2002

WEEK OF~~ • H l( tfil

East Central basketball team.s open with split at Mississippi Delta

and Colt Aldic:.on, a 6-foot-4 fonvard. Derrick Fear-, begins his first season as Sm1th·.., a "~''tant. Brad Hodgl:, who is in his second season a!> Lad,· Warrior head coach, has three returnees from Jac;t year's team, which advanced to the state 'and regional tourna– ments en route to a 14-11 record. Tamek1a Foley, a 5-foot-10 guard/ forward from '\€\\ ton County, is the leading return– ing c;;corer with about ..,ix points per contest. Other returnee-. are Pat-.y ~kKee, a 5-foot-10 guard, and 1elinda Ben, a 5-foot-10 guard fc ..ward. Hodge c:.aid he b approaching the upcom– ing <.ea<.on \\ ttl ucautiou:- optimism," as the team's -.ucct!" .,111 depend greatly on his freshmen, which he descnbes ac;; being a "very talented group" with "a lot of athleticism." Fir..t-year players are Adrian Washington. a 5-foot-11 forward; Miranda Roser, a 5-foot-11 forward; Marquita Anderson. a 5-foot-5 guard; Britney Burks, a .5-foot- 0 guard; Kimyatta Viverette, a 6-foot guard/forward; Ebone'e Le\'erettc, a 6-foot rorward: Lenore Gray, a 6- foot-1 forward; ~1onique Over.-treet, a 5-foot-11 guard/fom·ard; Rita Birden, a 5-foot-10 guard; HL)pe Murray, a .5-toot-10 guard/forward; and Andrea Che:-.ney, a 6-foot forward from Newton County Academy. Hodge o:;aid he does not anticipate the Lady Warrior to have a fast start. "1 do not expect us to get out of the gates early. We will probably experience some bump.., along the way and will no doubt have orne high::. and lows in the early going. The mo .... t important thing is to get this team ready for division play, " Hodge said. ,c;bting Hodge is Betsy Harris.

The East Central Community College bas– ketball teams made their 2002-03 debut Friday night at Moorhead with a split with Mississippi Delta. The Warriors won 85-82 in overtime, while the Lady Warriors dropped an 82-79 contest. The first home games are slated for Thurs– day against Shelton State of Tuscaloosa, Ala. Billy Smith's Warriors feature six sopho– mores from last year's squad which posted a 10-12 overall mark and was 5-7 in South Division action. Smith said the returnees play a key role in the team's success. "Our sophomores will be called on to carry the team until the freshmen can get adjusted to the junior college game. We will be very undersized and will have to rely on full court pressure to be competitive. We will also be dependent on our quickness and shooting ability to have success," Smith said. Corey Hornsby, a 6-foot-3 guard from Baton Rouge, La., is the top returnee, averag– ing 21 points per contest. He made the All– State squad last season .and was selected the Warriors' top offensive player. He had 40 points against Delta Friday night. Donzell Crenshaw, a 6-fool-3 guard from Memphis, is also a returning starter. Other s.ophomores are Kevin Bobbitt, a 6-foot gu ard; Reggie Carter, a 6-foot-4 forward; Will Florence, a 6-foot guard; and Demario Qualls, a 6-foot guard. Freshmen are Tellas Burnside, a 5-foot-10 guard; Stephen Dyess, a 6-foot-3 guard; Jamaal Martin, a 5-foot-11 guard, De\lvayne Hughes, a 5-foot-9 guard; Desmond Jones, a 6-foot-2 forward; Brandon Mason, a 6-foot-– forward; Chris Morgan, a 6-foot-7 center; AI Willis, a 5-foot-9 guard from ewton Count ;

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