Veteran Tigers hope to utilize their experience
Scott Ferrell / The Times
Posted on November 16, 2003
The Grambling State Tigers will begin the 2003-04 men's college basketball season with one of the most experienced teams in coach Larry Wright's time at Grambling.
The Tigers return four starters from last season's 12-18 team that was 9-9 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
That's the good news.
The bad news is the Tigers have been something of an enigma in recent years. Just last season Grambling struggled with inconsistency and never won more than three consecutive games.
"We have enough guys around the perimeter,' Wright said at the SWAC Media Days. "But if you're going to win, you have to have something inside. I think we addressed that with our recruiting.'
Yet not everyone is convinced by the Tigers' talent. In fact, Grambling was picked fifth in the SWAC's preseason media poll.
Still, Grambling should have the talent to make a run at the conference championship this year. The Tigers boast two first-team preseason All-SWAC players in senior Paul Haynes and sophomore Brion Rush.
Haynes averaged 17.4 points and seven rebounds per game last season. Rush, a former Huntington High School star, averaged 17.1 points and 2.9 assists per game.
The Tigers should get even more help on the perimeter from 6-foot-2 guard Maurice Searight, a transfer from Michigan.
Grambling's biggest area of concern, though, will likely come in the middle. The Tigers lose William McDonald, who led the league in blocks with three per game last season.
Scott Ferrell / The Times
Posted on November 16, 2003
The Grambling State Tigers will begin the 2003-04 men's college basketball season with one of the most experienced teams in coach Larry Wright's time at Grambling.
The Tigers return four starters from last season's 12-18 team that was 9-9 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
That's the good news.
The bad news is the Tigers have been something of an enigma in recent years. Just last season Grambling struggled with inconsistency and never won more than three consecutive games.
"We have enough guys around the perimeter,' Wright said at the SWAC Media Days. "But if you're going to win, you have to have something inside. I think we addressed that with our recruiting.'
Yet not everyone is convinced by the Tigers' talent. In fact, Grambling was picked fifth in the SWAC's preseason media poll.
Still, Grambling should have the talent to make a run at the conference championship this year. The Tigers boast two first-team preseason All-SWAC players in senior Paul Haynes and sophomore Brion Rush.
Haynes averaged 17.4 points and seven rebounds per game last season. Rush, a former Huntington High School star, averaged 17.1 points and 2.9 assists per game.
The Tigers should get even more help on the perimeter from 6-foot-2 guard Maurice Searight, a transfer from Michigan.
Grambling's biggest area of concern, though, will likely come in the middle. The Tigers lose William McDonald, who led the league in blocks with three per game last season.