|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
2007-08 SEASON PROSPECTUS
Expectations are high in Florence
following the University of North
Alabama’s 2006-07 season that ended with a
loss in the semi-finals of the Gulf South
Conference Tournament to eventual Elite 8
participant Montevallo. The loss has
fueled the Lions in their quest to take
the next step as a rising program.
“We’ve talked about returning to the NCAA
Tournament,” fifth-year head Coach Bobby
Champagne said. “We’ve talked about the
banners hanging in Flowers Hall and the
trophies in our lobby. We know that we
have been on the verge of having a great
season the past couple of years. We feel
we are getting closer. With many of our
players returning from those experiences,
it definitely is an advantage. We gained
confidence from some of the wins but have
a burning desire from not having advanced
further and being able to complete the
job.”
Last year the Lions posted a 15-14 mark
while playing one of the most difficult
schedules in the nation. UNA was the only
team in the GSC to defeat Montevallo
during conference play and suffered
heartbreaking losses in the final minutes
of several games.
The Lions return a total of seven letter
winners, including three starters from the
2006-07 squad. UNA returns its third
leading scorer (Quinn Beckwith 15.2ppg)
and second leading assist man (Kenny
Johnson 2.6apg) from that team.
The Lions will need to figure out a way to
replace three valuable seniors. Milton
Nance, 21.6ppg, Esmir Guzonjic, 18.1ppg
and 8.6rpg and Jerrell Vinson, 8.2ppg and
7.3rpg were the heart and soul of the
Lions team in 2006-07.
Leading the way for the Lions will be the
senior duo of Quinn Beckwith and Casey
Holt. Beckwith earned player of the week
honors in the GSC on two occasions while
shooting 37% from beyond the three point
line. Casey Holt is the most experienced
player in a Lion uniform. After suffering
a season ending injury, the senior from
Culleoka, TN has played in 87 games and
has scored 580 points in his career.
Kenny Johnson, who saw his play improve
throughout last year and garnered GSC
All-Academic honors, will be counted on to
be the floor general and defensive stopper
for the Lions who are the only GSC team to
have a national championship in men’s
basketball. Thomas Morris will try to
remain healthy for an entire season as he
has suffered injuries in each of his three
seasons with the Lions.
Meanwhile the Lions have added four
transfers to the lineup and one freshman.
Juniors Andrew Chesney, Isaac Gay, Thomas
Fraise and Dusko Stojnic will join Doug
Hunter to add much needed depth in the
front court. While Trentavious McCants
joins Phil Collins and Joe Deegan in the
back court.
Following is a Q&A with fifth-year UNA
coach Bobby Champagne entering the 2007-08
season.
What are your expectations entering the
year?
“Like every year, we are always going to
set the bar high and attempt to live up to
the rich tradition of UNA Basketball. Our
goal is to compete for the conference
championship. It has been demonstrated in
the recent past that if you are good
enough to win the GSC championship then
you are good enough to advance to the
Elite 8. However, there are several
factors that come into play like
experience, depth, talent, health, having
all of the dimensions, schedule and
ultimately chemistry to be competitive in
arguably the best conference in Division
II.
“All we are trying to do is bring UNA
Basketball up to the level of excellence
that is expected throughout our
university. We have worked to put
ourselves in this position and would like
to reap some of the rewards.”
What are the strengths of this year’s
team?
“Our guards have proven that they can play
at a high level. We have added depth which
should be a benefit with our up-tempo
style. We should have a balanced scoring
attack and our senior leadership will
determine how successful this team will be
this season.”
What are your biggest concerns entering
the season?
“Defense, rebounding and our ability to
make free throws late in the game have
been challenges for us. Those areas are
what separate championship teams from the
rest of the league and we have not been as
consistent in those areas. This program
has not won a GSC Championship or won a
NCAA Regional in a while. We believe that
to build a program, you take steps and put
yourselves in position to be competitive
every year and then you play it out and
see what happens. There are a number of
tough games to be played before the end of
the season. Continuing to improve each day
and sustaining a consistent effort will be
extremely important.”
Over the last four seasons UNA’s
schedule has been rated as one of the most
difficult in the country with a blend of
high-profile non-conference games in
addition to GSC play. How will this year’s
schedule stack up?
“Our schedule is once again as strong as
anyone in the country is playing. One of
the things we have tried to do is play
anyone anywhere. We don’t put up the kind
of gaudy numbers that some people will in
terms of wins because of our schedule. We
have played the #1 team in the country and
other several ranked teams in each of the
past few seasons. We will have an
opportunity to play in the prestigious
Disney Tip-Off Classic and face the
nations best. We will also have other
in-region contest against teams that will
be ranked in the pre-season polls. This
schedule is everything you could want. It
will send our players a message that we
will have to prepare each and every day.
What player wouldn’t want to play in
Assembly Hall (Indiana), Coleman Coliseum
(Alabama) or the Cajundome (Louisiana
Lafayette) in the same season? We will
have that opportunity and as a team, I
think we can handle it.”
Casey Holt sustained a season ending
injury last season. What is it that makes
him so important to the team’s success?
“His ability to do all of the little
things, experience of being a fifth-year
senior and his willingness to accept any
role make him invaluable. Casey will be
rewarded for his hard work both on and off
the court.”
Quinn Beckwith established himself as a
long-range shooter last year, what will be
his role on this year’s team?
Quinn made some big shots for us last year
and he will be counted on to do the same
this season. We are going to ask Quinn to
be effective defensively and create
scoring opportunities for his teammates
along with becoming a more consistent
shooter. Quinn will need to become a
leader both on and off of the court.”
How important will it be for this team
to remain healthy throughout the season?
Injuries are a part of college basketball
but hopefully our strength and
conditioning program will limit our
injuries. We sustained a number of
injuries last season which contributed to
much of our inconsistency. Fortunately we
have added depth this season so if we do
have some injuries, we will not lose much
when we go to our bench.”
Who do you think will be a surprise on
this year’s team?
I think that each of our newcomers and any
of our players who were not counted on
much last season could add to the overall
success of our team. Ike, (Isaac Gay),
Thomas Fraise, Dusko Stojnic and Andrew
Chesney should be major contributors. I
would not be surprised if Phil, Doug or
Joe became someone we looked for to give
us a defensive stop or hit a big basket
for us. All of them have worked hard to
improve and help this team become better.” |
| | |
|
|
| | |