 | Men's Basketball |
SIUE Men's Basketball SIUE Athletics | |
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 Coach Lennox Forrester 07-08 Schedule |
October 31, 2007 Lennox Forrester Era Begins for SIUE Men's Basketball EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men's basketball coach Lennox Forrester refuses to look too far ahead. He knows it is just a matter of time, one year to be exact, that SIUE will be opening practice as an NCAA Division I program. The plans for next season will have to wait because the 2007-2008 season has SIUE competing in one of the toughest Division II conferences in the country. "We'll have plenty of time to talk about Division I. Right now, we have to get focused on the task at hand and get back to the NCAA Tournament," said Forrester. The Cougars return two starters with Doug Taylor (McClure) and J.B. Jones (Belleville) from last season's 15-12 team. SIUE missed the 2006-2007 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament with a 10-9 record in the West Division. Still, SIUE was picked to finish third in the GLVC West this season by a vote of the league's coaches. "Doug and J.B. have some great basketball memories as Cougars. We need to make sure that continues," said Forrester. Taylor enters the season needing 32 blocks to become SIUE's all-time leader. The 6-foot-9-inch center has blocked 41 shots in each of the last two seasons. He also finished fourth last season in scoring with 6.6 points per game Jones already holds SIUE's career assists (464) and steals (179) records. He needs just 40 more points to become the 13th player in school history to record 1,000 points. An honorable mention All-GLVC pick last season, Jones has a career scoring average of 10.3 points per game. Four other players return to the roster this season who had substantial playing time a year ago. The list includes guard Anthony Jones (Centralia) and sophomore Andrew Wilson (Nashville). Jones has 127 three-pointers in his three previous seasons and has averaged 6.8 per game over his three previous seasons. Wilson saw action in nine games last season. Forwards Asa Clayborne (Springfield) and Jeremy Gathing (Kankakee) both are preparing for their final seasons as Cougars. Clayborne averaged 3.6 points per game in 25 games last season. Gathing's role increased last season as the year progressed. He played in 23 contests, shooting a team-leading 57.8 percent from the field. "I expect the players who are returning to the roster to take on a leadership role. I realize they have to adjust to a new system, but they also have to be the ones who show the tenacity and leadership to get this team on track," said Forrester. J.B. Jones, Anthony Jones, Taylor and Clayborne are the players remaining from the 2005-06 team which advanced to the Elite Eight and broke the school record for wins with 25. "We have a solid mix of youth and experience on this team. With maximum concentration and daily improvement in practice, this could be an exciting season," Forrester said. Forrester said his focus in the preseason will be on instilling his style of offense and defense into SIUE's system. "We are going to play an aggressive-style of defense that will help create opportunities on offense. The offense also will be aggressive in that I expect us to run on makes and misses to exploit other teams' weaknesses," said Forrester. The first-year head coach's off-season work included shoring up several areas and bringing in players who fit into the style of play. T.J. Gray (Champaign), a transfer from Illinois-Chicago, hit 90 three-pointers last season for the Division I Flames. He will spend his final season of eligibility with the Cougars. "T.J. brings experience and leadership to our team," said Forrester. "I think his long-range shooting will open up opportunities for other players." Leonard Parker (Leavenworth, Kan.) is a 5-foot-9-inch guard who led the nation in assists at Independence Community College. "Leonard is a quick, aggressive player who makes players around him better," said Forrester. Stephen Jones (Bethalto) is a 6-0 transfer from Northern Iowa, who will have three seasons of eligibility. "Stephen gives us knowledge and toughness," said Forrester. Saihou Jassey (Banjul, Gambia) is another Division I transfer from Bradley. The 6-6 forwards will have three seasons as a Cougar. "With Saihou being familiar with our system, we expect him to help pass on the knowledge to his teammates. His athleticism will be a presence defensively and on the boards," noted Forrester. Nikola Bundalo (Belgrade, Serbia) and Terrance Williams (Edwardsville) join the Cougars as a true freshman. The duo will be the Cougars' two tallest players at 6-10 and 7-foot. "We expect big things out these two. Right now, they need to get adjusted to the rigors of college game," Forrester said Forrester also has three guards who were with the team last season but did not see playing time. That list includes 6-0 freshman Edmonn Maul (Indianapolis, Ind.), 6-3 freshman Dane Church (Charleston), and 6-5 junior John Edmison (Springfield). SIUE's regular season begins with a home game at the Vadalabene Center against Harris-Stowe Nov. 15. The GLVC regular season begins Nov. 29 against Bellarmine. The Cougars have 16 games scheduled for the Vadalabene Center this season. Overall, the GLVC season includes 19 games against conference opponents. That includes home-and-away contests with members of the GLVC West -- Drury, Missouri-Rolla (soon to be renamed Missouri Science and Technology), Missouri-St. Louis, Rockhurst, and Southern Indiana). SIUE has home games with GLVC East teams Bellarmine, Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky, and Bellarmine. The eight-team GLVC Tournament is set to begin March 6. "I'm excited about this year's team and the opportunity they have to continue to build on the tradition that is already in place here," said Forrester. -siue cougars- |