November 1, 2007

After finishing the 2006-07 season winning 14 of their last 18 games following Christmas break and posting the seventh-best finish in school history at 18-9 (11-3, SCAC), the Millsaps Majors look to pick up right where they left off, returning all five players from last year’s starting lineup including SCAC Player of the Year runner-up Edrick Montgomery.

Millsaps returns to the court with the best assist to turnover ratio (1.06:1) out of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference last season, dishing out 371 dimes. They were also second in the league in assists (371) and steals (246), while ranking third in the SCAC in 3-point percentage (.364) and scoring offense (73.5 ppg).

The Majors were picked to finish third this year in the SCAC Projected Order of Finish, earning 105 votes (4), just five behind Centre and DePauw who t-first with 110 votes.

In order to win games down the stretch, the Majors must be able to knock down key free throws after sinking a conference-worst 66 percent last season. Junior Chad Songy – a key sixth man from a year ago – led the squad at the stripe, shooting 85 percent. Junior Chris Sanders was second on the team at 74 percent, whereas seniors Deonte Oscar and Lorenzo Bailey each shot just under 70 percent.

“We should be much more experienced this year,” second-year assistant coach and former Millsaps shooting guard Justin LeBlanc said. “It’s the same group of guys coming back and they now have another year under their belts. Key players must continue to step up for us to be successful.”

Of those “key” players, senior 6-foot-6 forward Edrick Montgomery (17.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg) will be the force on the low block after posting a team-best 10 double-doubles and falling just one rebound shy on eight different occasions.

Montgomery was first in the league in defensive rebounds (7.19/game), second in field goal percentage (.547), third in blocks (27), fourth in offensive rebounds (2.59/game), ninth in steals (38) and 10th in free throw percentage (.658). In turn, Montgomery was a unanimous First Team All-SCAC selection and was named to D3hoops.com’s All-South Region Second Team.

In addition to Montgomery, the Majors return two other starters who averaged double figures in the scoring column. Senior 6-foot-5 forward Rodney Rogan (13.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), a three-year starter and a versatile player who can score from the post or from the perimeter, started in all 27 games last season and scored in double figures in all but seven.

Rogan was named Second Team All-SCAC after ranking 10th in the conference in assists (58) and 11th in scoring. The senior dished out a season-high seven assists in a 78-74 win at Oglethorpe on Feb. 9 in Atlanta, Ga.

A huge threat from the outside and one of the quickest and scrappiest defenders on the Majors’ squad, 5-foot-10 guard Lorenzo Bailey returns to the starting lineup just 34 3-point baskets away from breaking the Millsaps career record of 180 set by Brad Price from 1993-96. Bailey started in 24 of 27 games last season and had at least one 3-point bucket in all but two games, while ranking fourth in the SCAC in steals (43), fifth in 3-pointers made (57), 13th in assists (55) and 20th in the league scoring (11.1 ppg).

Sanders, a 6-foot-4 guard will also be a player to watch in 2007-08 after starting in 24 of 27 games last season. The Brandon, Miss., native averaged just under 27 minutes a game, while ranking second on the team behind Songy in free throw percentage (.738). Sanders provided an immediate impact for the Majors off the bench in the early part of the season and averaged 6.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game as a regular starter half a dozen games into the season.

Junior guard Chad Songy and senior guard Deonte Oscar will most likely compete for the final starting slot in the Majors’ lineup this upcoming season. Both players received a handful of starts (Oscar, 8; Songy, 6) whereas Oscar played in all 27 games and Songy missed just one. The duo both averaged double digit totals in minutes played for the season and averaged right around 5.0 points and 2.0 assists per game.

Also returning for the Majors this season are sophomores Blake Martinez (22 GP), Chris Ingle (26 GP), Cameron Varnado (20 GP, 1 GS), Alex Wills, Chris Steele, Jameel Rucker and Justin Polk and juniors Ross James (22 GP) and Russell Booth (24 GP) who each averaged just under 8 minutes per game. Roscoe Forch is also back for the Majors after returning to Millsaps in the spring.

The bench provided a huge spark for the Majors last season and will allow the team to go deep into the roster for key minutes this season.

Millsaps also picked up seven freshmen in the offseason, adding Richard Craven (Baldwyn), Josh Colar (Archbishop Shaw), Andy Chlon (The Galloway School), Brett Hittel (Apopka HS), Austin Harvey (Brandon HS), Cody Aucoin (St. Paul's HS) and Morgan Viel (Clear Creek HS) – a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 10.0 points, 6.0 boards and 4.0 assists who should see selected playing time this season.

The Majors’ 2007-08 schedule will feature 25 games (14 home, 11 away), including playing host to the Turkey Shootout during the Thanksgiving Holiday where the Hangar Dome will welcome Pensacola Christian College, Rust College and Louisiana College.

Millsaps will also play at Division I opponent Southeastern Louisiana for the second consecutive season after falling to the Lions 90-67 in a game that saw the home team shoot a blistering 64 percent from the floor.

The conference schedule will feature nine home contests and seven away contests, highlighted by a crucial weekend Jan. 25-27 where the Majors will face off with the SCAC’s top two teams in Centre College and DePauw University – both of which advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament last season.