Nov. 20, 2004

Charleston, SC - The Citadel basketball team departed early Friday morning for a trip to New York, where the Bulldogs will visit Times Square and Rockefeller Center, eat at a genuine New York City deli and open their season with a game at Army today.

The long trip is the start of a long season that stretches from November to March, and during which the Bulldogs are sure to experience many highs and lows. Coach Pat Dennis' message to his young team, which has only one senior: Stay the course.

"That's the thing I've tried to stress to them every day," said Dennis, who is trying to rally his team from back-to-back losing seasons after two straight winning records. "It's a long season, and 40 minutes is a long game. If we get up in a game, we can't get comfortable. If we get down, we can't get frustrated and give up.

"There are going to be a lot of comebacks and a lot of leads blown. We have to stay the course, keep doing what we do well and keep getting better. It's not perfect right now, but I like this team and I think it's coming together and getting better every day." Dennis is banking his hopes for improvement on the return of starting guards Kevin Hammack and Dante Terry and forward J'mel Everhart, and the introduction of 6-5 freshman Warren McLendon and 6-6 freshman Demetrius Nelson into the rotation.

McLendon, the Georgia Class AAA player of the year last season at West Laurens High School, is in the starting lineup, while Nelson, from St. John's High on Johns Island, will be a key reserve off the bench.

Dennis said he is "going small" with his lineup for the season opener, with 6-4 junior Matt Davis starting instead of 6-10 junior Andy Miller.

"That's probably our best offensive lineup," said Dennis, whose team struggled to score in a 57-51 exhibition loss to Augusta State last week. "We're going to go small and see if we can get off to a better start."

The Bulldogs defeated Army by 82-58 last year at McAlister Field House. The Black Knights won only six games last year, and coach Jim Crews is likely to start five sophomores today.

The Citadel's home opener is Tuesday against Washington & Lee, and the Dogs are at Georgetown on Nov. 26.