BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Higginbotham will put young team on the floor this season

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 11, 2016 9:57 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Youth is served.

And patience is the main dish on the menu.

Seven talented -- but raw -- freshmen will dine at the University of Mount Olive men's basketball table this season. It's a large portion for ninth-year Trojans head coach Joey Higginbotham to ingest.

Alka-Seltzer, please.

"You can't change the fact that we're young," Higginbotham said. "But it's a fun challenge at the same time having new guys in the program and seeing them do something new every day, seem them progress and get better.

"We're talented. We've got to develop that work ethic first, wo things will become a little easier."

Alka-Seltzer Plus, please.

The Trojans launch their 2016-17 campaign today against Augusta in the annual 45-Second Classic at Barton College. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m. inside the cozy confines of Wilson Gym.

UMO faces Young Harris on Saturday.

Higginbotham's focus is teaching the young players how to compete at a high level and don't let one mistake compound into a larger mistake.

"It's going to be a measuring stick to see how close we are or how far away we are (right now)," Higginbotham said.

The newcomers hail from the mid-Atlantic Region and they'll see extensive minutes regardless of the score. Higginbotham noted that 6-foot-6, 210 pound forward Armond Griebe looked like a seasoned veteran in last week's exhibition game against UNC Wilmington.

Higginbotham complimented the effort of red-shirt sophomore Dedric Byrd and said that junior transfer DeAndre Barber needs to display leadership on the court.

The rest of the freshmen?

"We're looking for the little, teeny things right now to make big things," Higginbotham said. "If we see those things, that's a promise going into the next practice. They're good kids. They work hard and the future of the program is looking very bright.

"We're going to work toward that every day."

Some notes:

WHO IS BACK?

* UMO lost 88 percent of its scoring to graduation. Back are junior guard Tayon Gleaves, junior forward Emmanuel "EP" Patton and sophomore guard Jamaal Matin. The trio combined to score 15.8 points per game last season.

Matin started 12 games.

"Tayon has been a fourth coach for us helping these guys learn the way we do things, drills, actions," Higginbotham said. "EP, a fourth-year guy, is such a positive kid and is a great guy to look up to. Jamaal knows how to play the game."

PRESEASON PICKIN'

* UMO has been selected fourth in the Conference Carolinas preseason coaches poll. Higginbotham's take is that it's respect for a program for what it's accomplished in the past. The Trojans reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2015.

PHILOSOPHICAL

* The Trojans play three conference games -- all on the road -- before the holidays. Higginbotham has defined that initial period as a process and has asked the players to trust in the process.

"We need to fall in love with the process, dive in and continue to work...get better at the little things every day that's going make us get where we need to be."

THE NUMBERS

* Higginbotham is 176-89 overall during his tenure on the bench. UMO has won 17 or more games in 12 of the past 14 seasons.