A new era is beginning for the Alderson Broaddus men's basketball team. At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, the Battlers graduated five seniors that were a part of two G-MAC regular season titles, two G-MAC tournament titles, and one runner-up G-MAC regular season finish. ABU lost three 1000-point career scorers in Malcolm Tatum, Richard Lemon and Thylas Perkins. The team lost 85% of their scoring, the top 4 rebounders and the top 3 assist leaders on the team. Lemon was so versatile that he led the G-MAC in assists while playing a power forward position. For the past three seasons, the group of seniors finished with a combined record of 64-22 for a 74% winning percentage.
To say that the ABU men's basketball is rebuilding could be considered an understatement. This year's team has no returning player that has played an average of more than 20 minutes of playing time in a game. It must be noted that some of that time occurred last year when injuries and defections took its toll on the team. The program now embarks on a new journey as the players can no longer turn to Tatum, Lemon and Perkins to 'get it done'. This team has to find playmakers, scorers, rebounders, lock-down defenders, chemistry and team play. This is not always easy with a ton of inexperience on the roster. Players have to embrace new roles and elevate their game to a new level on all fronts.
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| Jordan Haywood |
Any time that a squad has a new challenge, many fans, players and coaches will look to the seniors as a
guiding figure to navigate the team through inexperienced waters. The Battlers have three seniors that have been a part of the great success achieved over the past three seasons. Jordan Haywood, a senior guard from Bridgeport, WV, is the returning leading scorer for ABU as he averaged 7.6 points per game last season. His game really came on in late December when he logged more minutes. Haywood had 10 games where he scored in double-digits. His most notable performance came against Shepherd which saw him drop in 19 points on 7 of 7 shooting from the floor including 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. He also put up 15 points in games against Trevecca Nazarene and Salem International. Jordan is known for good defense especially in late game situations. Coach Greg Zimmerman would like to see more consistent outings each night out of Haywood.
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Sanar Shamdeen is another fourth-year senior that has been around Greg Zimmerman's system. The diminutive combo guard played some integral roles during last season. Shamdeen, a native of Springfield, VA, averaged 5.3 points per game last year. He had an incredible Saturday afternoon in January when he poured in 21 points against Trevecca Nazarene. He hit 5 of 6 deep three-pointers that day in leading the Battlers in a rout of Trevecca. He also poured in 17 points, dished out 4 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds in a pivotal non-conference win over nationally-ranked Bowie State. For the season, Shamdeen finished 5 games where he scored in double-digits. Four of those games were G-MAC contests. Coach Zimmerman will be looking for Shamdeen to guide the offense more this season and hopes to see more of his quality shooting from the outside. He also has a good ability to probe defenses with dribble penetration and make passes off of that to his teammates for the open look.
The last fourth-year senior is 6'8" center Manny Artinano. The energetic and aggressive big man from Sopelana, Spain brings much needed size to this year's squad. Manny averaged 3.9 points per game last year. His most notable performances came on the road against Washington Adventist where he had 14 points and 8 rebounds. He also contributed a double-double against Salem International where he scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He has added much needed weight and strength during his time at ABU. He has extremely quick feet for a player his size. He also makes good reads on screens in the Battler motion offense. He is highly energetic but also prone to foul trouble. His aggressiveness around the basket leads to many key defensive and offensive rebounds.
The coaching staff did bring in a junior college player prior to the start of last school year. Dorrell Foster, a 6'6" forward from Detroit, MI, will play his final season of college ball this season after spending his first year of college at Northern Michigan before transferring to Oakland Community College. Foster showed promise in his debut last year when he scored 14 points against Tiffin. He would finish the season scoring double-digits in seven games. His biggest output came in a league victory over Salem International where he had 16 points. Foster is another player that the coaching staff would like to see more consistency night-in and night-out. He is an athletic player who runs the floor extremely well for his size. He is a great finisher in the transition game. Foster filled the lanes in transition on multiple occasions against Shepherd last year when he finished with 13 points. He also has the ability to knock down the outside jumper. He needs to become a more solid defender as he enters his senior campaign at Alderson Broaddus. But his versatility in his game could really help the team overall. He has the tools to thrive in the half-court motion offense. Many feel he could be a breakout player for this season much like former Battler Jimmy Williams did during the 2007-08 season.
The only other player returning to the Alderson Broaddus roster with any playing experience is 6'5"
forward Chavez Harper. The versatile junior from Cleveland, OH can play both the small and power forwards. He has shown ability to knock down the three-pointer, hit the mid-range jumper but also has the strength to power the basketball up around the basket. He is also a quality passer from the forward position. His game has a lot of the same attributes that Richard Lemon had. Harper averaged 4.4 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game last season. His best performances came when he scored 13 points in a conference game against Davis & Elkins. Harper is a phenom in summer league games in the Cleveland area. Much like Foster, he has the ability to break out this season and become a consistent performer for the Battlers. Many look at Chavez as a player who worries too much about making mistakes on the floor and just needs to play every possession with confidence. Harper could help this team immensely with improved play this season. He could be a huge contributor as either a starter or key reserve.
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| Chavez Harper |
Alderson Broaddus does have three high-impact players that redshirted last season. Those players were still able to practice with the team and learn the ins-and-outs of the Battler offense and defense. It is believed by many that follow the program that two of the three would have started last season for ABU while the third would have been a valuable reserve. Nonetheless, these players could have an immediate impact on the upcoming season if they can continue to build on their game and keep focus on their academics. All three players came to the Philippi campus with tremendous accolades.
One of those players is redshirt sophomore Exzavier Coooper who transferred to ABU from Harford Community College. The 6'5" forward from Rocky Mount, NC brings a versatile game that also includes an incredible 42-inch vertical jump. As a freshman at Harford CC, he averaged 14.3 ppg and 8 rpg. But his numbers were incredible during the second half of that season where he was able to score 20 points or more in eight games and in six of those games was able to grab over 10 rebounds.
Another explosive player that sat out last season is 6'4" swingman Malik Bocook. The native of
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| Malik Bocook |
Zanesville, OH redshirted last season after earning 2nd team AP All-Ohio All State recognition. Bocook was a high-profile recruit for the Battlers after averaging 19.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game as a senior at Zanesville High School. He will join fellow redshirt freshman Ja'Darien Wade on the hardwood floor this year. Wade is a long-athletic guard who averaged 21.4 ppg / 7rpg as a senior at Parkersburg High School. He was part of a team that made it to the AAA state tournament that season. For his play, Wade earned a spot on the 1st-team AAA all-state basketball team. Both will be counted on to make impacts on the season for this Battler squad. Cooper, Bocook and Wade were considered one of the better recruiting classes brought in by head basketball coach Greg Zimmerman.
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| Ja'Darien Wade |
The Battler basketball coaching staff didn't stop recruiting with that group. An impressive group of 6
new freshmen mixed in with two junior college players will round off the roster for ABU. These new players help to fill the voids left by the three starters and key reserve Ron Miller. One of the Battlers key recruiting spots was the point guard position. Replacing a four-year starter like Malcolm Tatum is not easy considering he was a D2 Honorable Mention All-American and 2015 G-MAC Player of the Year. He started every game since he was a freshman prior to his season-ending injury in late January of last season. With that said, the coaching staff brought in three to four players that could possibly play this position on the floor.
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| Reggie Robinson |
Freshman Bryce Butler will vie for the point guard spot after averaging 23.6 ppg last season at Clark Montessori High School outside of Cincinnati, OH. He was the Miami Valley Conference leading scorer. Reggie Robinson is another point guard prospect that averaged 19 ppg / 5 apg / 6 rpg and 2 spg last season for Rush-Henrietta HS which is located outside of Rochester, NY. Robinson was an excellent football and basketball player in high school and brings a tremendous amount of athletic ability to ABU. The final point guard prospect brought in is Shamar Griffin from Atlanta, GA. He averaged 15.2 ppg / 4.2 apg / 3 spg during his senior campaign at Furtah High School. He was a member of a 24-10 team that made the Georgia State tournament during his senior season.
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| A.J. Robinson |
The point guard is not the only position that the Battler coaching staff recruited for in the off-season. ABU was able to bring in two quality shooting guards who are known for hitting the three-point shot. Sam Sanders, a native of Dayton, OH, is a junior college transfer who can give immediate help at the two-guard spot. Sanders played last season for Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute which is located just outside of Hickory, NC. He was able to connect last season on 74 three-pointers out of 182 attempts for a 40.7% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Sanders is also a tremendous free throw shooter where he shot 84% from the line last season. He will be in good company with another long-range shooter in freshman A.J. Robinson who comes to Philippi from Middleburg Academy in Virginia. Last year for Middleburg, Robinson averaged 18.1 ppg and poured in 127 three-point baskets. Just like Sanders, Robinson has tremendous range from well beyond the arc. He comes to ABU with quality honors for his high school play. Robinson was named to the 2nd-team Division II VISSA all-state basketball team to go along with the honor 1st-team All-Capital Beltway team and the prestigious Washington Post All-Met (DC/MD/Northern VA) honorable mention team. The two-guard position has improved dramatically from this time last season when a D-I transfer failed to show up for school and the subsequent dismissal of Devin Colston from the team.
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| Mike Mitchell |
The Battlers have also brought in some reinforcements for the paint area. ABU signed 6'7" / 215 pound Mike Mitchell who played junior college basketball at North Platte Community College in Nebraska. He is a native of Toledo, OH where he played scholastically at Start High School. Mitchell averaged 7 ppg / 4 rpg last season at North Platte CC. He has the ability and skill set to play the three, four or five positions on the floor. He had eight games last season where he scored in double figures including one game where he put up a double-double in points and rebounds. He has the ability to step out and knock down the occasional 3-point basket. He brings versatility and depth to several positions on the floor.
One of the most intriguing prospects on the roster is 6'5" freshman Jonah Cosby from Charleston,
WV. Cosby was considered to be an athletic late bloomer in high school. He played his first three years of high school basketball at South Charleston HS where he played with D-I prospects Brandon Knapper and Kentre Grier. Knapper would eventually sign with WVU to play basketball after a one-year stint at military prep school. However, Cosby would transfer his senior season to nearby George Washington HS where he excelled for the Patriots all season. He closed out his high school year with some terrific performances against two of the better AAA programs in the state of West Virginia. In the sectional championship against the #1-rated AAA South Charleston squad, Cosby pumped in 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in leading GW to an upset victory. He would follow that up in the regional championship with a 25 point/6 rebound performance against WV power Beckley Woodrow Wilson HS. Cosby finished his senior season averaging 14 ppg and 8 rpg. For his efforts, Jonah was named to the prestigious WV North-South All-Star basketball game. Cosby showed off his talents in that game by pumping in 32 points for the South squad and was named by the sports writers as the game's most valuable player.
The Battlers did pull up P.J. Grant from the junior varsity basketball team midway through last basketball season. Grant led the junior varsity team in multiple statistical categories last year. He is a 6'2" guard from Kent, OH who currently has a 3.8 GPA. ABU also signed 6'7"/215 pound Simun Kovac from Scotland Performance Institute which is located in Scotland, PA. While little is known about Kovac, SPI is an academy known for grooming D-I basketball players. His experience playing with this type of athlete should help Simun transfer to the D-II game and bring depth to a much needed position. Kovac did score 14 points and grab 5 rebounds in the 2016 Mason-Dixon Elite All-Star game. He shot 5 of 7 from the floor and 4 of 5 from the charity stripe in that game.
Other players that Battler fans could see on the floor this season are: Monte Simpkins, a 6'4" forward from Upper Marlboro, MD; Seth Evans, a 6'4" forward from Tucker County, WV; Ben Henderson, a 6'1" guard from Gastonia, NC, David Turner Jr, a 6'0" guard from Upper Marlboro, MD; Cody Abney, a 6'2" guard from Bowling Green, KY; Manel Adan, a 6'11" post player from Spain. Many of these players could be a part of the Alderson Broaddus junior varsity squad for the upcoming season.
Keys to a Successful 2016-17 Season
With this young of a squad, Battler Beat detects several key factors for determining the success rate of this year's ABU team. We list those keys in no particular order:
1) Returning players must produce on a nightly basis. Many of the five players that return from last year's team had their moments in one game or another. But a transformation to a level of consistency that occurs each game must take place. Players can contribute in multiple ways for the team. It is not always related to how many points they score. Going hard after rebounds on every possession is an effort and attitude more than it is a talent. Consistent help defense and proper positioning on the floor on defensive possessions is always a successful factor for Alderson Broaddus teams. Making the player you are defending work on every possession is always a key to wins. Providing leadership to the entire team both in practices and games elevates the entire team as the season progresses.
2) How this team handles adversity will go a long way in determining the success the squad has in February and March! Every team in the country experiences adversity during the course of any season. It is not the adversity that is a problem. It is how a young team handles the adversity that can either be a strength or a weakness. How will this team responds to any loss? How players handle sitting on the bench? How players adapt to new roles as a player and doing what is best for the team rather than the individual?Being patient and waiting for the right opportunity and being ready when called upon rather than sulking and developing bad attitudes. These are all factors that any team deals with but especially one as young and talented as this Battler squad. Many of the teams that ABU plays, both conference and non-conference, have far more game experience than AB will have. Every criteria to having a successful team is key this season to overcome that lack of game experience.
3) Having a great defensive effort every night is key to this team. There will be nights where the offense is not always there. ABU men's basketball has always prided itself on great man-to-man defensive teams during Greg Zimmerman's tenure. There have been multiple seasons where the Battlers have been first or second in a conference in opponent's scoring average. This upcoming season is another case where this needs to occur. With the depth that AB has this season, players should remain fresh and have a high-energy level for every game throughout the entire season. Each player when called upon should be able to bring a high-level of energy and intensity to the defensive end of the floor.
4) Players have to develop the proper spacing, make the right reads and have crisp passing in the five-man motion offense. The quicker the players pick this up, then the more success the team and individual will have. Players that do not pick this up will find themselves buried on the bench. Players that can do this will play the most minutes and be in the game at crunch time. ABU will also have to create baskets by attacking the offensive glass. In other words, make every defensive player you go against work incredibly hard to stop the entire possession.
The Battlers have a great home schedule this upcoming season. ABU will play 13 games at Rex Pyles Arena. They will host key non-conference contests against: (a) Concord, the reigning MEC tournament champion, (b) Wheeling Jesuit, last season's Atlantic Region host school who finished the season ranked top 5 in the country and (c) local rivals Glenville State and Salem International. The conference home schedule brings 6 home games against each of the conference opposition. ABU will open the season on November 11 and 12 when the Battlers take part in the G-MAC / GLVC Crossover Tournament that will take place in Owensboro, Kentucky.
The Battlers will open play on Friday, November 11 at 5PM against Tiffin University. The Battlers fell to Tiffin last season 88-84 in overtime in a game held in Detroit, MI. In that game, ABU led by seven points at halftime and held 60-41 advantage with 11 minutes to play before squandering the lead late. Most of Tiffin's squad from last season returns for this matchup while all five of the players for ABU that started in this game are no longer with the team.
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