2016-17
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2016-17
S
pring Hill College men’s basketball
Six freshmen also have been added
head coach Aaron Niven begins his
to the mix for the 2016-17 season. Guards
fourth year with the Badgers with
Shawn Moore of Indianapolis, Ind., Adnan
more than half of his team consisting
Bajrami of Houston, Texas, and Gresyn Rogers
of newcomers to the program, but he is confi-
of Casa Grande, Ariz., join forwards William
dent that this crop of young Badgers is ready
Loyd of Baton Rouge, La., Jeffrey Pharr of New
to make an immediate impact. “In my 18 years
Braunfels, Texas, and Ryan Littel from Enter-
of collegiate coaching there have only been
prise, Ala., as the latest crop of Badgers.
a few freshmen who just knew how to do it,”
he says. “And by that, I mean they understand
ical size this year,” said Niven. “Most of the
the importance of preparation, conditioning
newcomers have solid frames and they look
and teamwork. Just about all of our freshmen
for contact. We needed to increase our tough-
simply know how to do it. They are fantastic
ness. We needed the ability to take contact
“It was our objective to add some phys-
kids and great workers.”
and keep going for the entire game.”
The preseasons workouts and condi-
Niven sees his squad as a team that will
tioning have been exciting for Niven as he
enjoy a fast paced game, but warns fans to not
has watched his team develop. “People say
expect too many fireworks right away. “We’ll
practice isn’t fun, but it’s fun to go to practice,”
maintain our style of play, to be sure,” he
he says. “We have a long way to go, don’t get
says. “But for the first few games we will keep
me wrong, but it’s been a great start. When
things slowed down a little for their own good.
you don’t have to teach effort, half the battle is
Sure, we want to run, but we want to learn to
done and these kids are just wired that way.”
do it better.”
Niven also sees his returning veterans
As for the upcoming Southern Intercol-
picking up the challenge from the youngsters.
legiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) schedule,
“Our older guys are hungry,” he says. “The
Niven knows what awaits his newer, younger
team chemistry off the court and at workouts
Badger team. “This conference is tough,
is very good.”
there’s no doubt about that,” he says. “Claflin,
Tuskegee, Benedict, you name it and they are
The Badgers return most of their expe-
rience on the perimeter where juniors Jack
tough. Central State plays about as hard as
Morrissey of Evanston, Ill., Matevz Rojc from
the game can be played. There is just a lot of
Slovenia and Walter Massey of Eight Mile, Ala.,
athletic talent here and we have to step it up.
return to their haunts while guard Deandre
You have to guard well in the SIAC and now
Lacy of Greenwood, Miss., comes to The Hill
we have the athletes and strength to do it.”
from Bishop State Community College. Senior
Chris Hamilton of Pensacola, Fla., is also back
and showcase his new edition of the Badgers
at forward slot. The returning sophomore
to Spring Hill fans. “People will enjoy support-
class includes guard Jared Holland out of
ing this team,” he says. “They are just fun to be
Mobile’s Baker High School, forward Chase
around. They are going to represent Spring
Shellman of Louisville, Ky., and Quinn Sutton
Hill College very, very well on the court, in the
of Arlington, Texas. Niven has also added
classroom and around the region. They have
guard Andrew Dotson who transferred from
energy and play hard. I want our fans to stick
the University of New Hampshire and Brandon
around after games and talk to them and find
Fischer of Buford, Ga., who joined SHC after a
out how great a bunch of guys they really are.”
season at LeMoyne College in New York.
Niven is eager to get the year underway
GENERAL FACTS
COACHING STAFF
Aaron Niven – Head Coach, 4th Season
Niven joined SHC as the Badger head coach in 2013 after spending the previous six seasons as the assistant basketball coach at John Brown University (JBU) in Siloam Springs, Ark., where he helped build the JBU men’s program into one of the top programs in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC). During his time at JBU, Niven was instrumental in signing six SAC All-Conference selections, two SAC Freshman of the Year winners, a 2nd team NAIA All-America selection, three NAIA honorable mention All-America winners and a Capital One Academic All-America Award recipient. During the 2012-2013 season, Niven helped John Brown achieve its highest ranking (No. 3) in program history and notched a program-record 28 victories as the Golden Eagles captured their first-ever SAC regular season championship. The 2013 JBU senior class compiled a 100-35 (.741) career record – the highest four-year win total in program history. Under Golden Eagles head coach Clark Sheehy, Niven built a 133-66 (.668) cumulative record. Prior to his time at John Brown, Niven served the men’s assistant basketball coach at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in Magnolia, Ark., from 2000-2007 where he signed All-Gulf South Conference (GSC) performers Kenny Langhorne and Brandon Williams. Before SAU, Niven spent two years (1998-2000) working as men’s assistant coach at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) under former head men’s basketball coach of the University of Nebraska Doc Sadler. . Niven, a native of Rogers, Ark., played two seasons at Arkansas Tech where he was part of an NAIA Final Four team during the 1994-1995 season. He then transferred to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1998 before completing his Masters of Education in 2000. He is a third generation head coach, following in the footsteps of his father Bill Niven, head coach of girls’ basketball at Decatur High School (Ark.). Niven and his wife, Shannon, have a daughter, Madalyn, and two sons, Will and Boston.
Brian Murphy – Assistant Coach, 5th season
Born in Mobile, Brian Murphy grew up in Pelham and graduated from John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham in 2005. He played at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., as a freshman and transferred to Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa as sophomore. Brian graduated with B.B.A. in Management in 2010 from the University of West Alabama in Livingston.
COACHING STAFF
Corbin Maynard – Graduate Assistant Coach
Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Corbin Maynard graduated from St. Francis DeSales High School in 2011. He played all four years at Bellarmine University in Louisville. Corbin graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications in 2015. During his four years, he played in two Division II NCAA final fours (2012, 2015) and made the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament team his senior year. Corbin joined the Badger staff in 2016 as a graduate assistant.
Angie Kazek Student Manager
Jonathan Garcia Student Manager
Institution: Spring Hill College City/State/Zip: Mobile, AL 36608 President: Christopher Puto, Ph.D. Founded: 1830 Enrollment: 1,496 Nickname: Badgers School Colors: Purple, white School website: shc.edu/about Home Facility: Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center Capacity: 1,500 Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Division: West Athletic Director: Jim Hall Alma Mater: Grinnell College, 1995 Compliance: Chad LeBlanc Faculty Athletic Representative: Dr. Steve Almquist Athletic Department Phone: 251-380-3485 Athletic Department Fax: 251-460-2196 Sports Information Director: Jim Stennett Alma Mater: Mississippi State, 1990 SID Phone: (251) 380-4468 SID Email: jstennett@shc.edu Athletic Web Site: www.shcbadgers.com Facebook: SHCBADGERS Twitter: SHCBADGERS Instagram: SHCBADGERS
Aidan Mitchell Student Manager
Head Coach: Aaron Niven Alma Mater: Arkansas, 1998 Record at school/years: 26-59/3 seasons Career record/years: 26-59/3 seasons Assistant Coach: Brian Murphy Graduate Assistant Coach: Corbin Maynard Office Phone: (251) 380-4460 Head Athletic Trainer: Brian Gronewold, ATC Office Phone: 251-380-3493 TEAM INFORMATION Overall Record Last Year: 9-19 Conference/Finish: 7-11/8th of 8 (SIAC West) Starters returning/lost: 3/2
www.shcbadgers.com
2016-17 ROSTER No. Player
Pos.
Class Ht.
Exp. Hometown/Previous School(s)
1 2 3 4 5 10 11 14 15 20 21 22 23 24 25
G G PG FWD G G/F G G G G/F F/C G/F G/F G/F FWD
So. Jr. So. So. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Sr. Fr. Fr.
TR 1L 1L 1L HS 1L HS HS JC 1L TR 1L 1L HS HS
30
Andrew Dotson Jack Morrissey Jared Holland Chase Shellman Shawn Moore Matevz Rojc Danny Bajrami Gresyn Rogers Deandre Lacy Quinn Sutton Brandon Fischer Walter Massey Chris Hamilton William Loyd Jeffery Pharr Ryan Littel
2015-16 RESULTS Date
Opponent
FWD
Fr.
6-3 6-1 5-10 6-6 6-6 6-6 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-7 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-7 6-8
Site
HS
SIAC-GSC Challenge; Mobile, Ala., November 13-14, 2015 Home Nov. 13 Shorter University Nov. 14 Union University Home Nov. 17 Mississippi College Home Nov. 19 at Loyola University New Orleans, La. Pensacola, Fla. Nov. 23 at University of West Florida Hattiesburg, Miss. Nov. 28 at William Carey University Nov. 30 at University of South Alabama (Exhibition) USA Mitchell Cntr. Dec. 3 *Tuskegee University Home Dec. 14 *Miles College Home Home Dec. 16 Alice Lloyd College Lafayette, La. Dec. 30 at University of Louisiana (Exhibition) Jan. 4 *at Paine College Augusta, Ga. Jan. 7 *Fort Valley State University Home Jan. 9 *Albany State University Home Jan. 14 *at Benedict College Columbia, S.C. Jan. 16 *at Claflin University Orangeburg, S.C. Jan. 18 *at Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 21 *at Morehouse University Jan. 23 *Stillman College Home Jan. 25 University of Mobile Home Jan. 28 *Lane College Home Feb. 1 *at LeMoyne-Owen College Memphis, Tenn. Feb. 4 *at Central State University Wilberforce, Ohio Feb. 6 *at Kentucky State University Frankfurt, Ky. Feb. 8 *at Lane College Jackson, Tenn. Feb. 15 *LeMoyne-Owen College Home Feb. 18 *Central State University Home Feb. 20 *Kentucky State University Home Feb. 22 at University of Mobile Univ. of Mobile Home Feb. 24 University of West Florida
*SIAC game
Arlington, Texas/Arlington Martin HS/New Hampshire Evanston, Ill./Loyola Academy Mobile, Ala./Baker HS Louisville, Ky./DeSales HS Indianapolis, Ind./Avon HS Ljubljana-Smartno, Slovenia/Gimnazija Bezigrad HS Houston, Texas/Cypress Lakes HS Casa Grande, Ariz./Casa Grande Union HS Greenwood, Miss./Greenwood HS/Bishop State CC Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Timberview HS Buford, Ga./Shenendehowa HS/LeMoyne College (N.Y.) Eight Mile, Ala./Leflore HS Pensacola, Fla./Pensacola HS Baton Rouge, La./Madison Preparatory Academy New Braunfels, Texas/Canyon HS Enterprise, Ala./Enterprise HS
Result L; 74-89 L; 67-82 W; 70-63 L; 66-84 L; 73-78 L; 74-97 L; 50-79 L; 48-53 L; 58-73 L; 83-84 (2ot) L; 54-74 W; 72-69 W; 71-59 W; 85-62 L; 64-72 L; 60-63 W; 73-64 L; 58-63 L; 78-83 L; 47-55 W; 80-78 W; 74-67 L; 50-57 L; 70-80 L; 72-82 L; 75-77 L; 59-61 W; 65-64 W; 63-60 L; 69-81
2015-16 SIAC FINAL STANDINGS Team
SIAC
Overall
Benedict
11-7
16-12
Claflin
10-8
16-13
East Division Morehouse Clark Atlanta
Albany State
10-8 7-12
4-14
Fort Valley State 4-14 Paine
West Division
3-15
Stillman
17-1
Lane
12-6
Miles
15-10 9-20 5-22 6-23 7-23 27-6
14-5
17-13
LeMoyne-Owen 10-8
16-15
Central State
9-9
Kentucky State
9-9
Tuskegee
Spring Hill*
9-9 7-11
18-13 11-15 14-13 11-15 9-19
*Ineligible for SIAC Tournament during NCAA transition process
2016-17 ROSTER
1
2
3
4
5
10
11
14
15
20
21
22
23
24
Andrew Dotson Sophomore
Gresyn Rogers Freshman
Jack Morrissey Junior
Deandre Lacy Junior
Jared Holland Sophomore
Quinn Sutton Sophomore
Chase Shellman Sophomore
Brandon Fischer Sophomore
Shawn Moore Freshman
Walter Massey Junior
25
Jeffery Pharr Freshman
30
Ryan Littel Freshman
www.shcbadgers.com
Matevz Rojc Junior
Chris Hamilton Senior
Danny Bajrami Freshman
William Loyd Freshman
2016-17 SCHEDULE Date
Opponent
Site
Nov. 3 at Jacksonville State University (Exhibition) Jacksonville, Ala. SIAC-GSC Challenge; Jackson, Tenn., November 11-12, 2016 at Union University Jackson, Tenn. Nov. 11 vs. Shorter University Jackson, Tenn. Nov. 12 Home Nov. 14 University of Mobile Nov. 17 Loyola University (La.) Home at University of West Alabama Livingston, Ala. Nov. 19 at University of West Florida Pensacola, Fla. Nov. 22 Nov. 26 at Mississippi College Clinton, Miss. Home Nov. 28 University of West Alabama Home Nov. 30 University of West Florida at University of Mobile Univ. of Mobile Dec. 10 Dec. 17 Williams Baptist College Home at University of South Alabama (Exhibition) USA Mitchell Center Dec. 19 Dec. 28 at Nicholls State University (Exhibition) Thibodaux, La. Jan. 2 *Paine College Home Jan. 5 *at Fort Valley State University Fort Valley, Ga. Jan. 7 *at Albany State University Albany, Ga. Jan. 12 *at Tuskegee University Tuskegee, Ala. Jan. 14 *Benedict College Home Jan. 16 *Claflin University Home *Clark Atlanta University Home Jan. 19 Jan. 21 *Morehouse College Home *at Miles College Fairfield, Ala. Jan. 26 Jan. 28 *at Lane College Jackson, Tenn. Jan. 30 *LeMoyne-Owen College Home Feb. 4 *Central State University Home *Kentucky State University Home Feb. 6 Feb. 16 *at LeMoyne-Owen College Memphis, Tenn. Feb. 18 *at Central State University Wilberforce, Ohio Feb. 20 *at Kentucky State University Frankfort, Ky. *Lane College Home Feb. 23 *SIAC game
www.shcbadgers.com
Time 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 2 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 4 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 7:35 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. (EST) 3:30 p.m. (EST) 7:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. (EST) 7:30 p.m. (EST) 7:30 p.m.