November 16, 2007

LAURINBURG, N.C.—After spending the past three seasons hovering around the five-hundred mark, the St. Andrews Presbyterian College men’s basketball team will be looking to jump over that hurdle in the 2007/2008 season as the Knights pursue their goal to compete and eventually win a championship.

The Knights, under the direction of third year head coach Billy Lee, will be looking for the breakout season with a talented roster that has the potential to make this year an exciting campaign.

In his first two seasons coaching the St. Andrews men’s basketball team, Coach Lee has guided the Knights to double-digit victories both times including several impressive wins that shows the team is on the cusp of contending both within the conference and within the region. Lee coached SAPC to home victories against No. 18 nationally ranked Mount Olive College and NCAA Tournament participant Wingate University. Last season, Lee conducted Knights victories at No. 18 Pfeiffer University and against NCAA tourney qualifier Queens University of Charlotte.

Lee and returning assistant coaches Richie Schueler and Darrick Barga will be trying to build on the success of those recent impressive victories with this years squad, instilling a winning mentality that should lead to more W’s in the win column for St. Andrews. The players will also have a better understanding of the programs direction and goals this year as this is the first time the same coaching staff as a unit will be instructing the Knights in over five years (no coaching changes).

The 2007/08 roster is split equally in half with eight letterwinners returning leadership and experience while eight newcomers will be adding depth and talent at all positions.

The SAPC coaching staff has improved the teams overall size and outside shooting. The undersized Knights held their own on the boards last season, matching their foes with 35 rebounds per contest but have added five players that are six-foot, five-inches or taller that should help control the boards. St. Andrews also addressed its need for more consistent shooting by signing several players with good range all over the court. The Knights hit 65 fewer three-pointers than their opponents but the new additions should close that gap from behind the arc.

With a good mix of new and old, Lee has a mission to get this year’s team playing consistent all year long in both practices and games. If the Knights get the same dependable squad every day and night, the program should move nicely up the conference standings and compete with the upper level of the league.

A trio of senior forwards will be looked upon to bring much of the leadership needed for a successful run including Marcus Hoke, Bradley Hippolyte, and Benny Zacharias.

Zacharias, a Raeford, N.C. native, will be the only four-year St. Andrews letterwinner on this year’s team. Zacharias returns a lot of experience in the SAPC system having played in 50 games for the Knights.

“Benny is intense, battles hard, and scraps at levels other players very rarely reach,” commented Lee. “He will play a lot of basketball for us in a variety of capacities and make us better defensive and rebounding team when on the court.”

In his senior season, Hippolyte (Bronx, N.Y) will look to build on his most successful collegiate season last year when he averaged 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds for SAPC in 19 games.

“Bradley is a versatile player that can be called upon to take on different rolls, from working the wing to the post,” informed Lee. “In our home exhibition game, he had 16 points and six rebounds. I was really excited about his offensive play and look for that to continue into the season.”

Hoke (Charlotte, N.C.) will be gunning for a big senior season after averaging 6.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in his first year as a Knight. Hoke, who transferred from Wilkes Community College, returns a team-best 35 treys from 06/07.

“Marcus is a tremendous outside shooter,” stated Lee. “Injuries plagued him last year but when he is healthy he adds leadership and intelligence to what we do.”

While the Knights will be without their top-two leading scorers from last season, St. Andrews will return junior forward Joseph Gripper from Charlotte, N.C. Gripper, who sat out last year, averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 28 starts two years ago.

“Joe brings a variety of assets to the team being quick, athletic, a good ball handler, and solid rebounder and shooter,” stated Lee. “Joe tends to see things clearly on the court. He needs to be a consistent player for us both in practices and in games. He has the capabilities to be a high scorer for us and I have really high hopes for Joe.”

Six-foot, eight-inch freshman Zack Garst of Huntersville, N.C. will look to jump right into the starting lineup as the team’s big man. Lee expects Garst to have good and bad games with his inexperience but will look for him to become more consistent quickly with his talent.

Sophomore Ron Deas (Clayton, N.C.) and Hippolyte will also see a lot of time in the post for the Knights. Deas, who played in 18 games as a rookie last season, brings a lot of athleticism down low. St. Andrews will lack size in the post when Garst comes out of the game but they gain quickness with Deas and Hippolyte. During the conference season, the Knights will have added help in the post from six-foot, eight-inch Thurl Bailey (Greensboro, N.C.), who becomes eligible in January after transferring in from a community college.

Sophomore guard Justin Brauda (Monroe, N.C.), who played in 26 games and was the starting point guard in 15 contests, will miss the season due to injury. Junior Charles Phillips (Decatur, Ga.), who is the most experienced Knight having played in 55 games in his first two seasons, will be asked to take over for Brauda at the point. Phillips averaged 3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists from the No. 2 spot last year.

“Charles is an exceptional leader and will play point guard even though he is a two,” reaffirmed Lee. “He has stepped up to the challenge as a leader both on and off the court. So far Charles has performed at a good level in his new position.”

Helping bring the ball up the court will be local sophomore transfer Colby Poe (Bennettsville, S.C.), who comes to SAPC from Livingstone College. Poe averaged over five points and one assist per game for the Blue Bears but should improve on those numbers in the Knights system as a good outside shooter. Poe will also be looked upon to add defensive intensity as a strong and quick guard.

“Colby is a welcomed addition to the St. Andrews backcourt,” boasted Lee.

Sophomore Greg Evans (Clinton, N.C.) missed playing in his first year at SAPC because of an early season injury but will split a lot of court time with the other guards this year. Poe and Evans will also be asked to run the point when Phillips is out of the game while Gripper and Hoke may be moved out as the second guard at times.

“Greg has been solid in preseason play and is a good passer,” acknowledged Lee. “He was a good shooter in high school and we will want to continue to develop him into a good collegiate shooter.”

While Coach Lee is happy with the improved size and outside shooting, he is still concerned with the team’s depth at those two qualities. Lee wants to use more people and keep fresh troops in the game but injuries and inexperience may make this a difficult task. The young but inexperienced newcomers include a pair of six-foot, six-inch freshmen in forward Josh Lanham (Greensboro, N.C.) and guard Zach Perry ( Thomasville, N.C.).

This year’s roster features 16 tremendous athletes but staying healthy will be a key to success. Brauda will already miss the whole season while Division I transfer Drew Zimbro (Citrus Springs, Fla.) will miss an extended part of the season from injury. Freshman Thomas McKinley (Fayetteville, N.C.), the only true point guard besides Brauda on the team, has already missed all of preseason and practice to an injury.

St. Andrews will once again fight its way through a demanding 20 game schedule in arguable the best conference in NCAA Division II. The Knights, who have won 17 games in league play under Coach Lee, will look to contend in newly renamed Conference Carolinas (was Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference or CVAC).

The Knights will take court against the likes of defending champs and the 2007 NCAA Division II National Champions, Barton College. Other powerhouse schools in the conference that have recently made trips to the national tourney include Mount Olive, Queens, and Pfeiffer University. The Bulldogs and the Trojans start the season nationally ranked.

St. Andrews was picked seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll after finishing in that same spot last season with an 8-12 record in Conference Carolinas play but both the players and coaches will be looking to surprise everyone.

“The league is very good with a great amount of parity in it,” explained Lee. “It will be hard for anybody to meet the feat that Barton reached last year, but it has always been a great league with great players that could have played Division I if they were only an inch or two taller. The league traditionally consists of perimeter players that makes it a challenge every night. Many games will be decided by one possession, and if you can win those games early in the season then you can build confidence for the year.”

SAPC will also be challenged with a tough non-conference schedule. The Knights start the season with a pair of Peach Belt hosted Tournaments. The season begins at the Third Annual Zaxby’s Peach Belt/Conference Carolinas Clazzic hosted by Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. The Knights also compete in the UNC Pembroke Holiday Classic right after Thanksgiving as SAPC plays all six of its November games on the road. The Knights will play its first two home games against strong non-conference foes in Chowan University and Shaw University. St. Andrews returns from Christmas break with a home showdown against local rival UNCP before playing its final 19 games within the league.

“I am excited for our community about the upcoming season. We will have a fun season for our fans with our quick, athletic team that can shoot and play inside,” concluded Lee.