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LOCATION: Deland, FL
CONFERENCE: Trans America Athletic (TAAC)
LAST SEASON: 14-13 (.518)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 10-6 (4th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Hatters
COLORS: Green & White
HOMECOURT: Edmonds Center (5,000)
COACH: Murray Arnold (American '60)
record at school 25-28 (2 years)
career record 390-202 (20 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Wylie Tucker (Montevallo '78)
Derek Waugh (Furman '93)
Brian Cupps (Wichita State '94)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 15-10-9-11-14
RPI (last 5 years) 162-249-295-235-225
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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They are not twin towers. Just twin power. One is 6-5, 250. The other is 6-6 265. Stetson coach Murray Arnold laughs a little whenever people tell him the Hatters don't have that "tall" guy in the middle. "I tell people we're short, but we're not small," Arnold said with a chukle. Indeed, Stetson is hardly small, especially up front where it can pound away on smaller TAAC teams with junior Sebastian Singletary (6-5, 250) and sophomore Santos Hampton (6-6, 265). It's that returning heft and skill that goes with the muscle that should push Stetson toward a first-division finish in the TAAC. Not only do the Hatters have three starters back from a 14-13 team that was 10-6 in the conference (4th), but they also have some impressive newcomers. Arnold doesn't disagree that his club will be better. But after surveying the TAAC landscape, he's wondering if his team's improvement will show up in the standings. The league didn't stand still while Stetson was getting better.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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Blue BACKCOURT B- BENCH/DEPTH B-
FRONTCOURT B+ INTANGIBLES B
Stetson could be a very solid team that surprises the TAAC and becomes a better club than either Georgia State or Central Florida, two teams many are picking to finish 2-3 behind Samford. Coach Murray Arnold isn't so sure his team will rise that high because the conference has improved so much from last year. If the Hatters do move up, it will be because one of their off-guards has developed into a terrific player. "We have a few kids who have a chance to step forward and make us a better team," Arnold said. "If several kids step up and give us more punch, then we can move up in the league. "I think our practices are going to be very competitive. There is going to be a challenge to earn minutes. It's a matter of people stepping up and taking advantage of the situation." |
"The league is going to be tough; better than last year," he said. "I don't know if we'll do as well." The Hatters should at least do as well rebounding. They led the conference in board work a year ago with an 8.7 rebounding margin (7th in the country). Singletary was third in the conference at 8.4 and Hampton was fifth at 8.1. "It's what we talk about, rebounding," Arnold said. "Rebounding has been the cornerstone for us the last two years. We're an inside-oriented team. We think games are won from the inside out." With the beef he has up front, why not? Singletary made the TAAC All-Newcomer team last season and was third-team All-TAAC. Not only can he play, he can lead. He works hard enough to have just seven percent body fat and keeps himself in strong physical shape. It makes an impression on his teammates. "He's a very committed and dedicated kid," Arnold said. ""He's not a prolific enough guy to score 20-points-plus a night, but I think he's going to be a double-digit scorer and rebounder." Arnold is also hoping for big things from the wide body on the other block. Hampton has adopted some of the same workout habits as Singletary and has remade himself into a dependable player. He scored 9.8 points to go with those 8.1 rebounds and a .566 field-goal percentage last season. "When we started out with him, we thought we'd be fortunate to get 15 minutes a game out of him," Arnold said. "He had a weight problem in high school, but he's lost 50 pounds since we had him and cut down on his body fat. He's always had skill. I've watched him play since the 9th grade. It was strictly a matter of being willing to work and shedding the body fat." Arnold jokes that his best offensive set should be the single-wing with bruisers like Singletary and Hampton. The Hatters will adopt the basketball equivalent of the single-wing. They will dump the ball inside as often as they can get away with it. If either of the big guys gets in foul trouble, Stetson can also look to Steve Hoffert, a 6-8, 225-pound junior. Hoffert averaged just 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds last season, but Arnold expects him to contribute more. Sophomore Ricky McConnell has the height to play inside at 6-8, but he's more of a high-post, skill-type player who can swing outside and hit soft jump shots. Arnold said he could play McConnell along with Singletary and Hampton, which would not only give the Hatters a nice rebounding look but make some of the quicker teams in the TAAC take some of their speed off the floor to match up. Stetson will need its big men to play well and at least make up for the loss of Garrett Davis, last year's leading scorer at 16.5 points per game. Davis graduated. The third returning starter is Mario Haynes, a 5-10 senior point guard (3.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 102 assists). He's the only senior on the team. But Haynes could see his hold on the point-guard position challenged by 5-9 Ravii Givens of Albany, Ga., the Georgia AAA Player of the Year two years ago when he led Albany-Westover to a state title. Givens spent a year at Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep School and arrives a more polished player. "Givens will give him a run for it," Arnold said. "I think both point guards will see a lot of action." The Hatters should have some quality depth at off-guard, as well. DeShawn Jordan, a 6-3 freshman from Sacramento, Calif., who played at Mt. Herman (Mass.) Prep, can play off-guard or small forward. "He shot it very well in prep school," Arnold said. "He has good range and is strong enough to take it up in traffic." Derrick DeWitt, a 6-4 freshman from Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines, Fla., could be another candidate for time at shooting guard. The enigma on the roster is 6-4 junior Kelly Hite, whose college career started at the University of Maryland. A transfer who has had to wait his turn, Hite has the skill to play in the TAAC, but he needs game experience. He played in just nine games last season and averaged 2.8 points and 1.9 rebounds. The Hatters are also hoping Will Robertson, a 6-6 junior guard/forward, gets his career back on track. He's had both knees scoped twice, but still managed to average 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game off the bench last season. Van Morris is a 6-foot sophomore from Leesville, La., who was a quarterback for his high school football team (Pickering). He is developing some pretty good basketball skills, and Arnold said he is the team's best defensive player on the perimeter. Morris averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds and shot .889 percent from the free-throw line last season. The last player on the bench will be Russell Hankins, a 6-3 freshman from Butler County High in Morgantown, Ky., who probably won't play much this season. He's a good perimeter shooter who will eventually earn his time.
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