Sports

UAM OPENS SEASON WITH FRESH FACES

By Sean Saunders/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 12:14 AM CST

The finish to last year’s season left a bad taste in the mouth of Arkansas-Monticello men’s basketball coach Mike Newell.

Last year’s start was one of the best in school history, as the Boll Weevils were the first to begin the year 9-0, reached as high as fifth in the National Association of Basketball Coahes’ Top 25 poll and stayed ranked for a program-best nine straight weeks. But that momentum hit an abrupt halt after a four-game losing skid, and UAM missed out on the NCAA Tournament after losing 66-53 to Valdosta State in the second round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

“It was disappointing because we didn’t make it into the tournament, and that’s something I expect to be in every year,” Newell said. “We lost to a good Valdosta squad that I believe won their side of the conference and we finished with 20 wins for only the seventh time in school history, but at the same time, any time we don’t make it into the dance, I’m going to be a little disappointed.”

Last year’s squad had six seniors and several underclassmen with experience in Newell’s motion offense and man-to-man defense. But for the ninth-year coach to reach his second South Regional Tournament, he’ll have to do it with many new faces.

One familiar face is fifth-year senior and third-year starter Derek Easter. The El Dorado High School product has potential to be the winningest player in school history, playing in 21-11, 17-12 and 20-9 seasons so far.

“Derek has potential to see the most wins of any player in school history, but I feel that if he’s going to hold that title, he’s going to have to earn it,” Newell said. “We’re going to need him to be more consistent this year because he was pretty inconsistent last year, and so far in practice, he hasn’t shown that.”

Easter was fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game and second with 4.5 rebounds per game. But his main impact was on the defensive end, as he blocked 44 shots for an average of 1.57 per game for fifth in the GSC.

He turned in some of his top performances in the conference tournament, recording 16 points and eight rebounds against Montevallo (Ala.) and 11 and seven against Valdosta.

Returning with Easter is a group of four players who recorded a combined two starts. Senior Lorenzo Shine averaged 12.5 minutes in 24 games, responding with 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Though UAM has to cycle in a bunch of new talent, Newell said the only two players he needed to replace were center Raymond Wright and point guard Deron Brown. Wright was near the top of the league in both scoring and rebounding with 16.9 and 7.9 respectively, and Brown played the most minutes despite missing two games with injury, averaging 12.1 points and 3.2 assists while hitting 55 of 134 3-pointers.

Newell even has to find a replacement for D’Angelo Dean, the 2007-08 GSC West Newcomer of the Year, because “he decided to stay home over the summer and work,” Newell said. Dean would have been a junior this year.

Some transfers will help replace Brown at point in the form of junior college All-American Nick Carey and Texas Southern transfer Hamid Ford. Though UAM has also found replacements for Wright in Nicholls State transfer Chris Paige and Texas College transferAjuma Jaramogi, Newell said he’s still not sure they are capable of putting up the same numbers as Wright.

“Defensively, we’re better in the post than we ever were under Raymond,” Newell said. “The jury is still out on whether we’ll be able to put up those same offensive numbers. I know Chris and Ajuma can rebound just as well as Raymond.”

The Weevils begin their season with a nonconference schedule consisting of multiple Division I teams for the fourth time in five seasons. This year’s preseason tournament is the College Basketball Experience Classic, and they’ll travel to Wichita State next week before going to the Cullowhee, N.C., to take on host Western Carolina, Duquesne and Binghamton.

“I kind of have to play in those preseason tournaments because of the revenue it generates. I’ve generated over $300,000 since I’ve started playing in them,” Newell said. “Of course, it’s also good for the kids because it gives them great exposure and gets them ready for the rest of the season.”

The rest of the season includes another year where the Western Division of the GSC is loaded with talent. Regular-season champion Christian Brothers lost several key seniors, but Delta State returns several D-I transfers, Arkansas Tech returns almost everybody from a squad that won the GSC Tournament and Harding returns four starters and stunned Arkansas-Little Rock 80-77 in exhibition play Sunday.

UAM was picked to finish fourth in the GSC West by league coaches. That’s just where the Weevils finished last year.

“I think those preseason predictions are bogus,” Newell said. “No one would know what I had if I didn’t put my roster online. We’re going to do just what we’re capable of.”

The season kicks off at 6 p.m. Monday when the Weevils host Crowley’s Ridge College.

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