University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball holds first official practice of 2018-19 season
9/26/2018 5:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- It may be September, but the hardwood was calling for the Southern Miss men's basketball team on Wednesday morning.
The Golden Eagles hit the floor at 9 a.m., rolling through various individual and team drills.
The squad returns four starters from the 2017-18 team, which collected its most wins since the 2011-12 campaign. The journey culminated with a trip to the C-USA Semifinals after knocking off FIU (69-68) and top-seeded Middle Tennessee in overtime (71-68). Cortez Edwards was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 27.3 ppg, and the senior from Kissimmee, Fla., also broke single-season school records for steals (71) and minutes played (1,219).
Tyree Griffin will join him in the backcourt as one of the more dynamic 1-2 punches in the league. The transfer from Oklahoma State tallied 15.0 ppg as well as 201 assists, the second-most by a Golden Eagle in history. Other familiar faces back in the main rotation include Dominic Magee (11.7 ppg, team-high 6.6 rpg) and three-point ace Kevin Holland (42 percent).
Newcomers include Jackson natives Gabe Watson and Ladarius Marshall (both Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen selections), as well as Tyler Stevenson (Columbus), Chattanooga State CC transfer Boban Jacdonmi and Shakur Daniel (Little Rock, Ark., by way of Ajax, Ontario). The extra depth in the backcourt and post is also strengthened by the addition of Leonard Harper-Baker, a forward who took a medical redshirt last season.
Head coach Doc Sadler enters his fifth season at the helm and has improved the team's C-USA win total each year.
Southern Miss begins its season Tuesday, Nov. 6 against Southeastern Baptist. There are many season ticket options available from $50 (youth) to $240 (courtside), which can be purchased through SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or visiting the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.
