Dave Davis loves basketball. And he tries to make it as much fun as possible for Pfeiffer
University.While other area
college teams opened practice in the daylight hours, the Falcon coach directed his usual
Midnight Madness production in Misenheimer last week.
“We were regular season
champs (in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference) and the guys were ready to get
going,” said the fiery redhead, beginning his fourth season as head coach. “We
wanted to get the student body fired up.”
Pfeiffer had a dunk contest and
the players pulled students out of the bleachers for a team 3-point shooting exhibition.
“It didn’t help our team
at all,” laughed Davis. “But it was fun.”
Speaking of fun, is there any
Division II team around as much fun to watch as the run-and-gun Falcons? Davis admits he
doesn’t have an abundance of big men so his little waterbugs rip up and down the
court, trying to outscore you.
And that’s why returnees like
Nem Sovic, Terrence Baxter, Emory Smith, Eric Jackson and Dwayne Bell can’t wait for
opening night.
“This year, Davis says,
“we’re going to play even faster, if that’s possible.”
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A nice advantage for area fans is
that Pfeiffer, Catawba and Livingstone will play each other.
In fact, Catawba opens in
Pfeiffer’s tournament Nov. 19 against Lander, the team that knocked Jim Baker’s
club out of the NCAA Division II playoffs last year.
Even though Baker lost
all-everything guard Marvin Moore (21.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists) and Kelvin
Pannell (11 points, seven rebounds), he is still loaded.
Baker (99-44 in his Indian career)
returns three talented — and hard to pronounce — names in 6-foot-7 Croatian
sensation Davor Krusevljanin, 6-foot-6 three-point bomber Nedzed Gusic, also from Croatia,
and 7-foot-2 Frenchman Gaeton Cotigny.
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Which leads us to our English
lesson for the day.
Although Krusevljanin is a senior,
we still have problems pronouncing his name.
It sounds like this: Dah-vor
Crew-shev-luh-nun.
Gusic? It’s Ned-jah
Goose-itch.
Cotigny? It’s Gay-tahn
Co-tuh-knee.
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Pfeiffer has the most heralded
transfer this season: Joe Holmes.
The 6-foot-1 point guard somehow
found his way from the University of Nebraska to Misenheimer and is immediately eligible.
Holmes actually started for Danny Nee last year in the Big 12 Conference.
“He is a real strong point
guard,” Davis said.
But Holmes is on the shelf with a
strained achilles tendon. He hasn’t played for a month and is wearing a cast seven
days before having it re-checked.
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There will be five Stanly County
basketball players in the area, three of whom are Pfeiffer Falcons— North
Stanly’s Jackson and Gardner-Webb transfer Dusty Mason, along with Mark Purvis of
Albemarle. Purvis signed with Gardner-Webb to play baseball but tore his rotator cuff.
Davis recruited him in basketball and now, he has him.
The other two Stanly steamers are
North Stanly’s Britt Jernigan and Quentin Bryant, who both play for Catawba.
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Livingstone’s men have
struggled over the past two seasons but coach Charlie McCullough is giddy over Gidney.
Rodney Gidney, that is.
Gidney may turn out to be the
CIAA’s best offensive player. It’s the supporting cast that needs to produce for
the Blue Bears to move up in the conference.
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Besides Jernigan, Catawba’s
Baker is bringing in three other newcomers: Eric Burdsall of Evansville, Ind. and Brian
Carter of Alexandria, Va. Both are 6-foot-5 wing players. Jamark Parker, a 6-foot-3 guard
from Reidsville, redshirted last year.
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Player to watch: Catawba’s
Terrence Hamilton, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Dillon, S.C. The guy jumps like he’s on
a trampoline and may be ready for a big season.
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And don’t forget the women.
Livingstone has been
well-documented. It is being picked to win the Western Division and with 6-foot-5 Roshida
Brooks gone from perennial power Bowie State, this may be the year Andrew Mitchell’s
club goes all the way.
Catawba’s John Duncan (132-82
in his career) brought in nine newcomers to go with his talented smurf backcourt of
5-foot-5 Lakai Brice (she led the Indians in scoring with a 13.9 average) and 5-foot-3
senior Kristin Wooten.
Among the recruits is East
Rowan’s 6-foot center Julie Austin.
Austin seems to be shrinking.
We’ve called her 6-foot-4, then 6-foot-2 ... and now Catawba lists her at six feet.
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The can’t-miss nonconference
game of the year: Livingstone’s women travel to Catawba Jan. 2.
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And finally...
Pfeiffer may have the best real
name and nickname all rolled into one.
Davis is calling transfer Shakil
Brew, “the Shaq of the CVAC.”
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Ronnie Gallagher is the sports
editor of the Post. |
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