Southern States Athletic Conference

The Southern States Athletic Conference coaches have picked Faulkner University to repeat as conference champs for the 2007-08 season. Faulkner finished last season with a record of 24-11 (14-4 in the SSAC) and shared the conference title with Auburn-Montgomery. One reason for the top pick of Faulkner by the coaches is how well they finished the season. The team made it to the final four in the NAIA national tournament before getting beat by the eventual national champions. Faulkner received eight of the ten first place votes in the poll.

The coaches tabbed Lee University to finish second in the conference who received 1 first place vote. Lee finished third last season in the regular season and won the league last in 2005-06. Auburn-Montgomery, coming off a regular season co-championship and the conference tournament champs from last year, enter the poll at number three. The forth spot in the poll goes to Southern Polytechnic who received one first place vote.

Finishing out the poll is Southern Wesleyan, Berry College, Brewton-Parker, Shorter, Emmanuel and Reinhardt.

2007-08 Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

2007-08 Team Previews

Auburn-Montgomery

Coach Larry Chapman in his 31^st year at AUM looks to repeat their performance last year where the Senators were co-conference champs as well as the SSAC tournament champs.

Returning for the Senators this season is last year’s tournament MVP Senior forward Robert Johnson of Montgomery, AL. Johnson, a member of the SSAC all conference team averaged 21.1 points last year and 6.6 rebounds per game. Also helping out Johnson down low will be 6-7 sophomore forward/center Nathan Thomas a member of the 2006-07 SSAC all freshmen team. Thomas averaged 8.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg and had 49 blocks on the season. AUM also has junior guard Ronnie Hickman (9.8 ppg, 45 ast and 36 steals) and junior forward David Gallager (4.0 ppg and 42% from the three point range) returning to help the squad.

AUM has four transfers coming in to help the team as well. Kip Small a 6-0 sophomore guard from Augusta State, Jamison Finley a 6-8 sophomore forward/center from Northeast Mississippi Junior College, Quadavious Brown a 6-2 junior guard from Atlanta Georgia and Jerome Davis a 6-6 sophomore center from Chicago, Ill.

Berry

Berry looks to improve on their 9-21 (6-12 in the SSAC) record that saw them finish eight in the conference last year. Berry hopes to have more wins like their upset in the SSAC tournament of the number one seeded Faulkner Eagles.

Returning for the Vikings will be senior forward Jess Mullens who averaged 11.4 point and 6.6 rebounds last year. 6-3 Junior guard Chris Clark a member of the SSAC all freshmen team who averaged 7.4 ppg and recorded 19 steals will also be returning. Other returning members include junior guard Stephen Hunter (8.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and 6-0 sophomore guard Will Blackwell (3.1ppg and member of SSAC all freshmen team).

The Vikings look for some extra talent from their new players including transfer Daniel Ferguson a 6-3 junior guard from Valdosta State as well as freshmen David Holloman (Hewitt-Trussville (AL)), Kendall Gadie (Pleasant Grove (AL)) and Tim Miles (Marietta (GA)).

Brewton-Parker

The Barons are looking to replace the graduated Warren Beaulah who was the SSAC leading scorer last year. They hope their incoming freshmen class along with a sophomore transfer will do the trick. Coming from Nicholls State will be Maurice Veal a

6-9 junior post player as well as three freshmen. 6-5 guard Charlie Piho (New Zealand), 6-1 guard Gavin Champan (Oconee County) and 6-0 guard Nate Greene (Southland Academy).

The Barons returning class include junior guard Jurbien Byrd (15.0 ppg, 4.8 apg), senior post George Fudge (8 ppg, 5rpg), senior guard Bradley Wilson (6 ppg, 3 rpg) and senior guard Jason Moore (3.5 ppg, 2 apg).

Emmanuel

The Lions will be lead under new leadership this year. Head coach TJ Rosene was the head women’s basketball coach at Reinhardt College before accepting the coaching position at Emmanuel. TJ earned recognition as the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina-Conference (GACC) 2003-2004 Coach of the Year while leading Reinhardt Women’s Basketball program.

Coach Rosene is looking for leadership from three returning players from last years team. Senior post Ray Raines, junior guard Micah Hayes and junior Ronny Weihmann combined for 11ppg last year and are looking to help replace the scoring leaders that graduated from last season.

Coming in to help the team this year are four talented freshmen. Guard Jeremy Tate, guard Jerron Stone, post Chase Procuro and guard Teddy Hudson.

Faulkner

The Faulkner University Eagles look to continue the success of last season’s Fab Four appearance in the NAIA national tournament. The Eagles lost senior guards Jammie Evans and Raul Cardenas, but will return with nine athletes from last year’s 24-11 program and will be adding six new faces.

Among the Eagles returning this season is senior Richarde McCray. The 6-2 guard shot 42% from the field and 34% from the three-point line last season. McCray was the points leader with 396 and averaged 11 per game. He also led the team with 205 rebounds averaging six per contest. Senior point guard Bryant Murray will also return to the lineup this season. Murray shot 49% from the field and led the team with 173 assists and a five per game average. Another impact player that the Eagles will rely on this year is senior forward Jon Uriarte. The 6-7 senior averaged 12 points and five rebounds per game. Uriarte was second in scoring to McCray contributing 394 points. Brandon Vaughn, the 6-7 senior forward, shot at 42% from the field and knocked home 35% from the three-point line. Vaughn averaged nine points and four rebounds per game.

Faulkner has filled the roster with six new faces including junior transfer Durell Richardson. The 6-5 forward from Snead State averaged eight points and seven rebounds per game his sophomore year and recorded five double-doubles. Jonathan Walker, a 6-2 junior guard out of Waco, Tex., will be another key addition to the Eagles’ lineup. Walker played on back-to-back North Texas Junior College conference championship teams at McLennan Community College and brings a great deal of experience to the team. Reggie Dupree, a Gadsden State transfer, will also contribute greatly to overall team dynamics. The 6-0 junior guard averaged 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game last year. Dupree led his team in steals and shot 55% from the floor.

“This may be the most demanding schedule we’ve put together since I’ve been here,” said veteran coach Jim Sanderson. “Strong competition will make us better over the course of the season and will hopefully pay off in conference play.”

Lee

Coach Tommy Brown is entering his third season at Lee and he’s hoping to take his Flames to the NAIA National Tournament for the third straight year. Brown will be blessed with a group of solid returnees, plus several outstanding transfers. Picked 12th nationally by Victory Magazine’s pre-season edition, the Flames have also added former Tennessee Temple University assistant Josh Templeton to the coaching staff.

Back from last season’s club are guards Cole Rose, Kellen Pickel and Ricky Harper, plus inside performers Harold Griffin (6-foot-7) and Desmond Blue (6-foot-10). Top transfers are guards Brad Harris and Elmar Kuli-Zade. Freddie Williams and Paco Diaw can be used at guard or forward, while Joe Fulp gives the Flames inside power and depth.

I am excited about the upcoming season,” said Brown. ”This has been an enjoyable group to work with thus far. I believe we have more offensive firepower this year but the key to our success will be our ability to rebound and defend.

Reinhardt

A new era in Reinhardt College men's basketball begins in 2007-08 with the arrival of first-year Head Coach Jeff Pourchier. After four successful seasons as an assistant coach at both NCAA Division II Valdosta State University and Southern States Athletic Conference foe Southern Polytechnic State University, Pourchier takes over the helm of the Eagles program with hopes of improving on last season's 11-20 overall and 7-11 SSAC records.

Heading Reinhardt's list of six returning players are 6-2 senior guard Victor Stowes and 6-10 senior center Donovan McMullen. Stowes averaged 10.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last year while McMullen collected 1.9 points and 2.5 boards a contest, and also had a team-high 21 blocked shots. Newcomers expected to make an impact for the Eagles include 6-3 freshman guard/forward Walt Rush, from Newnan (Ga.) High School, and 6-3 freshman guard Adam Darling, who is out of Lake Dallas (Texas) High School.

Shorter

Chad Warner, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, has been tapped to lead Shorter College’s men’s basketball program. Warner looks to lead the Hawks out of the cellar in the SSAC men’s basketball standing where they have finished second to last the last three years.

Leading the charge for the Hawks will be 6-6 senior guard Kedric Wilson a member of last years SSAC all conference team, 6-2 junior Fred Christopher and 6-1 senior Jarius Jackson.

Two transfers come into the program to help the Hawks this year. Tomas Pranciliauskas a 6-4 junior from Pepperdine and A.J. Martin a 6-4 junior from mercer university hope to fill in the gaps left by the vacancy of Hawks standout Jack Richey and Dustyn Moore.

Southern Polytechnic

The Runnin’ Hornets Men’s Basketball Team is looking forward to the upcoming 2007-2008 season. They have many new and exciting players on the roster this year, and are anticipating a successful season in the SSAC and a deep run in the NAIA National Tournament. The Runnin’ Hornets will have a new look this year and will be playing a very fast paced game that should be exciting to watch.

The Runnin’ Hornets top returnee is senior forward Tony Bowman. Before missing the 20006-07 season due to a knee injury, Bowman played a vital role in the paint for the Runnin’ Hornets in 2005. The Atlanta Metropolitan Junior College transfer brought his 15 points and 7 rebounds per game average to help lead the Runnin’ Hornets to the Sweet 16 of the National Tournament. He was a major contributor in the postseason and helped lead the Runnin’ Hornets past #2 ranked LSU-Shreveport in a first round game of the NAIA National Tournament with his 17 point, 12 rebound performance.

New athletes for SPSU include junior forward Jarrod Clark. Clark attended Brevard Community College and earned All-State honors averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds per game. Travis Smith a junior guard who was rated one the Top 100 players coming out of high school in the country by Rivals.com and is transferring in from the Citadel in Charleston, SC. Another transfer is junior forward Ledonshay Johnson who comes in from Manatee Community College where he nearly averaged a double double while receiving All-State honors along with being the team captain.

Southern Wesleyan

After a season that saw the Warriors miss the SSAC Tournament for the first time under SWU Head Coach Charles Wimphrie, the makeup of the 2007-08 squad shows similarities to the 2005-06 team that finished second in the SSAC and earned a berth in the NAIA National Tournament. A lack of scoring and rebounding crippled the Warriors last season, but Wimphrie is pleased with the team's progress in those areas in the early stages of pre-season.

Returning for the Warriors is senior Dealto Marshall, led the Warriors in rebounding, averaging 7.5 per game while adding 9.3 points per game. Junior Byron Wimphrie brings additional scoring to the squad, as he averaged 9.0 points per game last season. In all, the Warriors have eight players returning from last season. Coach Wimphrie has signed some talented recruits that should bridge the gap in areas the team lacked in last season. SWU will see nine players suit up for them this season that were not Warriors' uniforms last season.