HOOP SCOOP MC Inside the Maryville College Men’s Basketball Program September 2012 Edition Welcome to MC’s Hoop Scoop Welcome back Scots hoops fans for the back to school edi5on of the MC Hoop Scoop. It’s been a produc5ve and fast paced summer with several local and commu5ng players spending valuable hours in the gym polishing their skills. In addi5on to quality gym 5me over the past couple months, there have been two more addi5onal commitments to the 2012 recrui5ng class bringing the total to 16 incoming freshmen! The two latest to join the Scots program are Cody Vance and Blake Williams. Vance, a 6’6 post player from Roan Mountain, TN, aNended Elizabethton High School and made the choice to con5nue his educa5on and basketball career here at Maryville College in early June. Williams, a 6’1 guard from Knoxville, TN, played at Farragut High School and graduated as the Admirals’ program 3rd all‐5me leading scorer. We received Blake’s commitment the first week of August. Both young men are great addi5ons to an already solid recrui5ng class. In addi5on to the 16 incoming freshmen, we also return 15 players from last season’s team. With 31 total players on our roster, we expect to be busy when all of our guys return to campus. Classes begin for all students Wednesday, August 29th. We are extremely excited to get everyone on campus and get the ball rolling for the 2012‐13 school year!
Here is a final overview of our 16 commitments:
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Logan Brewer: Benton, TN – Polk County High School Jaumonee Byrd: Douglasville, GA – Douglas County High School Ma2 Connatser: Louisville, TN – William Blount High School Brandon Crabtree: Huntsville, TN – ScoN County High School Xavier Ealy: Acworth, GA – Kennesaw Mountain High School Will Harris: Nashville, TN – Hume Fogg Magnet School Richard Kelly: Douglasville, GA – Douglas County High School Cole Morgan: Gainesville, GA – Chestatee High School Kyle Schelvan: Orlando, FL – Faith Chris5an Academy Spencer Shoffner: Oak Ridge, TN – Oak Ridge High School Trey Tatum: Greensboro, NC – Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School Tanner Torres: Jacksboro, TN – Anderson County High School Levi Trentham: Friendsville, TN – William Blount High School Cameron Tuck: Dickson, TN – Dickson County High School
Coach Lambert’s Corner Dear MC basketball fans, Where did the summer go? It feels like it was yesterday that we were sending our young men home for the summer and now they are coming in to prepare for another academic year and basketball season. With registra5on around the corner and freshmen orienta5on taking place this week, the usual anxiety and stress of a new year is upon us.
Seasons at MC: 32 Career Points: 1,489 Career Coaching Wins 602
Career Win Percentage: .703 Career 20+ Win Seasons:17 10 Consecutive GSAC Regular Season Titles 17 Game Win Streak in 2007-2008
Great South Titles 9 Since 2000
NUMBERS NCAA Tournaments 1990-1991 1991-1992 1992-1993 1994-1995 1996-1997 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011
We are excited about the prospects for the season. The reten5on of our returning players was good and the addi5on of sixteen new ones will give us 31 players on the ac5ve roster. Our staff returns with a rekindled spirit and an enthusias5c approach to the coming year. We will move into our pre‐season hoping that our players will make the adjustment to college in regards to the academic rigors and the social challenges. Of course, we want them to get in shape and fine tune their skills to prepare for the season. Due to NCAA rules, our sessions in the gym have to be “player run.” It is up to our upper classmen to organize the condi5oning, weight room workouts, skill development sessions, and pick‐up games. During the next six weeks prior to our opening prac5ce, I would love to have the three hours per week prac5ce 5me that the coaches have on the D‐I and D‐II levels. The challenges of gefng a team ready for a season in Division III without the allowed court 5me falls back on the players. As coaches, we get to find out real quick who our leaders are, who our workers are, and who understands the need for personal and team accountability. Speaking of work and accountability, didn’t you enjoy the Summer Olympics and the dominance by Team U.S.A.? I really enjoyed watching the men’s basketball team as they brilliantly played their way to the gold medal. I watched most of their games and always came away from each performance with an admira5on for their unselfishness and ability to play together. Wouldn’t you love to coach that team? When you are coaching excep5onal athletes (not just in basketball but in all sports), you would think that there would be certain challenges in dealing with the different personali5es and egos. Actually, the team dynamics are easier than you think because of these individuals. Excep5onal athletes are excep5onal for a reason. Most of them are extremely gijed as an athlete, but they also possess similar personality traits. Some of these are:
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The drive to outwork others The discipline to understand the need for prac5ce The mo5va5on to excel and be the best The willingness to do things that others think are not important The desire to want to know what they can do to get beNer The intellectual capacity to listen and learn and to apply it on the court The understanding of their role and how it affects the performance of the team My job would be easy if I had players like Lebron, Kobe, Kevin, or Chris. All of these guys are great basketball players‐some of the best to ever play the game. I know I will not have the opportunity to coach players of their abili5es, but I do want to coach players that have their mind set and aftudinal traits. Our Olympic athletes are some of the best in the world. Sure, their athle5cism is phenomenal, but, in most cases, what sets them apart is their aftude, drive, and mo5va5on. Give me a group of players that have the characteris5cs listed above and I will be one happy coach. Hopefully, this year’s team will have the aftude of our Olympians. As we head into our new conference, we are hoping that we can build on our winning tradi5on. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead. The founda5on for success is here. Hopefully our players will embrace the opportunity and make the most of it.
Sincerely, Randy Lambert Head Basketball Coach
J.P. Burris
ON THE COURT
Class: JR PosiHon: PG Hometown: Knoxville, TN High School: Maryville High School HS: What influenced you to conHnue your educaHon and basketball career at Maryville College? JP: “I wanted to con5nue playing basketball and stay close to home and Maryville College provided me with an opportunity to do both. I knew it was a great school academically and knowing Coach Lambert from living in the area helped also.” HS: What have you enjoyed most about playing basketball at MC? JP: “I’ve really enjoyed the overall experience. I like traveling to all the different places and of course being part of a program with a prominent winning tradi5on.” HS: What are you expectaHons for the 2012‐2013 season? JP: My teammates and I will be working towards winning the Na5onal Championship. We’re not striving for anything less!”
Maryville College Video WebcasHng
The Maryville College Athle5cs department is pleased to announce an arrangement with Loch and Key Video produc5ons and Radio AM 850 WKVL in the broadcas5ng of selected games for this coming year. It is our inten5ons that Figh5ng Scots fans will be able to watch the 29 selected games, produced by Loch and Key, on our website. Our followers will also be able to listen to the voice of George DeBaby on the webcast or on Radio AM 850. The 29 selected games include the 5 home Maryville College football games, 12 home games for women’s basketball, and 12 home games for men’s basketball. Most of the away games will be broadcast through a reciprocal agreement with the home team. These games will be accessed from the MC Athle5c website. Stay tuned for further announcements regarding these produc5ons.
1st Annual MC Basketball Alumni Tip-Off Dinner When: Sunday, September 9th, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Where: The Alumni Gym located on campus adjacent to the baseball field. Why: To connect MC basketball alumni with the present and future Scots players. The Maryville College basketball staff would like to extend an open invita5on to all basketball alumni to the 1st Annual Maryville College Basketball Tip‐Off Dinner! It will be a night to share with old friends and teammates, to reminisce on great 5mes and share stories, and for past members of the program to meet the players of the 2012‐2013 Scots team. A message from head coach Randy Lambert, “We are very excited about this event. I want the current players in our program to understand the great tradi5on that has been established here. I also want our players to take no5ce of the quality of people our program produces and what they are doing with their lives ajer gradua5on.” Dinner will be catered and old team jerseys and other memorabilia will be available for purchase. Dona5ons are not required but would be welcomed and appreciated as all proceeds will go to benefit the basketball program. I think we can all agree that playing basketball at Maryville College was an important phase in all our lives and this is just an opportunity to get together and celebrate the program that has meant so much to all of us. To RSVP, please contact Kris Sigmund or the MC Basketball office at your earliest convenience! Kris Sigmund (865) 603‐3849 EMAIL: Kris.Sigmund@Capitalbank‐us.com Alex Bowers (931)237‐4102 Assistant Men’s Basketball EMAIL: Alex.Bowers@maryvillecollege.edu
Locker Room Touch‐Up The Scots basketball team locker room underwent a renova5on this off‐season! To give it a liNle face lij, we had the carpet cleaned, the walls completely repainted, and the lockers repainted and brand new 5le put in the ceiling. Notable trophies and awards along with keepsake basketballs have also been placed into view. For a nice finishing touch, updated signs with new mo5va5onal quotes have been hung on the walls. Hopefully the touch‐ups will allow the locker room to con5nue to be something the Maryville College men’s basketball teams can be proud of. A special thanks to Ric Rodney Ruffner, class of 1975, for giving a week of his 5me during Kin Takahashi Week this summer. Ric demonstrated his pain5ng and organiza5onal skills by spearheading this project. It is to be noted that Ric Rodney played football while at MC but has con5nued his support of good friend, Randy Lambert, and the college over the years.