After coming off an 11-17 campaign, Scott Cross, in his third season at the helm, is looking to lead the Trojans to the top of the Sun Belt Conference. “Our guys have worked hard and are ready to get the season started,” head coach Scott Cross said. “We wanted to get older this year, and I think in the Sun Belt Conference, you have to have experience. Really, in any league, the older you are, the better you are going to be. This year we will be older and much more mature, and physically stronger. We know we will have to play our best basketball to win, but I think we are in a much better position to compete for a championship than we have been in the previous two years. The Trojans see their leading scorer return in Nick Stampley, who was tabbed a Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team member. The Broward County, Fla. native, led the Trojans averaging 12.6 points and 30.2 minutes last season. Stampley scored in double figures 16 times, including five double-doubles during the 2020-21 campaign. The dual-threat also tallied 34 three-pointers, the second-most on the squad behind guard Desmond Williams. In addition, Stampley added 21 blocks, 21 steals, and 21 assists to his season stat line. Inside conference action, Stampley ranked eighth in scoring, averaging 14.6 points, and 12th in rebounds, averaging 6.6 rebounds. The Trojans have added a couple of newcomers that look to make an immediate impact on the court. First, Duke Deen came from Panola College and was named an NJCAA Third Team AllAmerica. While at Panola, the Shreveport, La. native, recorded three games with at least 30 points, including a career-best 43-point effort against Kilgore College back on March 10. Deen hit at least three triples in nine different contests. The 5-10 guard averaged a team-best 20 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor. The sharpshooter also shot 41.6 percent from behind the arc and 86 percent from the charity stripe. Also Joining the trojans is Former UTEP forward Efe Odigie. Hailing from Houston, Texas, the 6-9 240 forward spent all three seasons with the Miners, where he played in 66 games averaging 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. Efe arrived in El Paso as a top-25 player (No. 22) in the state by TexasHoops.com and after averaging 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Houston Hoopstars during the 2017 summer circuit. The forward joins an already strong frontcourt for the Trojans, including returning senior Nick Stampley, junior Zay Williams, and freshman Christian Turner. The Trojans will open the 2021/22 season at Trojan Arena on Tuesday, November 6 at 7:30 against Carver College and then travel to Indianapolis to take on Butler at the historic Hinkle Field House. The schedule also sees the Trojans making the trip to Florida and playing in the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton before heading to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. Before beginning Sun Belt Conference play, the Trojans will host a couple of in-state rivals, including Jacksonville St. and Alabama A&M.
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