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The Tigers will enter the 2008-2009 season with many new faces, a few early game suspensions and few expectations from the CAA.There are a lot of question marks surrounding this team, but the first one is when, if ever, will this team learn to play together?
"It's one of the things that concerns me," head coach Pat Kennedy said. "But as this league has advanced we've been able to build some depth and that should help us. So even though we've had some suspensions there's a good chance that we're going to be okay. And I tell you this team has really come together faster that we thought."
The Tigers will be deep at every position this season starting with a backcourt in which the Tigers will welcome Richmond transfer Brian Morris to the mix. The 6-foot-6-inch sophomore, who is expected to play point guard for the Tigers, led the Spiders in minutes played, assists, steals and 3-pointers as a freshman.
"It's a long process but I feel like I got down our system pretty well." Morris said. "In high school I was more of a scorer and I still think I can shoot it pretty good but I'll just try and manage the game and set people up in position to score."
Joining him as a newcomer in the backcourt is freshman point guard Troy Franklin. The Baltimore-native has been impressive in early season workouts for the Tigers. In high school he was an All-Metro selection averaging 18 points, six assists and four steals a game for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School.
"Troy has had a terrific preseason," Kennedy said. "In our first scrimmage he scored 26 points. I haven't seen a freshman do that in a long time. He's quick, he makes plays, and he's our best on-the-ball defender, but the thing about Troy that has marveled most of us is that we had no idea he could shoot like this."
Along with the two newcomers, the Tigers return four guards who all received some playing time last season. The returners are led by junior Josh Thornton who led the team in points per game last year due largely to his ability to make outside shots. The Georgetown-transfer led the team in 3-point attempts and makes last season.
"The other day we scrimmaged and he took 10 shots and they were all threes and he made five of them," Kennedy said. "So he shoots a higher percentage from three than most guys can shoot in the two and those five shots are worth 15 points. As long as he's taking good shots he's got very high odds of putting it in."
Senior guards Tim Crossin, Rocky Coleman, and Vernon Carr, as well as Colorado State-transfer Jimmy Smith will round out the Tigers backcourt, all of whom are expected to come off the bench this season and contribute.
Kennedy's team is also extremely deep at the forward position, but three players who were expected to be key contributors at the position will miss time early due to suspension.
Junior Hairston, who is the Tigers only All-CAA selection, was second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding a year ago. However, the senior big man will play a significant roll for his team when he returns.
"He's still going to be emotional on the court, but he is so much more focused this year," Kennedy said. "It's so much more of a controlled energy. He's playing like a four-year senior right now. But it's his presence that could really hold this team together."
Also returning at forward will be senior Tony Durant who will miss the season opener due to suspension. Durant came on strong offensively towards the end of last season and will be an important inside scorer for the Tigers upon his return.
Redshirt freshman Rick Brown, who was suspended for the first five games of the season, was expected to be a pleasant surprise for Coach Kennedy and the team. His defensive prowess and new found scoring touch, which he worked on in the offseason, still could lift the Tigers when he returns later this month.
"This is very difficult for Ricardo," Kennedy said. "He just made a mistake that I'm sure he really regrets and the University took a very strong stance on it and we certainly agree with it but it's tough."
The other question mark for the Tigers will be 6-foot-8-inch center Tommy Breaux who will miss at least the few games of the season because he is also a wide receiver on the football team. It is unknown when the athletic senior will return to the basketball courts but he hasn't worked out with the team all year and hasn't played since early 2007.
"Tommy is going to be a tough one since he's missed so much," Kennedy said. "The biggest thing is team chemistry but the he's one of the greatest kids I've ever been around he just wants to do whatever he can to help the team win."
The only returning forward for the Tigers who will be active when the season begins is 6-foot-8-inch sophomore Robert Nwankwo who has impressed Kennedy with his off-season improvements.
"The biggest surprise of the preseason has been Robert Nwankwo," Kennedy said. "He's been our leading scorer, leading rebounder, and has the most blocks and deflections. He's had the best preseason of anybody we've had. The best thing about Robert is that he plays his position. He's definitely our starting center this year."
However, the coaching staff is excited about three new forwards Richmond transfer David Brewster, Colorado State transfer Jarrell Smith, and junior college transfer Calvin Lee. These three players, along with Nwankwo, will be the only active big men inside for the Tigers in the early goings of the season.
The team was picked to finish ninth out of the 12 conference teams this season and while some Tigers say they don't pay attention to the rankings, it's clear that they will have some extra motivation this season.
"It's no respect," Lee said. "I guess they see we've got a whole bunch of new guys so they don't really know about us. But we'll earn it. We just have to win."
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