Hampton, Bowie State lead rankings
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Two-time defending Mid Eastern Athletic Conference champion Hampton (10-4, 6-0 MEAC), now under new head coach Bobby Collins, is off to another good start and sits atop our rankings, the same position it occupied at the end of the last two seasons.
Sweeping both
the MEAC regular season and tournament titles for the second year in a
row earned the 26-7 Pirates a second straight top billing last year but
they had to share that distinction with Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association champ and NCAA Div. II Final Four participant, Shaw
(28-5), which swept to its first-ever conference and South
Atlantic Region title.
This season the Pirates, with four starters returning, are continuing their winning ways though not by the double-digit margins that were routine a year ago. They extended their homecourt winning streak to 18 Monday with a 74-72 win over Bethune-Cookman, a team that has won just two of 13 games and has already lost to five MEAC opponents.
Senior guard Mackel Purvis has been the most consistent Pirate averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 40.2% from three-point range. Sophomore Devin Green, last year's MEAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 13.2 points per game but is struggling with his shot hitting just 42% from the field and 22% from behind the arc. Last year's super sub, swingman Barry Hairston, has stepped into a starting role and is getting 14 points per contest.
David Johnson, who started in the pivot last season, is trying to escape Collins' doghouse but still leads the MEAC in blocked shots (.85 pg). Do-everything swingman Isaac Jefferson is again leading the league in assists (5.15) and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.72 to 1) while adjusting to his new role as point guard.
As usual, veteran coach Cy Alexander, has his South Carolina State Bulldogs (7-7, 5-0 MEAC) in the thick of the MEAC race and in our Top Ten. Moses Malone, Jr., (15.6 ppg.) and prop 48 forward Thurman Zimmerman (15.1 ppg.) are pacing the 'Dawgs. New Norfolk State head coach Dwight Freeman has the Spartans (8-7, 5-1 MEAC) off to a good start behind the play of guard Derrick Smith (13.9 ppg.) and forwards Ryan Grier (11.1 ppg.) and Darryl Towe (10.5 ppg.).
The one team doing the best imitation of Hampton's run last year is Bowie State, second in our ranking. The Bulldogs, under head coach Luke D'Alessio, are off to a 14-1 start, building on their first CIAA tournament semifinal appearance from last year, and are ranked 14th in the latest NABC NCAA Div. II national poll.
Leading the charge for BSU is 6-8, 235-pound all-CIAA center/forward and Div. II preseason all-American Tim Washington, one of four returning starters, who is averaging 19.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Six-six swingman Stephen Moss-Kelly is the outside shooting threat, scoring at 14.9 points per game and shooting 41.2% from three-point land. Point guard Cornelius McMurray runs the show averaging 11.4 points, 7.21 assists per game and shooting 86.7 per cent from the line. Shooting guard Omarr Smith's 10.9 points per game and the 11.9 points the Bulldogs get from new starter, Jon Smith, a 6-9 center who also gets 6.5 rebounds per game, gives the Bulldogs five starters in double figure scoring.
Defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alcorn State was expected to also be dominant but the Braves have stumbled in legendary coach Dave Whitney's final year. Budding star Lee Cook is doing his part at center averaging 16.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, but the Braves (4-14, 2-4 SWAC) are looking for a leader to replace the departed Marcus Fleming.
While Alcorn struggles, Alabama State, Prairie View and Texas Southern have stepped into the void. Alabama State (8-7, 5-0 SWAC) and Prairie View (6-7, 5-0 SWAC) are undefeated in conference play though ASU lost all-conference center Alvin Pettway for the season with a knee injury earlier this week.
Prairie View began the season with a big win over the University of Houston and then showed well in losses to Oklahoma (75-63), Texas A&M (83-78 in double OT) and Rutgers (66-57).
Senior point guard Gregory Burks' 15.4 points per game and 15.8 from junior college transfer Malachi Thurston have paced the Panthers.
Texas Southern (8-6, 4-1 SWAC) is led by SWAC scoring leaders Rakim Hollis (18.8 ppg.) and Allan Lovett (17.1 ppg.).
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.