Bobcats look to improve after a disappointing season

Despite coming off a disappointing 2003-04 season, there is a lot of optimism surrounding the 2004-05 Georgia College & State University Bobcats. GC&SU is coming off a tough 7-22 campaign in 2003-04 which saw the Bobcats finish last in the Peach Belt Conference South Division with a 3-13 league mark. There was some positive play in the final week, but the season ended in the second round of the conference tournament.

GC&SU returns only one starter, one returning senior, and a total of four players who saw any playing time last year. Still, with a solid recruiting class and a couple of other players coming off injury or red-shirt years, Coach Terry Sellers, now in his 12th year with the team , is confident the Bobcats can return to their winning ways.

“We expect to be the most improved team in the Peach Belt Conference,” Coach Sellers said. “The team chemistry seems to be very good in the pre-season, and I’m encouraged by the work ethic the players have exhibited. A key will be how well our new players mesh with our returning players.”

Junior guard Cooper Sellers (7.7 ppg/ 1.4 rpg) is the team’s leading returning scorer. He ranked fifth in scoring last year, but he led the team with 44 three-point field goals. With the recruitment of several true point guards, Sellers should be able to return to his natural shooting guard position.

“Cooper is our most experienced guard and one of our best shooters,” Coach Sellers said. “We need his leadership and perimeter shooting.”

Guard Travis Nesby (3.8 ppg/ 1.6 rpg) is the team’s lone returning senior after playing in every game last year.

“Travis may be our most improved player,” Sellers said. “He really had a good summer working with Dr. [Mike] Martino, and it really paid off. He has stepped into a leadership role on the team.”

Sophomore guards Matt and Aaron Gibbs also return after playing sparingly in their rookie seasons. They have worked hard in the offseason and have shown significant improvement. Sophomore Will Cantrell hopes to play his first game as a Bobcat after being red-shirted his first year and then tearing his ACL in the preseason last year. Cantrell is an outstanding shooting guard who can give the Bobcats another much-needed outside threat. Red-shirt freshman Jay Warden is an athletic player with outstanding potential and will also compete for playing time.

Five newcomers will also be in the mix, including senior Roland Williams and junior Ronnie Dennis, who transferred from the University of New Hampshire.

“Roland is a fast ‘jet-quick’ point guard. He can really push the ball up the floor and also defends well,” Sellers said. “Ronnie is a tough, hard-nosed defender, who is a good passer and a very intense player.”

Bryan Harrison, a transfer from Santa Fe Community College, will also vie for time at the point.

“Bryan has good size, he’s an excellent passer, and he makes his teammates better by getting them the ball at just the right time,” Sellers said. “I absolutely love his floor vision.”

Junior Andre Smith transfers from Central Florida Community College and could also be an impact player at guard for the Bobcats.

“Andre is the kind of player that was a top priority in recruiting,” Sellers said. “He’s fast, defends well, and is a slashing type of scorer. He is a very exciting player.”

Also returning is red-shirt freshman Justin Dickens who could compete at the three or four position along with Jeremy Mayweather, a transfer from Atlanta Metro Community College, and sophomore Chevene Simmons, a former standout at Milledgeville’s Baldwin High School.

“Justin is versatile, and we’re counting on him to help a lot this year,” Sellers said. “Jeremy may be the most versatile player on the team and is a threat to score from the inside and outside. Chevene is a hard worker and team player. I love his attitude.”

The Bobcats also have some new talent down low with the addition of junior college transfers Donald Battles from Manatee Community College and Chris Boyd from Johnson County Community College.

“Donald is the best leaper we’ve had in a while. We’re counting on him to be a Dennis Rodman-like rebounder who can out-run bigger post players,” Sellers said. “Chris Boyd is our strongest player with good hands and good footwork. He really plays hard.”

Freshman Aaron Clark is the Bobcats tallest player at 6’9″ and comes from a strong program at Collins Hill High School.

“We’re very excited about Aaron,” Sellers said. “He has a chance to play more than any freshman we’ve had in a long time. He has a good work ethic, and in time, he will be an outstanding player.”

The coaching staff is confident that this year’s recruiting class may be one of the best in recent years at the school, and hopes are a high for a return to the usual winning ways.

“(Assistant) Coach Mark Gainous has done an outstanding job coordinating our recruiting efforts, and with the Peach Belt Conference emerging as the best Division II conference in the country, it is imperative that we recruit well,” Sellers said. “I believe we have some fine young men who really want to represent GC&SU well, both on and off the floor. With the speed and quickness we have, we will play at a one hundred mile per hour pace. It will be exciting.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 12 2004. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry