2007-2008 Men's Basketball Season Preview

No team ever wants to start a season with a losing streak, but unfortunately the 06-07 basketball season started with a record of 0-3. However, the determination of Coach Butcher’s boys showed as they overcame the rough start and ended up making a national tournament appearance. The 06-07 Patriots were on fire from behind the three point arc, leading the nation in three point field goal percentage and three pointers made per game.

Despite dominating the three point area, the Patriots started conference play with a 0-3 record as well. Again, the team came together led by the four seniors who the coaches say, “Did a great job leading our team and making sure that everyone understood what it took to have a chance to win games.” The Patriots ended the season with a record of 20-11 overall and 6-4 in conference. They were tied for second place in the conference, eventually falling in the NAIA Tournament to Oklahoma Baptist 77-72.

The court will not be the same this season without All-American and First Team All-Conference point guard Sam Brown. He led the Patriots in scoring as well as assists. The presence of Darnell Howell another First Team All-Conference guard will also be greatly missed as he was the second leading scorer and best defender of the perimeter. Inside the paint, Chris Simmons, the team’s leading rebounder for the past two seasons, will be another tough member to replace.

Although many leaders were lost to graduation, the Patriots are excited about many of their new players.

Maurice Brown (6’7, 230, Junior, Cincinnati, OH) transfers to the Patriots from University of Cincinnati Clermont College, where he helped them win the Small College National Championship last season. Maurice brings added size and strength to the Patriots. His defense and rebounding abilities will provide quality depth at the post position.

Curtis Cross (6’2, 200, Junior, Cincinnati, OH) comes to the Patriots from Beaver County Community College. Curtis has a tremendous shooting touch that should help him become a scoring threat for the Patriots. His strength, quickness, and overall skills will allow him to play any of the perimeter positions.

Isaiah Mills (6’10, 290, Junior, Corbin, KY) joins the Patriots this season after sitting out in the spring last year having transferred to the Patriots from Tennessee Tech University. Isaiah brings tremendous size and strength to the Patriots. That size and strength as well as his quality skills will be counted on to be a factor in the post and help give the Patriots a strong post game.

Josh Phillips (6’6, 180, Junior, Greenville, NC) comes to the Patriots from Rockingham Community College, where he received Honorable Mention All-American honors as a sophomore. He brings tremendous athleticism and height on the perimeter and his ability to defend and rebound from the perimeter should help provide quality depth for the Patriots.

Derius Chaney (6’5, 190, sophomore, Birmingham, AL) transfers to the Patriots from Lawson State Community College. Bringing versatility to the team, Derius can play either a perimeter or a post position. He has good athleticism and a nice shooting touch. That athleticism should help him become a quality defender.

Matt Daniel (6’4, 180, freshman, Morehead, KY) comes to the Patriots as the only freshman on this year’s team. Having had a very successful high school career at Rowan County High School, he played a big role in leading them to a 16 th region championship as a sophomore. Matt’s understanding of the game and good skills will give him the opportunity to compete for quality minutes.

Returning to the floor for the Patriots will be Mike Gibson (6’7, 200, Senior, Chicago, IL) for his final season after being an Honorable Mention All-Conference performer last season. Mike was third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and third on the team in rebounding at 4.4 points per game. He was second in the nation in three point percentage at 48.4 percent and shot 53 percent overall from the field. His shooting ability provides match-up problems for opponents at the post position. Mike will be counted on for scoring, rebounding, and leadership this season.

Chad Byron (6’2, 200, sophomore, Louisville, KY) returns to the Patriots after starting in all 31 games as a freshman. Chad averaged 8.7 points per game last year while shooting 45.8 percent from the three point line and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. He has great toughness and a high competitive spirit that will help bring leadership to the Patriots.

Luke Fitzgerald (6’6, 240, Junior, Cleveland, OH) returns as the longest tenured Patriot. This is Luke’s fourth year with the Patriots after redshirting as a freshman. He averaged 7.5 points per game while shooting 57.2 percent from the field and was also second on the team in rebounding at 5 rebounds per game. Luke will be looked upon to give the team more scoring and rebounding inside and also be a physical presence in the paint.

Dustin Fothergill (6’2, 190, sophomore, Somerset, KY) connects with the Patriots this season after a strong second half of last season. Injuries slowed Dustin down in the first half of the season, but once healthy, he averaged 5.1 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the three point line. Dustin has a great shooting stroke and is one of the best perimeter defenders on the team.

Leslie Delk (6’3, 190, Senior, Brownsville, TN) returns as one of three seniors for the Patriots. He has a great shooting touch in which he shot 47.8 percent from the three point line last season. That outside shooting touch as well as his ability to rebound from the perimeter will be greatly counted on by the Patriots.

Jason Smith (5’10, 155, Senior, Baltimore, MD) also returns as one of three seniors for the Patriots. He has a true point guard’s mentality and is always looking to make his teammates better. His quickness and ball handling ability allows him to create open shots for his teammates. Jason’s work ethic and energy will help him provide the leadership counted from him this season.

The Patriots come in having lost four seniors, three of whom were starters, two were first team all-conference, and one who was a NAIA All-American. The coaches admit it will be tough to replace such an integral part of their team, but they feel confident in the group of returnees and newcomers. It can be expected that the Patriots will be in the top rankings again for their shooting ability; however, Coach Butcher is stressing rebounding and defense more than anything. “The keys to this season, as is every season, will be our ability to defend and rebound. Our goal every season is to be the best defensive and best rebounding team in our conference. I feel that if we can accomplish those two goals, we can have a very successful season,” stated Coach Don Butcher.

The Cumberlands coaching staff is looking forward to the mixture of the returning players and newcomers. The players have been practicing hard everyday and working together, pushing each other to be the best. The season opener will be an exhibition match against Mississippi State from the NCAA South Eastern Conference. The Patriots will also face Bellarmine a NCAA Division II school, as well as Mountain State who is always ranked high in the NAIA national polls. In addition, the Patriots will have to face off against Mid-South Conference opponents, Georgetown College, Lindsey Wilson College, and Campbellsville University who are consistently ranked among the NAIA’s elite.

Although the competition will continue to be fierce Coach Butcher believes that if the boys will defend and rebound, they will be able to be successful, and bring home a championship. Is that championship from KC? It will be March before that question can be answered. So, until then, the Patriots will aspire to be the best of the best in order to see their name on bracket day.

2006-2007 Season Preview
2005-2006 Season Preview
2004-2005 Season Preview