MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama men’s basketball opened preparations for the 2014-15 season Monday morning with its first practice of the year, the start of Matthew Graves’ second season as head coach.
The Jaguars are preparing for a Nov. 6 exhibition against the University of Mobile and their Nov. 11 regular-season opener against Carroll (Mont.).
A Roster Mixing Returners and Newcomers
Six players return from last season’s team, including leading returning scorer Ken Williams, and nine newcomers join the program. With half the roster new, Graves said the returning players’ familiarity with his system has already helped.
“We are further along (than we were last year),” Graves said. “We still have a long ways to go, but this first practice, we were able to get through probably 50 percent more than we were a year ago, and that’s in part to how hard our guys worked this summer, and even though half of our roster is new, we were still able to accomplish some things because the new guys were here all summer and that made a huge difference.”
Competition in Practice
Graves said returning players are helping teach the newcomers and that the second unit is more competitive than a year ago.
“It helps that (the returning players have) been through it and when we call out a drill or running a play, they know what we’re doing,” Graves said. “They’re getting more comfortable with helping the new guys, and one thing I noticed from this morning is we have a lot more competition from the second group. Last year it was pretty one-sided but this year our second group, with a guy like Nick Stover, that’s sitting out with a redshirt, is really going to be vital for that second group to push the first group. Having that competition in practice on a daily basis is really going to help us get better throughout the year.”
Roster Breakdown
Dionte Ferguson is the only scholarship senior on the roster. The team includes two seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.
South Alabama finished 11-20 overall and 5-13 in Sun Belt Conference play last season, Graves’ first leading the program. The Jaguars play their home games at the Mitchell Center.
