If the 2005-06 season proved one thing, it proved that the Millsaps basketball program is back on the rise. The Majors finished the season 14-12 (7-7 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference), eclipsing the .500 mark for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

Millsaps gave every opponent a run, only suffering three double digit losses. They dropped a pair to last year’s preseason favorite Southwestern and one to Birmingham-Southern, who will join the SCAC next season. In the conference tournament, the Majors dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to Centre, which ended any chance of making it to the postseason.

Though the Majors lose four seniors from last year’s team, including one of the leading scorers in Millsaps history, Tyler Warren, this season has the potential to be a breakout year for Tim Wise’s crew.

The key ingredients that the Majors have been lacking in the last five years are experience and size. The previous two seasons, all of the Majors’ key players, aside from veterans Warren and Justin LeBlanc, were freshmen and sophomores. For the first time in years, the Majors will have a core of six veteran upperclassmen.

As far as size is concerned, this could perhaps be the strongest frontcourt the Majors have featured in decades. Last season, Edrick Montgomery (6-6, Junior, Pearl, Miss.) made a major impact in his first season with the Majors. Montgomery, a transfer from Jackson State, averaged team-highs in points (15.8) and rebounds (8.4), notching seven double-doubles. Against conference opponent Oglethorpe, Montgomery dropped in 20 points and pulled down 26 rebounds, a SCAC-record. In the opener of the SCAC tournament, he scored a season-high 34 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Three-year starter Rodney Rogan (6-5, Junior, Houston, Texas) will accompany Montgomery on the post. In a loss to Southwestern, Rogan netted a career-high 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Last season Rogan earned Third Team All-SCAC honors, ranking third on the team in scoring (14.5) and second in rebounds (5.7). As a freshman, Rogan averaged a little over nine points a game and a team-leading 5.3 rebounds. Currently, Rogan is on pace to become only the sixth Major in school history to record 1,000 career points and pull down 500 career rebounds.

Thanks to the return of Sandro Norris (6-6, Junior, Jackson, Miss.), the Majors will have three solid and experienced post players. Norris, who transferred to Tougaloo College last year, started as a freshman for the Majors in the 2004-05 season. That season, Norris was second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.8/gm).

Russell Booth (6-6, Sophomore, Collierville, Tenn.) also received playing time last season, providing the Majors with a solid big man off the bench. Booth saw action in 22 games and proved to be a threat from the outside.

Freshmen Chris Steele (6-7, Baton Rouge, La.) and Alex Willis (6-3, Melbourne, Fla.) will provide added depth at forward.

At guard, the Majors will be without longtime starter Tyler Warren. In four seasons with Millsaps, Warren scored 1,365 career points, good for 19th in SCAC history. Warren received Second Team All-SCAC honors last season, averaging 15.1 points per game and just under three assists per contest.

The Majors will also have to replace shooting guard Justin LeBlanc, who averaged 6.2 points per game and nailed 35 three-pointers. For his career, LeBlanc played in 86 games, averaging 8.0 points per game. He shot a combined 83 percent from behind the free throw line, 37 percent from the floor and 35 percent from beyond the arc. LeBlanc also ranks fourth all-time in Millsaps history in career 3-point attempts (338) and will remain at Millsaps as an assistant coach.

Guard Brad Greenhaw and forward Morgan Walvoord also graduated this past spring.

Though the Majors lost a star player and two reserves, the backcourt will not be much of a concern for Wise and his staff. With the return of four guards that averaged over 10 minutes a game last season, the Majors will still have a deep and experienced backcourt.

At the point, the Majors will have the benefit of two equally dependable and experienced players. Allen Odum (6-0, Junior, Walls, Miss.) started 21 games last year in his first season with the Majors. Odum maintained better than a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio (75:35), while averaging five points and three assists per game. Odum also proved to be scrappy on defense, tallying 40 steals.

If Odum is out, the Majors don’t lose a beat with Deonte Oscar (6-0, Junior, Jackson, Miss.). Last season, Oscar averaged 18 minutes a game, scoring 3.2 points and better than one assist per game. In his freshman season, Oscar started 16 games, averaging 5.6 points per game.

Chad Songy (5-9, Sophomore, Lafayette, La.) also saw some playing time last season, averaging 5.8 minutes in 20 games. Songy is a good ball-handler and distributor, providing the Majors with a third, solid, point guard. Songy hit 6-of-14 3-point attempts and dished out 14 assists in limited playing time.

On the wing, Lorenzo Bailey (5-10, Junior, Jackson, Miss.) returns to claim his starting spot, having established himself as one of the league’s top 3-point threats. Starting 19-of-26 games last year, Bailey averaged 11.9 points per game, draining 43 percent (48-of-113) of his attempts from beyond the arc, including 30-of-66 in conference play. Bailey also showed the ability to dish the ball off, ranking third on last year’s team with 54 assists. He scored a career-high 23 points in a win over Rhodes last season.

Several different players could make starts on the other wing. Chris Sanders (6-4, Sophomore, Brandon, Miss.) saw action in 17 games last season, receiving the starting nod in two. Sanders averaged 12 minutes per game last season, scoring 1.9 points and grabbing 2.1 rebounds a game. In a road win against Sewanee, Sanders scored 12 points and snared four rebounds.

Ross James (6-3, Sophomore, Trophy Club, Texas) is likely to see more action this season after appearing in eight games as a freshman.

Freshmen Caleb Norman (5-10, Hammond, La.—St. Thomas Aquinas HS), Blake Martinez (6-2, Madisonville, La.—Mandeville HS), Cameron Varnado (6-2, Walker, La.—Walker HS), Chris Ingle (6-4, Houma, La.—Archbishop Hannan/Ridgewood), Jameel Rucker (5-11, Biloxi Miss.—Biloxi HS/Beaver Country Day), Justin Polk (5-11, Slidell, La.—Pope John Paul HS), and Kaylord Hill (5-9, Ruston, La.—La. School of Math, Science and Arts) provide added depth at guard for the Majors.

Of the 25 games that the Majors play, only nine will be played in the friendly confines of the Hangar Dome. Noticeably absent from the SCAC will be Rose-Hulman, who was replaced by Austin College after jumping ship. The Majors will play SCAC powers Trinity and Southwestern twice and will host a game against preseason favorite DePauw.

The non-conference schedule will feature the usual opponents, including matchups with in-state opponents Wesley College and Belhaven – a member of the NAIA. The Majors will also have a date at Division I Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 20.