................46-680..........232-689 3-point FG pct........................... .362............... .337 3-pt FG made per game............7.9...................7.5 FREE THROWS-ATT....................441-610.......... 347-523 Free throw pct.......................... .723............... .663 F-Throws made per game........14.2.................11.2 REBOUNDS...................................1119.................1141 Rebounds per game.................36.1................ 36.8 ASSISTS......................................... 393.................359 Assists per game.......................12.7.................11.6 TURNOVERS.................................. 413.................339 Turnovers per game.................13.3................ 10.9 Turnover margin.......................-2.4 Assist/turnover ratio..................1.0...................1.1 STEALS.......................................... 163.................207 Steals per game.........................5.3................. 6.7 BLOCKS......................................... 129..................91 Blocks per game........................4.2.................2.9 WINNING STREAK.........................0Home win streak......................... 1 ATTENDANCE..............................97069............ 146216 Home games-Avg/Game...... 17-5710.......... 9-12204 Neutral site-Avg/Game................................ 5-7275 SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st....... 2nd......OT..Total Mississippi State 1062.......1085........18....2165 Opponents 1038........ 1130........9 .... 2177

2011-12 ROSTER No. 0 1 3 4 10 11 12 13 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 33

Name................. Pos...... Ht........... Wt....... Yr....... Exp......................... Hometown (Prev School) Jalen Steele............... G.......... 6-3............. 194........ So............ 1L.................................... Knoxville, TN (Fulton HS) Renardo Sidney......... F......... 6-10............ 280........ Jr............ 1L............................. Jackson, MS (Fairfax [CA] HS) Dee Bost..................... G.......... 6-2............. 176......... Sr............ 3L........ Concord, NC (Hargrave Military Academy) Rodney Hood............. G.......... 6-8............ 204........ Fr........... HS............................... Meridian, MS (Meridian HS) Shaun Smith.............. G.......... 6-6............. 203....... So............ 1L............... Brooksville, MS (Noxubee County HS) Reed Clayton............. G.......... 5-9............. 146........ So........... HS...................................... Tupelo, MS (Tupelo HS) Charles Parker........... G......... 5-10............ 168......... Jr............ 2L.................... McKinney, TX (McKinney North HS) Kristers Zeidaks......... F.......... 6-8............. 230....... So........... TR.......................................................... Riga, Latvia Baxter Price............... G......... 5-10............ 159......... Jr............ 2L................. Brandon, MS (Northwest Rankin HS) Taylor Luczak............. F.......... 6-8............. 195......... Sr............ 3L........................... Glens Falls, NY (Glens Falls HS) Shawn Long............... F......... 6-10............ 249........ Fr........... HS..................... Morgan City, LA (Morgan City HS) Brian Bryant............... G.......... 6-3............. 168......... Sr............ 1L............... Albany. GA (Northwest Florida State) Arnett Moultrie.......... F......... 6-11............ 249........ Jr........... TR............................................ Memphis, TN (UTEP) Tyson Cunningham... G.......... 6-3............. 191........ So........... HS........................... Columbus, MS (Columbus HS) Roquez Johnson........ F.......... 6-7............ 204........ Fr........... HS.................... Montgomery, AL (G.W. Carver HS) Wendell Lewis........... C.......... 6-9............ 260........ Jr............ 2L......................................... Selma, AL (Selma HS) Deville Smith............. G.......... 5-11............. 165......... Fr........... HS................................ Jackson, MS (Callaway HS) MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 45

of ways,” said Stansbury. “The ten days of practice is something that is invaluable cause you are able to learn not just about your individuals but about your team. Then for us to go over there and play five different teams and experiment with different lineups and different people was good for us.

“There were things we were able to do that you don’t have a lot of time to do in the fall. So from that standpoint it was excellent.”

RENARDO SIDNEY

FRONTCOURT

The offseason wasn’t exactly drama-free for Stansbury and company. It also dealt with Sidney, too.

Instead of joining his teammates on the Europe trip, the 6-foot-10 junior center opted instead to return to Houston, Texas, to continue his workouts with former NBA standout and trainer John Lucas. Sidney spent most of the summer with Lucas and dropped his weight down to 280 pounds.

“Come November is when it’s going to matter and where his conditioning is,” said Stansbury. “To his credit he fulfilled some obligations he had to fulfil for the team and he did that. We will see if he keeps progressing and we all hope he can.”

Despite being suspended twice last year (season-opening nine-game suspension by NCAA and also team suspension) and out of shape, Sidney still displayed the talent that made him one of the most highly-touted recruits to sign with Mississippi State. On 19 games played, Sidney averaged 14.2 points a game and grabbed a team-best 7.6 rebounds a game.

Stansbury added that it was his decision for Sidney to remain in Houston to make sure he was ready for the 2011-12 season - mentally and physically.

“It was not (Sidney’s) decision to go back to Houston,” said Stansbury. “I made that decision and nobody else made that decision.

Would I liked for him to be on that Europe trip? Yes and he would have done well. But there are some things he had to handle that he hadn’t handled. But since (this summer) he has.”

Unlike last year, Sidney will have some help and experience in the Bulldogs’ post.

Moultrie sat out last year but came to MSU two years ago after producing two solid years at UTEP, and made the All-Freshman squad in Conference USA. Since last year, the 6-foot-11 Moultrie has also added much weight to his frame and is now close to 250 pounds.

“Well, the one thing that is consistent is his engine runs and that is one of the greatest abilities anybody can have,” said Stansbury of Moultrie. “When you have some ability to go with that then you have a chance to be a pretty good player and that’s what I think he is.”

And Stansbury saw that early and often on 46 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

the Europe trip.

“It seemed like every shot that was taken, he felt it was his offensive rebound or he went to try to get it,” said Stansbury. “Defensively, he has great anticipation. He’s also picked up some good weight, 20 or 25 pounds this summer. That is something that will be positive for him down the road.”

MSU also returns junior forward Wendell

Lewis and added Zeidaks in August, who could play in the post or out on the wing. Last year Lewis started two games and played in all 31 games, and averaged 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.

“Arnett and Zeidaks give us some versatility,” said Stansbury. “Lewis is improved and more confident now and he showed that this summer. And with Arnett, he has the ability

fend different things will be an adjustment for him. But his adjustment will be minimalized.

“Like I’ve said before many times, he comes from a really good high school program where he’s been coached well. All of those other little things you need instilled in him, well, he’s been already blessed with that in his own home.”

With those numbers and talent, it does beg the question if Stansbury has the most guard depth in many years in Starkville.

“I don’t know if you can say ‘ever’ and I’ve had some pretty good (guards),” said Stansbury. “You go back to Timmy Bowers and Derrick Zimmerman and that group there.

But I do like my guards and I like my team.

I’ve got a mixture of veterans with Dee and Brian Bryant and then a mix with freshmen in Deville and Hood and then with Jalen Steele.

There’s not a whole of lot experience there and at the three spot, it will be a new guy regardless of who is there.”

schedule

Photo courtesy MSU Sports Information

to post up guys but that isn’t his only ability.

He can also shoot well from the perimeter and gives us that matchup advantage.

“I hope we have some versatility both ways and have the versatility not to depend on one guy this year.

Along with Zeidaks, MSU also signed a pair of post players in Montgomery, Ala., native Roquez Johnson and Morgan City, La., native Shawn Long.

While guards Rodney Hood and Deville Smith grabbed most of the headlines with Stansbury’s latest recruiting class, Johnson has also made a good first impression at MSU while Long is expected to redshirt.

“If you want to go to a third freshmen that has some qualities that can do some things that will allow him to get better, I think guy is Roquez,” said Stansbury. “He’s tough, he’s athletic and he will fight you.”

BACKCOURT

While MSU may lack some SEC experience in the post as well as depth, the same can’t be said for the perimeter guys. Bost is the most noted backcourt member returning and the Bulldog point guard ranked second on the team last year with 15.3 points a game and had a team-best 106 assists.

Also returning in the backcourt are the likes of senior Brian Bryant and sophomores Jalen Steele and Shaun Smith.

Stansbury often used a three-guard lineup at times last year and Bryant closed out the season receiving a lot of minutes. He started nine games and averaged 4.9 points and 3.2 boards a year ago.

Steele averaged 5.7 points a game in his rookie year of 2010-11 and was one of the

team’s best three-point weapons. However, late in the year Steele tore his ACL and missed the last four games of the season.

“We were really encouraged with Jalen,” said Stansbury. “We had no idea for sure that he would be part of the (Europe) trip back in April or March. Just having that game experience a little bit was invaluable for him. I hope come November he has no setbacks and is ready to go.”

Smith, a former all-state performer from Noxubee County High School, struggled with his own injuries last year and averaged just 5.9 minutes a game and just one point a game.

With the addition of Hood and Smith in the backcourt, Stansbury definitely has some different options in the backcourt. And on their exhibition trip, he toyed with some of those options that often saw Smith and Bost in the same backcourt.

“It gives us more versatility and gives us a different animal in some ways to attack you with,” said Stansbury. “With Dee bringing it up in transition at the two guard, teams have to stop him and that’s different.

“We did that some late last year with Dee and Bryant. But no question Deville is a different kind of cat pushing that basketball. I thought it was good versatility for us with Dee at the point and Bryant and then sliding Dee down and playing him with Deville.”

Stansbury also has good versatility with Hood, the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year. At Meridian High School, Hood played both guard spots as well as small forward and much is expected of him this season.

“His ceiling is high,” said Stansbury of Hood. “Naturally, the speed of the game, the strength of the game and learning how to de-

Those new faces and Bulldog youngsters will also be thrown to the fire early and often.

Well before the Bulldogs enter Southeastern Conference play, the schedule presents several challenges and several tests from Top 25 teams.

MSU opens the season in the 2K Classic against Akron at home and then in Madison Square Garden against Texas A&M. MSU will also face either St. John’s or Arizona in another game in Madison Square Garden and also host West Virginia in the Big East-SEC challenge.

Other non-conference battles will be versus Baylor at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and against Utah State in Starkville.

“It is different for sure and we have a good schedule,” said Stansbury. “Akron is always good and that is an ESPN game. Then we go to Madison Square Garden off the bat to play Texas A&M then win or lose it is St. John’s or Arizona.

“West Virginia is always really good and Baylor is, depending on who you talk to, ranked fifth or 10th in the country. And Utah State was 15th in RPI last year.”1902 Which means Stansbury should know what his team is made of before January and SEC action arrives, and that wasn’t the case last year. With all the suspensions and offthe-court drama, the Bulldogs never found a rhythm nor did they find a postseason berth.

For that to change this year, something else also has to return that was missing last year.

“All this team has got to do is get back to defending and rebounding that basketball like we’ve done before,” said Stansbury. “I like this team’s chances if we do that. But we have to get back to defending and rebounding.” MSM MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 47

>>> MSM | SPOTLIGHT

“SPOON”

Former Golden Eagle and NBA star Clarence Weatherspoon cherishes his role as an ambassador for Southern Miss athletics

By TYLER CLEVELAND Special to Mississippi Sports Magazine

M

y official introduction to sports came in the fall of 1990.

Dad drove us down from Jackson to Hattiesburg to visit the grandparents and to catch a Southern Miss basketball game. He and his dad, Robert “Ace” Cleveland had work to do at the basketball game, so it fell to my grandmother, Carrie, to take me.

An avid fan anyway, she was thrilled to have me along.

When we got to our seats, it didn’t take long to spot the player dad told me to look out for. The 6-foot-5 Adonis of an athlete was Clarence Weatherspoon, and I was in awe.

The game is hazy (hey, I was 4), but after the win my grandma took me down to the court to meet the man I had referred to as “SPOOOOOOOOON!” for the last two hours.

Put on the spot in my first interview situation, I had but one question.

“Can you jump over the rim like bat man jumps over the Bat mobile?” I asked.

“I don’t know about all that,” he said, smiling. “But you get it here and I’ll try.”

Anyone who has seen a church-league basketball game knows one good player doesn’t make a team, but once in a while, a player comes along that can impact an entire program.

“Spoon” was one of those players.

For four years, he was the best player on some of Southern Miss’ best teams. What some may not know is that for the 20 years since, he’s been one of the best ambassadors for the program too.

Weatherspoon turned heads when he decided to play his college basketball at Southern Mississippi.

The Crawford native was one of the highest-recruited players

48 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

The Philadelphia media, who had once called Weatherspoon the “Metro’s Barkley” during one of USM’s NCAA tournament appearances, instantly drew comparisons between the departed Barkley and the recently-drafted Weatherspoon. Spoon, listed at 6-7 but appearing closer to 6-5, was, like Charles Barkley, an undersized power forward with a strong desire for rebounding and operating down low. Weatherspoon was referred to as “Baby Barkley” at times during his early career.

Photo courtesy Oklahoma State University Sports Information

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 49

“Southern Miss gave me a great opportunity to learn and grow as a student and an athlete. You have to take full advantage of opportunities, academic- and athleticwise. You know, a career is never promised, so you should always prepare to go in any direction.” in the state in 1988, and held offers from Tennessee and Auburn, both fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance.

USM had moderate success in the second decade of M.K. Turk’s tenure, going 69-51 in the four seasons leading up to his senior year. But Turk had done a good job recruiting the state of Mississippi, and had a few former Players of the Year already on the roster when Weatherspoon fell in love with Hattiesburg.

“There were a lot of colleges after him.” Turk remembered. “But the bottom line came down to Auburn, Tennessee and us. There were just things about each of those universities that he didn’t like and at USM he felt at home.”

Spoon signed, and both have benefited tremendously.

Weatherspoon averaged 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds a game over four seasons. He led the program to its only two NCAA Tournament appearances in school history in back-to-back seasons and won Metro Conference Player of the Year three out of his four years. That’s back when the competition included Florida State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Memphis.

The list goes on: First on the school’s all-time list in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes, second in scoring (just six points behind all-time leader Nick Revon), and third in points per game, field goals made, field goal percentage, free throws made and attempted, and steals.

“He’s the best player I ever coached,” Turk said. “But more than that 50 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

Photo courtesy SOUTHERN MISS SPORTS INFORMATION

he was a fine academic student and model citizen. His good sense and his ability is demonstrated by the 13 successful seasons he had in the NBA.” Weatherspoon went on to play for the 76ers, Warriors, Heat, Cavaliers and Knicks, but he never missed an opportunity.

Early in current Golden Eagle coach Larry Eustachy’s tenure at Southern Miss, he was surprised to see Weatherspoon at a home game at Reed Green during the NBA All-Star weekend.

“You know, so many of these NBA players have things out of whack with their priorities,” Eustachy said. “During the all-star break when most of them are going to the Bahamas or Hawaii, Clarence is back here watching a game. He’s just a real down to earth person.”

Weatherspoon’s also been generous in his support of the program.

A member of the Circle of Champions program, he sits on the athletic department’s board of directors.

“He has been as active as any former athlete we’ve ever had,” Southern Miss Athletic Director Richard Giannini said. “Especially among our more recent graduates. He’s been a huge supporter and really given back.

“He’s also really engaged in our program personally. He buys floor seats at games. I’ve even seen him at baseball games.”

For his part, ‘Spoon just hopes he can help others have the same kind of college experience he had.

“I think I’ve been blessed to have a career span 13 seasons,” Weatherspoon has said. “Southern Miss gave me a great opportunity to learn and grow as a student and an athlete. You have to take full advantage of opportunities, academic- and athletic-wise. You know, a career is never promised, so you should always prepare to go in any direction.”

- MSM

RAY GUY

ROY OSWALT

JACK CRISTIL

W.C. GORDON

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 51

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

SOUTHERN MISS

BY LANNY MIXON, biggoldnation.com

GOLDEN EAGLES

SCHEDULE

Oct. 27 Loyola (N.O.) Nov. 8 William Carey Nov. 12 Spring Hill Nov. 17 @ Denver Nov. 19 @ Colorado State Nov. 24 UC Irvine* Nov. 25 Central Michigan/

New Mexico State* Nov. 26 TBD* Dec. 4 New Mexico State Dec. 7 @ South Alabama Dec. 10 Louisiana Tech Dec. 17 Ole Miss Dec. 19 @ Arizona State Dec. 22 USF Dec. 27 Belhaven Dec. 29 Alcorn State Dec. 31 @ Mcneese State Jan. 4 East Carolina Jan. 7 @ Tulane Jan. 11 @ Memphis Jan. 14 UAB Jan. 21 Marshall Jan. 25 @ East Carolina Jan. 28 @ UCF Feb. 1 Memphis Feb. 8 @ UAB Feb. 11 UCF Feb. 15 Tulsa Feb. 18 @ Houston Feb. 22 @ UTEP Feb. 25 Rice Feb. 29 SMU Mar. 3 @ Marshall Conference USA Tournament Mar. 7-10 Memphis, Tenn.

LARRY EUSTACHY

* Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Anchorage, AL

Photo by Bobby McDuffie

52 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

2010-11 TEAM STATS TEAM STATISTICS................... USM............OPP SCORING ......................................2371 ...............2093 Points per game ..................... 74.1 ...............65.4 Scoring margin ....................... +8.7 .................FIELD GOALS-ATT ....................825-1821 ........711-1700 Field goal pct .......................... .453 .............. .418 3 POINT FG-ATT ........................172-468 .........220-618 3-point FG pct ......................... .368 .............. .356 3-pt FG made per game ..........5.4 ................6.9 FREE THROWS-ATT .................. 549-752 ........ 451-675 Free throw pct ........................ .730 .............. .668 REBOUNDS ..................................1228 ...............985 Rebounds per game ...............38.4 .............. 30.8 Rebounding margin ...............+7.6 .................ASSISTS ........................................380 ................375 Assists per game ..................... 11.9 ................11.7 TURNOVERS ................................. 379 ................433 Turnovers per game ............... 11.8 ................13.5 Turnover margin .....................+1.7 ..................Assist/turnover ratio ................1.0 .................0.9 STEALS ..........................................178 ................166 Steals per game .......................5.6 ................ 5.2 BLOCKS .........................................115 .................103 Blocks per game ......................3.6 ................ 3.2 WINNING STREAK .........................0 ....................Home win streak .......................0 ....................ATTENDANCE ..............................52761 ............. 86101 Home games-Avg/Game .... 15-3517 ......... 12-5852 Neutral site-Avg/Game ............ - ............... 5-3176

ANGELO JOHNSON

SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st.....2nd.....OT.....Total Southern Miss 1128....1230.......13........ 2371 Opponents 961...... 1122.......10 ...... 2093

Photo by Bobby McDuffie

T

he 2010-11 season at Southern Miss could be tabbed as the season that could have been. With less than a month left in the season the Golden Eagles were in the position to earn their first NCAA tournament birth in more than two decades.

Despite finishing with a more than respectable 22-10 (9-7 C-USA) record, when the post season bids were handed out the Eagles were without an NCAA bid and were even snubbed by the NIT. With that disappointment at hand the program then turned down invitations to play in the CIT and CBI tournaments.

At the end of the day the Eagles simply didn’t finish strong and gave doubters justification in leaving them out of the post-season’s big dances. With a week and a half left in the regular season the Eagles were sitting pretty, on February 26th the Eagles were sitting at 21-7 with three games left in the regular season.

2011-12 ROSTER No. Name................. Pos...... Ht........... Wt....... Yr...................................... Hometown (Prev School) 0

LaShay Page...............G.......... 6-2............. 190..........JR......................................................... Dillon S.C. (Chipola JC)

1

Maurice Bolden...........G..........6-10............200.......RS SR........................Jackson, Miss. (Marion Military Institute)

4

Richard Carlisle...........G...........6-1.............. 190..........JR..............................................Meridian, Miss. (Meridian HS)

5

Neil Watson................G..........5-11............. 170......... SO.......................................Kansas City, Kan. (Coffeyville CC)

10

Cedric Jenkins.............G.......... 6-2............. 195......... SO......................................LaPlace, La. (Riverside Academy)

12

Rashard McGill............G.......... 6-5.............205..........JR...........................................Havana, Fla. (Tallahassee, Fla.)

15

Torye Pelham..............F..........6-6............. 225.......RS SR................................... Nashville, Tenn. (Chipola College)

23 Angelo Johnson.........G............................. 185.......RS SR..................................................Minneapolis, Minn. (USC) 24 Jonathan Mills.............F..........6-6.............230..........JR................................Chicago, Ill. (College of Eastern Utah) 25 Ahyaro Phillips...........F..........6-8..............215......... SR..............................New Orleans, La. (Lamar State (TX) JC) 32

Christian Robbins.......F..........6-11............. 235......... FR................................Foxworth, Miss. (Columbia Academy)

42 Keith DeWitt...............F..........6-11.............220..........JR................................................High Point, N.C. (Chipola JC) MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 53

The basketball gods and fate dealt the Eagles a cruel hand. The Eagles would lose all three remaining regular season games. They would fall at UCF and at home to UAB by one point, on last second three-point shots no less. Earlier in the year the Eagles lost 76-75 at home to Memphis on a last second shot.

All three of those were high RPI games and winning one of the three may have given the Eagles a birth in the NIT, winning two or more of those games and the Eagles are likely in the NCAA Tournament.

The Eagles couldn’t recover, losing to Tulsa in the season final before going 1-1 in the CUSA tournament, with a win over hapless Tulane and another loss to Memphis.

“Last year we played some great basketball,” Eustacy said looking back. “We were just snake-bit. It wasn’t like we played bad, I mean we just got beat by some spectacular shots.”

Couple that with major personnel losses and there are a lot of unknowns headed into the 2011-12 season.

Gone from a year ago are several key cogs to the wheel that powered the Eagles. The Eagles graduated First Team All Conference forward Gary Flowers (19 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Sai’Qaun Stone who was named to C-USA All-Defensive Team. Guard R.L. Horton started every game for the Eagles a season ago playing both the one and two guard position.

Josimer Ayarza who was a solid roll player also graduated.

You can always account for graduation, but the Eagles also have to contend with two losses that were a lot more unexpected.

Conference USA all freshman team member D.J. Newbill transferred to Penn State and Jackson native Trency Jackson moved to Northwest Florida JC. “Every player we have has improved,” Eustachy said. “Some of them have really improved. Our returning guys are better because we had a good summer and I’m high on the new guys.”

Frontcourt It won’t be easy for Eustachy and company to replace one of the best front-courts in the league. Flowers and Ayarza combined for a formidable 1-2 punch in the post and as a senior Flowers developed into a scoring thread from the three-point line.

Ahyaro Phillips is one of two returning letter-winners for the Eagles. He tallied about 9 minutes a game and played in 25 constests for the Eagles this past season. The Eagles got a minor boost when small-forward Torye Pelham was granted a medical redshirt after playing in only seven games a year ago. The previous season he played in 29 games for the Eagles.

“Torye has really improved,” Eustachy said.

“He’s the best he’s been here coming off the broken hand.”

54 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

MAURICE BOLDEN

Photo courtesy Southern Miss Sports Information

Neither Phillips nor Pelham are serious threats on the offensive end of the court so the Eagles will be looking for someone fill the scoring void.

The Eagles will be looking to a pair of JUCO forwards to try to pick up the slack.

Keith DeWitt (6-foot-11, 220-pounds) was ranked the No. 2 JUCO player in the nation

by JucoJunction.com. He led Chipola (Marianna, Fla.) to a 19-9 record and was named First Team All-Panhandle Conference.

“DeWitt is probably our best talent,” he said. “Because of his height and his length.

He’s a little behind early because of his conditioning.”

He Eagles are expecting big things from Jonathan Mills (6-foot-6, 230-pounds), he’s a strong big-body forward that has a huge wing span and is expected to be a tenacious rebounder for the Eagles. The Chicago, Ill., na-

tive spent this past year at the College of Eastern Utah where he was named all-confernece and all-region after posting a double-double average for the year with 13.5 ppg and 11.0 rpg. JucoJunction.com ranked him as one of the Top 50 JUCO prospects in the nation in 2011.

“Mills, the kid from Chicago, he’s been the biggest suprise,” Eustachy said. “He led the country in junior college in rebounding, he’s just a tough kid.”

The only freshman in the 2011 signing class for the Eagles was 6-foot-11, 240-pound home grown post player Christian Robbins from Columbia (Miss.) Academy.

BackCourt The Southern Miss back court took some hard hits graduating Horton, Stone, Newbill and Jackson, but its still the most experienced

AHYARO PHILLIPS

Photo courtesy Southern Miss Sports Information

position.

The duo of Angelo Johnson and Maurice Bolden are expected to play a bigger role in 2011 particularly on the offensive end of the court.

“Maurice has really improved,” Eustachy said. “He’s at a point where he really has to guard about doing too much. He’s worked so hard, he’ll be one of the guys that takes more shots. We have to make sure that he understands what a good shot is and he does. He’s worked so hard he wants to show it on the court.

Eustachy points to Bolden as one of the most improved players that he’s had during his tenure at Southern Miss.

Junior guard LaShay Page is also expected to play a bigger role this year for the Eagles.

He played in 27 games for the Eagles while averaging 6.2 ppg and boasted a 34% average from behind the three point arch.

Eustachy points to Rashad McGill (6-foot-

5, 210-pounds) a transfer from Tallahassee (Fla.) CC as a player who has impressed in the early going along with Neil Watson a true point guard from Coffeyville (Kan.) CC. Watson will have three years of on court eligibility for the Eagles.

Schedule Weather Eustachy and his retooled squad are ready the season is almost hear and they’ll be facing one of the more challenging C-USA schedules in recent member. On the surface the schedule would appear to be one of the most challenging that any Eustachy coached team has played at Southern Miss.

“I think we have gotten the program to where we’ve wanted it to be for a long time.

We continue to get an influx of good talent.

“I’ve always thought you schedule to your talent level or/and who will come,” he said.

“So now that our program is considered a very good program if you lose to us the op-

ponents fans would understand.”

In the past it has been very difficult for Southern Miss to schedule quality home games. Sometimes the Eagles were forced to schedule 3-5 non-division I games a year to fill the home schedule.

“We’re finally on the scene, everyone knows how close we were last year,” he said. “That was part of the reason we couldn’t schedule.

We had decent teams, we play a style that is hard to beat and they couldn’t justify it to the fans if they lost.”

This year’s non-conference home schedule includes – Alcorn St., La Tech, Mississippi, New Mexico St., and South Florida.

The Eagles will take to the road and play at Arizona St., Colorado St., Denver, McNeese St., and South Alabama.

Southern Miss’ new faces will face a tough road trip early in the year when they trek to Anchorage, Ak., to take part in the Great Alaskan Shootout. They know they’ll face UCIrvine in the first round and could face New Mexico St. or Central Michigan in the second round.

On the way to Anchorage the team will have a three day lay-over in Colorado where they’ll take on Denver and Colorado State.

The C-USA schedule will be challenging as always with games against traditional rivals Memphis, UAB, Houston and UCF. “I just really like our team,” Eustachy said.

“The character is as good as we’ve had. We may have had as good, but we’ve not had a better character group.

If Eustachy and his staff can work some magic and blend the old and new this group of Eagles could surprise some folks. - MSM

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For advertising information email us at publisher@mssportsmagazine.com MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 55

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

JACKSON STATE

BY JACKSON STATE SPORTS INFORMATION

TIGERS

SCHEDULE Nov. 3 Nov. 11 Nov. 13 Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Nov. 20 Nov. 22 Nov. 25 Nov. 28 Dec. 11 Dec. 13 Dec. 16 Dec. 18 Jan. 3 Jan. 5 Jan. 7 Jan. 9 Jan. 14 Jan. 16 Jan. 21 Jan. 28 Jan. 30 Feb. 4 Feb. 6 Feb. 11 Feb. 13 Feb. 18 Feb. 25 Feb. 27 Mar. 1 Mar. 3 Mar. 7-10

Miles (Exh.) @ Florida @ Baylor @ Wright State @ Ohio State Concordia Tulsa @ North Florida @ Memphis @ California @ St. Mary’s @ SMU @ North Texas Alabama A&M Alabama State @ Alcorn State @ Southern Univ.

Prairie View Texas Southern Grambling State @ Miss. Valley St. @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff Alcorn State Southern Univ. @ Prairie View @ Texas Southern @ Grambling Miss. Valley St. Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Alabama A&M @ Alabama State SWAC Tourney

JENIRRO BUSH

Photo courtesy Jackson State University

56 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

2010-11 TEAM STATS

christian williams

Photo courtesy Jackson State University

T

he Jackson State men’s basketball team has been the model for consistency in the Southwestern Athletic Conference over the last five seasons. During that period the Tigers have posted a 66-24 league record. JSU finished the 2009-10 with a 17-1 SWAC record en route to a post season NIT appearance. Standout such as Trey Johnson, Grant Maxey and Garrison Johnson each played a significant role in leading JSU to the conference tournament and beyond. JSU fans went into each game knowing that the team had a better than good chance to win because of players like Maxey and Johnson (Trey and Garrison). Each player joined the schools 1,000 point club, before concluding their collegiate careers.

However, for the first time in his tenure as head coach at Jackson State, Tevester Anderson will put his most inexperienced team on the court. The 2011-12 season will be one of ups and downs for a young Tigers team. Anderson believes the current team is as talented as any he has coached at JSU, but that talent in untested on the collegiate level.

“I really like the talent that we have on this team,” said Anderson. “We will have a lot of athleticism, but we have a lot of youth. We lost ten players from last year’s team, four starters and players that had a lot of collegiate experience.”

The Jackson State Tigers finished the 201011 season with a 17-15 overall record and a 12-6 SWAC mark, en route to a conference tournament appearance. The Tigers lost their

first five games of the season. Jackson State picked up it’s first non-conference win against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Guard Jenirro Bush scored a career high 31 points to lead the Tigers. JSU posted a 3-0 non-conference schedule at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. Jackson State beat Florida International, Spring Hill College and Talladega College on its home court.

JSU opened league play with four straight wins, beating Alabama State, Alabama A&M,

TEAM STATISTICS....................JSU.............OPP SCORING.......................................209............... 2009 Points per game......................65.5...............62.8 Scoring margin........................ +2.7................. FIELD GOALS-ATT. ....................721-1719........ 657-1524 Field goal pct. ......................... .419............... .431 3 POINT FG-ATT........................188-569......... 182-524 3-point FG pct............................330............... .347 3-pt FG made per game...........5.9................. 5.7 FREE THROWS-ATT...................466-731...........513-788 Free throw pct...........................637..................651 REBOUNDS..................................1122................1038 Rebounds per game................35.1................ 32.4 Rebounding margin............... +2.6..................ASSISTS........................................426.................342 Assists per game......................13.3.................10.7 TURNOVERS................................. 481.................544 Turnovers per game................15.0.................17.0 Turnover margin..................... +2.0..................Assist/turnover ratio................ 0.9.................0.6 STEALS.........................................250.................240 Steals per game........................7.8...................7.5 BLOCKS........................................ 102.................105 Blocks per game.......................3.2................. 3.3 WINNING STREAK.........................0.....................Home win streak........................ 1.....................ATTENDANCE..............................27162.............82268 Home games-Avg/Game.....12-2264.......... 18-4570 Neutral site-Avg/Game............. -...................2-0 SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st.....2nd.....OT.....Total Jackson State 939......1131.......26......2096 Opponents 927.....1054.......28 .....2009

2011-12 ROSTER No. Name....................... Pos..... Ht........ Wt....... Yr................................... Hometown (Prev School)

1 2 4 10 11 12 13 15 20 25 32 34 35 44

Jenirro Bush................... G........6-7.........190........ SR....................... Starkville, MS (Arkansas Ft. Smith) Derrell Taylor................. G....... 6-5......... 195........ FR.................................Morton (Morton High School) Tim Kendricks................ G........6-3......... 195.........JR............................Jackson, MS (Marion Military CC) Travis Ballard................. G.......5-10........ 175..........JR....................................................Moreno Valley, CA Keeslee Stewart............ G....... 5-9......... 165......RS FR.....................................Edwards, MS (Hinds AHS) Kelsey Howard............... G........6-3.........190........ FR........................Vicksburg (Vicksburg High School) Christian Williams......... G........6-1.........180.........JR...........................Manteca, CA (Sierra High School) Jonathan Lewis.............. G.......5-10........180......RS JR..................... Jackson, MS (Provine High School) Sydney Coleman.............F.........6-7......... 215......... FR.....................Meridian, MS (Meridian High School) Davon Jones.................F/C...... 6-8.........230......RS JR......................Detroit, MI (Oak Park High School) Willie Readus..................F........ 6-6.........260........ SO............................ Morton, MS (Marion Military CC) Jamarious Sykes............ C.........7-2.........270........ SO..........Port Gibson, MS (Port Gibson High School) Josh Armstrong..............F........ 6-6......... 185........ SO............................................................St. Louis, MO Raymond Gregory......... C........ 6-9.........255.........JR.......................Plain Field, NJ (Redan High School) MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 57

Alcorn State and Southern. JSU’s first SWAC loss came at the hands of the Texas Southern Tigers in Houston, TX. The Tigers bounced back for another four game winning streak before falling to the Alcorn State Braves.

JSU’s final regular season loss came against Alabama State in Jackson. The Tigers won their final game of the regular season, beating Alabama A&M 72-64 behind a 21 point effort from Grant Maxey. Maxey was named an All-SWAC first team member and Bush and Tyrone Hanson were named All-Conference second team members. For the season, Jackson State put together two separate four-game winning streaks and only lost two games in a row once during SWAC play.

Jackson State went into the 2012 SWAC Basketball Tournament as a No. 2 seed. The Tigers beat Prairie View A&M 50-38, the win completed a three game win streak over the Panthers. JSU was knocked out of the tournament by the Grambling State Tigers, falling 81-75 in overtime.

The 2011-12 Jackson State Tigers should be an exciting bunch to watch. Head Coach Tevester Anderson will put a very athletic team on the court this season. However, the Tigers will have only one senior on the team this season in guard Jenirro Bush. Other returning players with significant playing experience include forward Davon Jones and forward/center Raymond Gregory. JSU will heavily rely on its wealth of new talent this season. During the early portion of the 2011-12 schedule JSU will likely experience growing pains. The Tigers do anticipate being competitive during conference play and look to make their mark in the conference tournament.

backcourt

The Jackson State backcourt will be a work in progress this season. The Tigers have a several players at the guard position with no college experience.

Senior guard Jenirro Bush (6-7, 190, Starkville, MS) is the only member of the team with significant collegiate experience.

Bush is an athletic wing player with long arms, good ball handling skills and incredible leaping ability. He led the team in scoring last season (14.2). Bush is one of the better dunkers in the SWAC and one of the most exciting players in the conference. Coming out of high school, he played the point guard and off guard positions. He will see time at point guard, off guard and small forward.

“I look for Jenirro to take the next step and be a leader night in and night out for us,” Anderson said. “He has been working hard in the off-season to improve in the areas that were weak last season.”

Junior guard Christian Williams (6-1, 180, Manteca, CA) will see time at point guard.

Williams, who averaged 1.8 points last season, has the ability to be the next big-time scorer 58 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

for Jackson State. He is Sierra High School’s all-time single season leading scorer. As a senior he averaged 26.6 points and 4.3 assist per game. Williams played in 19 games and made one start. Junior guard Jonathan Lewis (5-10, 180, Jackson, MS) played in 25 games and made nine starts at the point. Lewis is a highly intelligent player. Last season he dished out 27 assists and had only 12 turnovers.

The other guards on the team include Derrell Taylor (6-5, 195, FR, Morton, MS), Tim Kendricks (6-3, 195, JR, Jackson, MS), Travis Ballard (5-10, 175, JR, Moreno Valley, CA), Keesley Stewart (5-9, 165, R-FR, Edwards, MS) and Kelsey Howard (6-3, 190, FR, Vicksburg, MS).

FRONTCOURT

JSU should have a solid front court. The average height of the forwards and centers is 6-9. Redshirt junior forward Davon Jones (6-8, 230, Detroit, MI) returns for the Tigers.

After two injury plagued seasons, Jones came on strong near the end of last season. Jones is expected to be a more productive player and provide some scoring in the post for the Tigers.

Junior center Raymond Gregory (6-9, 255, Plain Field, NJ) looks to have a productive season. He is a big body with a soft touch around the basket.

Sophomore center Jamarious Sykes (7-2, 270, Port Gibson, MS) played sparingly last season, but turned out to be a crowd favorite at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. Sykes should be a disruptive force on the defensive end for the Tigers. He is expected to block and alter shots, with his nearly 10 foot wing span.

Sophomore forward Willie Readus (6-6, 260, Morton, MS) is also expected to see significant playing time in his first NCAA season.

Last season at Marion Military Institute he scored just over 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Freshman swingman Sydney Coleman (6-7, 215, Meridian, MS) is also expected to be a key contributor for Jackson State. During his senior season in high school he helped Meridian High School capture a class 6A State Championship. Sophomore forward Josh Armstrong (6-6, 185, St. Louis, MO) rounds out the front court players. He is a good ball handler and is quick enough to finish around the basket. His long arms should also make him an asset on the defensive end.

“Because we lost so many players from last year in the front court, I don’t quite know how good we will be,” said Anderson. “

THE SCHEDULE

The Tigers will play another competitive schedule. JSU will open the 2011-12 season in Gainesville, FL when the Tigers take on the Florida Gators (Nov. 11) in the first round of the Global Sports Shoot-out. JSU will travel

to Waco, TX to take on Baylor (Nov. 13) before going to Dayton, OH to face Wright State (Nov. 16) in the second round of the Global Sports Shoot-out. JSU will take on Ohio State (Nov. 18) in Columbus, OH for the third round of the Global Sports Shoot-out.

The Tigers will play the first home game of the season on Nov. 20 when Concordia College-Selma visits the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. JSU’s biggest non-conference home game will be on Nov. 22 when the Tigers host Tulsa. Jackson State will play North Florida (Jacksonville, FL) in the final round of the Global Sports Shoot-out on Nov. 25. The Tigers will end the month of Nov. with a trip to Memphis to take on the Memphis Tigers on Nov. 28.

JSU’s December slate finds the Tigers on the road. JSU will take California (Dec. 11), Saint Mary’s (Dec. 13), SMU (Dec. 15) and North Texas (Dec. 18).

The Tigers will open SWAC play at the Lee E. Williams AAC against Alabama A&M (Jan. 3) and Alabama State (Jan. 5). The Tigers will travel to Lorman, MS to face Alcorn State (Jan. 7) and then to Baton Rouge, LA to square off against Southern (Jan. 9). JSU will have one game televised on ESPNU – the JSU vs. Mississippi Valley State game on Feb. 27.

“We always have a tough schedule,” said Anderson. “We play four of the top ten teams in the country. But I welcome that, because it makes us more competitive once we get into conference play.” - MSM

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>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

DELTA STATE

BY DONELL MAXIE,

STATESMEN

Bolivar Commercial

SCHEDULE Nov. 8

@ Miss. Valley State

Nov. 15

Sheppard Tech

Nov. 19

@ Ouachita Baptist

Nov. 21

@ Henderson State

Nov. 22

@ Arkansas-Monticello

Nov. 26

Ouachita Baptist

Nov. 28

Henderson State

Dec. 3

@ Southern Arkansas

Dec. 6

Arkansas-Monticello

Dec. 17

Southern Arkansas

Jan. 5

@ Valdosta State

Jan. 7

@ West Florida

Jan. 10

@ Sheppard Tech

Jan. 12

West Georgia

Jan. 14

West Alabama

Jan. 16

@ Univ. of New Orleans

Jan. 19

Alabama-Huntsville

Jan. 22

@ North Alabama

Jan. 28

@ Christian Brothers

Feb. 2

Valdosta State

Feb. 4

West Florida

Feb. 9

@ West Georgia

Feb. 11

@ West Alabama

Feb. 16

@ Alabama-Huntsville

Feb. 19

North Alabama

Feb. 23

Univ. of New Orleans

Feb. 25

Christian Brothers

Mar. 1-4

GSC Tourney

* Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Anchorage, AL

Marqueys Brown

Photo courtesy Delta State Sports Information

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 59

I

t was a season Delta State Statesmen Head Coach Jason Conner would like to forget. The 2010-11 hoops campaign for the Green and White was disappointing to say the least.

The team finished 15-13 with a 9-5 mark in the conference and suffered a one game ousting out of the Gulf South Conference Tournament at the hands of Valdosta State to end the season.

Conner, who is entering his sixth season had turmoil throughout the year with player suspensions and other disciplinary problems that seem to keep the tea m from reaching its full potential.

“We had some problems during the year and we had to make some tough decisions in order to get back to the kind of team we need to be for this year,” said Conner.

One change was letting assistant coach Brian Ellis go. In addition to Ellis moving on, Conner had to deal with several promising freshman players who decided to transfer.

Entering this season Conner and the Statesmen will hit the hardwood with one player, Marqueys Brown, who played the entire season. Rob Sikes played last season, but only for five minutes. His season ended when he tore his ACL. With all the changes Conner is optimistic about the character of the guys he has recruited along with Marcus Thomas, the team’s new assistant coach.

“This is a quality bunch of young men.

Coach Thomas is a good coach and a good man. He’s a family man and he understands what we want to do here to build this program with the right kind of players,” said Conner.

Thomas comes to Delta State from Marion Military Institute where he was the head men’s basketball coach. Thomas directed the Marion Military Institute Tigers, a member of the Alabama Community College Athletic Association, to a 56-56 overall record in his four seasons at the helm, including a 21-12 mark in his first season at MMI. His .500 winning percentage ranks No. 1 all-time among former head coaches while 22 players went on to play at four-year institutions after completing their time in his program.

Prior to taking over at MMI, Thomas served as an assistant coach at Millsaps College (2003-2006), Jackson State University (2002-2003) and Tougaloo College (20012002).

He also spent time as an assistant basketball coach while serving in the United States Army at Fort Bliss (Texas) and Fort Carson (Colorado). In all, Thomas spent four years coaching in the military.

BACKCOURT

To say that the Delta State backcourt is young is an understatement. Currently on the roster from the guard position are two sopho60 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

mores, a junior, senior and the This season Conner will enter the season with a guard corp. consisting of one junior, one sophomore and three freshman.

“Not only are all these guys new, but they are young. They have to learn our system and they have to learn each other. These guys have a lot to learn. Especially at the point guard position. Our offense had to have a heady point guard, who is tough,” said Conner.

Aaron Cooper (5-11, 170) is a sophomore guard that Conner is really excited about.

“Cooper is as quick as a hick-up and he is a mighty fine youngster. He really shoots the ball well and we will look to him to really run the show.”

Cooper will start at point guard for the Statesmen and play off the ball some as well.

Cooper transferred from Missouri State University where he played in 14 games as a true freshman last season. The Little Rock native played high school ball at North Pulaski High where he averaged 17 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game. He was a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

Cornell Knight (6-3, 180) is another sophomore guard who’s a junior college transfer from Marion Military Institute where he played under Coach Thomas. The Mobile, Ala. native will split time with Cooper, but will start at the shooting guard position.

“Cornell is more of a slasher. He will be exciting to watch,” Conner added.

Terry Leake (6-4, 220) is a junior college transfer junior. “He will be our big guard. He can really shoot it and is getting better with his handles. He can score inside and out. I think he’s really key to us for our success. A lot will be asked of him,” said Conner.

Conner looks at Leakes size as the biggest benefit for the team because he is able to guard on the perimeter and in the post.

2010-11 TEAM STATS TEAM STATISTICS................... DSU............OPP SCORING ......................................2121 ...............2093 Points per game .....................75.8 ............... 74.8 Scoring margin ........................+1.0 .................FIELD GOALS-ATT ....................750-1633 ........755-1717 Field goal pct .......................... .459 .............. .440 3 POINT FG-ATT ....................... 204-579 ........244-697 3-point FG pct ......................... .352 .............. .350 3-pt FG made per game ..........7.3 ................. 8.7 FREE THROWS-ATT ...................417-647 .........339-528 Free throw pct ........................ .645 .............. .642 F-Throws made per game ......14.9 ................12.1 REBOUNDS ................................. 1097 ..............1032 Rebounds per game ...............39.2 .............. 36.9 Rebounding margin .............. +2.3 .................ASSISTS ........................................403 ................392 Assists per game .....................14.4 ............... 14.0 TURNOVERS .................................420 ................391 Turnovers per game ...............15.0 ............... 14.0 Turnover margin .....................-1.0 ..................Assist/turnover ratio ................1.0 ................. 1.0 STEALS ..........................................191 .................209 Steals per game .......................6.8 .................7.5 BLOCKS ......................................... 87 ..................62 Blocks per game ......................3.1 ................. 2.2 ATTENDANCE .............................16090 .............8430 Home games-Avg/Game .... 15-1073 .......... 10-798 Neutral site-Avg/Game ............ - .................3-151 SCORE BY PERIODS:....... 1st........2nd OT Total.

Delta State...................... 1008........1085 28 2121.

Opponents.......................958..........1123 12 2093.

OT Total..

Total 28 2121..

2121 12 2093..2093

2011-12 ROSTER No. Name....................... Pos..... Ht........ Wt....... Yr................................... Hometown (Prev School)

5 11 12 13 14 21 22 23 24 31 32 33 34 41

Cornel Knight................. G........6-3.........180........So. ...................Mobile, Ala. Marion Military Institute Aaron Cooper................. G....... 5-11......... 170........So. ........... Little Rock, Ark. Missouri State University TJ Allen........................... G........6-3.........190.......R-Jr. .......... Ridgeland, Miss. Northeast Mississippi CC Caleb Miskelly................ G....... 6-2......... 185........ Fr. .........................................................Flowood, Miss. .

Arthur Jackson.............. G....... 6-2......... 185........ Fr. ............................................... West Memphis, Ark. .

Matt Allbritton.....................F.........6-5...........195...........Jr. ......... Garland, Texas Southwestern Assemblies of God Marqueys Brown........... C........ 6-9.........205........ Sr............................ Memphis, Tenn. Crichton College Terry Leake.....................F........ 6-4.........220.........Jr. .......................................................Memphis, Tenn. .

Lakendrick Allen.............F........ 6-6......... 212......... Sr.................Cleveland, Miss. Mississippi Valley State Lou Johnson................... G........6-1.........180........ Fr. .......................................................Memphis, Tenn. .

Sylvester Collins.............F........ 6-9.........205.........Jr. ...........................Madison, Miss. Tougaloo College Ryan Smith.....................F........ 6-5.........230.........Jr............... San Jose, Calif. New Mexica Military Inst.

Rob Sikes.........................F........ 6-8.........270...... R-Sr................................ Biloxi, Miss. UNC-Wilmington John Hudson...................F........ 6-8.........240.........Jr. .......................... Olive Branch, Miss. Northwest CC

COACH JASON CONNOR

Photo courtesy Delta State Sports Information

Freshman Caleb Miskelly (6-2, 185) is a guard from Madison Ridgeland Academy that Conner feels will be a really good guard one day in this program.

Miskelly was one of Mississippi’s top private school players last season. He lettered all four years for coach Richard Duease and was named 2011 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Miskelly led MRA to four-straight MAIS Championships (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). He scored over 1,000 points in his career.

Another freshman guard that Conner feels really good about is Arthur Jackson (6-2, 185). Jackson prepped at West Memphis High School under the direction of head coach Larry Bray where he played both guard positions. He was named All-Conference and is also stellar in the classroom, as he earned the Student Council Scholarship as well as the Principals Award.

“Arthur plays the point guard position very well, but struggles on the defensive end right now. He will get better, but that is holding him back some.”

FRONTCOURT

The Delta State frontcourt is easily the most experience on this level and in this offensive

and defensive system.

Marqueys Brown (6-9, 205) is a senior center from Memphis. Over the past two seasons Brown has captivated fans with his high flying skills that usually results in a thunderous slam dunk.

Last season Brown started to become more of a complete post player as he developed the skill of playing with his back to the basket.

This season Conner said Brown has added another dimension to his game, LEADERSHIP. “Marqueys is back and to date has been tremendous. He is a better basketball player than he has been. I’m so pleased with his effort and his coachability,” said Conner. He’s communicating with our defense and has been a leader on both ends of the floor and off the court as well. I can’t say enough how pleased I am with Marqueys.”

Last season Brown appeared in 28 games with 23 starts and averaged 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He shot 56-percent from the field on 98-of-175 shooting, blocked 53 shots and handed out 32 assists. Brown had a season-high of 20 points and nine rebounds at North Alabama and scored 19 points and grabbed eight boards at Arkansas-Monticello.

Brown delivered double-digit points in 18 games last season.

In his first season with the Statesmen,

Brown played in 27 games with 23 starts at center for Conner and the Statesmen. He averaged 11.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and had a career-high 26 points and nine rebounds at Southern Arkansas that season.

“We will depend on Marqueys a lot this season. He has been great so far helping the guys learn the system while at the same time improving his own game. This has the potential to be a really big year for Marqueys,” Conner explained.

The other player with experience with Conner is Rob Sikes (6-8, 270). Sikes Played in one game before suffering a season-ending knee injury in which he received a medical redshirt. Although he only played a few minutes last season, he played well.

“Big Rob has been working really hard rehabbing his knee and is looking good. That five minute window before he blew out his everyone got to see just how good he can be.

He scored six points had a few boards for us and was a presence inside,” Conner said. He has really good hands and can really score the basketball inside. He has to work on playing defense with his feet and not his hands because we are really concerned with foul trouble with him,” he added.

Ryan Smith (6-5, 230) is a junior from New Mexica Military Institute. The San Jose, California native played in 52 games at NMMI under the direction of coach Sean Schooley.

He averaged 6.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2009-10. Last season he improved scoring 8.8 points and grabbing 9.0 rebounds per game.

Smith will play the power forward and some center for the Statesmen.

“We need him to be more aggressive offensively, but I think he’s going to be really good for this team. He’s a guy that will show up everyday and just a guy you can count on day-in and day-out,” said Conner.

Conner will also expect big things from former East Side High standout Lakendrick Allen (6-6, 212). Allen Played one season for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. He saw action in nine games during the 20092010 season. He also lettered in track and field and tennis at MVSU. Allen also played two seasons for coach Derrick Fears at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead.

He started both seasons at guard/foward and averaged 11.5 points per game.

Delta State will tip-off the season on November 8 at Mississippi Valley State. The Statesmen will return to action on November 15 when they host Sheppard Tech University.

The Statesmen will then take a three game Arkansas road trip to Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State and Arkansas Monticello before returning home for a two game home stand against Ouachita on November 26 and Henderson on November 28. - MSM

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 61

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

BY DAVID NICHOLS, MISS. COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

CHOCTAWS

SCHEDULE Nov. 13

@ Louisiana Tech (Exh.)

Nov. 26

@ Texas Lutheran

Nov. 28

@ Schreiner

Dec. 1

Sul Ross State

Dec. 3

Howard Payne

Dec. 6

Louisiana College

Dec. 15

@ Mary-Hardin Baylor

Dec. 17

@ Concordia (TX)

Dec. 29-30 Belhaven Classic Jan. 5

McMurry

Jan. 7

Hardin-Simons

Jan. 9

@ Louisiana College

Jan. 12

@ Centenary

Jan. 14

@ E. Texas Baptist

Jan. 19

Texas-Dallas

Jan. 21

Ozarks

Jan. 26

@ LeTourneau

Jan. 28

@ Texas-Tyler

Feb. 2

LeTourneau

Feb. 4

Texas-Tyler

Feb. 9

@ Texas-Dallas

Feb. 11

@ Ozarks

Feb. 16

Centenary

Feb. 18

E. Texas Baptist

Feb. 24-26 ASC Tourney CHAD JONES

62 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

2010-11 TEAM STATS TEAM STATISTICS.................... MC.............OPP SCORING ......................................1901 ............... 1853 Points per game ..................... 73.1 ................71.3 Scoring margin ........................+1.8 ..................FIELD GOALS-ATT ....................662-1465 ...... 636-1536 Field goal pct .......................... .452 .............. .414 3 POINT FG-ATT ........................128-390 ........ 177-520 3-point FG pct ......................... .328 .............. .340 3-pt FG made per game ......... 4.9 ................6.8 FREE THROWS-ATT ..................449-688 ........404-599 Free throw pct ........................ .653 .............. .674 F-Throws made per game ...... 17.3 ................15.5 REBOUNDS ..................................1001 ...............936 Rebounds per game ...............38.5 ...............36.0 Rebounding margin .............. +2.5 .................ASSISTS ........................................ 353 ................324 Assists per game .....................13.6 ................12.5 TURNOVERS .................................449 ................427 Turnovers per game ............... 17.3 ............... 16.4 Turnover margin .....................-0.8 .................Assist/turnover ratio ............... 0.8 ................0.8 STEALS ......................................... 210 ................221 Steals per game .......................8.1 ................. 8.5 BLOCKS .........................................92 ..................61 Blocks per game ......................3.5 ................. 2.3 ATTENDANCE ..............................8286 ..............5200 Home games-Avg/Game .... 12-690 ...........12-378 Neutral site-Avg/Game ............ - .................2-331

MARLON ESTER

H

ead coach Don Lofton found himself in a familiar position at the end of the 2010-11 season as his team advanced to their 13th American Southwest Conference Tournament in the 13 years it has been in existence. However, the Choctaws took an unfamiliar path, not clinching a berth into the playoffs until the final day of the regular season.

The Mississippi College men’s basketball team has enjoyed a run of success that programs in all divisions would envy with six ASC Tournament Championships and trips to the title game in 10 of 13 seasons. The Choctaws had to have a different mindset as they stepped on the court against rival Louisiana College in a loser-goes-home game at the “Golden Dome”. The Choctaws pulled away late and advanced to the ASC Tournament as the #4 seed from the East Division.

Coming into the 2011-12 season, the Choctaws have a strong nucleus of players returning, but they will have to replace their top offensive player and the general of the offense. Ken Black led MC in scoring and tallied double-figures in all but one game last season. Point guard Kelvin Lester departed after starting a majority of the games over his junior and senior seasons.

Score by periods ............. 1st .......2nd Total .Total Mississippi College .............. 906 ........995 1901 Opponents ............................847 ........1006 1853 .1853 2011-12 ROSTER No. Name........................ Pos........ Ht....... Wt........Yr....................................Hometown (Prev School) 0 Kyle Gilbert..........................F........... 6’5”........235.......Fr.-HS.............................................Jonesboro, La. (Weston) 1 Trevon Malone....................F........... 6’7”........215.......Sr.-Tr..............Memphis, Tenn. (Ridgeway/Tuskegee Univ.)

2 Russell Diggs.......................G........... 6’4”........185.......So.-Tr.....Baton Rouge, La. (Central/Southern-Shreveport) 3 Wil Hayden..........................G...........5’10”.......160....... Jr.-Tr.................Taylorsville, Miss. (Taylorsville/Holmes CC) 4 Brandon Blake.....................G........... 6’3”....... 203.......So.-Tr...............................Oxford, Miss. (Oxford/Spring Hill) 5 Marlon Ester.........................G...........6’0”........170....... Sr.-1L...............Vicksburg, Miss. (Warren Central/Hinds CC) 7 Paterion Jackson.................G........... 6’2”........185.......So.-Tr..............Bernice, La. (Summerfield/Ranger College) 8 Gerrnero Trussell.................G........... 5’9”........150.......Fr.-HS.......................................................Terry, Miss. (Terry) 10 Jesse Taylor..........................G........... 6’2”........194....... Jr.-Tr.......... Ooltewah, Tenn. (McCallie/Cleveland State CC) 11 BlakeClark............................G...........6’0”........170.......Fr.-HS....................................Benton, Ky. (Marshall County) 12 Dezmon Fuller.....................G...........5’10”.......175....... Jr.-Tr....... Summerfield, La. (Summerfield/Southwest MS) 13 Christian King......................G........... 5’8”........145....... Jr.-Tr.............Meridian, Miss. (Meridian/Univ. of Dubuque) 14 Greg Pulliam........................G........... 6’3”........180....... Sr.-1L.................... Houston, Miss. (Houston/Itawamba CC) 15 Cameron Rodriguez............G...........5’11”........185.......Fr.-HS................................ Rincon, Ga. (Effingham County) 16 Will Tabor.............................G...........5’11”........170.......Fr.-HS...........................................Florence, Miss. (Florence) 17 T.J. Ward...............................G........... 6’2”........170.......Fr.-HS.................................. Jackson, Miss. (Bailey Magnet) 19 Bernie Sharkey....................G........... 6’3”........195.......Fr.-HS....................................... Baton Rouge, La. (Runnels) 20 Reggie Davis........................G...........6’0”........185.......Fr.-HS...................................................Mobile, Ala. (Blount) 21 Caleb Vaughn......................G........... 6’2”........175.......So.-1L.............................Moss Point, Miss. (East Central HS) 22 Connor Neuman..................G........... 6’2”........175.......So.-1L............................Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood) 23 Taylor Fletcher.....................F........... 6’5”....... 205.......Fr.-HS......................Denham Springs, La. (Central Private) 24 Chad Jones...........................F........... 6’6”........215....... Sr.-1L......................... Amite, La. (Amite/Southwest MS CC) 25 Calvin Johnson....................G........... 6’4”........170.......So.-Tr.................. Canton, Miss. (Ridgeland/Pearl River CC) 30 Curtis Bailey.........................G...........6’0”........180....... Jr.-Tr........................Jackson, Miss. (CM&I Prep/Holmes CC) 31 Micah McNally......................F........... 6’5”........195........Jr.-1L............................ Long Beach, Miss. (Long Beach HS) 32 Terencio Powell...................F........... 6’4”....... 230....... Jr.-Tr...........................Terry, Miss. (Terry/Southwest MS CC) 34 Josh Lancaster.....................G........... 6’2”........175.......So.-1L........................................... Olive Branch, Miss. (SBEC) 35 Eugene Thomas...................G...........6’0”........170......So.-HS...............................................Byram, Miss. (Terry HS) 40 Devin Millis...........................F........... 6’5”........180.......Fr.-HS.............................Mendenhall, Miss. (Simpson Aca.) 44 Adam Smith.........................F........... 6’5”........210....... Jr.-Tr................................ Jackson, Miss. (Murrah/Hinds CC) MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 63

The Choctaws have been predicted to finish second in the ASC East Division. With three starters returning, including an All-ASC selection, to go along with yet another strong recruiting class, the Choctaws will look to get back to the ASC Championship Game for the first time since 2009 and earn their first title since 2007.

BACKCOURT

With the loss of an experienced leader in Lester from last season, the Choctaws will need someone else to step up and take the reins of the efficient offense. In steps returning guard, Marlon Ester (6-0, 170), who will be making the move from the wing position to the floor general. The former Mississippi JUCO All-Star averaged six assists per contest while at Hinds Community College and should make an easy transition to the position. His shooting touch should also challenge the opponent’s defense after nailing 35% of his three-pointers last season.

Pushing Ester for the starting job will be Holmes CC transfer Curtis Bailey (6-0, 180), who averaged over 15 points and three assists per contest. Bailey was a Second Team All-State selection and earned a trip to the MACJC All-Star Game. Fellow Holmes transfer Wil Hayden (5-10, 160) will give the Choctaws another experienced option at the position. Hayden is a shooter that could use his versatility to move to the wing.

Not only do the Choctaws have a tenured group of point guards, but the future looks bright at the position with the arrival of two freshmen in Blake Clark (6-0, 170) and Reggie Davis (6-0, 185). Clark was a First Team All-Region selection at Marshall County High School and was named to the All-Tournament teams for the District, Region, and State Tournaments. Davis is a young player that has the potential to make a huge impact on the Choctaw program.

The lone returning All-ASC player for the Choctaws returns on the outside as senior Greg Pulliam (6-3, 180) comes back for his final season. The Houston, MS native earned an Honorable Mention selection after averaging 11.0 points per game and finishing in the top 10 in the league in three-point percentage (.394). Pulliam brings a smooth game to the floor, and his sneaky slashing ability gives defenses fits. He will be charged with leading the new group of wings.

Stepping up to take the other outside position is MC’s top recruit in Brandon Blake (6-3, 203) from Oxford, MS. Blake is an explosive player that brings an excellent rebounding presence to the wings. His athleticism allows him to make explosive plays and opens up good looks for his teammates on the floor. Blake was an All-State performer at Oxford High and averaged 21 points per game.

Junior Jesse Taylor (6-2, 194) will see his 64 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

first action as a Choctaw this season after missing all of last year with an injury. The upside is that Taylor had a season to learn the offense and the culture of the successful program. The Ooltewah, TN native is an excellent shooter that brings leadership to a young group of Choctaws. While Pulliam and Blake will be slashing wings, Taylor will keep the defense honest from the outside.

Three young players will give the Choctaws depth on the outside with sophomores Caleb Vaughn (6-2, 175), Connor Neuman (6-1, 175), and Calvin Johnson (6-4, 170). Vaughn saw some action last season and has shown great strides in the preseason. Neuman is an excellent shooter that could be used long-range situations this season. Johnson transferred from Pearl River CC and has a lot of length on the wing.

FRONTCOURT

The most athletic returning Choctaw will come in the form of the lengthy post player Chad Jones (6-6, 215), who came on strong as the season progressed last season. Jones will have to fill the large shoes left behind by last year’s leading scorer Ken Black. The Southwest MS CC transfer averaged eight points and five rebounds per game last season while leading the team with a .583 field goal percentage. His capability for the explosive game was shown last season against Louisiana College when he scored 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

Joining Jones on the post will be the much anticipated arrival of Trevon Malone (67, 215) after spending the last two seasons gaining knowledge of the MC basketball approach. The Memphis, TN native averaged eight points and nine rebounds per game at Tuskegee University before making the move to the Choctaws. Malone is a very coachable player that never stops competing. The fact that he has spent the last two seasons with the team will give him an advantage heading into the early part of the season.

Giving Jones and Malone a run for their money will be Hinds CC transfer Adam Smith (6-5, 210). The former Murrah High standout has a motor that never stops and will give the Choctaws a high energy level on the floor. Smith gives the Choctaws some clout on the inside to complement the length and athleticism of Chad and Trevon.

Junior Micah McNally (6-5, 195) showed some major improvements in his first season as a Choctaw and will look for an injury-free

GREG PULLIAM

year to contribute down low. The Long Beach, MS native saw action in five games prior to the Christmas break, but an injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. MC will also have a young player looking to contribute in freshman Taylor Fletcher from Denham Springs, LA. Fletcher averaged a triple-double at Central Private School and earned a trip to the State All-Star Game.

OUTLOOK

The Choctaws will open their season with an exhibition game at Louisiana Tech on November 13th in Ruston. Following the preseason game against the Bulldogs, MC will jump directly into conference play with a road trip to Schreiner and Texas Lutheran at the end of November. The Choctaws will play their only non-conference games of the year in the Belhaven Classic on December 29th and 30th.

The Choctaws will open 2012 with home games against McMurry and Hardin-Simmons, who were picked to finish first and third in the ASC West Division. The first games against the East Division will be against Louisiana College with games against the Wildcats on December 6th and January 9th.

The West Division championship will host the ASC Tournament following the regular season on February 24th-26th.

The Choctaws will look to advance to their 14th ASC Tournament in 14 tries as they open the 2011-12 season. Three solid returners to go along with an excellent recruiting class could push the Choctaws back to where they are accustomed to going, and that is the NCAA Tournament. - MSM

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

millsaps college

BY MILLSAPS SPORTS INFORMATION

SCHEDULE Nov. 15

@ Pensacola Christian

Nov. 18

@ Rose-Hulman

Nov. 27

@ Milikin University

Dec. 1

Centre College

Dec. 4

Univ. of the South

Dec. 15

Covenant College (Ga.)

Dec. 16

@ LaGrange College

Dec. 29-30 Belhaven Holiday Tourney Jan. 2

@ Rhodes College

Jan. 6

@ Birmingham-Southern

Jan. 8

@ Oglethorpe

Jan. 13

@ Austin College

Jan. 15

@ Univ. of Dallas

Jan. 20

@ Colorado College

Jan. 22

Hendrix College

Jan. 27

@ Southwestern Univ.

Jan. 29

@ Trinity (San Antonio)

Feb. 3

Birmingham Southern

Feb. 5

Oglethorpe Univ.

Feb. 11

Rhodes College

Feb. 17

@ Centre College

Feb. 18

@ Univ. of the South

court, this season. The Majors lost valuable experience last spring with the graduation of the program’s lone senior L.V. Sumler, who led the team in rebounding, steals and minutes played. Sumler was also third on the team in points and second in assists. Despite this loss the Majors return tremendous experience especially in the backcourt where one senior starter in Brian Merkel and are joined by three talented veteran juniors in Cortese, Taylor Meades and Tim White.

BACKCOURT The backcourt will be key to the Majors success this season as the team will lean on the leadership, experience and talent of these upperclassmen. Cortese finished last season as the Majors leading scorer with 12.1 points per game, while also being second on the team totaling 34 steals, playing in 24 of the Majors 25 games.

Alongside Cortese in the backcourt will be Merkel, the only returning player to have started all 25 games for the Majors a season ago. Merkel led the team last season with 74 total assists, 2.96 per game, and finished fourth in points with 7.4 per game. Taylor Meades led the team in number of three point shots made, 51, and second on the team with 11 points per game, looks to expand his offensive role this season, as the Majors will look to utilize the strength of their backcourt players. Another junior looking to help fill the void left in the scoring and rebounding department is Tim White. White was second on the team in rebounding a season ago with 3.5 rebounds per game, 88 total, and third with seven blocks. Sophomore Tully Gilligan also returns from the bench at point guard as he checks in for Merkel.

Feb. 24-26 SCAC Tourney

T

he Millsaps Majors Men’s Basketball program fell one game short of a conference postseason birth a seeason ago and look to turn things around in 2011-2012. The Majors are led by Head Coach Tim Wise who enters his eight season.

The team will rely heavily on the poise and experience of a veteran backcourt, as well as development from a young front-

FRONTCOURT The frontcourt for the Majors is led by much more youth and less experience that the backcourt as the top three returning players in terms of minutes played are all sophomores, Kyle Kinnear, Jayson Montgomery and Jeremy McLemore. The Majors do have some returning experience with senior forward Jeff Brown coming off the bench. Kinnear finished second on the team with nine blocks in limited minutes as a freshman.

MAJORS SCHEDULE The Majors will open the season on November 15th in Pensacola, Fla. against Pensacola Christian. The Majors start conference play early this season with a December 2nd date with Centre College in Jackson. Two days later on December 4th the Majors face Sewanee, also in Jackson, before suspending conference play until January, making their first conference road trip to Rhodes College on January 2nd. The Majors then do not return home again until a meeting with Colorado College on January 20th, a span of five conference road games. - MSM

2010-11 TEAM STATS TEAM STATISTICS....................MILL............OPP SCORING.......................................1459............... 1561 Points per game......................58.4...............62.4 Scoring margin..........................-4.1..................FIELD GOALS-ATT......................501-1357.........555-1283 Field goal pct.............................369............... .433 3 POINT FG-ATT........................ 172-564......... 176-532 3-point FG pct............................305.................331 3-pt FG made per game...........6.9................. 7.0 FREE THROWS-ATT...................285-444........ 275-387 Free throw pct...........................642.................711 F-Throws made per game........11.4................11.0 REBOUNDS...................................823................887 Rebounds per game................ 32.9............... 35.5 Rebounding margin................ -2.6..................ASSISTS.........................................240................285 Assists per game.......................9.6.................11.4 TURNOVERS..................................310.................363 Turnovers per game................ 12.4................14.5 Turnover margin...................... +2.1..................Assist/turnover ratio.................0.8.................0.8 STEALS..........................................187................. 141 Steals per game.........................7.5................. 5.6 BLOCKS..........................................49..................60 Blocks per game.......................2.0.................2.4 ATTENDANCE.............................. 4098.............. 2178 Home games-Avg/Game...... 14-293............11-198 Neutral site-Avg/Game..............-...................0-0 Score by periods .......1st ....2nd....OT....OT2 .Total Millsaps ........................ 677 .....749 ..... 22...... 11... 1459 Opponents ................... 768 .....770 ......14.......9....1561 MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 65

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY

BY KIRK McDONNELL BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SCHEDULE Nov. 1

Blue Mountain College

Nov. 5

Union University

Nov. 8

@ Selma College

Nov. 11

LSU-Shreveport

Nov. 12

Tougaloo

Nov. 18

@ Emmanuel College

Nov. 19

Southern Polytechnic

Nov. 22

Shepherd Tech

Nov. 29

Union Univ. (Tenn.)

Dec. 2-3

Tougaloo Classic

Dec. 16

Southern Wesleyan

Dec. 17

Truett-McConnell

Dec. 27

@ Southern Miss (Exh.)

Dec. 29-30 Magnolia Classic Jan. 6

@ Shorter College (Ga.)

Jan. 7

@ Lee University

Jan. 12

Auburn-Montgomery

Jan. 14

@ Univ. of Mobile

Jan. 19

William Carey

Jan. 21

Loyola Univ. (La.)

Jan. 26

@ Faulkner Univ. (Ala.)

Jan. 28

Spring Hill College (Ala.)

Jan. 31

Selma University

Feb. 4

@ Auburn-Montgomery

Feb. 9

Univ. of Mobile (Ala.)

Feb. 11

@ William Carey

Feb. 16

@ Loyola Univ. (La.)

Feb. 18

Faulkner Univ. (Ala.)

Feb. 23

@ Spring Hill College (Ala.)

Feb. 29-Mar. 3 SSAC Toruney

66 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

DARYL ARNOLD

BLAZERS

2010-11 TEAM STATS

BRITTION SMITH

T

he Belhaven men’s basketball team is gearing up for what should be an exciting 2011-12 season. The Blazers coaching staff worked hard in the offseason signing some outstanding recruits that they believe will help the program turn the corner this year. Belhaven finished 2010-11 with an overall record of 16-15 and 6-6 in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The Blazers were third in the final SSAC West Division standings as they adjusted to their new surroundings in the SSAC which is one of the toughest conferences in the country. Belhaven made the NAIA Division I National Tournament in 2009-10 and hope to make the trek back to Kansas City, MO this season.

FRONTCOURT

Belhaven will return a trio of front court players from last season’s team who will be key components in 2011-12. Brittion Smith, a 6’6 senior forward from Atlanta, GA, played in all 31 games last season for Belhaven and was a key contributor on offense scoring 9.2 points per game. He also averaged 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.4 steals. Smith knocked down 48 percent of his field goal opportunities in 2010-11. Smith should play a big role in the

offense and defense this season.

Daryl Arnold, also a 6’6 senior forward from Jackson, MS, was limited to 17 games due to an injury, but performed very well for the Blazers. In those 17 games, he averaged 10.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per

TEAM STATISTICS.................... BU.............OPP SCORING ..................................... 2291 ..............2296 Points per game .....................73.9 ................74.1 Scoring margin ........................-0.2 .................FIELD GOALS-ATT ....................820-1871 ........841-1922 Field goal pct .......................... .438 .............. .438 3 POINT FG-ATT ....................... 145-506 .........167-523 3-point FG pct ......................... .287 .............. .319 3-pt FG made per game ..........4.7 ................ 5.4 FREE THROWS-ATT .................. 504-769 ........ 447-747 Free throw pct ........................ .655 .............. .598 F-Throws made per game ......16.3 ............... 14.4 REBOUNDS ..................................1228 .............. 1166 Rebounds per game ...............39.6 ...............37.6 Rebounding margin .............. +2.0 .................ASSISTS ........................................403 ................449 Assists per game .....................13.0 ................14.5 TURNOVERS .................................554 ................518 Turnovers per game ............... 17.9 ................16.7 Turnover margin .....................-1.2 ..................Assist/turnover ratio ................0.7 ................0.9 STEALS ..........................................271 ................233 Steals per game .......................8.7 ..................7.5 BLOCKS ........................................ 108 ................ 101 Blocks per game ......................3.5 ................. 3.3 ATTENDANCE .............................. 4765 ..............4422 Home games-Avg/Game .....13-367 ...........14-250 Neutral site-Avg/Game ............ - ................4-232 SCORE BY PERIODS:....... 1st........2nd OT Total.

Belhaven......................... 1038.........1225 28 2291.

Opponents.......................1087......... 1174 35 2296.

OT Total..

Total 28 2291..

2291 35 2296..2296

2011-12 ROSTER No. 0 1 2 3 4 5 10 11 12 15 21 22 23 24 25 30 32 34 35 42 45

Name........................ Pos........ Ht...................Yr....................................Hometown (Prev School) Jerrial Dawson ...................G ........... 6-1 .......................FR ...................................................................Jackson, MS Daryl Arnold ......................F ...........6-6 ......................SR ...................................................................Jackson, MS Michael Halford .................G ........... 6-1 .......................JR ..................................................................Madison, MS Chris Cofield .......................G ........... 6-1 .......................SO ....................................................................Omaha, NE Jordan Butts .......................G............ 6-1 .......................JR ...............................................................Covington, GA Andrew Marshall ...............F ...........6-5 ......................JR ..............................................................Moss Point, MS Luke Rogers .......................F ...........6-4 ......................SO......................................................................... England Ryan Moody .......................G............ 6-1 .......................RF ...........................................................Montgomery, AL Wade Scioneaux ................G .......... 5-10 ......................RF ................................................................Grand Isle, LA Chandler Cooper ................G .......... 5-10 ......................FR ...........................................................Olive Branch, MS Reinis Ozolins .....................G ...........6-4 ......................RF .............................................................................Latvia Terence Stringfellow ........ F/C .........6-9 ......................JR .................................................................Memphis, TN Brandon Wilson .................F ...........6-7 .......................SR ................................................................... Rayville, LA Woodie Howard ..............G/F .........6-3 .......................SR ................................................................ Starkville, MS Avery Summers ............... F/C ..........6-7 .......................RF ...................................................................Jackson, MS Stephan Collins ..................F ...........6-5 ......................JR ................................................................Pine Bluff, AR Andrew Forester ................F ...........6-3 .......................FR ...................................................................Jackson, MS Ed Willcoxon ......................G ...........6-3 .......................FR ...........................................................Montgomery, AL Brittion Smith ....................F ...........6-6 ......................SR ....................................................................Atlanta, GA Datodrick Pinkston ............G ...........6-0 ......................FR ......................................................................Forest, MS Mark Hampton ................. F/C ..........6-5 ......................FR .................................................................Memphis, TN MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 67

night. He should see a lot of playing time in 2011-12. Junior Terence Stringfellow will see an increased role in the Belhaven game plan this season. Stringfellow, a 6’9 center who hails from Memphis, TN, is entering his third season at Belhaven having played in 13 games as a freshman and 20 games as a sophomore in 2010-11.

Belhaven added three new front court players that should come in and make an immediate impact. Brandon Wilson, a 6’6 senior forward from Rayville, LA, is a transfer from Grambling State University and was a two year starter at Jones County Community College where he was an NJCAA All-American.

He was originally a signee for Ole Miss out of high school. Wilson is very explosive, has a 7’3” wing span and can really impact the game in all facets. Not only is he a high level scorer, he has a great knack for seeing the floor and sharing the ball. Wilson will be expected to step in and play significant minutes immediately and will have a chance to be one of the top players in the SSAC and potentially nationally.

Andrew Marshall, a 6’5 junior forward from Moss Point, MS, comes in from Jones County Community College where he excelled at rebounding the ball and getting out and running in their full court system. He played behind two All-Americans while at Jones and is more than capable of being an All-Conference type performer for Belhaven.

He is very explosive around the rim, blocks shots, and should be one of the top rebounders this season.

Freshman forward Ed Willcoxon is another new addition the Belhaven coaches are excited to see on the floor and could see time this season. Willcoxon is a strong wing player out of Trinity Presbyterian High School in Montgomery. He has great size and strength for a freshman and has proven to be one of the hardest working players so far this fall.

He also shows an ability to shoot from three point range and if he can become a consistent

three point threat, he should be able to provide a spark off of the bench this season.

the team’s more consistent ball handlers and shooters throughout the season.

BACKCOURT

OVERVIEW

When it comes to the backcourt, Belhaven will have to replace the production of Rob Wallace who averaged 19.6 points per game last season. One of those players could be Woodie Howard, a senior guard from Starkville, MS, who returns to Belhaven for the 2011-12 season after not playing for the Blazers a season ago. Howard’s first stint in the Green and Gold was in 2009-10 when he averaged 9.8 points per game and knocked down 45.6 percent of his field goal opportunities. Howard was also active on the boards that year averaging 5.1 rebounds per outing.

Sophomore guard Chris Cofield, who stands at 6’1 and hails from Omaha, NE, played in 29 games last year and averaged 2.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per night and will have an opportunity to make an impact in the back court this year.

New to the team at the guard positions in 2011-12 are Jordan Butts and Michael Halford. The Blazers feel like these two transfers are keys to a successful season. Butts, a 6’0 junior point guard from Covington, GA, played for Alabama Southern Community College where he helped the Eagles compile a record of 50-14 in his two seasons. He is a strong guard that really knows how to play the game on both ends of the floor. He will be a defensive leader for the team and his ability to run the offense and set the tone defensively will be keys for the Blazers this season.

Halford, a 6’1 junior shooting guard from Madison, MS, is a transfer from Ole Miss and starred locally at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School where he averaged 24 points per game and was named First Team All-County and All-Metro as a senior. Halford can really handle the ball and knows how to score. He sat out last year and is coming off of a knee injury so he will have some rust to work off. The Blazer coaching staff expects him to be one of

Belhaven’s roster is loaded with talent and if the pieces fall into place could make a run at the SSAC title. “Our seniors will have to perform very well and be great leaders especially early in the season,” says Belhaven Head Coach Tom Kelsey. “We have a good nucleus of underclassmen that have prepared themselves to take on bigger roles this season. After losing three seniors, three of which started, we will have an adjustment period as some young guys get ready to play more meaningful minutes.”

Belhaven is excited about the athleticism especially at the wing positions. “We have a very athletic group and our strength will be our wing players and the pressure they can apply defensively,” adds Kelsey. “We have a chance to be a really good rebounding team with the senior wings that we have returning and all of them have a great knack for rebounding the ball and are aggressive going to get it.”

Belhaven will embark on its second season in the rugged Southern States Athletic Conference. The Blazers will once again be in the West Division with two games against each of their divisional opponents. New this year is cross over play which pits Belhaven against six of the seven East Division schools with the games counting in the divisional standings. Belhaven’s schedule will also be full of tough non-conference opponents including LSU-Shreveport, Tougaloo College, Martin Methodist College (TN), and Union University (TN). Belhaven will also host the Magnolia Classic tournament on December 29th and 30th which features Rust College, Mississippi College, and Millsaps College.

The Blazers will open the 2011-12 regular season at home on November 1st when they entertain Blue Mountain College in Rugg Arena beginning at 7:30 PM. - MSM

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MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 69

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

SEC WEST SCHEDULE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Nov. 7................. Alabama-Huntsville Nov. 11............... North Florida Nov. 14............... Oakland Nov. 17............... Maryland* Nov. 18............... Colorado/Wichita St.* Nov. 20 .............. TBD* Nov. 23............... Alabama A&M Nov. 27............... VA. Commonwealth Dec. 1................. Georgetown Dec. 7................. @ Dayton Dec. 11............... Detroit Dec. 17............... @ Kansas State** Dec. 21............... Oklahoma State Dec. 29............... Jacksonville Jan. 3.................. @ Georgia Tech Jan. 7.................. @ Georgia Jan. 11................ LSU Jan. 14................ @ Miss. State Jan. 19................ Vanderbilt Jan. 21................ @ Kentucky Jan. 25................ @ South Carolina Jan. 28................ Arkansas Feb. 4.................. Ole Miss Feb. 7.................. @ Auburn Feb. 11................ @ LSU Feb. 14................ Florida Feb. 18................ Tennessee Feb. 23................ @ Arkansas Feb. 25................ Miss. State Feb. 29................ Auburn Mar. 3................. @ Ole Miss Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# * Puerto Rico Tip-Off, ** Kanasas City # New Orleans

LSU TIGERS

ARKANSAS RAZORBACK

Nov. 11............... USC-Upstate Nov. 16............... Oakland Nov. 18............... Houston Nov. 22............... Utah Valley Nov. 26............... Grambling State Nov. 30............... Miss. Valley State Dec. 3................. @ UCONN Dec. 10............... @ Oklahoma Dec. 17............... Southeastern Louisiana Dec. 20............... Eastern Kentucky Dec. 22............... Louisiana Tech Dec. 28............... UNC-Charlotte Dec. 30............... Texas Southern Jan. 3.................. Savannah State Jan. 7.................. Miss. State Jan. 11................ @ Ole Miss Jan. 14................ LSU Jan. 17................ @ Kentucky Jan. 21................ Michigan Jan. 25................ Auburn Jan. 28................ @ Alabama Jan. 31................ Vanderbilt Feb. 4.................. @ LSU Feb. 8.................. @ Georgia Feb. 11................ South Carolina Feb. 15................ @ Tennessee Feb. 18................ Florida Feb. 23................ Alabama Feb. 25................ @ Auburn Feb. 28................ Ole Miss Mar. 3................. @ Miss. State Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# # New Orleans

* SEC-Big East Challenge, # New Orleans

ole Miss rebels

Nov. 12............... Nichols State Nov. 15............... Coastal Carolina Nov. 17............... Northwestern State Nov. 18............... Tulsa OR Western Carolina* Nov. 20............... TBD @ Charleston S.C.* Nov. 23............... South Alabama Nov. 29............... @ Houston Dec. 3................. Rutgers** Dec. 10............... Boise State Dec. 15............... UC Irvine Dec. 19............... Marquette Dec. 22............... @ North Texas Dec. 29............... Grambling Jan. 2.................. Virginia Jan. 7.................. Ole Miss Jan. 11................ @ Alabama Jan. 14................ @ Arkansas Jan. 17................ Auburn Jan. 21................ @ Florida Jan. 25................ @ Miss. State Jan. 28................ Kentucky Feb. 4.................. Arkansas Feb. 8.................. @ Vanderbilt Feb. 11................ Alabama Feb. 14................ Miss. State Feb. 18................ @ South Carolina Feb. 22................ Georgia Feb. 25................ @ Ole Miss Feb. 29................ Tennessee Mar. 3................. @ Auburn Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney#

Nov. 3................. North Alabama Nov. 11............... Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 14............... Grambling State Nov. 18............... Drake University* Nov. 19............... Marquette/Winthrop* Nov. 20............... Marquette/WInthrop* Nov. 21............... TBD* Nov. 25............... Miami Dec. 1................. @ DePaul Dec. 4................. @ Penn State Dec. 10............... Mississippi Valley St. Dec. 14............... Louisina-Lafayette Dec. 17............... @ Southern Miss Dec. 21............... Middle Tennessee Dec. 30............... @ Dayton, OH Jan. 3.................. SMU Jan. 7.................. @ LSU Jan. 11................ Arkansas Jan. 14................ @ Auburn Jan. 18................ Miss. State Jan. 21................ @ Georgia Jan. 26................ Florida Jan. 28................ South Carolina Feb. 4.................. @ Alabama Feb. 9.................. @ Miss. State Feb. 11................ Auburn Feb. 16................ Vanderbilt Feb. 18................ @ Kentucky Feb. 22................ @ Tennessee Feb. 25................ LSU Feb. 28................ @ Arkansas Mar. 3................. Alabama Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney#

* Puerto Rico Tip-Off, ** Kanasas City # New Orleans

* Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, ** Big East/SEC Challenge

70 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

Auburn tigers

Nov. 1............. Paine College Nov. 5............. Victory College Nov. 11........... McNeese State Nov. 14........... Kennesaw State Nov. 25........... Nichols State Nov. 28........... Arkansas-Pine Bluff Dec. 2............. @ Seton Hall* Dec. 14........... South Florida Dec. 17........... North Florida Dec. 19........... Florida A&M Dec. 22........... @ Hawaii** Dec. 23........... Xavier/Long Beach St.** Dec. 25.......... Kansas St./Clemson/UTEP/SIU** Dec. 30.......... Georgia Southern Jan. 2............. Bethune Cookman Jan. 4............. @ Florida State Jan. 7............. @ Vanderbilt Jan. 11........... Kentucky Jan. 14........... Ole Miss Jan. 17........... @ LSU Jan. 21........... South Carolina Jan. 25........... @ Arkansas Jan. 28........... @ Tennessee Feb. 2............. Georgia Feb. 4............. @ Miss. State Feb. 7............. Alabama Feb. 11........... @ Ole Miss Feb. 18........... Miss. State Feb. 21........... @ Florida Feb. 25........... Arkansas Feb 29............ @ Alabama Mar. 3............. LSU Mar. 8-12....... SEC Tourney#

# New Orleans

Mississippi state bulldogs

Nov. 7................. Eastern Kentucky* Nov. 9................. Akron* Nov. 12............... South Alabama Nov. 17............... Texas A&M** Nov. 18............... St. John’s/Arizona** Nov. 21............... Louisiana Monroe Nov. 25............... Tennessee-Martin Nov. 27............... North Texas Dec. 3................. West Virginia# Dec. 10............... Troy State Dec. 13............... Florida Atlantic Dec. 17............... @ Detroit Mercy Dec. 22............... Northwestern State & Dec. 28............... @ Baylor % Dec. 31............... Utah State Jan. 7.................. @ Arkansas Jan. 12................ Tennessee Jan. 14................ Alabama Jan. 18................ @ Ole Miss Jan. 21................ @ Vanderbilt Jan. 25................ LSU Jan. 28................ @ Florida Feb. 4.................. Auburn Feb. 9.................. Ole Miss Feb. 11................ Georgia Feb. 14................ @ LSU Feb. 18................ @ Auburn Feb 21................ Kentucky Feb. 25................ @ Alabama Feb. 29................ @ South Carolina Mar. 3................. Arkansas Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney#

* 2K Classic Opeing Rounds, ** 2K Classic - Madison Square Garden, # SEC/Big East Challenge, & Jackson (Mississippi Coliseum)

>>> MSM | 2011-12 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW

SEC EAST SCHEDULE FLORIDA GATORS

Nov. 3................. Catholic University (Exh.) Nov. 11............... Jackson State Univ.

Nov. 15............... @Ohio State Nov. 17............... North Florida Nov. 21............... Wright State Nov. 25............... Jacksonville Nov. 28............... Stetson Dec. 2................. @Syracuse Dec. 7................. Arizona Dec. 9................. Rider Dec. 17............... Texas A&M Dec. 19............... Miss. Valley St. Dec. 22............... Florida State Dec. 29............... @Rutgers Dec. 31............... Yale Jan. 3.................. UAB Jan. 7.................. @Tennessee Jan. 10................ Georgia Jan. 14................ @South Carolina Jan. 21................ LSU Jan. 26................ @Ole Miss Jan. 28................ Miss. State Feb. 2.................. South Carolina Feb. 4.................. Vanderbilt Feb. 7.................. @Kentucky Feb. 11................ Tennessee Feb. 14................ @Alabama Feb. 18................ @Arkansas Feb. 21................ Auburn Feb. 25................ @Georgia Feb. 28................ @Vanderbilt Mar. 4................. Kentucky Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# # New Orleans

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Nov. 3................. Kentucky Wesleyan Nov. 11............... Western Carolina Nov. 15............... @Elon Nov. 20............... Tennessee State Nov. 22............... Miss. Valley State Nov. 25............... North Carolina% Nov. 26............... USC% Dec. 1................. Providence Dec. 4................. @Clemson Dec. 13............... Presbyterian Dec. 17............... Ohio State Dec. 21............... Southeastern LA. Dec. 28............... Wofford Dec. 31............... USC-Upstate Jan. 3.................. South Carolina St. Jan. 7.................. @Kentucky Jan. 10................ Vanderbilt Jan. 14................ Florida Jan. 21................ @Auburn Jan. 25................ Alabama Jan. 28................ @Ole Miss Feb. 2.................. @Florida Feb. 4.................. Kentucky Feb. 8.................. @Tennessee Feb. 11................ @Arkansas Feb. 15................ Georgia Feb. 18................ LSU Feb. 22................ @Vanderbilt Feb. 25................ Tennessee Feb. 29................ Miss. State Mar. 3................. @ Georgia Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# %Las Vegas Invitational, # New Orleans

GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Nov. 4................. Morehouse (Exh.) Nov. 11............... Wofford Nov. 13............... Bowling Green Nov. 16............... South Dakota St. Nov. 21............... California% Nov. 22............... Missouri/Notre Dame% Nov. 25............... @Xavier Nov. 28............... @Colorado Dec. 2................. Cincinnati Dec. 7................. Georgia Tech Dec. 17............... @USC Dec. 20............... Mercer Dec. 23............... Fruman Dec. 27............... Winthrop Dec. 30............... Deleware State Jan. 7.................. Alabama Jan. 10................ @Florida Jan. 14................ @Vanderbilt Jan. 18................ Tennessee Jan. 21................ Ole Miss Jan. 24................ Kentucky Feb. 1.................. @Auburn Feb. 4.................. @Tennessee Feb. 8.................. Arkansas Feb. 11................ @Miss. State Feb. 15................ @ South Carolina Feb. 19................ Vanderbilt Feb. 22................ @LSU Feb. 25................ Florida Mar. 1................. @ Kentucky Ma. 3.................. South Carolina Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# % at Kansas City, MO # New Orleans

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Nov. 3................. Carson Newman Nov. 7................. Lincoln Memorial Nov. 11............... UNC Greensboro Nov. 16............... Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 21............... Duke% Nov. 22............... Michigan/Memphis% Nov. 23............... TBD% Nov. 28............... @Oakland Dec. 3................. Pittsburgh Dec. 10............... Austin Peay Dec. 14............... @College of Charleston Dec. 20............... UNC Ashville Dec. 23............... ETSU Dec. 29............... The Citadel Jan. 2.................. Chattanooga Jan. 4.................. @Memphis Jan. 7.................. Florida Jan. 12................ @Miss. State Jan. 14................ Kentucky Jan. 18................ @Georgia Jan. 21................ Connecticutt Jan. 24................ @Vanderbilt Jan. 28................ Auburn Jan. 31................ @Kentucky Feb. 4.................. Georgia Feb. 8.................. South Carolina Feb. 11................ @Florida Feb. 15................ Arkansas Feb. 18................ @Alabama Feb. 22................ Ole Miss Feb. 25................ @South Carolina Feb. 29................ @LSU Mar. 3................. Vanderbilt Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# % EA Sports Maui Invitational, # New Orleans

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Nov. 2............. Transylvania Nov. 7............. Morehouse Nov. 11........... Marist Nov. 15........... Kansas% Nov. 19........... Penn State$ Nov. 20........... Old Dominion/S. Florida$ Nov. 23........... Radford Nov. 26........... Portland Dec. 1............. St. John’s^ Dec. 3............. North Carolina Dec. 10........... @Indiana Dec. 17........... Chattanooga Dec. 20........... Samford Dec. 22........... Loyola (MD) Dec. 28........... Lamar Dec. 31........... Louisville Jan. 3.............. Arksanas-Little Rock Jan. 7.............. South Carolina Jan. 11............ @Auburn Jan. 14............ @Tennessee Jan. 17............ Arkansas Jan. 21............ Alabama Jan. 24............ @Georgia Jan. 28............ @LSU Jan. 31............ Tennessee Feb. 4.............. @ South Carolina Feb. 7.............. Florida Feb. 11............ @Vanderbilt Feb. 18............ Ole Miss Feb. 21............ @Miss. State Feb. 25............ Vanderbilt Mar. 1............. Georgia Mar. 4............. @ Florida Mar. 8-12....... SEC Tourney# % State Farm Championship, $ Hall of Fame Tip-Off, ^SEC-Big East Challenge, # New Orleans

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Nov. 7................. Xavier (LA.) (Exh.) Nov. 11............... Oregon Nov. 13............... Cleveland State Nov. 15............... Bucknell Nov. 19............... North Carolina St. Nov. 21............... Texas/Oregon St.% Nov. 25............... Monmouth NJ. Nov. 28............... Xavier Dec. 2................. @Louisville Dec. 7................. @Davidson Dec.17................ Indiana State Dec. 19............... Longwood Dec. 21............... Lafayette Dec. 29............... @Marquette Jan. 2.................. Miami (OH.) Jan. 7.................. Aubirn Jan. 10................ @South Carolina Jan 14................. Georgia Jan. 19................ @Alabama Jan. 21................ Miss. State Jan. 24................ Tennessee Jan. 28................ Middle Tennessee St. Jan. 31................ @Arkansas Feb. 4.................. @Florida Feb. 8.................. LSU Feb. 11................ Kentucky Feb. 16................ @Ole Miss Feb. 19................ @Georgia Feb. 22................ South Carolina Feb. 25................ @Kentucky Feb. 28................ Florida Mar. 3................. @Tennessee Mar. 8-12........... SEC Tourney# %TicketCity Classic, #New Orleans

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 71

>>> MSM | THE DAWGHOUSE

The Lesson of Dontae Jones

By BRIAN HADAD Featured Columnist

I

was in college at State when Dontae Jones burst upon the national scene during the Bulldog’s run to the Final Four. If you had asked me after that tournament to predict Dontae’s future, I’d have bet anything he had a long pro career in front of him. That didn’t pan out, but it had nothing to do with Dontae’s talent level, which was, simply put, prodigious. He had plenty of game, he just didn’t have the drive or mental discipline to harness his skill, which anyone who follows pro sports knows is the difference between good and bad players.

Everybody in the NBA has talent, they didn’t get drafted on intangibles alone. Dontae had more game than most, who combined a smooth jumper with great explosion to the basket. Dontae Jones was like a supernova, burning brightly and then fading into oblivion, and those of us who saw him will never forget him.

Fast forward fifteen years, and once again there resides a talented but troubled player in Starkville.

Renardo Sidney may be the highest recruited player ever to sign with the Bulldogs, but that signature came with a huge cost, a forty plus game suspension, an embarrassing fight in the stands with former teammate Elgin Bailey, and of course, Sidney’s own lack of conditioning which led to his disappointing debut campaign. But the word disappointing is an interesting one to use, considering Sidney had comparable if not better stats than Chandler Parsons and JaMychal Green, both of who were voted first team all-SEC. Most players would look at averaging fourteen points and seven rebounds in their first season as a good start to a career. Sidney cannot do that, because those stats go hand in hand with his obvious poor physical shape which turned him into a defensive liability, pointed out by nearly every commentator who worked a MSU game last season. He couldn’t

72 | MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE

Follow Brian Hadad on Twitter® @brianhadad

hustle back off misses and he lost his legs late in games which hurt his jump shot.

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say had Sidney been in shape last season, he could have easily added a couple of points and rebounds per game to his totals. He’s that good.

I think I would go as far as to say Sidney is the most talented player Mississippi State has ever had, and with the likes of Bailey Howell, Jeff Malone, Erick Dampier, and the erstwhile Mr. Jones on the all-time roster, that is saying something.

There is plenty of blame to go around for Sidney’s performance last season. Rick Stansbury has to take a large share of the blame. It is inexcusable for a coach to allow a player, regardless of how much natural ability he may have, to be in that kind of condition.

Throughout his years as coach, people have noticed Stansbury’s players not putting a lot of muscle in their career, but never before had an athlete been allowed to suit up and play in the kind of poor shape Sidney was in. To that end, Sidney was sent to work with former NBA player and coach John Lucas in the offseason, and missed out on the Bulldog’s European exhibition tour to continue that training.

Sidney impressed Lucas, who stated the junior power forward was the third most talented player he had ever worked with, behind only Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Never mind MSU’s all time roster, that is some heady company right there, and Lucas is right. Sidney has the total package. He has the soft hands we always wished Marcus Campbell would get, he can shoot from the outside, he’s a great passer in the pivot, and he has the full complement of low post moves. He can be a dominant player, if he can get his mind and body right.

That’s where the rest of the blame lies for last season, with the young man himself.

Sidney knows what’s he’s capable of, and he knows what he’s giving away if he turns in another out of shape season. The number of questions surrounding him now will scare off a number of NBA teams; he can’t afford another disaster if he wants to be the NBA star everybody has told him he would be since he was in eighth grade.

Sidney, based on my observation, is one of the most divisive players I’ve ever seen here at State. There seems to be a sizeable portion of MSU fans who legitimately want him to fail, to drag down the team and the coaching career of Rick Stansbury. I have been a Stansbury apologist for many years, but even his most ardent supporters have to see the writing on the wall, that the 2011-2012 season must end

in the NCAA tournament, maybe even in the second weekend for Stansbury to feel truly safe. Further, State needs a season without all the drama the past few years have provided.

State needs to be successful on and off the court in 2011-2012.

Honestly, there’s no reason we shouldn’t, this is easily MSU’s most talented team since the 2004 SEC Champions. Dee Bost is an elite guard; Arnett Moultrie impressed everyone on the barnstorming tour. Rodney Hood and Deville Smith were highly recruited freshman, Hood has a good chance to be the first true freshman starter for Stansbury that I can remember.

As far as off the court goes, Stansbury was quick to dismiss another highly touted freshman in DJ Gardner, when he took to Twitter with a profanity laced tirade, showing that perhaps Stansbury has finally decided to put a foot down and take control of his team. Sidney is the X-factor, the difference between good and great. He shows up out of shape again, causes distractions, perhaps gets kicked out, and this is still a team capable of making the tournament. Sidney gets it together, this can be an elite team, a team that can make the first deep run since that magical March in 1996.

Fifteen years ago, Dontae Jones burned brighter than anyone I have seen on the basketball court in person. His run from the start of the SEC tournament to the Final Four was a good a stretch as any basketball player can hope to have. When he shot, the basket was twice as wide. He could cover the court in ten strides, his dunks seemed to defy the laws of physics. He is, to this day, my all time favorite basketball Bulldog. It never worked out for him in the NBA, and he has spent the last fifteen years bouncing the globe chasing the game that he was born to play. His heir apparent is now in Starkville. Renardo Sidney has more talent, but more issues. You didn’t worry about Dontae not showing up to play, not giving 100 percent. You can’t make that guarantee yet for Sidney. Sidney can do what he wants on the court, the same way Dontae could. This season needs to be the one where what he wants is what all Bulldog fans want.

If it’s not, there’s no reason to believe he or his head coach will be here for the next one.

- MSM Follow Brian on Twitter @brianhadad, and catch his weekly B & B (Brian and Bob Carskadon) Show online at bulldogsportsradio.com or download the free Bulldogs Sports Radio app for Iphone or Android.

CHALLENIEGS.ES.

OppORTUNIT

Save Lives. Protect the Environment. Defend Your Country.

Take charge and shape your world.

Are you Ready?

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MAGAZINE | 73

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