2009 TranSouth Preseason Coaches Poll 1.       Union University (5) - 73 2.       Freed-Hardeman (2) - 70 3.       Martin Methodist (1) - 63 4.       Mid-Continent - 61 5.       Cumberland University - 45 6.       Trevecca Nazarene - 36 7.       Lyon College - 24 8.       Bethel University - 24 9.       Blue Mountain - 9 Votes were given with a value of 9=1 point and 1=9 points.

Mid-Continent is a team that many feel has a chance to thrive this year with a great deal of returning seniors on the roster. The Cougars are picked fourth with 61 points. Cumberland University (45), Trevecca Nazarene (36), Lyon College (24), Bethel University (24), and Blue Mountain (9) round out the rest of the teams in the poll. Just one new coach breaks into the veteran lineup of coaches in the TranSouth, but even David Niven is a familiar face. Niven has been an assistant at Union for 12 years.

More times than not in this decade the conference regular season title hasn't been decided until the final week of play. Last year was not different and as the coaches' poll indicates most see this year playing out in the same dramatic fashion.

Below the coaches poll you'll find a capsule on every team in the conference.

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BETHEL UNIVERSITY WILDCATS

The Wildcats return two starters and nine lettermen from last year's team. Bethel lost their two leading scorers and top rebounder from last season. Six of the nine returnees are seniors, so there's plenty of experience to build around our young nucleus.  

Heading the Wildcats returning cast will be six of the seven seniors on the roster 6'9 Center Otakar Schober (1.2 ppg, 1.55 rpg), 6'2 Guard Jay Cockrell (1.1 ppg), and 5'9 Guard Artomie Dixon (1.0 ppg), 6'3 Guard Eddie King (6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg), 6'5 Guard Dane MacDonald (4.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg), 6'5 Forward Phillip White (2.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg). The seventh senior, 6'7 forward Marcus McElrath, comes to Bethel from Crichton College. He is very aggressive on the glass, is very athletic, and can score around the basket.

Junior and sophomore returnees are 6'6 Forward Daniel Doyle (8.4ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6'1 Guard Chris Walker (2.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.4 apg) and 6'6 forward Gavin McDaniel 3.1ppg, 2.7 rpg).

Along with Marcus McElrath, Bethel has brought in seven more new comers. At the guard position the Wildcats have brought in 6'3 Cameron Clemons (Louisville, Ky.), 6'2 Andre Crudup (Itawamba C.C.), and 5'11 Dustin Ferguson (Clarkton, Mo.). Newcomers at the forward and center position will be 6'6 Kristopher Craig (Adamsville, Tenn.), 6'9 Alex Emelyanov (New Mexico Military Institue), 6'7 Donald "Trey" Harris (Payne College), 6'7 Erin Harris (Beville State C.C), 6'10 Robert Jeffers (Essex County C.C), and 6'7 Tyler Holt (McKenzie, Tenn.)

The 2009-2010 non-conference schedule is the toughest schedule the Wildcats have faced in several years.  Bethel opens up the season off with an old KIAC foe in St Louis College of Pharmacy. The Wildcats will then play host to five straight home games: Temple Baptist, Truett McConnell, Kuyper College, Ohio State Marion, and Hiwassee College. Bethel will play a tough Bellvue University team out of Nebraska. On the way back home the Wildcats will stop in Owensboro, Ky. to play an exhibition game with NCAA II power Kentucky Wesleyan. The next night they will rekindle an old rivalry with Brescia University.  Bethel will again host the McDonalds classic in December and will play host to Harris Stowe State and Lambuth University. The Wildcats will hit the road one last time in 2009 to play at Truett McConnell and Bethel College (Ind.) and finishes off the non-conference schedule with Temple Baptist College.

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BLUE MOUNTAIN COLLEGE TOPPERS

BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. - This will be the third year of existence for the Blue Mountain College men's basketball program and excitement is high as the Toppers have a nice blend of returning letter winners, junior college transfers, and talented incoming freshmen.

Blue Mountain will be looking to a core group of returning, veteran players to provide the leadership, toughness and maturity needed to compete in the always rugged TranSouth Conference.

Key among these will be senior Brad Pressley, junior J.C. Hayles, and sophomore Ethan Ellis. Pressley, a versatile 6'4 swing man, has been a two-year starter for the Toppers and averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for BMC last season.

Hayles is also entering his third season in a Topper uniform. He is a 6'3 swing man who is a gritty rebounder and one of the team leaders in defensive toughness.

Ellis at 6'5 was a part time starter as a freshman last year and averaged 3.7 points per game. He has added 20 pounds to a very solid frame and should be a major contributor this campaign.

Scintillating help has arrived on the hill in the form of four junior college transfers with outstanding potential and credentials. 5'10 junior point guard Renell Collins was a major catalyst in Jones County JC state championship run last year. He brings cat-quick skills and a lock-down defensive mentality which should translate into a renewed team defensive aggressiveness.

6'4 junior inside man Lakendrick McCullum was a Jones County JC teammate of Collins last season. With his strength and quick jumping ability, Lakendrick plays much bigger than his 6'4 listing and should furnish the Toppers with much needed board strength and an inside game.

Another key addition is 6'3 shooting guard Josh McCalmon from traditional community college powerhouse Itawamba CC. McCalmon played his high school ball at nearby Tishomingo County HS before helping ICC to a 28-4 record, a berth in the national tournament, and a national ranking of No. 5. McCalmon was the Defensive Player of the Year for ICC, but he is also a deadly 3-point marksman with exceptional quickness and hops.

The tallest of the Toppers is 6'9 junior post man MaCay Wilbanks who played the past two seasons at Northeast Mississippi CC after graduating from Kossuth HS.

A player to watch for the Toppers should be freshman shooting guard Jake Keller, a 6'5 scorer from Metro Christian Academy in Nashville, Tenn. Two other freshmen, 6'5 inside man Joe Flippo from Covenant Christian Academy in Tuscumbia, Ala., and 5'11 guard Michael Chatham, from Collierville HS in Tenn. are both being counted on to contribute.

Coach Jerry Conner assessed the outlook in this way, "Our guys know that it's a great challenge to compete night in and night out in a great conference like the TranSouth. But we think we've improved each year and it will be interesting to see how our new players adapt and blend together. The potential is there for some real exciting nights of run and gun Topper basketball."

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CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS

LEBANON, Tenn. - Eighth-year Cumberland head coach Lonnie Thompson may have to perform the best coaching job of his career in 2009-10, as the Bulldogs return just one player from last season's 26-5 club that advanced to its second straight NAIA National Tournament.

Honorable Mention All-American Brandon Springer is the only returning player. Cumberland graduated seven seniors and saw five others leave the program after the season or during the summer.

Thompson has five transfers along with four true freshmen on this year's squad, along with Haris Batalevic, who enrolled at CU in the spring and redshirted.

Springer averaged a team-best 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game on a club that had five players average double figures last season. The Nashville, Tenn., native posted seven double-doubles in 2008-09 after transferring from Columbia State Community College and scored in double digits in 24 of the team's 31 contests.

Batalevic along with freshman Walter Simon (Dresden, Germany) and juniors Andrew Ayodeji (Amityville, N.Y./Columbia State CC) and Reginald Holding (Newark, N.J./Essex County College) will be the top newcomers for CU this season. Lamar Brinkley, a transfer who redshirted at Western Kentucky last season, and 6-foot-8, 290-pound Michael Pettiford, a transfer from Shawnee CC, should also see plenty of action for the Bulldogs.

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FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY LIONS

HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman University Lions enjoyed one of the best seasons in program history in 2008-09. With two starters and a solid nucleus back on the floor for the upcoming season, Coach Jason Shelton and the Lions will look to make 2009-10 even better.

The Lions posted an overall record of 24-10 last season and a conference record of 13-3, the best in program history. They also advanced to the conference tournament finals for the first time in program history and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 1997.  The season ended with a pair of heartbreaking losses, to Union (Tenn.) in the conference finals and a one-point overtime loss to eventual national champion Rocky Mountain (Mont.) College in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament.  Shelton hopes those games could provide this year's team with additional motivation to make a deeper run in the postseason.

The two returning starters are one of the most potent one-two punches in the conference. Senior Zack Frey (6-8; Nashville, Tenn.) averaged 16.2 points per game and shot 55 percent from the field on his way to being named a 2nd Team NAIA All-American. As Frey gives the Lions a dominant inside presence, junior guard Jesse Moulton (6-4; Pleasant View, Tenn.) provides balance on the perimeter with his long-range shooting ability. Moulton came into his own last year, averaging 11.7 points per game while connecting on 90 3-pointers at a 44.8 percent clip.

Though only two starters return, seniors Kirtiss Brown (6-0; Antioch, Tenn.) and Logan Greer (6-9; Greenbrier, Tenn.) and junior Brian Pearson (6-3; Amory, Miss.) all averaged more than 10 minutes per game last season.  Brown is a slasher with an amazing vertical that often produces crowd-pleasing dunks while Greer and Pearson both are threats to knock down shots from behind the arc.

The point guard spot will likely be shared by senior Cedric Austin (6-0; Harvest, Ala.) and sophomore Anthony Sampson (5-3; Jackson, Tenn.). Austin started 26 games there as a sophomore, averaging 7.3 points and 2.9 assists per game. Both Austin and Sampson are very tough on-ball defenders, and Sampson has the ability to create for his teammates with his floor vision.

Newcomers will also be expected to play key roles for the Lions in the upcoming season with junior college transfer Ken Bingham (6-4; Selmer, Tenn.) set to make perhaps the biggest impact. Bingham comes to FHU after spending two seasons at Three Rivers CC. He averaged 10.6 points per game as a starter for a team that went 57-13 in his two seasons. Bingham's ability to score in multiple ways will add an important dimension to the Lions' offense.

Seven freshmen join Bingham in FHU's recruiting class.  Jonathan Milewski (6-0; Memphis, Tenn.) and Michael Young (6-1; Franklin, Tenn.) will both look for time in the Freed-Hardeman backcourt. Milewski played in high school for Memphis-area legendary coach Terry Tippett, averaging 16.7 points per game and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range as a senior. Young was a three-year starter at Franklin HS, averaging 14.0 points per game as a senior, and can play both guard positions.  DeAngelo Williams (6-3; Columbia, Tenn.) and Jonathan Williams (6-4; Clarksville, Tenn.) could see action at both guard and forward positions.

In the frontcourt, James Haddix (6-9; Franklin, Tenn.) and Kyle Teichmann (6-6; Brentwood, Tenn.) will both be expected to provide key minutes. Teichmann averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds per game as a senior and finished his career as his school's second-leading all-time scorer. Daniel Gravatt (6-7; Memphis, Tenn.) is another newcomer who has a lot of potential to develop his game at the college level. Gravatt averaged 20.6 points per game as a senior while playing at Central Baptist School.

BATESVILLE, Ark. - The Lyon College Scots hope that an extra year of experience for four returning starters and a host of promising newcomers can lead to a big turnaround for the 2009-10 season

Last year, the Scots finished 11-19 overall and stumbled through a dismal ninth-place ranking in the TranSouth with a 3-13 final record.

Despite the gloom of last season's marks, there are several rays of light returning for the Scots this season, including Second Team All-TranSouth Conference guard Andy Lee and Brandon Cowart, who made the conference's all-freshman team last season.

Lee, a 6-3 junior from Fort Smith, Ark., led the team in scoring a year ago with 17.6 points per game average and shot a team-high 40 percent from behind the arc. Cowart, a 5-11 sophomore guard, led the team in steals (25) and was second on the team in assists (60).

Joining Lee and Cowart as returning starters are 6-4 senior guard James Jackson, 6-6 senior forward Alex Kelly and 6-9 senior post Chad Glover.

Newcomers who are expected to make an immediate impact in the Scots lineup are freshman swingman Slater Belew (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and freshman guards Chase Massey (Melbourne, Ark.) and Michael Steele (Little Rock, Ark.).

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MARTIN METHODIST COLLEGE REDHAWKS

PULASKI, Tenn. - Coming off a 22-10 season, most coaches would feel a sense of accomplishment, not RedHawk coach Andy Sharpe. "The 2008-2009 season was the most disappointing in my coaching career. In most places 22-10 is a great season, but not here, not while I'm here". The RedHawks tore out of the gate, getting off to a 14-0 start before losing in double overtime to a top 10 NAIA D2 Bluefield team. Two games later, 3 year starter and team captain Jacob McKissack suffered a season and career ending ACL injury; the RedHawks never rebounded.

I felt like last year's team had the potential to be better than our National Tournament team from 07-08, but we never had anyone step up and fill that void on the floor or in the locker room when Jacob went down," stated Sharpe. 

The hopes of returning to Kansas City and the National Tournament were dashed as the RedHawks were fighting to compete in TranSouth games. The RedHawks just didn't have the firepower to win the big games coming up short against the three conference representatives (Union, Freed- Hardeman, and Cumberland) who made National Tournament appearances with a combined record of 1-5 while losing by an average of 5 points.

The 2009-2010 RedHawks will have lots of new faces. A total of nine newcomers will take the floor on October 29th as MMC opens the season against Oakwood University. Four junior college transfers, three division one transfers, and two freshmen round out the newcomers. Will Shackleford and Aubre Bodison return after carrying much of the scoring load last season. Both were named All-Conference First Team Selections while Shackleford was named to the All-American team. Rounding out the returners are swing man Jamal Naylor, post man Nello Giordano, and seasoned point guard Tripp Howell.

As for the expectations for this year's team, Sharpe says they are high… very high. "The only expectations that we have are ones that we are putting on ourselves. The five returners we brought back are here because they share the same vision that I have. We want to challenge ourselves and see how good we can really be. We have speed, we have length, we have guard play, we have post play, and we have depth. The key will be molding that together and everyone buying into our team mentality. No one is going to play 40 minutes on this team; we plan on dictating tone and tempo and using our depth," Sharpe said. 

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MID-CONTINENT UNIVERSITY COUGARS

MAYFIELD, Ky. - Mid-Continent returns five starters plus its top seven reserves from a team that set school records with 15 wins (15-15) and 10 TranSouth victories (10-6), a fourth place conference finish that was MCU's highest ever.  Demonstrating an ability to keep games close, MCU won eight of 13 decided by five points or fewer and six of eight decided by three or fewer points, and posted a 12-8 record in contests decided by 10 or fewer points.

Former University of Kentucky star Winston Bennett begins his third season as MCU's coach, preaching defensive aggressiveness, rebounding, quickness, athleticism, and character as keys for winning. 

"My hope is to set a consistent precedent of placing in the top half of the TSAC, which is likely to be harder since most of our opponents expect us to continue what we accomplished last season," acknowledged Bennett.

Nine Cougars, now seniors, averaged between 13 and 23 minutes last season and seven started at least 12 games.  Senior All-TSAC first team center Kenny Thomas (6-8, 270) averaged 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds, and guard Joshua Woodley (6-2, 172), a legitimate downtown threat, averaged 10.1 points and drilled 67 three-pointers.  Guard Aaron Pearson (6-0, 190) led the TSAC with 74 steals (11th in the NAIA) and led MCU with 72 assists.  Forward Keiran Nunley (6-5, 210) contributed 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds, and guard Donovan Willis (6-2, 175) averaged 9.0 and 3.2 rebounds with two game-winning shots, 58 assists and 44 steals.

Experienced guards David Gratton (6-2, 180) and TiRon Peoples (6-3, 175), forward Sinisa Korkut (6-6, 240), and center Ansil Williams (6-6, 295) lead the charge off a deep MCU bench.  Peoples, Korkut, and Williams begin their fourth season of MCU basketball.  Gratton averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds with 13 three-pointers, and Peoples averaged 7.8 points with 29 three-pointers.  Korkut gave MCU 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and Williams' bulk and strength gives Thomas a breather in the post.

Two other reserves return from last season's team further deepen MCU's roster.  Guard Marvin Bolden (5-11, 180) averaged 5.7 points and 1.4 rebounds with 12 three-pointers and 21 steals, and forward Jerry Follot (6-7, 210) averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds with 12 three-point field goals and 16 blocked shots.

Bennett also adds three community college transfers who he calls "hard-working and talented" into the mix, including sophomore forward Chris Ferguson (6-8. 180) from Feather River Community College (Calif.), junior forward Anthony Lipscomb (6-6, 215) from Cape Fear Community College (N.C.), and junior forward Brian Reid (6-7, 215) from Shelton State Community College (Ala.).

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TREVECCA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY TROJANS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Trojans will have 12 new players and skeptics will say it's a rebuilding year because it takes time for that many players to gel and fully integrate into the system. The new players aren't all your typical freshman or newcomers. While there are several freshmen among the new players there are more than a few more experienced than the typical first year player.

One of the newcomers, Elijah Brice, is a junior college transfer originally from Haiti. Two, Kurt Reeves and John Hardin, chose to pursue another sport in college last year only to return to the sport of basketball at Trevecca. Antony Oduor will be a freshman athletically, but has a year of college experience and following the Trojans while sitting out last year due to a preseason injury. Keith Morris is also a transfer with a year of experience at former conference foe Lambuth University. 

Coach Sam Harris commented, "You don't always have that benefit, but this team is making it fun to come to practice and they are working hard at getting better everyday."

The team has had a significant infusion of height. Milos Macura (6'11"), Elija Brice (6'8"), Pascal Permis (6'8"), Keith Morris (6'7"), and JP Nayardo (6'8") will provide more size that Trojans have seen in quiet some time. If you add in 6'6" Jeremy Dixon and you have a pretty impressive front line.

Matthew Elliott is the senior class this year and you might not find a better person to take on that role. Elliott is tough having played through pain most of last year, with a healthy senior season look for heavy dose of victories for the Trojans.

The two sophomores bring starkly different paths to Trevecca. To be successful this season they will have to perform and lead like true upperclassman. Jeremy Dixon arrived after playing at Mt. Juliet High School, even playing one year for women's head coach Gary Van Atta. Elijah Brice is from Haiti and has played at two schools prior to finding his way to Trevecca.

A trio of sophomores will be leaned on for leadership. The good news is they appear to be up to the task. They have all three spent the time needed in the weight room and in offseason skill training. Keith Morris has been a great addition to the program already. Michael France is coming off being named the TranSouth Freshman of the Year. Camden Jordan sat out his first year and then came on last year and made great strides. 

The freshman class has the potential to produce like the Collins Onyando, Josh Helton, Marcos Salvi class did five years ago. Marquise Rudolph has a great quickness and has the potential to be an outstanding point guard. Peyton Henry is steady and solid. Kurt Reeves is a shooter and hard worker. John Hardin has skills driving to the rim. JP Nayardo is learning the offense, but Coach Harris already loves some of the tools Nayardo brings to the parquet at Moore Gym. Milos Macura bring a good offensive base, but Coach Harris says he needs to get stronger. Pascal Permis  has a seven foot wingspan that Coach Harris says already makes him a threat defensively. Blake Carden is going to miss him this year due to a preseason work out injury.

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UNION UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS

JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University Bulldogs are coming off a TranSouth Conference regular season and tournament title, in addition to advancing to the second round of the national tournament. For the first time in 15 years, Union will be entering the season with a new head coach. But everything will not be completely different as David Niven, Union's assistant coach for the past 12 seasons, takes over.

Union lost just two seniors from last year's squad, but those two players were All-Americans and accounted for over 36% of the team's scoring. However, the Union Bulldogs return three starters and eight players overall from last season's team, including the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Greg Truvillion (18 points/game, 9 rebounds/game). Five newcomers join the program this year as well that will be called on to step in and contribute early.

First year Union head coach David Niven says, "We have a good group of guys returning this year. Some of them played large roles and some of them will get a chance to prove their abilities this year. Truvillion gives us a very good inside threat. Combine that with his intelligence and passing and he is one of the best players in the country. Keith Tolliver, Antoine Joseph, Martez Hawkins, and Tacuma Alexander all started at various times throughout the last season. Alan North, Roland Banhoro and Veljko Petrovic will all get opportunities to fill the large shoes left by Brian Lake and Matt Neaville."

Five seniors lead the 2009-10 squad led by All-American and TranSouth Newcomer of the Year, Truvillion. Alexander, North and Tolliver each return for their fourth year of basketball at Union, while Hawkins is back after transferring to Union as a junior.

Union has four juniors on the roster, led by Joseph. Banhoro and Petrovic both return for their third season, while Stan McNeil joins the squad after transferring from Jackson State Community College this year.

CJ Davis is the lone sophomore on the team, transferring to Union this year from Los Angeles City College.

Three freshmen round out the roster led by red-shirt freshman Samuel Danache who was with the team last season. Daniel Kelley of Nashville and Brady Sheppard of Milan, Tenn. begin their college careers with the Bulldogs.

"Our newcomers also give us added depth and fill many of the needs we have," says Niven. "McNeil led the state in three-point shooting last season and is a tough cover with his quickness and shooting ability. Davis is a prolific scorer. He can find ways to score from anywhere on the floor. Danache comes off a red-shirt year and is an explosive athlete. He will be a mismatch most of the time that he is on the floor. Kelley is a very good shooter that will certainly push some older guys for minutes in his freshman year. Sheppard is a good shooter and a very smart player that will develop his college game this year."

The Bulldogs are going for their seventh league title in the 13-year history of the TranSouth. Another trip to the NAIA National Tournament would be the program's 13th appearance, and sixth in the past seven years.