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LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY - ALLEN ARENA
#UpstateBSB: After 5...Mercer 8, Upstate 0. @ToddShanesySHJRelated Links
Kelvin McConnell led the Atlantic Sun in 3-pt field goal percentage, connecting on 41.6 percent of his tries for the Owls. Courtesy KSUOwls.com Wednesday, November 05, 2008 11 Days of A-Sun Basketball reaches the halfway stage with a preview of the Kennesaw State Owls. After back-to-back seasons of recording .500 records in A-Sun play, the Owls fell one game shy of that mark, finishing 7-9. The Owls enter their final year of the reclassification process needing to replace two lynchpins in Shuan Stegall and Ronell Wooten. They averaged over 30 points per game for the Owls. Kennesaw State finished the 2007-08 season like only 19 other Division I schools did, with a win. Because of their reclassifying process, the Owls could participate in neither the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament nor the NCAA Tournament and thus they will enter 2008-09 with a one-game win streak by virtue of beating Mercer in their finale.
SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Kennesaw State Media Relations) The Kennesaw State men's basketball team has big shoes to fill for the 2008-2009 season after the exodus of Shuan Stegall and Ronell Wooten, two of the most prolific players the Owls have seen in their 23 years of existence. The Black and Gold will field a youthful squad this season as they enter their final year of re-classification. Eight newcomers highlight the squad as head coach Tony Ingle introduces six true freshman and 10 newcomers to the program. The Owls return Jeff Croft and J.D. Pollock. The tandem was named team captains and are expected to lead the Black and Gold in their final re-classification season. The sharp–shooting seniors are projected to pilot the Owls offensive tactics with their poise and finesse. With a limited, but intense group core experience and expertise of head coach Tony Ingle, the Black and Gold are getting prepared to compete night in and night out over a tough non-conference and A-Sun schedule. RETURNING TO THE SCENE Last season the Owls finished the year with a 10-20 overall record, placing seventh in the league after going 7-9 against Atlantic Sun Conference opponents. This year the Black and Gold return the conference’s top three-point shooter in Kelvin McConnell and the league’s fourth best shot blocker, Jon-Michael Nickerson Kennesaw State returns three starters and six letter winners from last season’s team, including sophomore guard McConnell, who ranked in the conference’s top 10 in 3-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goals made and assist/turnover ratio. McConnell played in all 30 games for the Owls last season and started in all of the owls conference games. Scoring in 28 games, the native of Mableton, Ga. finished 12th in the A-Sun with 52 assists and ranks No. 7 on the Owls all-time freshman scoring list. McConnell was in the team’s top five in field goal percentage, field goal attempts, field goals made, points, assists, and steals as he averaged 8.2 points per game. Pollock, a native of Atlanta, Ga. started in six games last year and averaged 4.0 points per game. Pollock appeared in all 30 games for the Owls last season, finishing fourth in the conference in steals with 53. He also finished the season with a team best 63 assists. Junior forward Jon-Michael Nickerson was a force in the paint for the Owls in his sophomore season, collecting 104 rebounds and finishing fourth in the conference with 14 blocked shots. Nickerson averaged 5.4 points per game and led the team with 21 blocks in the 24 games in which he played. Croft returns in the back court and is going to be looked upon to be one of the primary ball-handlers for the Owls. The 6-foot-4-inch Marietta, Ga. native appeared in 11 games last season and will give the Owls a solid local talent for the 2008-09 campaign. Jonathan Whipple enjoyed a successful sophomore season, averaging nearly four points and 2.8 rebounds a game. The 6-foot-8 inch junior forward played in 30 games last year and blocked 13 shots. Center Jon Allison returns to the paint after finishing his first season with Kennesaw State with 17 blocked shots and a 43.9 field goal percentage. Standing at 7-foot-1-inch, Coach Ingle is looking towards Allison to be a force in the paint. Jay Mitchell will be returning to the Owls as a transferring redshirt junior and is going to be looked upon to be a legitimate power forward for the team. Mitchell’s solid 6-foot-8-inch frame is going to be helpful for the Owls in the paint as he and John Allison will help Coach Ingle put together the tallest front-court in the program’s history. The Lagrange, Ga. native enjoyed a solid season at Texas Tech before coming to KSU last season. He began his college career at Gulf Coast Community College where he averaged a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds per game. FRESH FACES Coach Ingle introduces a troupe of new faces to his roster this season as he welcomes nine players to the Owls system. Five true freshmen, three transfers, and a redshirt freshman will vie for action this year for the Black and Gold. Forward Markeith Cummings is one of the most versatile players on the team and is going to be looked upon to fill the void left by the 1,000 point producing Stegall. The 6-foot-6-inch forward averaged 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during his senior season at Beach High School. Cummings was named to the Savannah Morning News First Team All-Greater Savannah Team and was selected to Chatham County’s First Team All-City for three consecutive years. Guard Brandon Chambers will battle for playing time as one of the ball-handlers for the Black and Gold this season. The 6-foot-1-inch guard comes to the Owls after he was named the Shelby County Player of the Year. Chambers was named Thompson High School’s Most Valuable Player and led the team in rebounding, steals and three-point field goal percentage as a senior. Spencer Dixon comes to Kennesaw State after a remarkable career at nearby Kennesaw Mountain High School. The highly touted guard led Cobb County after averaging 24.5 points and seven assists per game during his senior season. The smooth dribbling Dixon was a three-year letter-winner at Kennesaw Mountain High School and was selected Most Valuable Player at the Bishop Moore Classic Championship. Kurtis Woods joins the Owls after a standout career at Lee High School. The 6-foot-3-inch guard was ranked No. 9 in the state and No. 1 in the city last year as a senior. As a member of the Huntsville Times Super All-Metro Team, Woods averaged 23 points, six assists, and four steals in his senior season. Artie Marine joins the KSU squad after a successful high school career at Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C. Marine was a member of the Charlotte Observer Southwestern First Team All-Conference and won the Offensive MVP award after his senior season. The 6-foot-6-inch forward scored over 30 points on five different occasions during his senior campaign. Junior Matt Heramb, who comes to the team after transferring from Auburn University, will redshirt this season. Heramb played in 40 games for the Tigers over two seasons and shot 93 percent from the free- throw line. The 6-foot-9-inch forward averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in his two-year stint in the Southeastern Conference. Junior Ajayi joins the Kennesaw State program after playing last season at Gordon College under head coach Israel Ingle. A talented point guard coming out of high school, Ajayi averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks per game at Riverdale High School. Mirza Medinic played his prep career at Shiloh High School where he led his team to the state playoffs during his junior and senior seasons. The 6-foot-10-inch center will be looked upon help to sure up the Owls front court. LaDaris Green is a 6-foot-9-inch forward that is redshirting for the Owls this season. Green, a native of Beach High School, averaged 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3.3 blocks a game as a senior. He earned first-team All-Greater Savannah honors and was a member of the South team in the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Game. "We’re ready to get started,” said Ingle. We’ve got a lot of work to do and there’s no time for being idle. There’s a lot of youth on this team and we have a lot to teach.” OWLS IN RECONSTRUCTION After losing Wooten and Stegall, two of the most prolific scorers and dynamic talents to don the black and Gold, the Owls are in a rebuilding phase. The Black and Gold lost six players from last year’s roster, two of which were starters. Now, Kennesaw State must delve into their final re-classification season with six freshmen and a pair of redshirts. The team is considered young and was picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic Sun Conference in the preseason coach’s poll and media poll. Kennesaw State was picked to finish ahead of the conference’s other transitioning teams, Florida Gulf Coast, USC Upstate and North Florida. “I think it is a fair ranking, maybe even a bit high considering we lost our top three scorers and top two rebounders,” added Ingle. “We have a great deal of youth and we’re inexperienced in some positions. I guess maybe some pollsters know something I don’t.” THE 2008-2009 SCHEDULE This season’s schedule for the Owls will not be as difficult as last season, but will still be highly competitive. The Owls are slated to hit the road for difficult match-ups with the University of Georgia, James Madison, and Colgate. Although Auburn, UNLV, and Western Kentucky aren’t on this year’s schedule, the Black and Gold will be tested, especially early when they host the 100 Club Classic with Western Illinois, Maine and Northern Illinois coming to campus to tip-off the season. “There are quite a few hurdles to overcome in the schedule this season,” commented Ingle. “But every year we feel we put together a competitive and entertaining array of games for our fans before we head into a tough conference schedule.” THE ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE Although picked to finish eighth in the Preseason Atlantic Sun Conference Coaches Poll, the Black and Gold will be in the mix as they look for their first conference title. With a bevy of energetic newcomers, Coach Ingle and his staff are going to have a difficult road to travel as they head up the A-Sun standings. Conference rivals East Tennessee State and Mercer have improved this season as did Jacksonville and last year’s conference champions Belmont, who Kennesaw State defeated last season on a last-second shot by McConnell. The Owls will play four of their first six conference games at home, giving them an opportunity to make some early noise in the A-Sun. USC Upstate, East Tennessee State, Stetson, and Florida Gulf Coast will all travel to the KSU Convocation Center during the first half of the season. The Owls will also play six of their final 10 games in the friendly confines of their home arena. Their second major homestretch will begin with a four-game home stand during which the Owls will play Campbell, Mercer, North Florida and Jacksonville. “Everyone knows from a competition stand point we are placed in a most difficult situation because of the grace period the NCAA has placed upon us,” said Ingle. “It is our responsibility as coaches and players to do the best we can in a competitive league.” WE AIM TO PLEASE “Simply put, we strive to improve our team and program in such a way that our faculty, fans, boosters and administration can be proud of on and off the court. Striving for perfection should help us do that.”
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