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LOCATION: Troy, AL
CONFERENCE: Trans America Athletic (TAAC)
LAST SEASON: 9-18 (.333)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-10 (7th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 0/5
NICKNAME: Trojans
COLORS: Cardinal, Gray & Black
HOMECOURT: Trojan Arena (4,000)
COACH: Don Maestri (Southern Miss '69)
record at school 279-200 (17 years)
career record 279-200 (17 years)
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ASSISTANTS: David Felix (Troy State '77)
Billy Jeffcoat (Troy State '94)
BreShawn Forrest (Arkansas Pine Bluff '97)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 15-9-16-7-9
RPI (last 5 years) 232-268-155-297-270
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Troy State has all five starters back. It doesn't look like there are any openings. Unless you're Detric Golden. Now, there is not only an opening in the starting five, but the offense is suddenly being opened wide for you. You the man. Just like that. In a league that harvests transfers like Hollywood stars harvest marriages, Golden may the be the King of the Transfers this season. The 5-11 senior guard becomes eligible and Troy State coach Don Maestri can't contain himself when he talks about the former University of Memphis guard. "He'll be one of the best point guards in the country," Maestri said. "This kid was second-team All-Conference USA. He was a star in that league, and he'll be a star in this league. "He can shoot; he can pass; he can handle the ball. We're going to build some of the offense around him. We'll have plays where we set one pick, or two picks for him. Then we'll put everyone down on the baseline and let him go one on one." Only Georgia State's Shernard Long, by way of Georgetown, could have a bigger impact on the TAAC this season. Maestri isn't far off when he says Golden could be the league's most dynamic player. He started 23 games for Memphis as a junior two years ago and shot .440 from the three-point line.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT A- BENCH/DEPTH B-
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
Troy State played for the Division II national title in 1988 and 1993, but has had back-to-back losing records in its first two seasons in the TAAC and Division I. Coach Don Maestri thinks this could be a season when the program turns a corner in Division I and jumps another level. "I think we have to do well at home and not have any injuries," Maestri said. "We can't lose a guy like (Detric) Golden. We also have to get lucky and hit a last-second shot to win a game or two. "We can move up a few places in the league this year. The addition of a guy like Detric gives us a chance to move up. We could push ourselves up to fourth in the league." Golden, however, will be around just one more season. That's why Troy needs an above-average year. The Trojans will have to impress some other junior college stars or Division I transfers to keep the talent pipeline open. |
Troy State will be Golden's third school, but Maestri insists his new point guard who has just one year of eligibility remaining is not a problem child. He started at Northwest Mississippi Junior College and transferred to Memphis before he ran into academic trouble that couldn't be ignored. Maestri said Golden was asked to give up his scholarship for a year, work on his grades, and then come back. He decided to transfer to Troy State and play with former junior college teammate Jacova Jenkins. Golden has a starting job while Jenkins, who is a 6-8 junior, and another transfer, 6-8 Brian O'Mara, are trying to push two returning starters out of their spots in the lineup. That might not be so bad considering Troy State was 9-18 last season and finished seventh in the TAAC. That may be good for on the court, but Maestri still has to deal with egos off the court. Six-foot-one senior Nekolous Daniels (5.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 86 assists) started 19 games at point guard last season and may be pushed to the bench more than he would like. "I don't know how he's going to handle it," Maestri said. "He'll have to take on a different role." Three of last season's starters will not give up their roles easily. Six-foot-three senior guard Eugene Christopher (17.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 73 assists) figures to be a significant part of the offense even with Golden in uniform. "He's the most aggressive player I've had here in 18 years," Maestri said. "He plays with such intensity and he just out-hustles people. If the ball is going out of bounds, he's not just going to dive and save it. He's going to come up with it and keep it alive for us. "I really think because of Golden, he (Christopher) is going to have a great senior year. Golden loves to set things up, and I think he's going to help get him some more points." Six-foot-three senior guard Joey Raines (15.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .374 3 PT) is another returnee who should also factor into the Trojans' attack. Brad Grant (6.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .523 FG), a 6-8 junior, is another holdover who won't be easily pushed aside by the transfers. "It's not a given that O'Mara and Jenkins will come in here and start," Maestri said. "Grant's not just going to give up his spot." Robert Rushing, a 6-1 sophomore guard, will battle for time, too. Rushing started 25 of 27 games last season and averaged 14.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, and made 35 steals. But there's a bottleneck on the perimeter with Golden, Christopher, Raines and several other newcomers. Matt Holman is a 6-4 junior transfer (Wallace-Dothan (Ala.) JC) who can shoot and play either guard or forward. Maestri said Eddie Morris, a 6-2 junior just in from Enterprise State (Ala.) Junior College, was one of the top three-point shooters in junior college basketball last season. "We're hoping they all fight hard for a starting job and make each other better," Maestri said. "The starters will depend on who shoots the ball well. We'll play a lot of guys, and we're hoping we get more scoring off the bench." There are four players who figure into the inside rotation. Maestri said the 6-8 Jenkins, who played with Golden at NW Mississippi Junior College, can survive without taking a lot of shots. "He knows how to play a role; he doesn't have to have the ball," Maestri said said. "A lot of junior college players are stars and they have to have the ball. He'll come in and rebound for us and defend for us." O'Mara is more skilled offensively of the two new big men. He's a solid 225 pounds, so Maestri is looking for points in the paint. O'Mara averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds and shot .480 from the field for St. Louis Community College last season. "He knows how to set screens, and he knows how to pick and roll," Maestri said. "He also blocked 70 shots last year and shot 80 percent from the free-throw line. He can do a lot of things to help us." Two other big men on the bench, 6-6 Lee Lawson, a freshman walk-on from Trinity Presbyterian High in Montgomery, Ala., and 6-6 sophomore Donnie Pemberton (2.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg.), won't get much playing time behind Jenkins, O'Mara and Grant.
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