SSU BALANCED WITH SAVY VETERANS, TALENTED FRESHMEN 

The Shawnee State University Men’s Basketball Team enters the 2004 – 2005 season without a bona fide star player.  Gone are former All-Americans Delano Thomas, Andre Horton, and Antwain Lavender.  Those three players, along with the departed Curt Grimes and Tommy Futrell, accounted for 51% of the Bears’ scoring last season.  However, Coach Jeff Hamilton and the Bears have a solid stable of veterans to go along with a great recruiting class to help fill the void. 

Adam Davenport and Terrence Davison lead the cast of returning players.  Davenport, a 6-6 senior center, averaged 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on his way to 2^nd Team All-AMC honors as a junior.  Davison, a 6-1 junior guard, averaged 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds as a sophomore.  He also earned 2^nd Team All-AMC recognition last season.   “Davy and T are definitely the leaders of the team,” said Hamilton.  “They have been good complimentary players over their careers, but now is their time to step up.  Our success this season will depend a great deal on these two young men.” 

The Bears also return Nick Donley, Richard Montague, Aaron Davis, Kevin Cunningham, and Allassondro Roberts.  Jason Burston also returns to the lineup after a red shirt year due to shoulder surgery.  

Donley, a 6-0 senior guard, started 16 games last season and averaged 7.9 points while shooting 39% from beyond the arc.  “Nick saw his first significant minutes as a Bear last season and responded well.  I expect him to have an outstanding senior season,” said Coach Hamilton.  

Montague, a 6-3 forward, averaged just 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds as a junior while playing just 13 minutes per game.  He looks to get the starting nod this season.  “Rich came on so strong at the end of the season last year,” said Hamilton.  “He is in the best shape of his career.  His size and strength make him very tough to defend.”  

Aaron Davis played in just 21 games as a freshman, but looks as if he will also start.  “Aaron is the most improved player on the team,” said Hamilton.  “He can slash to the basket and knock down the open three.”   

“Kevin Cunningham is one of our best defenders,” said Hamilton.  “He is a big physical guard and can play numerous roles for us.”  Cunningham started 10 games as a sophomore and averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds. 

Allossondro Roberts played in just 8 games a freshman, but he should see that number increase significantly.  “Dro is a very long athletic ball player,” said Hamilton.  “He can score in a wide variety of ways, and when he adjusts to playing the wing, he can have a very successful college career.” 

The list of newcomers to the program includes transfers Billy Younger, Shane Shanton, and Justin Phillips.  The freshman class consists of All-Ohio honorees Shawn Hacker and Tyler Lough as well as Frank Hall, Thomas Kluz, Kyle Eads, Nick Caudill, Austin Howell, and Nick Karle.  “All three of the transfers will see significant time,” said Coach Hamilton.  “They bring valuable experience to an otherwise fairly young team.  I believe that all the freshmen are pretty capable of playing their way into a good number of minutes as well.” 

“Overall, we are pretty deep at just about every position,” said Hamilton.  “The fact that a lot of the guys are versatile and can each play a couple of positions really helps.  The competition for minutes is going to be tough, but I think that only helps us out in the long run.” 

Shawnee State faces the most challenging schedule in school history.  In addition to a tough AMC schedule, the Bears have games against Texas Christian, Florida State, Old Dominion, and Kent State as part of the Corpus Christi Challenge.  The Bears face NAIA Division II #4 Cedarville University twice.  SSU opens with #18 Cornerstone University at the Mitchell Memorial Tournament in Chicago.  The Bears also host NCAA Division II University of Charleston.  

“The schedule is really tough, yet it is also the opportunity of a lifetime for a lot of these young men,” said Hamilton.  “It will be really nice to experience the big time for at least a couple of games.   I think I can speak for the entire team that we are really excited about the upcoming season and the opportunity it presents.”