By Shawn Wansley
JCJC Sports Information Director

ELLISVILLE – Jones County Junior College enjoyed tremendous success in the 2008-09 men’s basketball season.

The Bobcats won the state championship, advanced to the Region 23 quarterfinals and posted an impressive 24-5 record.

But they lose nine players off of that team and return only three sophomores with a lot of playing time. However, second-year head coach Don Skelton is quite pleased with his group of returning sophomores.

“Brandon Wilson, Todd McDonald and Kendrick McDonald return for us and they are our nucleus,” he said. “We said at the end of last year that those three guys would be our captains this year and that has not changed. Brandon and Todd started last year and Kendrick gained valuable playing time as a backup.

“Brandon and Todd are doing what they do and Kendrick is stepping into more of a role where he is playing more.”

Wilson is a second-team NJCAA Preseason All-American. He is a 6-foot-5 forward from Carroll High School in Rayville, La., who averaged 17.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest last season. He also was one of the nation’s field goal percentage leaders, shooting an amazing 66.1 percent from the floor. He was an All-MACJC and All-Region 23 performer and is regarded as one of the state’s top prospects.

“It’s a two-fold situation for Brandon,” said Skelton. “First, can he keep up his same hustle this year? His overall game has improved some and he knows what it’s like to go through the league at this level. At the same time, can Brandon keep maturing and understanding that people are going to double-team and triple-team him sometimes?

“Will he do other things to make his teammates around him better? He is showing he can do that right now.”

Wilson plays mostly the 4 and 5 spots, but will be called upon to help out where needed.

“He will play everywhere,” said Skelton.

Todd McDonald can play the 3 or 4 positions. Todd McDonald is a 6-foot-3 standout from Wayne County who averaged 8.3 points and 6 rebounds per game last year.

“You get the same thing out of Todd every single day,” said Skelton. “The players on our team know he is one of my favorite players because he does whatever he needs to do out there during practice or games to make his teammates better and make his team win. His motor never stops running.

“He will play the ‘3’ when we go a little bigger and the ‘4’ when we go a little smaller.”

The Bobcat point guards will be Kendrick McDonald, a 5-foot-10 sophomore from Heidelberg, and Nic Combs, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Sante Fe High School in Edmond, Okla.

“Both of those guys have great work ethic and have been steady and consistent as far as their practice habits and play so far,” said Skelton. “I feel pretty confident with them out there at the point, but they will also play together out there, too.”

At the shooting guard position, Skelton points to 6-foot-4 Kadeem Fleming, a freshman from Port Gibson, as being a top player. “Kadeem has unlimited potential at the ‘2’ guard position,” he said. “He can play either wing spot, but he is really a ‘2’ guard. He has good size and is a good shooter. I think he can make an immediate impact for us.”

After those five players, the Bobcats have several players that will see playing time.

Tyrone Brinson, a 6-foot-6 post player from Valdosta, Ga., is a sophomore transfer from St. John’s River Community College (Fla.).

“Tyrone has been slowed by illness for the past week and a half,” said Skelton. “He gives us an inside presence and is a guy that can run the floor. He can help us and should get better and better.”

Glen Collins is a 6-foot-1 freshman shooting guard from Jackson Provine.

“Glen is one of our better shooters,” said Skelton. “He is a ‘2’ guard and shot the ball well in both scrimmages we have played.”

Tiaj Kelly is a 6-foot-5 freshman forward from Richton.

“We have a lot of hope for Tiaj,” said Skelton. “He is going to have to develop physically a little bit. He works very hard in practice. He has a long wing span and can play three positions on the floor. He will be really good for us.”

Andrew Marshall, Torrey Brown and Rico Rankins are all battling for playing time. Skelton said it is a very strong competition between those three. Marshall is a 6-foot-6 forward from Pascagoula High School, Brown is a 6-foot-4 forward/guard from Northwest Rankin and Rankins is a 6-foot-2 guard from Wayne County.

“Drew is playing well and gives us another inside guy,” said Skelton. “He is versatile and he will play. Torrey is one of our best defenders and can play two or three positions. Rico is a wing player who can make a shot, too. They are all fighting for time and they all have days where one of them does better than the others.

“It will play itself out. I think the first semester of play will give us a sense of what our rotation is going to be. The cream will rise to the top.”

Devin Brown, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Stringer, and Justin Buxton, a 5-foot-10 sophomore Heidelberg, will provide experience for the Bobcats. 6-foot-5 freshman forward DeMontray McCormick provides depth up front, while 5-foot-11 freshman guard Dino Harris from Warren Central adds depth in the backcourt.

Demetrious Lee, a 5-foot-9 freshman guard from Pass Christian, will be a ‘practice player’ this season.

Skelton said the Bobcats will not be the biggest or most physical team, but will have to rely on speed, quickness and depth to be successful.

“We are not overpowering physically inside,” he said. “We are going to have to rely on turning people over, hitting the perimeter shot and getting some easy baskets before the other team gets set up, which is a style we are used to anyway.

“We have a lot of competition going on right now and that’s a good thing.”

The Bobcats are looking to build on the championship of last season. Skelton said that is a definite motivator for this year’s team.

“There are expectations because of that and that’s good,” he said. “You would rather be there. Our freshmen are looking at it and are saying, ‘Hey, they won it last year,’ and they want to do that, too. They saw us have a ring ceremony and all of those things that go with it.”

Skelton said the team has done good things in preseason practice and should develop as the season goes along.

“I’ve been pretty pleased overall with our preseason work,” said Skelton. “I think our freshmen have really bought in to the way we do things and the way we practice and our style of play. We have a lot of freshmen with a lot of room to grow.

“They won’t be at their best at the start of the year, but this is definitely a team that will get better as it goes along.”

In the NJCAA preseason poll that was released in late October, Holmes Community College was the only Mississippi school listed, coming in at No. 19. Skelton said it’s difficult to say who will be strong because there are so many unknowns at this point.

“You just don’t know how good your opponents are going to be right now,” he said. “It’s just hard to predict who is going to have good teams.”

While the Bobcats are not scheduled to face Holmes, they will open the season at Scooba at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, against East Mississippi Community College. Skelton believes the Lions will be one of the North’s top squads this season.

“Many people are picking East Mississippi to be the top team in the league,” he said. “Through the recruits I know they signed and the people they have back, I can see why they are picking them. Gulf Coast in the South looks strong on paper. You can never leave Itawamba out of it and you can’t leave Co-Lin out because they are always there at the end.”

The Bobcats will play their home opener on Thursday, Nov. 5, against Delgado, La., Community College. The women’s game tips off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men’s contest at 7:30 p.m. All home games are scheduled to be aired on www.jcjc.tv and all South Division games will be televised on the same website.

Skelton, who was a part of a pair of state championship teams at Northwest Mississippi Community College, believes the Bobcat program is headed in the right direction.

“With us having some success last year, we hope to springboard this year, not only with the players, but the fans and build support,” he said. “We had a lot of excitement in here last year, especially the second semester and the state tournament. With what we are doing putting our games on TV and getting a completely renovated locker room that shows commitment to the program.

“Hopefully, that will lead to us having success in the future.”

Casey Carter will assist Skelton again this season.