Monday, October 23, 2006

Ten Days of A-Sun Basketball moves to the Kennesaw State Owls. A year removed from its inaugural season in the Atlantic Sun Conference and the NCAA's premier division, the Kennesaw State men's basketball team is ready to show the league and the country that last year's hot conference start was not a fluke. With the top four scorers from last year's team returning, the Owls should once again show signs of promise like when KSU dominated the Division II ranks. The task won't be easy for the 2006-07 squad, however, as the Owls will have a new look as they welcome nine newcomers to the team, including seven freshmen.

Coach Tony Ingle on the Owls

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SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Kennesaw State Media Relations)

Kennesaw State (12-17) turned heads early in the A-Sun, jumping out to a 9-1 mark. All the while, the Owls garnered national headlines from Connecticut to Florida, and everywhere in between. Once the hunted in Division II, the Owls have now become the hunters and are frightening their opponents in the process. Excitement about the Owls is widely abundant on the Kennesaw State campus and for good reason. When one factors the return of veterans Golden Ingle and Ronell Wooten and A-Sun Freshman of the Year, Andre Morgan, coupled with the return of redshirts Marvin Listenbee and Shaun Stegall, it is easy to see why the Owls are projected ?? and ?? in the 2006-07 A-Sun Preseason Polls.

The Owls' heavily guard-oriented offense begins at the point with the ever-steady, Golden Ingle. Back for his senior season, the Orem, Utah native showed that a two-year lay-off from collegiate basketball did not affect him in the slightest bit as he went on to lead the Atlantic Sun Conference with 6.12 assists per game last year. Always a deep-ball threat, Ingle led the Owls in scoring a year ago (16.6 ppg) even despite missing three games late in the year with a host of injuries. One of, if not, the top returning guards in the conference, Ingle stuffed the stat sheet across the board, leading the Owls in an array of categories, including minutes played (36.1), free throws made (126) and assists (159). The 5-11 guard was named A-Sun Player of the Week in mid-January and led Kennesaw State in scoring on 11 separate occasions, including a 29-point performance in the season opener (11/18 vs Denver) and his career-best 34 point night in the Owls' December 3 win over Belmont. Joining Ingle in the backcourt are a pair of clutch performers who each averaged double-figures last year.

Senior Brent Ragsdale returns for his final season after averaging 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 2005-06. Fifth in the league in steals last season (1.90 spg), the 6-3 Riverdale, Georgia native possesses the speed and athletic ability to give opponents fits on both the offensive and defensive end. Add sophomore Andre Morgan to the mix and Head Coach Tony Ingle has several reliable options at the guard position. The reigning A-Sun Freshman of the Year, Morgan will be looked upon to provide the spark that saw him average 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest during his freshman campaign. His intensity on defense, however, is perhaps most valuable to the Owls, as he led KSU and finished second in the league with 2.07 steals per game. The Buford, Georgia native led the Owls in scoring four times in '05-'06, including a 30-point effort against Campbell and his career-best 35-point performance at North Florida in February.

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