02.11.09 18:00 Age: 18 days Wallace State basketball enters season with national recognition, high expectations Category: November 2009, Headlines, Sports, Men's Basketball
HANCEVILLE -- Wallace State-Hanceville's men basketball team has collected multiple preseason recognition and rewards. The Lions get to prove their worth on the court beginning Monday as they host Northeast Mississippi beginning at 7 p.m. at Tom Drake Coliseum. Wallace State enters the 2009-10 campaign with one tangible goal of advancing to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament. It’s the only thing the Lions haven’t accomplished under coach Allen Sharpe as he enters his fifth season with the school. “The expectations are to get to the national tournament. We’ve done about all we can do except get to the national tournament,” said Sharpe, a two-time ACCC Coach of the Year. “We have won a bunch of games, we have been ranked No. 1 in the country and we’ve had All-Americans. The one thing we haven’t done is get to Hutchinson (Kansas). That’s the goal. That’s what we want to do.” Wallace State has once again has been showered with a couple of national rankings and preseason All-American selections. The Lions are ranked ninth in the NJCAA preseason poll and seventh in the Sporting News’ “JUCO Report” in its annual college basketball preview edition. Returning starter Darrick Thomas, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward out of Dallas, Texas, was recently named to the preseason NJCAA All-American Second Team and transfer Gaither Hendrix was selected to the NJCAA All-American Third Team. Sharpe appreciates the accolades the Lions have received, but hopes his team can live up to its billing. “It’s tough to get the recognition so it shows we’ve been on the national scene the last few years. I’m thankful for it. It’s a credit to what the players have done here over the last few years. At the same time, it doesn’t mean a hill of beans if we don’t prove it,” Sharpe said. “We want to win the conference tournament and have a chance to compete in Hutchinson. We remind the kids of that every day and make sure we take this thing one step higher.” Sharpe has built Wallace State into a perennial state contender in the Alabama Community College Conference. The Lions are two years removed from a 30-0 regular season, which earned them top billing in the final NJCAA poll. Sharpe has led the school to an 88-10 mark over the last three seasons and to the ACCC title game two out of the last three seasons. Resolving the final step of advancing to the national tournament falls mainly into the hands of 10 Wallace State sophomores, five who have previous experience with the Lions. Thomas averaged nearly a double-double (11.5 points, 9.1 rebounds) for the Lions last season and Tuscaloosa’s Ricardo Hall returns as a versatile part of Wallace State’s offense. Mitchell Anderson, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound guard from Chicago, also returns along with Sergio Crowe and L.A. Farmer after a year hiatus. Wallace State should get a lift from a trio of transfers. Donterious Hughes joins the Lions after starting 15 games last season for Appalachian State, while Tennessee native Devon Jones transferred from the University of North Florida. Hendrix is rehabbing from an ACL injury and is scheduled to join the Lions in January after averaging a robust 29 points last season with Wilkes Community College (N.C.), which folded its basketball program. Austin High’s Ricky Sears, Shun Thurmond and Ben Curry are the three lone freshmen on Wallace State’s roster. “We’ve got five guys who have been in the program before. They have tremendously helped some of the new guys and helped them understand what to expect and what is acceptable and not acceptable,” Sharpe said. “All of these guys knew from the first team meeting what we have done here, what we haven’t done and what the goal is. The last few years have been hard to swallow at the end, and I feel these guys give us a chance to get over that hurdle. We’ve got some experience to plug in there. Most of these guys have played on a high level. ” Wallace State opens the conference season on Jan. 11 at Lawson State. For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit www.wallacestate.edu. Russell Moore
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