SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College men’s basketball coach Billy Begley has seen both ends of the spectrum.
Begley has watched teams with sophomore-heavy rosters and squads full of newcomers, so he can tell you with confidence his prefers the makeup of the 2018-19 Lions.
EMCC will dress only four freshmen when the season opens at 7 p.m. Thursday against Royal Ambassadors Prep at Currie Coliseum.
“Every year since we’ve been here, it seems like we have had a new team,” Begley said. “This year has been fun because of all of the sophomores (eight total). I am not sure how many wins that will translate to. I do know it has been fun coming to work every day. Coaches talk about two-hour practices and all of that. We pretty much can get everything done in about 90 minutes. That is because we have been together so long. The players know what we are expecting before they come in the gym.”
A year ago, EMCC finished 12-12 and 5-7 in Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division play. The Lions begin their fourth season under Begley looking for the program’s first return to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship tournament since 2016. The event is played annually in Hutchinson, Kansas.
“Hutch is the goal,” EMCC sophomore guard Terryonte Thomas said. “We have so many sophomores, there really are no excuses. A year ago, we were learning the game and learning to depend on one another. This year is different. We have already got that chemistry thing going. We have all the ingredients. Sky is the limit for this team.”
Thomas is the team’s leading returning scorer. The former New Hope High School standout averaged 12.5 points per game.
“This year, we have expanded his game a little bit,” Begley said. “At New Hope, he could facilitate. He had to make all of the players better on the floor. Here, he can concentrate on his role and that is mainly scoring while playing any of four different spots on the floor. He has enough size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) to battle underneath, but he also has the ability to step out and make shot after shot. That is why he is going to be sought after by many on the next level.”
Former Starkville High standout Darrious Agnew, a sophomore forward, is back after injuries cut his campaign short a year ago. Now, the 6-8. 225-pounder is ready to bang down low.
“This year is important to me because last year ended early,” Agnew said. “This team has a huge advantage because of it closeness. A lot of teams will have to fit some new guys into their lineup. In our case, we can play a starting five that has been together.”
Begley said the light switch came on for the team after Christmas break a year ago. All but one regular-season loss in the new year was by less than 10 points. The team qualified for the MACJC State tournament, where it lost to Pearl River C.C. in the opening round.
“We played so many close games and just couldn’t get over the hump,” Begley said. “The team didn’t have the makeup to get that one big stop. A lot of that was youth. This year, we should be able to swing more of the tight games. The only way you get better in those is through experience.”
Agnew has two former high school teammates with him at EMCC. Sophomore forward Markedric Bell (6-7, 190) is back, while Donte Powers (6-2, 160) is a freshman forward.
“This team will have more offensive capabilities,” Bell said. “On any given night, a different player can lead us in scoring. The main emphasis so far in practice is defending and rebounding. If we can become a better rebounding team this year we can go a long way.”
Begley’s first team capped a run of five appearances in seven seasons in the national championship tournament for EMCC. He was an assistant coach during the first part of that run.
“Don’t know how many wins we will be able to accumulate this year,” Begley said. “The challenge is only having these players for two years. You don’t have any long-range projects. You have to bring in players to fit your system and they have to be ready to go. I think that is what will be huge for us this year. We haven’t had to teach the basics. We have proven players from great high school programs. They got a lot of experience last year, so we will be much further down the road when the season starts this year.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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