WCCS teams start season Monday

By Buster Wolfe | Selma Times-Journal

Published Sunday, November 1, 2009

SELMA — Wallace Community College Selma men’s basketball coach Ronald Lane can’t spell “CAT” this year when he looks at his player’s positions on this year’s roster.

Lane, who took over control of the Patriots last year, was forced to “pull a Frankenstein” and build a point guard from scratch.

This year, he’ll need to order lifts for taller players because he goes into the season Monday at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College without a true center. He may have to manufacture a post player, but he doesn’t have a “C” next to any player’s position.

“We’re opening up with Pearl River Community College, and that will give us a good idea of where we are,” Lane said. “We’re a young team; we have one returning sophomore.”

Back from last year’s team is Darrell Mayberry, a 6-2, 185-pound point guard from Nashville, Tenn. Jerel Peoples, a 6-1, 165-pound point guard, is a Southside product who transferred from Stillman College.

One sophomore, Reginald Carson of Mobile, won’t return this year because of an injury.

“We are losing him because of a knee injury,” Lane said. “He hurt it in the second practice of the year and he’ll be out all season.”

Mayberry said he could see the change in this year’s squad.

“I think we are more athletic,” he said. “I think we’ll have a lot who will contribute. We’ll have more shooters this year.”

Mayberry said he will have a specific duty as a returnee.

“I’m trying to be a leader, especially with the young guys,” he said. “I was hurt toward the beginning of the season last year, so that hurt. I’m still developing my jump shot.”

Peoples said the players are starting to work well together.

“We’re young, willing to learn and we work hard,” Peoples said. “It’s a good situation for me, playing at home and with a good team.”

Assistant coach Trey Fortier agreed with Mayberry about the abilities of this year’s team.

“We’ll be a lot more athletic than last year,” Fortier said. “We’ve got better guards and we’ll have strong guard play.”

WOMEN’S COACH April Harper can turn her full attention to the basketball after the volleyball squad ended the season last week by beating Lawson State.

She said her squad is working well together in her first year as head coach.

“I think we’re meshing well as a team,” she said. “We’ve been working extremely hard.”

Harper, however, said the team is looking at each game individually.

“We’re getting ready day by day, game to game,” she said. “We’ve been playing together well.”

2009-10 Schedule

Nov. 2 — at Pearl River

Nov. 10 — MMI

Nov. 14 — Meridian CC

Nov. 16 — at Lawson State

Nov. 17 — at Concordia College

Nov. 21 — Pearl River CC

Nov. 23-24 — Southland International Classic, Birmingham

Nov. 28 — Concordia College

Dec. 1 — at Meridian

Dec. 3 — at MMI

Dec. 5 — Lawson State

Dec. 10 — Faulkner State

Dec. 14 — Chattahoochee Valley

Dec. 19 — Shelton State

Jan 7 — at Southern Union

Jan. 14 — at Bishop State

Jan. 19 — Bishop State

Jan. 21 — L.B. Wallace

Jan. 25 — at Enterprise-Ozark

Jan. 28 — at Faulkner State

Feb. 1 — at Chattahoochee Valley

Feb. 4 — at Jeff Davis

Feb. 6 — Bishop State

Feb. 8 — Jeff Davis

Feb. 11 — Jeff Davis

Feb. 18 — at Alabama Southern

Feb. 22 — at L.B. Wallace

Feb. 25 — Enterprise-Ozark

March 4-7 — ACCC State Tournament

March 16-20 — NJCAA Tournament

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