Eagles hope to build on last year's success
Coming off an outstanding season in which the men's basketball team posted a 21-8 record, Georgia Southern coach Jeff Price has every reason to believe that the Eagles can put together another stellar year.
The only bad part of last season for the Eagles was that they lost in the Southern Conference tournament semifinals and weren't invited to play in any postseason play.
"What we experienced last year has made us more hungry," Price said in an interview from his office in Statesboro, Ga., earlier this month. "It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and hopefully our returning players feel that way and play that way.
"Where our program is at today is that we have to find a way to get to the dance (NCAA tournament)," Price added. "That's not an easy task because there are 11 other teams in our league who want to do the same thing."
Coach Price and the Eagles will get to find out exactly where the team stands when Georgia Southern takes on Utah State in the opening round of the ninth annual BP Top of the World Classic at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Carlson Center.
In the first game of the four-day NCAA Division I basketball extravaganza, the host University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks take on the University of Central Florida Golden Knights at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The opening round resumes at 6 p.m. Friday with the University of Portland Pilots battling the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. Northwestern is the only team from a major conference in this year's field. The second game on Friday features the New Mexico State Aggies going up against the Western Michigan Broncos.
There are two sessions each on Saturday and Sunday. The first session on Saturday is at noon and the second session starts at 5:30 p.m., while the first session on Sunday begins at 11 a.m. and the second session is set for 5 p.m. The championship game is slated to get under way at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Eagles have eight lettermen and three returning starters back from last year's team, which was known for its run-and-gun style of play. Georgia Southern ranked 10th in the nation in scoring last season averaging 80.6 points per game and ranked fourth in the country in steals.
"We don't intend to change a whole lot," said Price, who is beginning his sixth season at the helm of the Eagles. "We're going into our sixth year of playing that way and I expect us to continue playing like that."
A pair of 6-foot-1 guards who both averaged in double digits last season heads the list of returning players. Elton Nesbitt chipped in 15.7 points per game, while Terry Williams scored at a 12.1 per game clip and also dished out 5.4 assists per outing.
In the frontcourt, 6-6 Jean Francois is back after averaging 9.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season.
"Our two guards are all-conference so we feel pretty good about our backcourt," Price said. "Francois is a very talented player and we're expecting good things from him."
Price is expecting another good season for the Eagles.
"We're coming off a very good year and we've got a pretty good core group of those guys coming back," he said. "We've got a nice blend of experience to go along with some solid young kids to back them up. I like the mold of our team."
Price knows his team will have its hands full when it takes on Utah State on Thursday night.
"I think it's going to be a very competitive field and we wound up drawing a team that won 25 games last season," Price season. "They're the team we're concerned about right now, but I know that there are a lot of strong teams in the field this year."
Price and his players are excited about the opportunity of visiting Alaska, even though they will have to travel more than 3,500 miles to reach the Golden Heart City.
"None of them have ever been out that far," he said. "This will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for them and once we get there I'm sure it's going to be a great experience."
Price has compiled an 84-60 record in his five seasons at the helm of the Eagles.
