Nationally-ranked Trojans are the hunted, again

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 12, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- University of Mount Olive has to shut the door on last year's historical run and open a new one this season.

And the defending Southeast Regional champ, ranked among the top five in two national preseason polls, has to forget about the target on its back.

Five seniors and eight letter-winners return for the Trojans, who launch their eighth season with head coach Joey Higginbotham Friday against USC Aiken in the annual 45-Second Classic at Barton College.

UMO faces Young-Harris on Saturday.

"Every game we play is a regional game," said Higginbotham, whose team posted a single-season school-record 31 wins a year ago, and advanced to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history.

"We've got to be able to take their best shot and answer back, not let it snowball against us. They're going to be at their best, so we know we have to be at our best."

Four starters are back -- reigning Conference Carolinas player-of-the-year Dontrell Brite, JaQuan Blount, Mike Moore and Dominique Reed. The quartet combined to average 45.3 points a game last season.

Brite has received preseason All-America recognition from The Sporting News and D2 Bulletin. The senior guard set the program's single-season record for assists (196) and ranked 21st nationally in assists per game (5.6) last winter.

All four are seniors along with John Wieland, who has rediscovered his shooting touch during the preseason.

"The seniors have been here a while," Higginbotham said. "They know what to expect of me. Now, it's these younger guys who have a lot of talent that are really going to help us. As they get it, we're going to be better."

Higginbotham said two freshmen, Mykel Hart and Jacque Brown -- who each led their respective teams to N.C. High School Athletic Association state championships a year ago -- have shown promise in the preseason. Hart, who starred at Kinston, has emerged as one of the Trojans' better defensive players and is learning to adjust to the offensive transition from high school to college.

Brown, who played point guard at East Carteret, is getting more comfortable with the system and understanding the importance of playing pressure defense for the entire game.

"He can really shoot it," Higginbotham smiled. "He's a great kid, very coachable. It's been a process for him, but he's starting to change that gear now and get comfortable."

Higginbotham is anxious to get red-shirt freshman Jamaal Martin and 6-foot-10 sophomore Grant Dickinson onto the court. Martin is expected to be the team's sparkplug off the bench, while Dickinson -- who has been snake-bitten by injuries -- should provide some depth in the interior.

Reed and Moore, who added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, need to get touches on every possession inside the paint. They have to use their length and athleticism to control the boards.

UMO averaged nearly 35 rebounds and 5.5 blocked shots a game last season. Reed and Moore combined for 107 blocked shots.

"We stress fundamentals every day," Higginbotham said. "Right now we're trying to get better and become the best version of ourselves come Friday night against USC Aiken. If we continue to do that every day, there is a lot of potential (with this team)."