By Reah Nicholson
With 13 players returning and six freshmen, the 2008-2009 Bulldogs look for a new beginning and a new opportunity. Last year, the Bulldog squad had one of the youngest rosters in Division I college basketball history, forcing them to rely heavily on their freshmen to make an impact. Now, with a year of collegiate playing experience behind them, the Bulldog squad has both experience and talent and looks to translate a year of experience into on-court success.
The Bulldogs will look to improve on their performance from last year and build on last year's successes. With a 19-man roster, the Bulldogs have depth at every position, athleticism in all areas, versatility, and a variety of options to use on both offense and defense.
“We want to build on the improvement and experience we gained last year,” said Head Coach Ed Conroy. “When Demetrius went down last year, we were left with one upperclassman on our roster and our young team gained incredible experience. It was one of the most rewarding coaching experiences because each day our players came to practice hungry to improve.”
This season, the Bulldogs will carry two seniors, 11 sophomores and six freshmen, making them still one of the youngest teams in America. Conroy and his coaching staff are looking for the freshmen to step up and fill key roles from the beginning. The veteran players need to embrace the competition, improve each day at practice and help the freshmen learn The Citadel way. It is a new year and the Bulldogs are looking for a new outcome.
Six freshmen have made their way to Charleston, S.C. to be a part of the Bulldog squad. These new faces bring with them a lot of talent and athleticism and will contribute significantly to the Bulldogs' success this season.
Fresh Faces
“We are extremely happy with the freshmen that have joined our basketball family,” said Conroy. “Each year, we set out to attract great students and high character people that will make a tremendous impact on the floor, but more importantly in the Corps of Cadets.”
Cosmo Morabbi, a freshman from Beverly Hills, Calif., is ready for the college level. He spent a year at Prep School, where he learned the game, became more mature and was prepared for the college level. Bo Holston has caught the eyes of the coaches. The 6'5” freshman from Olney, Md. brings versatility to the frontcourt. He is a swingman, who is an outstanding athlete and knows how to finish. He also led his team to a state championship appearance last season.
Khalif Guiden, a Charlotte, N.C. native, will be a key contributor in the backcourt for the Bulldogs. He spent the majority of last season rehabbing a knee injury, but the coaches are excited about his ability and are looking forward to watching him develop. Cincinnati, Ohio native Matt Roberts comes to the Bulldogs ready to get on the floor and make an impact. Roberts is a center who will have to compete for a spot in the rotation with the return of redshirt senior Demetrius Nelson and redshirt sophomore Bryan Streeter. He comes from an outstanding high school program, where he was the starting center for the Moeller team that spent the majority of last season ranked in the USA Today's Top 10 Prep teams. Tom Fitzpatrick is a forward from Wheaton, Ill. He has great basketball knowledge and will have a great collegiate career. The coaching staff is excited about this true forward who is long, athletic and very skilled.
“The emergence of our freshmen should translate into much more depth,” said Conroy. “I think if you look at the minute distribution from last year, we had a lot of guys playing too many minutes. I think several of the freshmen have an opportunity to make a major impact.”
Learership and Experience
Seniors Jonathan Brick and Demetrius Nelson will be the leaders of this Bulldog squad. Being seniors, they will be great leaders for the underclassmen. Not only are they leaders on the court, but they are also leaders in the classroom and in the Corps of Cadets.
“Naturally, we are excited about the group of talented sophomores that we have coming back,” said Conroy. “If you count Bryan Streeter in that class, we have nine returning lettermen with eight of them having started at least two games during their college careers. Add Jonathan Brick, who is a tremendous leader, and Demetrius Nelson, who can be one of the best offensive centers in the league, and we feel good about the talent we have returning.”
This season will be the third season that Nelson has been a part of Conroy's vision and foundation for what he is trying to build with this program. He had the choice of finishing the season last year at about half his strength and enter the workforce, but he chose to work hard and enroll in graduate school so that he could be a leader on this team.
“I am so proud of the things that Demetrius accomplished in the Corps and in the classroom,” said Conroy. “Right before he got hurt last season, he was playing the best basketball of his career. He is a special offensive player because he demands double teams and he has a legitimate shot at 1,000 career points.”
The Backcourt
Sophomore guards Cameron Wells, Austin Dahn and Zach Urbanus will anchor the Bulldogs' backcourt this season. John Reynolds and Alex Harris will also add depth to the roster. Wells, Dahn and Urbanus will be looked to for leadership and will be counted on to step up and take their games to a new level. They all had stellar freshman campaigns and will be looked at to continue their success. Reynolds was a leader on the scout team last season and continues to improve with every practice. He will be a great asset to the team this season. Harris is one of the strongest players on the team and is a great shooter.
“Urbanus might be the forgotten man among those guys at times, but his leadership is key to seeing what type of team we can be this year,” said Conroy. “Cameron had a great summer and Austin got a lot stronger during the off-season and that should really help him late in games and on the defensive end.”
Brick's experience will also be a key factor in the backcourt for the Bulldogs. He has started in over 20 games in his career. His ability to penetrate will be useful this season. Morabbi is a talented freshman that the Bulldogs will look to use in the backcourt. Morabbi is a great shooter, has a strong body and is very knowledgeable of the game.
The Frontcourt
Nelson and Streeter will anchor the frontcourt for the Bulldogs. Daniel Eykyn and Matt Clark will join Nelson and Streeter in the duties of the frontcourt. During their freshmen campaigns, Eykyn and Clark started in the frontcourt and made a huge impact from the beginning. Both can shoot the ball, but Eykyn is more of a rebounder and defender, while Clark is more of a creator and passer.
Sophomore Tyrell McDowell will be a key contributor in the frontcourt as well. He had an outstanding performance as a freshman, shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line. Phillip Pandak and John Brown will bring great energy and passion to the frontcourt. Pandak is a long distance shooter, capable of shooting the ball from anywhere on the floor. He was a great contributor for the Bulldogs last season and will continue to be a factor behind the 3-point line. Brown will be another body on the boards for the Bulldogs. He has the ability to grab rebounds and brings a tremendous passion to the game of basketball. Holston, Fitzpatrick and Roberts will all vie for a spot in the rotation, but Nelson and Streeter will be the leaders of the frontcourt.
Facing the Challenge
The Bulldogs will face a fairly tough schedule this season with games against Virginia Commonwealth, Iowa, South Carolina and Michigan State. Not only is the strength of the schedule a challenge for the Bulldogs, but so is the number of games that they will play. The Citadel will compete in more games this year than any team in Citadel history.
“The schedule and our youth are two challenges that we are going to face early and often,” said Conroy. “This schedule has some very unforgiving stretches. Playing our second game at VCU is a great challenge and then to come back and play a Big Ten school, Iowa, at home is a huge challenge for a roster that only has two upperclassmen.”
Due to the NCAA and the Southern's push for more games this year, the Bulldogs are limited on practice time. By the time The Citadel plays their first conference game on Dec. 4, they would have already played seven games.
“Our program is really excited about the opportunities these challenges will provide us,” said Conroy. “We had unbelievable support last year from our fans and The Citadel family. I think people could see the bright future that this program has. We are really looking forward to building upon last year's momentum.”
