2009-10 Men's Basketball Season Preview

A plethora of new faces abound and are ready to mix it up with the solid nucleus of returners as the Hood College men’s basketball team anxiously awaits the start of the 2009-10 season.

Now in his seventh season, head coach Tom Dickman has assembled a roster of 16 players, including 10 who will don the blue and grey for the first time this November. But all six veterans have starting experience and together the Blazers expect to expunge the bitterness from 2008-09, which saw Hood come up one game short of making the Capital Athletic Conference tournament.

Dickman and the Blazers will rely heavily upon sophomore point guard Brenden Straughn and senior forward J’Air Brady to guide this young yet tenacious group.

Brady was one of three players to start all 25 games a year ago and averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per night in his first season with the Blazers. He also listed second in three-point field goals with 28 while averaging 32 minutes per outing.

Straughn will be called upon to be the catalyst for the Blazers once again this winter, after turning in a fine rookie campaign in 2008-09. The product of Eleanor Roosevelt High School led the team in assists with 103 and emerged as a scoring threat down the stretch, as his scoring average swelled to double figures by the end of the regular season.

Dickman notes that Brady and Straughn have worked hard in the off-season and he expects them to play key roles at both ends of the court.

Joining Straughn and Brady in the starting lineup will be a pair of frontcourt players in freshman Justin Stone from Brunswick High School and sophomore Tory Wilson, who calls Frederick home but transferred to Hood from Shepherd University.

Stone pumped in 16 points and hauled in nearly 10 rebounds per game for the Railroaders last season, who went on to capture the Antietam Conference championship with a 10-0 league record. A reserve for the Rams last season who spelled two of the squad’s top post players, Wilson logged a little more than nine minutes per game and contributed 42 points and 35 rebounds. His high-level experience will be an asset to the Blazers this season.

A trio of returners will patrol the lane at the five spot in juniors Rian McHenry and Tyler Snoots and sophomore Herb Bowen. All three earned starting roles at one point last season and each athlete brings unique attributes to the court.

McHenry has battled through injures during his previous two seasons but has a nice touch around the basket. Snoots showed flashes of brilliance last year, averaging 16.3 points per game over Hood’s final three matchups, all against league opponents. The tandem of McHenry and Snoots will undoubtedly give Dickman some much-needed flexibility.

Bowen’s athleticism and solid frame could make him a difference-maker for the Blazers according to Dickman, and his rebounding and defensive prowess will benefit the Blazers once again this season.

Two players who will be summoned off the bench in the early going are senior guard Anthony Bennett and junior forward Reco Siler.

Bennett has embraced the “sixth-man” role over the past three seasons and is looking to leave Hood on a positive note after rehabbing from a knee injury. Dickman feels that Bennett is back at full strength now and will make an impact on both ends of the court. Two years ago, the native of Chester, Md., was Hood’s third-leading scorer (11.3 points per game) and amassed 23.6 minutes off the bench.

Siler, who comes to Hood from Garrett Community College, has been a pleasant surprise for Dickman and the coaching staff. His positive attitude and drive to excel make him a fine addition to the Blazer roster and could earn him a starting role before long.

Freshmen LaQuan Randolph, Jordan Diggs and Edward Thomas along with junior Byron Morgan will add solid depth to the guard position. All four players possess solid shooting ability and have shown improvement in learning the speed of the college game.

Bolstering the Blazer frontcourt will be freshmen Ryan Joyce and Tyrell Wilson as well as junior Joe Tressler. This trio has worked hard in preseason and should challenge the Blazer returners for valuable minutes.

After a year off, Dickman and the Blazers return as participants in the Pride of Maryland Championship presented by M&T Bank. The Blazers advanced to the championship game in 2007-08 and sat out last season, as one of the nine Maryland schools does each year. But Nov. 20, Hood will tip off the 2009-10 campaign by serving as hosts for a Pride of Maryland Championship first round game against Washington College. The Shoremen finished in third place last season after defeating Salisbury University, 69-66.

Hood will also play its home games this season at the Odom Fitness Center at Fort Detrick. The Blazers, who finished 9-16 (6-10 CAC) open league play at Salisbury Dec. 2.