A Season of New Beginnings for Choctaw Men’s Basketball
Choctaws look to make big moves this season with a brand new roster.
The Mississippi College men’s basketball team is preparing to get their season underway after an impressive showing last year. Last season saw the Choctaws make the GSC tournament for the second year in a row. They were eventually eliminated by the second-seeded Lee University, but they gained valuable experience that will serve as a foundation for this year's team.
It’s a season of new beginnings for the Choctaws as they return only two members who played on last year's team, Rashaad Bolden and Judah Land. Bolden became one of the best players not only in the GSC but in the nation, boasting 24.4 points per game. He’ll look to continue his streak this year alongside an entirely new group of players.
After his impressive season last year, Bolden was honored with the the title of Preseason First Team All-GSC, making him one of the best five players in the conference entering the season.
“It really helps to have a guy who’s a borderline All-American, and a guy who’s First Team All-GSC, leading the way,” said Choctaw assistant coach Sam Newman. “I think we have to surround him with guys who can help him, and I think we have a core of guys this year to be able to do that.”
Bolden isn’t the only player returning for this Choctaws team. Land returns, looking to step up for his teammates.
“I need to carry myself as a leader to the younger guys,” Land said. “My first two years, I looked up to the guys above me, and now that I’m older, I need to be the one setting the example for the younger guys in how I carry myself.”
Coming off a season in which he averaged 1.4 points and 2.4 rebounds, Land hopes to establish himself this season. “My goal is to be one of the best rebounders in the GSC, and obviously that comes with a lot of hard work and effort,” Land said. “I think if I can be a very solid rebounder for our team, we'll be a successful team.”
With 16 men on the roster and only two returners, this year’s players have big opportunities to step up.
The Choctaws have placed 3 players on the roster on the GSC’s newcomer watch-list: Tyshun Briscoe, JJ Harris, and Sean Paige.
“In terms of our group right now, I’d say overall this is the best group we’ve had since we got here four years ago,” Newman said. “We’ve gotten even better dudes off the court, and that’s half the battle – just having guys that are good people, and that are willing to come together on the court.”
Coming off a historic back-to-back showing in the conference tournament, the Choctaws are looking to move one step further. Newman has ambitious goals for the season. “We want to go to the NCAA tournament, and I think we’re at a point in our trajectory where we’re ready to take that jump forward,” Newman said.
The team plans to place major focus on strong guard play, particularly getting Bolden and other key players involved. Another area of emphasis for the team is their defensive strategy.
“Our identity has always been on the defensive side of the floor, and we take a lot of pride in our defense,” Land said. “We know we’re going to win games defensively because if we stop people from scoring, defense will turn into easy offense.”
With five teams in the GSC separated by just 18 points in the preseason rankings, the Choctaws mentality is to focus on one game at a time. “The GSC is going to be really good, but you can’t win them all at once,” Newman said. “I think that all the preseason stuff is good and you can look at rankings, but at the end of the day, you have to play the games. From game to game we’re going to try to have that one game at a time approach and wherever that takes us, that takes us.”
The Choctaws opened up their season this past Monday in an exhibition game against Samford. The Choctaws came out on the losing side by a score of 100-58. The Choctaws’ next contest will be a home game against Central State on Saturday, November 9th.
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