IMAGES FROM FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE
Charleston, S.C.— The Citadel Basketball team officially opened the 2011-12 season following the first practice with Head Coach Chuck Driesell on Friday evening. The squad features eight newcomers, two juniors, two sophomores and one senior that will look to fill the scoring void left vacated by the likes of Cameron Wells, Zach Urbanus and Austin Dahn.
Driesell's team will be anchored by center Mike Groselle, who is the lone Bulldog on the current roster to score more than 75 points last season. His 6-8 frame will be key as The Citadel looks to replace 76.9 percent (1,575 points) of its scoring from 2010-11. Groselle, a native of Plano, Texas, eclipsed the double-digit plateau on 23 separate occasions, including eight double-doubles, tying him with Craig Burgess for third most single-season double-doubles in program history.
"It was a very good first practice," said Driesell. "We had a lot of energy out there today. We did go through a little bit of a learning curve, which is expected when you have eight freshmen and inexperienced players. But their energy was good and their attitude was great and we had a very positive start to the season today."
KEY DATES FOR CITADEL PRESEASON BASKETBALL
October 18: Single game tickets go on sale for non-season ticket holders.
October 29: Exhibition Game vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 5 p.m.
EARLY RETURNS FOR GROSELLE: Mike Groselle, the Bulldogs top returning scorer (358 points) and rebounder (198 rebounds) from a season ago was named preseason SoCon All-Conference by CollegeSportsMadness.com, released earlier this month. He opens the season as The Citadel's career field goal percentage leader, converting 161-of-266 (60.5%) field goals over the course of his career. Groselle will also look to extend his string of six straight games in double figures that dates back to Feb. 14, 2011.
LOOKING TO REBOUND: The player who bears the burden of leading The Citadel's group of freshmen arrivals is lone senior Cosmo Morabbi. The 6-2, 181-pound shooting guard was limited to 16 games last season after suffering a broken finger. As a sophomore, the Beverly Hills, Calif. native connected on 25-of-66 3-pointers to move himself into 31st place among the school's all-time 3-point leaders. He was especially productive down the stretch, hitting 9-25 from beyond the arc in in conference action.
WHO ARE THESE KIDS?: Prior to the beginning of the summer, Citadel Head Basketball Coach Chuck Driesell completed his 2011 recruiting class when he announced the signing of Ashton Moore to a National-Letter of Intent. The commitment completed the makeup the Bulldogs 2011-12 freshmen class.
The eight athletes, signed by Driesell and his staff, hail from seven different states, including Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina (2), South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
The following is a brief look at their high school accolades:
2011 Citadel Basketball Freshmen
C.J. Bray, 6-7 • 249 lbs.
(James Island HS; Charleston, S.C.; ESPN Positional Rank: 130)
• Earned All-Region honors while averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior
Marshall Harris, III, 5-10 • 175 lbs.
(William H. Taft HS; San Antonio, Texas; ESPN Positional Rank: 106)
• After his team reached the Final Four of the Texas Basketball State 5A, Harris garnered nomination to the 2010-11 McDonald's All-America Team
P.J. Horgan, 6-8 • 209 lbs.
(Cleveland HS; Rio Rancho, N.M.; ESPN Positional Rank: 144)
• Averaged 20.6 points per game and ranked second in the state of New Mexico in scoring as a senior
Michael Hundley, 6-9 • 178 lbs.
(Renaissance HS; Detroit, Mich.; ESPN Positional Rank: 67)
• Led the city of Detroit in blocked shots (133) during the 2009-10 season
Lawrence Miller, 6-1 • 186 lbs.
(United Faith Christian Academy; Charlotte, N.C.; ESPN Positional Rank: 121)
• Led United Faith Christian Academy to the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) State Championship in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons and runner-up honors in 2010-11
Ashton Moore, 6-0 • 168 lbs.
(Nansemond River HS; Suffolk, Va.; ESPN Positional Rank: N/A)
• As a senior was tabbed as a member of First Team All-City, First Team All-District, Eastern Region All-Region team, First Team All-Tidewater and Southeastern District Player of the Year
Jordan Robertson, 6-7 • 232 lbs.
(Greensboro Day School; Greensboro, N.C.; ESPN Positional Rank: 67)
• Comes from a highly-acclaimed private school program, Greensboro Day School, which has won at least 20 games in each of the last five seasons, including a 30-4 record during his freshman season
Dylen Setzekorn, 6-7 • 189 lbs.
(The Hun School of Princeton (N.J.); Gainesville, Ga ; ESPN Positional Rank: N/A)
• Finished with 709 points (16.1 ppg.) and 374 rebounds (6.4 rpg.), while connecting on 57 percent of field goal attempts at Riverside Military Academy
ON THE DOCKET: The schedule for Driesell's second season at the helm will feature six teams that participated in 2011 postseason tournament action. The Bulldogs will make two separate trips to Colorado, opening the season in the inaugural All Military Classic in Colorado Springs, Colo. against VMI, followed by a December meeting with Denver University.
The Citadel will host 14 games at McAlister Field House, including nine Southern Conference match-ups.
On Nov. 16, The Citadel hosts Clemson, marking the first time that the two teams have played at McAlister Field House since Nov. 28, 1989. Five days later the Bulldogs complete a two-game homestand when they square off against Florida Christian. The Dogs complete the first month of action with a road game at High Point on Nov. 26.
The Citadel opens Southern Conference play with a pair of road games against rival College of Charleston (Dec. 1) and travels to Wofford two days later. On Dec. 6, the Bulldogs host Coastal Carolina to complete a stretch against three teams that reached postseason tournaments in 2011.
The Citadel returns to action when it welcomes Charleston Southern to McAlister Field House. A pair of road games at James Madison (Dec. 19) and Denver University (Dec. 22) marks the final two games before Christmas break.
After a seven-day layoff, the Bulldogs return to action when they head to Knoxville, Tenn., for a meeting with Tennessee. It marks only the fourth meeting between the two programs and first since 2003.
In January, The Citadel begins the Southern Conference portion of its schedule when it heads to the Upstate for a clash with Furman (Jan. 5). A three-game home stretch of SoCon meetings with Samford (Jan. 7), Elon (Jan. 12) and UNC Greensboro (Jan. 14) ensues. After meetings with Davidson (Jan. 21) and Georgia Southern (Jan. 23), The Citadel closes out the month with a pair of home contests against in-state rivals Wofford (Jan. 26) and Furman (Jan. 28).
The month of February features four conference home games for the Bulldogs, bringing South Division foes Davidson (Feb. 9) and Georgia Southern (Feb. 11) to McAlister Field House. In the final week of regular season action, The Citadel hosts Appalachian State (Feb. 22) and rival College of Charleston on Feb. 25.
2011-12 Citadel Basketball Schedule
October: 29, vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 5:00 pm (Exhibition Game).
November: 11, at All-Military Classic, Colorado Springs, Colo. (vs. VMI), 10:00 pm; 12, at All-Military Classic, Colorado Springs, Colo. (vs. Air Force or Army), 9:30 pm; 16, vs. Clemson, 7:05 pm; 21 vs. Florida Christian, 7:05 pm; 26, at High Point, 7:00 pm.
December: 1, at College of Charleston*, 7:00 pm; 3, at Wofford*, 3:00 pm; 6, vs. Coastal Carolina, 7:05 pm; 14, vs. Charleston Southern, 7:05 pm; 19, at James Madison, 7:00 pm; 22, at Denver University, 9:00 pm; 29, at Tennessee, 7:00 pm.
January: 2, vs. UVA-Wise, 7:05 pm; 5, at Furman*, 7:00 pm; 7, vs. Samford*, 7:05 pm; 12, vs. Elon*, 7:05 pm; 14, vs. UNC Greensboro *, 7:05 pm; 21, at Davidson*, 7:00 pm; 23, at Georgia Southern*, TBA; 26, vs. Wofford*, 7:05 pm; 28, vs. Furman*, 7:05 pm.
February: 2, at UNC Greensboro*, 7:00 pm; 4, at Elon*, 7:00 pm; 9, vs. Davidson*, 7:05 pm; 11, vs. Georgia Southern, 7:05 pm; 16, at Western Carolina*, 7:00 pm; 18, at Chattanooga*, 7:00 pm; 22, vs. Appalachian State*, 7:05 pm; 25, vs. College of Charleston*, 7:05 pm.
March: 2-5, Southern Conference Tournament (Asheville, N.C.); 15, NCAA Tournament First Round (TBA).
Games in bold indicate home contests.
Games with an asterisk indicate Southern Conference games
All times are Eastern Standard Time
Season tickets are on sale now and individual tickets will go on sale in October. For more information on tickets, call (843) 953- DOGS (3647). All home games will be video and audio streamed through Bulldog Insider. For more information on Bulldog Insider or Bulldog Basketball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.CitadelSports.com.
