10/28/2009 - MEN'S BASKETBALL 11 Days of A-Sun Basketball: Kennesaw State

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Interview with Head Coach Tony Ingle

SEASON PREVIEW - (Courtesy Kennesaw State Media Relations)

The four-year wait is over for Kennesaw State as the Owls successfully completed its four-year reclassification period from Division II to Division I and head coach Tony Ingle is ready to take the Owls to the postseason for the first time since the Black and Gold were a Division II powerhouse in 2004-05.

While the transition period was not an easy one for Kennesaw State, Coach Ingle and the Owls took their bumps and bruises before finishing the period as one of the top transitioning schools in the country.

Kennesaw State won 42 games over the four-year period, had three years with double-digit wins, 29 conference wins and had the second best winning percentage and number of wins of all schools who are re-classifying. In addition, the Owls have had 21 players earn A-Sun All-Academic honors while having four players earn Atlantic Sun Conference honors on the court.

“We made it though the reclassification period with flying colors thanks to a lot of hard work by everyone from the administrators to the coaches, staff and faculty,” said Coach Ingle. “Now the wait is over and we can work towards fulfilling our goals.”

Now, with all that behind coach Ingle, the 2009-10 Black and Gold are ready to put their best foot forward with a roster that is the deepest of any team in recent history.

Frontcourt
The Owls return three big men in senior tri-captains Jon-Michael Nickerson, Jonathan Whipple and Jay Mitchell and for the first time since becoming a Division I member they have a strong front line with redshirts Matt Heramb, Ladaris Green and Markeith Cummings ready to hit the floor for the first time.

The trio will be extremely useful to the Owls as all three can play all five positions, giving Coach Ingle the much needed depth and versatility that has been lacking the past four seasons.

Last season, Mitchell made his debut with the Owls. The versatile center/forward transferred from Texas Tech and after sitting out a season in 2007-08, Mitchell had to battle an ankle injury that halted his return until mid-January of last year.

Whipple and Nickerson are entering their fourth season with the Owls and the maturing process was displayed overwhelmingly last season as Nickerson emerged as a solid rebounder and scorer while Whipple established himself as one of the top sixth men in the conference.

Zadrian Gibson, a walk-on, is a true value to the Owls. With a stellar physique and a knack for blocking shots, the junior led the Owls in blocked shots with 25 and his 1.27 blocks per game put him fourth in the conference.

Artie Marine, who played in 25 games as a freshman last year, adds more depth to a solid frontcourt and Mirza Medinic, the Owls lone, true center, brings back his 6-foot-10-inch, 240-pound frame

Backcourt
The Owls have an experienced point guard in Kelvin McConnell. The former walk-on worked his way into the starting lineup midway through his freshman season and has been a fixture in the starting lineup ever since. An excellent shooter, McConnell has established himself as one of the top three-point shooters in the A-Sun and is annually among the leaders in three-pointers and three-point percentage.

A pair of sophomores will be back with a year of experience as rookie starters Kurtis Woods and Spencer Dixon look to sure up the Owls backcourt. Woods, an All-Freshman team selection last season is one of the emerging scorers in the A-Sun and will look to improve on a freshman season in which he was second on the Owls in scoring.

Dixon worked his way into the starting lineup after an injury to J.D. Pollock and made an impact on Ingle and his staff as one of the top defenders on the squad. With a tenacious attacking style, the local product led the Owls in steals last season and was eighth in he conference.

Also added to the mix in the backcourt is senior Junior Ajayi, who made his debut with the Owls last season. A walk-on, Ajayi quickly saw court time and was one of the Owls most reliable reserves.

Newcomers
Coach Ingle brings in three newcomers to the squad with a pair of guards in Romain Henry and Cortez Irby as well as 6-foot-6-inch forward James McRae.

Both Henry and Irby are transfers to the program with Henry, who will sit out the season as a redshirt, coming from Fort Valley State and Irby arriving from Shelton State Community College. MacRae, a true freshman, comes to KSU from Brunswick High School.

Schedule
Once again the Owls will play a strong schedule as this year’s slate features first time meetings with Georgia Tech and Notre Dame as well as the Owls second-meeting with Saint Louis.

The A-Sun schedule will feature 20 games as the owls play each conference foe in home-and-home games, beginning with the opener at home against Belmont and Lipscomb in early December.

“We’ve got a pair of tough games to open up the conference schedule,” added Ingle. “But in this league every night is going to be a hard-fought gut check and you’ve got to be ready because anyone can beat anyone.”

The season marks the first time Kennesaw State will be eligible for the postseason and the A-Sun Tournament.

“We’ve had this carrot dangling in front of us for a while,” smiled Ingle with a gleam of intensity. “Now, we’re ready to go grab it.”

11 Days of A-Sun Basketball Schedule
Oct. 28 - Kennesaw State
Oct. 39 - USC Upstate
Oct. 30 - UNF
Nov.  2 - FGCU
Nov.  3 - Stetson
Nov.  4 - Campbell
Nov.  5 - Belmont
Nov.  6 - ETSU
Nov.  9 - Mercer
Nov. 10 - Lipscomb
Nov. 11 - Jacksonville