By Shawn Wansley
JCJC Sports Information Director

ELLISVILLE – What do they do for an encore?

That’s the question facing the defending MACJC championship Jones County Junior College basketball teams, as they officially opened practice for the 2009-10 season on Thursday, Oct. 1, in Bobcat Gym.

“We have a lot of freshmen,” said 11th-year Lady Bobcat head coach Sandra Sumrall. “We have four returning sophomores and three of those saw a lot of playing time last year. We are really going to have to depend on those sophomores for leadership.

“But overall, we have a good bunch of kids.”

Second-year men’s head coach Don Skelton is facing a similar situation. The Bobcats lost nine lettermen off of last year’s 24-5 team and only have three returning sophomores.

“We have so many new faces,” he said. “We think we have got a lot of stuff accomplished since we were able to go out under the NJCAA rules since the start of school and we feel like we are ahead of the game.

“At the same time, there is a learning curve. But, we are excited about the start of practice and I think the players are, too, knowing that the season is right around the corner.”

The Lady Bobcats posted a 23-7 record last year, captured only their third state title, including the second under Sumrall. JCJC also won state titles in 1947-48 and 2000-01. The Lady Bobcats also reached the semifinals of the Region 23 Tournament last year.

“We have a young team this year and nobody is really expecting us to be as competitive as last year,” said Sumrall. “But the players are working hard. We are trying to get them acclimated to our style of basketball, such as transition play, the fast break offense and pressure defense.

“They are buying into what we want, but it is definitely an adjustment for them from high school.”

Returning sophomores who played last year for the Lady Bobcats are forwards Ashley Lee of Taylorsville and Brigit Taylor of Jackson Jim Hill, along with guards Dominique Evans of South Jones and Erica Moore of Grove Hill, Ala.

Last year’s Bobcat men’s team claimed the school’s fifth state crown and reached the quarterfinals of regional play. The others occurred in 1935-36, 1940-41, 1942-43 and 1945-46. It was the third state championship for Skelton, who also won titles at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

“The preseason is about repetition and getting our players to play with maximum effort,” said Skelton. “This is when they learn to be mentally tough and work through fatigue. We also are trying to get them adjusted to our style of play, which is different than what they are used to playing.”

Skelton said the Bobcats would have scrimmages this month vs. Holmes and Co-Lin and those would be helpful in several ways.

“Those scrimmages will allow us to see where we stand,” he said. “And it will be a chance to see how our new guys react when the lights come on.”

Returning sophomores include guard Kendrick McDonald of Heidelberg and forwards Todd McDonald of Wayne County and Brandon Wilson of Rayville, La.

Cara Hyatt returns for her third year as assistant coach with the Lady Bobcats, while Casey Carter enters his third year as assistant coach for the men’s team.

JCJC opens the 2009-10 season on Monday, Nov. 2, at East Mississippi. The first home game will be on Thursday, Nov. 5, against Delgado, La., Community College.

The schedule is available at http://www.jcjc.edu/athletics/basketball/2009/2009basketballschedule.pdf.