Saturday
NSU at Texas Southern, 6 p.m. EST, H&PE Arena
Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. - After winning the MEAC regular-season title at 16-0 last year but falling short of capturing the tournament title, the Norfolk State men's basketball team enters the 2013-14 season ready to do some damage once again. After losing just one starter and only one key reserve from a team that finished 21-12 and played in the NIT, the Spartans have the firepower to contend for the MEAC crown for the third straight season.

NSU will be under new guidance this year in interim head coach Robert Jones after the departure of previous coach Anthony Evans. Jones inherits a team that has eight seniors among the 14 players who will be eligible in the fall, and a team that was picked to finish first in the preseason poll.

Despite the appearance that the team's starting lineup is already in place – NSU's only loss from last year was forward Rob Johnson, and the Spartans had a MEAC All-Rookie Team forward off the bench in RaShid Gaston – the coaching staff is pleased with the depth of this year's squad and the day-to-day battles for every starting spot.

Norfolk State will be able to put a much deeper lineup onto the floor this year, with as many as 10 players in position to start, which fits perfectly with the coaching staff's willingness to get out and run the court more than in previous years. In addition, Jones believes the Spartans have much more versatility with his current players, allowing the coaches to mix and match those lineups based on what they are seeing from the opponent.

In the end, though, having a very experienced lineup and even veteran newcomers should carry the Spartans a long way at the end of the year. Key among those previously mentioned eight seniors is last year's MEAC Player of the Year, Pendarvis Williams.

Guard/Perimeter
Williams, also named this year's preseason MEAC Player of the Year, led NSU with 14.3 points per game to go along with 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals. The Philadelphia native shot 45.3 percent from the floor, 40.6 percent from the 3-point line and 81.4 percent from the charity stripe. NSU's best all-around player, the coaching staff is expecting big things out of Williams with the team's greater emphasis on scoring this year.

"We are looking for Penny to lock in and have a big senior season. When he's focused, there's not much he can't do," said Jones, who also mentioned Williams could play some point guard like he did his sophomore year.

Williams is joined by senior Malcolm Hawkins as the only two players to average in double figures last season. Hawkins, who ended the year at 11.4 points per contest, is looking to regain his early 2012-13 season form after injuries slowed him down near the end of the year.

"Malcolm is our best slasher and such a tough player, and he brings so much passion and intensity to the court," stated Jones. "He has been working a lot on his jump shot and ball-handling, and we are looking for some better shot selection out of him this year."

The Spartans also bring back their third starting guard in point man Jamel Fuentes. He averaged 4.9 assists, 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game last year. With the loss of shooting guard Kris Brown from last year, one of NSU's top reserves off the bench, the coaching staff is looking for Fuentes to add a little more scoring to his game than he showed at various times last year.

"Jamel has been improving his mid-range shot to be a more consistent scorer," Jones said. "He is our engine, and when he brings intensity to the court it rubs off on the rest of the team. He's also our best on-ball defender."

Senior Marese Phelps served adequately as the backup to Fuentes last year while also showing the ability to hit from beyond the arc, as well. He and senior Zieyik Estimè, a 3-point specialist, will be asked to contribute more from 3-point range now that Brown has graduated.

"Marese is one of our top shooters. Just a very solid player who can handle the ball very well," continued Jones. "Zieyik is probably our best pure shooter, especially when he spots up. We are just eyeing for him to make improvements in other areas of the game."

Although they went with a regular starting lineup of Williams, Hawkins and Fuentes last year, the coaching staff has the luxury this year of turning to two 6-6 players, junior Kievyn Lila-St. Rose and senior transfer Anell Alexis, who are capable of playing at the small forward position.

Lila-St. Rose has been a reserve his first two years at NSU and Alexis arrives for his final year of eligibility after competing at Marist. Both players have the talent to contribute, and the coaches are eager to see how Alexis can mesh his skills with the current roster.

"Kievyn is one of those versatile players, just a great all-around athlete. Once he puts it all together and adjusts to the game mentally, he can do so much when he's on the floor," stated Jones. "Anell is a wing who can stretch to an undersized power forward. He's our best offensive rebounder, but he can also shoot it, put it on the floor and make such an impact in the game, especially with his experience."

Also back is senior Jordan Weathers, who has served in a reserve role throughout his career and is a player who brings a defensive presence to the floor. He is also one of the players the coaches have talked about who has stepped up recently.

"Jordan has come such a long way, and he did a lot over the summer to improve his overall game," Jones said. "He runs well and is a good defender, but now he is able to get to the rim a little more instead of being just a straight spot up shooter."

The Spartans are expected to have the services of sophomore Sajae Pryor for the second semester. An NCAA non-qualifier out of prep school, Pryor sat out last year at NSU. The coaching staff is high on Pryor being a player who can get to the rim and score from multiple positions on the floor.

"Sajae is our most athletic player, just a hard-nosed kid," the head coach continued. "Once he figures it out and gets past that learning curve, he has the potential to be as good as any rookie in the league this year."

Forward/Center
Senior center Brandon Goode stepped into his own last year, ending the year with 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Goode showed plenty of dominance in the paint as the MEAC season wore on, and with Gaston in line to potentially start at forward, NSU is counting on having the best 1-2 punch down low. Gaston led NSU with 6.3 rebounds to go along with 8.3 points. Now that Johnson has moved on, Gaston is expected to take on a much more consistent role in the offense.

"Brandon made tremendous strides last year, and now he is just building on that and taking the next step, especially in his defense," Jones said. "He has a good hook shot, and now he can bring defenders away from the basket a little more.

"RaShid is the best forward and our most rugged player on the team," he continued. "He is our best rebounder for sure, and now it is just a matter of him understanding the game more and how he has to play. All of that is just part of a natural progression for a second-year player."

A pair of newcomers will vie for time up front as well. Junior college transfer LaTre'e Russell, an undersized power forward, was a first-team all-region performer at Des Moines Area CC, going for 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Fresno State transfer Hefeng Sun, who sat out last year at NSU, is a big body at 6-foot-8, 245 pounds. He played sparingly his freshman year at Fresno State in 2011-12, but the coaching staff is counting on his experience on the Chinese National Team at the 2013 University Games to give Sun a lift after a year off.

"LaTre'e is very vocal, and he adds a leadership quality to our team," stated Jones. "He's our second-best rebounder, and he brings such toughness and heart and desire. He's a good defender, and he can also face up on the offensive side of the ball.

"Hefeng is our best passing forward and a good all-around player. He is very skilled, and can even guard the other team's perimeter players. He just needs to get used to the physicality of Division I basketball after sitting out, but he is a player who is capable of getting a lot better as the season wears on."

Senior forward Riley Maye and junior center Paulius Vinogradovas are two more names to mark down in the low post rotation. Both players saw limited action last year, with Maye appearing in 14 games and Vinogradovas in eight. Maye, like Weathers, is another player who has been here for three years and is stepping up in the competition for a rotation spot.

"Riley made tremendous strides as well, and he's in the mix to see more playing time. He's a knock-down shooter who can stretch a defense," Jones stated. "As a stretch power forward, he brings a different dimension to our team.

"Paulius is becoming more of a pure center and mixing it up around the basketball a lot more. He's made good progress, especially as he's gotten away from shooting jumpers."

Schedule
The Spartans open the year at Texas Southern and also play in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Duke. NSU will face East Carolina in the first game and either Duke or UNC Asheville in the second. The Spartans will also play two more games the following week under the umbrella of the NIT.

NSU hits the road for five away games in December, at Long Island, Boston University, Seattle University, Virginia and then Hawai'i to close out the month. The Spartans also head to Miami in early February for a non-conference tilt. Non-conference home games for NSU include Newberry College and Virginia Union on Nov. 13 and 15, respectively, as well as Mount St. Mary's in early January.

Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman come to Echols Hall in December to open up MEAC play as the Spartans host two MEAC foes in each of the four months from Dec.-March. Morgan State and Coppin State come to Norfolk in mid-January, with Howard and Hampton playing at Echols in February. NSU closes out the schedule with UMES and North Carolina Central at home in early March before the MEAC Tournament.

The Spartans have weekend trips to UMES/Delaware State and South Carolina State/Savannah State in January and Coppin State/Howard in late February. The Spartans also make single-game swings to Morgan State in February and Hampton in early March.