C-LeB28
Moderator
By Ryan McGinty (rjmcginty@aol.com)
HBIC Media Relations
(www.heritagebasketballinvitationalclassic.com)
The basketball staff at Benedict College, one of the four participants in the inaugural Heritage Invitational Basketball Classic in Birmingham, AL on Dec. 7, 2002, is very excited about its team?s chances for the upcoming 2002-03 basketball season.
Benedict College, which is under the direction of first-year head coach and school record setting rebounder Freddrell Watson, looks to turn the corner after posting a third place finish last season in the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. This season, Watson said his Tigers would enter the 2002-03 season better prepared along with being in top physical condition.
?I see us performing at an above average rule and I think we have a good team that will get better during the course of the season,? Watson said. ?The team will be prepared for every game. I have a very disciplined team that is in top condition and I see a 20-win season for us.?
Last season, the Tigers posted an 11-15 record and Watson said the record could have been better if the team was in better shape last season.
?I just thought they didn?t play hard for 40 minutes, because of the lack of physical condition,? Watson said. ?The team had a lot of talent, thus keeping them in about every game. But because of fatigue I think that is why they lost a lot of close games.?
Another reason Watson is excited about this season is the fact that he has a solid nucleus of lettermen returning along with a strong group of newcomers. All-conference senior Eugene Jackson returns to lead way along with returning juniors Pete Asmond, Samuel Gortman, Jr., Rick Lewis, Quentin McCombs and 2001-02 All-Freshman team member Tony Bryant. In the offseason, the Tigers brought in six newcomers that should bolster an already solid cast.
In order to get his team ready for its return to the SIAC conference, Watson scripted a tough non-conference schedule.
?I think our non-conference schedule is really tough but it will help us in our conference play.?
This season will mark several firsts for the Tiger basketball program. Starting this season, the Tigers are full-fledged NCAA Division II members and will compete for the SIAC championship for the first time in many years. In addition, the Tigers are also one of the four teams who were selected to play in the inaugural Heritage Invitational Basketball at the University of Alabama-Birmingham?s Bartow Arena. Watson is excited about both feats.
?We are really excited about moving to NCAA Division II and joining the SIAC,? he said. ?I think it is a real exciting conference with good teams and great coaches, we are thrilled to be apart of it.
?As for the tournament, anytime you get a chance to play in a first of anything it?s an honor. I am really excited about the classic.?
HBIC Media Relations
(www.heritagebasketballinvitationalclassic.com)
The basketball staff at Benedict College, one of the four participants in the inaugural Heritage Invitational Basketball Classic in Birmingham, AL on Dec. 7, 2002, is very excited about its team?s chances for the upcoming 2002-03 basketball season.
Benedict College, which is under the direction of first-year head coach and school record setting rebounder Freddrell Watson, looks to turn the corner after posting a third place finish last season in the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. This season, Watson said his Tigers would enter the 2002-03 season better prepared along with being in top physical condition.
?I see us performing at an above average rule and I think we have a good team that will get better during the course of the season,? Watson said. ?The team will be prepared for every game. I have a very disciplined team that is in top condition and I see a 20-win season for us.?
Last season, the Tigers posted an 11-15 record and Watson said the record could have been better if the team was in better shape last season.
?I just thought they didn?t play hard for 40 minutes, because of the lack of physical condition,? Watson said. ?The team had a lot of talent, thus keeping them in about every game. But because of fatigue I think that is why they lost a lot of close games.?
Another reason Watson is excited about this season is the fact that he has a solid nucleus of lettermen returning along with a strong group of newcomers. All-conference senior Eugene Jackson returns to lead way along with returning juniors Pete Asmond, Samuel Gortman, Jr., Rick Lewis, Quentin McCombs and 2001-02 All-Freshman team member Tony Bryant. In the offseason, the Tigers brought in six newcomers that should bolster an already solid cast.
In order to get his team ready for its return to the SIAC conference, Watson scripted a tough non-conference schedule.
?I think our non-conference schedule is really tough but it will help us in our conference play.?
This season will mark several firsts for the Tiger basketball program. Starting this season, the Tigers are full-fledged NCAA Division II members and will compete for the SIAC championship for the first time in many years. In addition, the Tigers are also one of the four teams who were selected to play in the inaugural Heritage Invitational Basketball at the University of Alabama-Birmingham?s Bartow Arena. Watson is excited about both feats.
?We are really excited about moving to NCAA Division II and joining the SIAC,? he said. ?I think it is a real exciting conference with good teams and great coaches, we are thrilled to be apart of it.
?As for the tournament, anytime you get a chance to play in a first of anything it?s an honor. I am really excited about the classic.?