Basketball Preview

Basketball Eagles look to take ‘one big step forward’ in 2010-11

At 6’4″tall, Charlton Young takes big steps. He’s hoping his Eagles can match his stride this season.

“We’re looking to take one big step forward,”said Georgia Southern’s second-year head basketball coach. “We’re excited about ‘year two.’

“The first year was definitely a rebuilding year, and was a year when my staff and I wanted to build a foundation for the future of the program,”said Young. “Obviously, we were starting from scratch. Nine wins is not what we wanted and 6-12 in the conference is not what we wanted, but I do feel like it was a successful season in terms of the six seniors and the people who fought to reenergize the program and lay the foundation for what we will be able to do in the future.

“I thought we battled every time we took the floor. I thought we conducted ourselves like people from Georgia Southern University should on the road at all times, and I thought we competed until the buzzer sounded,”Young said. “I was proud of that.

“Were we talented enough? Probably not. But there was a change in the mentality of the program where we expected to win.”

Young believes senior guard Willie Powers, senior forward Rory Spencer, sophomore forward Cameron Baskerville and junior guard Ben Drayton will provide a much-needed base of experience and talent to balance his incoming freshman class – one ESPN.com ranked as the sixth-best in the country among mid-majors.

“I think Willie Powers is really special,”Young said. “He’s an all-conference point guard and has great size for his position. I think he’s a guy who can really have a career in basketball. Roy Spencer is one of the top returning power forwards in the league. Those are two key seniors who are coming back. You have Ben Drayton who has experience coming back and you have Cameron Baskerville who had a solid freshman year.”

Among the newcomers are Sam Mike (6’6″203 lbs., Atlanta), Tre’ Bussey (6’1″161 lbs., Lithia Springs, Ga.), Marvin Baynham (6’6″193 lbs., Miami, Fla.), and Jelani Hewett (6’2″186 lbs., Oakland Park, Fla.). It’s a class that Young believes has the potential to take the Eagles into future contention for the SoCon crown.

“Sam Mike is a rough and rugged post,”said Young. “He has a chance to be very good. He’s (former NBA star) Eldon Campbell’s cousin. I think he’s going to grow some. He’s a rebounding defender.”
Bayham, said Young, is a tremendous athlete. “He has a high, high motor. He’s a high-energy guy. He impacts the game whenever he steps between the lines. He’s a warrior and has a mentality that we want to have on this program. He has winner written all over him.”

“Tre’ Bussey is a very exciting combo guard that can really score and manufacture points in a hurry,”Young said. “We’re excited about Tre’. I think he’s a guy who could have played at some bigger schools, but felt like this was the best fit for him.

“Julani Hewett was the most highly ranked of that class of high school kids,”said Young. “He has a chance to be really, really special. He’s big and strong. His body’s ready to play division one basketball right now. He’s very, very talented and can manufacture points in quick fashion.

“I think they will be immediate impact guys,”he said. “All of these guys were here in the summer taking classes trying to get ahead academically and lifting weights. They want it.”
And then there’s Eric Ferguson. Ferguson, a 6’8″forward, is the son of former Eagle Cal Ferguson, and spent the last two seasons in prep school.

“I think he’s a legitimate NBA prospect right now,”said Young. “He’s very similar to the prototype NBA small forward. I’m really proud of him because he’s worked hard for the last two years in preparation for college from an academic standpoint and as a basketball player. He’s had two years to mature. He could see far enough down the road to see that this is the best road for him. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get some preparation.”

The Southern Conference has stepped up its level of play, said Young. He sees Wofford, College of Charleston and Davidson as the top contenders for the league title. Wofford, said Young, has a winning coach and won a championship last year. “And, they’re all back,”he said. The Terriers defeated South Carolina and Georgia handily last year, and Young feels they should have beaten Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament. The College of Charleston is always tough with coach Bobby Cremins while Davidson was able to reach the upper echelon of the conference starting two freshmen last year.

Young is ready to see his team take those big strides down the road to a conference championship, but beyond that, he wants to see their footprints from one end of Georgia to the other.

“We want to get to the NCAA tournament,”he said, “but we want to compete outside the conference and make a run at the state like Butler and Gonzaga and Davidson.”

Cram counting on defense and ball control

Despite losing three of his top four scorers and rebounders from last season, Georgia Southern women’s basketball coach Rusty Cram isn’t looking at the 2010-11 season as a “rebuilding”year.
Rather, he sees an opportunity.

“That just means the door is open for another group of players to make names for themselves,”said Cram, who enters his 15th season as Lady Eagles head coach.