Many Newcomers on Flyers Team that Tips Off New Season in Virginia on Friday
The Sandhills Community College basketball team opens regular season play at 4 p.m. on Friday in Glen Allen, VA against the Winston Salem Christian post grad squad as a part of the Statesmen Classic hosted by Richard Bland College.
The two-day, 10-team event continues on Saturday with the Flyers meeting Richard Bland at 8 p.m. Head Coach Mike Apple's squad has another road game at Guilford Tech on November 8 before opening at home against Wake Tech on Saturday, November 11.
Ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA Division III preseason poll, guards Jamori McDougald and Chad Kinch, and forwards Ayden Gittens and Jamal Williams are the only returnees from the 30-4 squad that won 18 games in a row before being defeated by Brookdale CC (NJ) in the national championship game held in Herkimer, NY last March.
"I like that," Apple said of the No. 2 ranking behind No.1 Brookdale. "First of all it's an honor to play for Sandhills because of the status we've attained. What goes with that is the accountability of being a basketball player and not just showing up for games, but being there everyday in practice."
McDougald, the leading scorer and playmaker among returnees (10.6 ppg and 4.6 assists), was named to the all-national tournament team, and along with Kinch and Gittens were All-Region 10 freshmen team selections. In addition to Williams, a rugged inside player, guard/forward Isaiah Nelson who redshirted last season is back after being a member of the 2022 national tournament team.
Other guards on the 13-man squad that will begin the season include freshmen Jashaun Torrence, Jacob Hammonds and Demyron Williams, red-shirt freshmen Mike Fee and Tre' Williams, and red-shirt sophomore Zach Riddle. The freshmen forwards include Xavion White and Damien Robinson.
A promising group of newcomers slated to begin the season as red-shirts include guards Jacob Grantham, Kendall Smith and Nylikk Troutman, and forwards Titus Cunningham, Randy Freeman, Amarie Liburd and Chris Rhodes.
Competing in Region 10, this season's Flyers will be seeking a sixth trip in a row to the national tournament. Region 10 play begins with a game at Patrick and Henry on November 15.
Among the missing from last year's squad will be Bryan Quiller, Zac Sledge and Jordan Coleman who completed three-year Flyers careers last March via an extra year granted because of Covid. Quiller and another of last season's standouts, LeNijel Robinson, earned All-American honors and another, Joey McMullin, was a 2022 All-American.
"Last year's team was competitive in addition to being very talented," Apple said. "I'm anxious to see this team because they're very enjoyable guys and like each other. What they have to learn is attention to detail and that it's about competing all of the time.
"We've got a lot of young guys and guys coming off red-shirt seasons so it's going to be a work in progress. What we've done in the preseason makes me optimistic that we can be very competitive."
Apple, 309-84 in 12 seasons at Sandhills, will again be assisted by three members of the 2012 Flyers title team in Tramaine Pride, Daquain Towns and Markell Lotharp, and Philip Olbon.
"New, young and a very spirited group so they're going to compete," is the way Pride describes the 2023-24 edition of the Flyers. "We see a lot of excitement with the new guys."
The Flyers defeated Division I Richard Bland 72-69 at The Hangar last February. Statesmen Coach Andrew Lacey succeeded Apple at Pinecrest High School when he moved on to Sandhills in 2011. Lacey went on to win a high school state championship at Varina High School in Virginia before becoming the head coach at Richard Bland in 2019.
C. Bergmann