Friday, October 20, 2006

Ten Days of A-Sun Basketball focuses on the Jacksonville Dolphins. When Cliff Warren took over the men's basketball program at JU, he set out to build a program that would be successful over a period of years, not just a one-year flash in the pan. To build something up, sometimes you have to tear some things down. Warren had to do just that in his first year as head coach, sending out a team that started with just eight scholarship players and finished the year with only six that were healthy.

Coach Cliff Warren on the Dolphins

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SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Jacksonville Media Relations)

Out of the rubble of the worst season in school history came some positives. One of those was the development of freshman Marcus Allen, who scored 20 points or more twice in the last three games, to earn a spot on the Atlantic Sun Conference all-freshman team. The next positive came this summer when it was announced that the Dolphins would return to the Downtown area, moving their home games to the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena - which hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 2006. To top it all off, Warren brought in a load of talent - eight freshmen - that will be expected to contribute immediately.

"My staff did a great job in finding players that are good fits for the University, this league, academically and athletically," Warren said. "We did a good job of finding players that have something I like. Some are really tough, some can really shoot it, some are athletic, but all of them are good students and I'm proud of that. Hopefully we can be better than we were last year."

There is a buzz around the city about the program that hasn't been around since the Bob Wenzel era in the 1980s. Former players are coming around and contributing to the program - not in money, but in time by visiting practice and talking to the current players. NBA stars such as Artis Gilmore, Dee Brown (an ESPN analyst) and Otis Smith (general manager of the Orlando Magic) have come back to help Coach Warren rebuild their alma mater.

"There are not a lot of schools with alumni that have had as much success as ours both in the NBA as well as after their playing career," Warren said. "To have our former players take an interest in their alma mater, and the student-athletes in our program, is a great asset."

Read the full season preview

10 Days of A-Sun Basketball Schedule
Oct. 16 - Belmont
Oct. 17 - Campbell
Oct. 18 - ETSU
Oct. 19 - Gardner-Webb
Oct. 20 - Jacksonville
Oct. 23 - Kennesaw State
Oct. 24 - Lipscomb
Oct. 25 - Mercer
Oct. 26 - UNF
Oct. 27 - Stetson