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2009-10 Men's Basketball Season Preview

The theme for this season is "We are Trojans" comes from the motion picture 300. The courage, unity, and team work displayed by the 300 will be important components as the 2009-2010 Trojans ready themselves for the upcoming season.
 
Like the 300 who faced insurmountable odds, the Trojans will have to unite against their opponents this season.
 
The Trojans will have 12 new players, and skeptics will say it's a rebuilding year because it takes time for that many players to gel and fully integrate into the system. The new players aren't the typical freshman or newcomers.
 
While there are many freshmen among the new players, they are more experienced than the typical first-year player.
Elijah Brice is a junior college transfer originally from Haiti. Two, Kurt Reeves and John Hardin, chose to pursue another sport in college last year only to return to the sport of basketball at Trevecca. Antony Oduor will be a freshman athletically, but he has a year of college experience and followed the Trojans last year while he sat out the season because of to a preseason injury. Keith Morris is also a transfer with a year of experience at former conference foe Lambuth University. 
 
With only three true upperclassmen, the Trojans will look for leadership and production from the strong junior and sophomore classes.
 
Team chemistry is going to be important this year, and the early returns are good. Many of the new and old players worked  out together during the summer. The time spent together helped players bond. Coach Sam Harris explains, "This year we do not have the benefit of many returning players, but this team is coming together and making it fun to come to practice. They are working hard at getting better everyday."
 
Harris continued, "The biggest question we have going into the season is how effective are we going to be scoring in the paint. We'll be better defensively, and our rebounding will be better. We'll shoot the ball well from the perimeter, and our guards will be able to score. We'll have people capable of scoring inside, but will they be consistent?  That question is our biggest concern going into the season. The effort is there, and over time that invest ment will provide big dividends as the season wears on."
 
The team has had a significant infusion of height. Milos Macura (6'11"), Elija Brice (6'8"), Pascal Permis (6'8"), Keith Morris (6'7"), and JP Nayardo (6'8") will provide more size than the Trojans have seen in quite some time. Add in 6'6" Jeremy Dixon, and you have a pretty impressive front line. In fact the added height might allow the Trojans to finally move Dixon to the wing and give opponents some significant match up issues.
 
One of the team's strengths will be players who can play multiple positions. That flexibility is going to give the coaching staff options. Coach Harris is excited about the possibilities the roster offers this season: "We will probably see a number of different lineups throughout the season. I'd be surprised if we don't see the number of different starting lineups hit double-digits by the time the post season arrives."
 
The Senior Class
Matthew Elliott is the senior class this year, and you might not find a better person to take on that role. Coach Harris comments, "Matt is the complete team player. He can handle the ball, play either guard position, provide scoring or be the passer. He understands what we are trying to do and how to go about it successfully." Elliott is tough, having played through pain most of last year, but if he can have a healthy senior season, he can contribute to victories for the Trojans.
 
The Junior Class
The two sophomores took starkly different paths to Trevecca. To be successful this season, they will have to perform and lead like true upperclassman. Jeremy Dixon arrived after playing at Mt. Juliet High School, even playing one year for Trevecca women's head coach Gary Van Atta. Coach Harris says, "You hate to say one person can make a difference in a season, but Jeremy does hold some keys to where we want to go. He has a chance to be our most balanced player. He has put in the work this summer, and we are excited about what we have seen from Jeremy since the end of last season." Elijah Brice, has played at two schools prior to finding his way to Trevecca. Coach Harris says, "Brice will give us a great defensive and rebounding presence. As he matures in his understanding of our offense,  the better chance we'll have to compete in the TranSouth conference."
 
The Sophomore Class
The coaches will lean on a trio of sophomores for leadership. The good news is they appear to be up to the task. All  three have spent the time needed in the weight room and in offseason skill training. Keith Morris has been a great addition to the program already. Coach Harris likes the fact that he sweats the details: "Keith works the details and learns the offense in detail. He will be someone the Moore Maniacs will love to cheer on." Michael France returns after being named the TranSouth Freshman of the Year. Coach Harris says France is another in a long line of successful freshmen at Trevecca: "We believe in building the base with four-year players. Collins Onyando, Josh Helton, Jared Austin, Brian Oduor, and Michael France are just a few of the outstanding freshmen we have brought in. Michael's job will be to carry that on to his sophomore campaign."  Camden Jordan sat out his first year and then came on last year and made great strides. Coach Harris said about his work this summer, "Cam is in the gym a great deal, but don't let that fool you he is an outstanding student. He continues to put in the work, and he is becoming someone we know we can count on."
 
The Freshman Class
This freshman class has the potential to produce like the Collins Onyando, Josh Helton, Marcos Salvi class did five years ago. Coach Harris says this class has the feel of something out of the norm: "Typically freshmen lack strength, but we are lifting every day. Though we probably lack the understanding of playing 40 minutes, that experience will come as they begin to understand how to finish a game. This team seems to be picking up our system and what it takes to win at the college as well as any class I've had."
 
According to the coaching staff this group will be solid and have good leadership skills already. There is good quickness, perimeter skills, and post presence.  Marquise Rudolph has a great quickness and the potential to be an outstanding point guard. Coach Harris says, "As Marquise develops, he may allow us to move Matt over this year." Peyton Henry is steady and solid. Coach Harris sees a great compliment to Rudolph in Henry: "Peyton can hit open shots, and as he learns to control the tempo, he will be a strong contributor." Kurt Reeves is a shooter and hard worker. Coach Harris says, "Kurt brings in football toughness to our program. He is learning and adjusting back to basketball with an impressive determination." John Hardin has skills driving to the rim. Coach Harris likes Hardin's improved shooting: "John is one of two who are getting back on the court after trying another sport last year in college. He is a good stand still shooter and athlete." JP Nayardo is learning the offense, but Coach Harris already loves some of the tools Nayardo brings to the parquet at Moore Gym: "JP has great feet, can run the floor, rebound and has range out to 15-17 feet already." Milos Macura bring a good offensive base, but Coach Harris says he needs to get stronger: "As Milos gets stronger he will be better defensively, but he's already a great passer, and with his good work ethic, we have no doubt that he'll develop into a good defensive presence and rebounder." Pascal Permis has a seven-foot wingspan that Coach Harris says already makes him a threat defensively: "Pascal already has shown promise defensively rebounding and blocking shots, but we believe he has some untapped offensive skills that, once he believes it, we'll see those skills come out." Blake Carden is going to miss this year because of a preseason work-out injury. Coach Harris is disappointed, but says Blake is worth the wait: "Blake is a player who will immediately become a crowd favorite. He will be a key for us next year because he is an intelligent player who already has the concept of what we try to do on both ends of the floor. The good news is that we'll have him back next fall and for four years starting then."
 
The Schedule
The Trojans' schedule will be difficult again from start to finish. Coach Harris says that it will be a test for his young team: "This schedule is really more appropriate for a team that is senior heavy, but there's no question that our team will again be tested prior to the conference season. That kind of experience is something that never hurts a team in the long run." The Trojans start the season with an exhibition game at NCAA-D1 Tennessee State University. Homecoming will tipoff the regular season, and Point Loma Nazarene comes for a visit. Trevecca will play MidAmerica Nazarene and Southern Nazarene at Moore Gym as a part of the Nazarene Tournament. There are three more tournaments for the Trojans before starting the rugged TranSouth schedule in January. Trevecca will face tradition rich Cedarville, Tougaloo, and Belhaven in those tournaments.

After running through the schedule, the 2009 Trojans should begin to show sings of significant improvements every month of the season with the goal of playing their best basketball in March.