Category | Sports

Looking ahead

Published on February 17, 2009 by Cathy Dekmar

In 2005, Betty Siegel’s dream of KSU becoming a division one school was realized. Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tony Ingle was able to lead the Owls to a respectable 12-17 overall record, along with a 10-10 Atlantic Sun record in their first division one season.

Three years later, the Owls have established a large fan base, the Striped Crew and a “Black and Gold” tradition within the university. This season has been up and down, but things are looking up for the Owls.

This season marks the end of KSU’s transition period, and next season they will be eligible for conference tournament play, and ultimately, could qualify for the big dance in March. Now that regular season play is not where the road will end, there will be more to offer players who are interested in coming to KSU.

“With the opportunity there for the players to have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament, it will definitely help with recruiting,” said assistant coach Montez Robinson.

Though recruiting will provide valuable additions to the team, the returning talent alone is enough to give fans something to look forward to next season. Six juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen will be coming back. Returning statistical leaders include junior Jon-Michael Nickerson, sophomores Kelvin McConnell and Zadrian Gibson, and freshmen Spencer Dixon and Kurtis Woods.

“We have a lot of talented guys that are already here that will be playing for us next year,” said Robinson.

Several players have achieved conference rankings for their performances this season. Kelvin McConnell is ranked sixteenth in conference scoring with 12.7 points per game. Kurtis Woods and Jon-Michael Nickerson are also in the top 30 in this category. Spencer Dixon is ranked twelfth in assists, with 2.8 per contest, and with 1.47 steals per game he is No. 14 in the conference. McConnell is also ranked in the top 15 in assists and steals and leads the conference in free throws, shooting 86 percent from the line. He is also third in three-point percentage, sinking 43 percent from long range. Zadrian Gibson is fifth in blocked shots, averaging 1.29 per contest, and Jon-Michael Nickerson is seventh in this category with 1.08 per game.

With five games remaining on the schedule, the Owls have the possibility of going 12-17 this year. Even if they do not finish with straight victories, there is one important fact to consider: The Owls would only have to win one more game to tie the 2001 University of North Carolina Tar Heel’s record of 8-20 under former coach Matt Doherty. Even teams destined for greatness struggle through transitions, and it is undeniable that the Owls have all the makings of an exceptional team.