Trojan men depending on eight returnees, including two seniors

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 6, 2013 1:49 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Win the day.

It's a simple slogan with big implications for the Mount Olive College men's basketball team this winter.

Eight players, led by two seniors, return for the Trojans. The key core is a four-member sophomore class that has made tremendous strides in the offseason.

"We want to try to get better every day," MOC head coach Joey Higginbotham said. "One bright spot is all of our returners have come back better players. Our sophomore class has really taken a big step. They're big in the present of our program and the future of our program.

"(They) are all going to play major roles in what we are doing."

The Trojans open their 2013-14 season Friday against in-state foe Shaw University in the Barton College Classic. They face Elizabeth City State on Saturday afternoon.

Two of the team's top three scorers from last season graduated.

Seniors Dory Hines and Ewon Wright are expected to step into those spots along with junior Jordan McCain, who knocked down 10 points a game a year ago. Hines led the team in rebounding and assists, and scored 8.8 points an outing.

Wright tallied 5.7 points and averaged nearly 88 percent at the free throw line.

"Dory is our motor, our engine that makes us go," Higginbotham said. "We've asked him to step up his scoring a little bit. (Kendall) Hargrove and McCain, we're moving them out to the perimeter. Those guys have great IQs and can see the floor well.

"I'm expecting those four guys to really step up in the leadership roles and give us some scoring punch."

Sophomores Mike Moore, John Wieland and Dominique Reed add considerable height and length in the paint. Higginbotham added JUCO transfer Josh Hicks, and freshmen Emmanuel Patton and Kyle Rhoades in the offseason.

Don't expect MOC to step into the passing lanes with such frequency this season. With five players who are 6-foot-5 or taller, Higginbotham plans to pack in the defense and cover more ground because of the Trojans' length in the paint.

The Trojans ranked 29th nationally in rebounding margin, and forced opponents into 19 turnovers a game a year ago.

"Dribble penetration has really hurt us the last couple of years," Higginbotham said. "We've got to box out and rebound. We've always had guards who can rebound, but our bigs have got to step up and rebound like they're supposed to. That's a big area we concentrate on every day in practice.

"This is a fun group to coach. They challenge me, they challenge each other and it's fun working with them every day."