SCOOBA — With players in the program for a maximum of two playing seasons, East Mississippi Community College men’s basketball coach Mark White is used to working with a new group each season.
However, even the Lions are taking things to an extreme this year.
White’s 2014-15 squad has one returning player. However, White is still excited about his eighth season in Scooba. Talent abounds on a 16-player roster that features 12 freshmen.
EMCC will start the season at 7:30 tonight at Alabama Southern C.C. The home opener will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Meridian C.C.
“This is the most inexperienced team you could possibly have,” White said. “We have never had a team like this in my eight seasons here. We will see what happens, but I like this team a lot. They have been the most coachable, hardest-working, toughest group we have ever had come through here.
“I am not sure how that will translate into the win column right away. But we are anxious to find out.”
The incoming group of freshmen includes a talented trio from the Golden Triangle area — Dontavius Self and Jontavius Baker, of Starkville High School, and Juan Davis, of West Point High, The Dispatch’s Large School Player of the Year in 2014.
“This has really been a challenge for the all guys,” Davis said. “We have a lot of new guys. We are having to learn the system and learn one another. Fortunately, we have been here since the summer, so we have gotten a lot of things already straightened out. There is some great enthusiasm for this season.”
A year ago, EMCC finished 20-7. The Lions saw a string of four-straight appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association championship tournament snapped with a Region 23 semifinal round loss to eventual national champion Jones Junior College.
The newest group of Lions knows the expectations in the program, which plays a few feet down the road from the two-time national championship football program.
“This group is very similar to my high school team,” Self said. “We are a very talented team. We work extremely hard. We are ready for the season to start because we are ready to play some games so we can see where we stand.”
White had some concerns as his new roster began to form. However, the work ethic established in the summer helped put his mind at ease.
“It is a total 180 from last year,” White said. “A year ago, we had a whole team of sophomores. This year is way different. What helped us out the most was the whole team being here for summer school. That gave us an extra month. It helped us get the guys to know how hard we go. They learned how hard we lift weights and how hard we practice. There has been more teaching so that time during the summer was vital.”
Last season, West Point High was eliminated in the semifinal round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State playoffs by eventual state champion Callaway. Starkville High lost in the Class 6A semifinal round to eventual state runner-up Grenada.
The 2014-15 EMCC roster is full of similar players with similar experiences.
“This team has some talented guys,” Baker said. “Coach is big on defensive rebounding. He expects us to ho hard on every defensive play. We have some skilled players offensively. We go hard every day. One of my specialties is defense and rebounding, so I love it here.”
White has built one of the premier programs in the state based largely on defensive intensity and not allowing the other team any type of comfort level on offense. The program also stressed rebounding. White admits only one player taller than 6-foot-4 (Davis at 6-7) has led to some tweaks in practice.
“We identified early that one of our Achilles’ heels this year would be defensive rebounding,” White said. “It is always something we have been great at. However, we just aren’t very big. A year ago, we could send 6-5, 6-6, 6-7 guys out there. We were much bigger and more athletic so we will have to make up for it this year by working just a little harder for each rebound.
“The good news is through our two jamborees we have been able to score. I really like what I have seen offensively. I know what we will become on defense because that is the style of play we demand. When it comes together, we plan to be a pretty good team.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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