It’s the same old, same old for the South Atlantic Conference when picking the top men’s teams for the 2001-02 season.
Catawba. Wingate. Presbyterian.
It’s the same old, same old for the middle of the pack and the same old, same old for the bottom, too.
While coaches chose Catawba as the preseason favorite, this is one of those seasons that as many as four teams could put it all together and represent the league in the postseason.
“Every year I’ve been in this league, it gets better,” said 13-year veteran Greg Niebert of Presbyterian.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if our champion lost four or five games,” added Wingate’s Parker Leketa.
Wingate
The Bulldogs, like Catawba, finished 25-5 last season and were the second team from the SAC to make the national postseason. It was their third straight appearance and they recorded their first-ever win.
Leketa returns 11 lettermen, led by Djuan Hankins (18.5 ppg) and Keenan Dunn (freshman of the year).
Titus Miller led the league in three-point percentage.
Lorinza Harrington is a 6-foot-4 guard who pitched in with 10 ppg. “I think he’s one of the best guards in the nation,” Leketa said.
Inside Marcus Thompson, at 6-6, and Anthony Daize at 6-5, can produce.
Wingate’s senior class is 75-15 and with four returning starters, Leketa stated the obvious.
“Ifeel very good about it.”
Presbyterian
The Blue Hose were 19-10 and 10-4 last year under Greg Niebert.
He has three starters back, led by All-SAC Chuck Rayford, who averaged 15.7 points.
Presbyterian will also count on 6-8 Rodney Isom (9 points, 7 rebounds). Niebert is excited about Furman transfer Willie Brown, a 5-10 guard who has a 30-inch vertical leap.
“We’ve never had that kind of athletic ability in the backcourt,” he said of Brown and Rayford.
Presbyterian is the envy of all the other teams in the SAC. It is taking an early-season trip to Hawaii.
Carson-Newman
The Eagles could be the surprise of the league after going 17-11 last year. Carson-Newman returns four starters and its top five scorers.
Dale Clayton’s Eagles are led by Kyle Gribble, a 6-4 wing, who averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds. Lorenzo Davis is a 6-7 junior center and 6-7 Dustin Edwards averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds.
“It’s the most athletic team I’ve had,” said Clayton, in his 13th season in Jefferson City.
Another advantage is that Carson-Newman is a hard place to play. The Eagles were 10-2 at home last year.
Lenoir-Rhyne
John Lentz is the dean of SAC coaches. Entering his 15th season, he will try to better last season’s solid 17-11 mark.
He brings back 6-7 Roman Davis, 6-6 Kassim Richardson, formerly of Reynolds High School, and guard Randy Mauldin, formerly of Albemarle.
Richardson averaged 13.7 points and Mauldin 8.6. Lentz calls Davis, “the most athletic inside player I’ve had.”
Newberry
Grafton Young may finally have a chance to move up in the standings with 11 returning players and improve on last year’s 8-19 season.
Preseason All-SAC Alex Fair is the top returning scorer (11.5 ppg.). Albert Garrett is the leading assist man and scored 7 points a game. Young also brings in 6-8, 240-pound Dwayne Carter from Greenwood.
“We may be a year away,” Young warned.
Tusculum
Expect immediate improvement from Tusculum, which brings in coach Griff Mills from a successful Armstrong Atlantic team that was 25-8 last season and was a national playoff participant.
All-SAC Pat Compton is a 6-3 guard who averaged 15 points.
Mars Hill
The Lions have been the most hapless team in the league over the last few years and coach Steve Roberts is still trying to turn things around.
In his two seasons, he is just 5-47. Last year, the Lions were 4-22 and 0-13 away from home. Roberts will try to regroup with the leadership of Quincy Hinton, who averaged 14.5 points.
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