2006-2007 Men's Basketball Season Preview

Coach Don Butcher's boys have made trips to Kansas City and the NAIA National Tournament if four of his previous six seasons as head coach. Whether they make it back in 2000/07 will depend on how well a core group of returnees meshes with a large recruiting class.

Sam Brown (6'0 Guard, Cleveland TX) will be the Patriots floor general. The returning all conference point guard averaged 12.2 points a game while dishing out 51 assists and making 36 steals. He led the nation in three point shooting making an incredible 53% of his attempts. Darnell Howell (5'10 Sr Guard, Chicago, Illinois) didn’t start any games in the 05-06 season, but averaged 23 minutes a game and was spectacular at times. Ryan Williams (6'1 Sr Guard, West Liberty, Ky), a four year senior, will be counted upon to provide toughness to this year's Patriot squad. Chris Simmons (6'7 Sr Forward, St Louis Missouri) was a force defensively and on the backboards in the post last season and will be expected to provide that same spark this year. The only sophomore, Luke Fitzgerald (6'6 Forward, Cleveland Ohio) is healthy after an injury riddled red shirt freshman season and should compete for a starting job. Chris Clapp (6'5 Sr, Forward, Knoxville, Tennessee) has battled preseason injuries but should provide valuable minutes off the bench.

"I think the core of every team is based on its returning players," said Coach Butcher. "We have several back from last year’s squad and most of them have played a tremendous amount. If we are going to be any good, it will have to be up to our returning players because they are the ones who are going to be out there and who have had the experience. Our newcomers will figure out where they fit in and catch on, but it is our returners who have to get it started."

Seven new faces will dot the Patriot's roster this year. On the perimeter Cumberlands inked four talented guards including 6’3 Jr Leslie Delk (Brownsville, TN) a transfer from Frank Phillips Community College) as well as 5’10 guard Jason Smith from Baltimore, MD. Butcher also signed pair of freshmen, Chad Byron, a 6'2 guard from Trinity High School in Louisville and Dustin Fothergill a 6'2 guard from nearby Pulaski Southwestern High School. Perhaps the most versatile off season recruit is junior forward Mike Gibson (6'7 Chicago, IL), a transfer from Southeast Community College in Nebraska. He's capable of playing both on the perimeter and in the post. 6’6 Paul Milligan ( Chillicothe, TX), a transfer from Chillicothe will add height to the Patriot roster along with 6’7 forward Eric Staten (Corpus Christie, TX) who becomes eligible at the semester break.

"We needed guys who can shoot the ball and those are the type of guys we’ve recruited. Mike Gibson has done a good job. He is a long perimeter player who can shoot it pretty far out. Leslie Delk has done a nice job as well. Jason Smith is going to be our back up point guard and he is catching on well. All of them were recruited for a reason, and we need them to be able to play and contribute right away," stated Butcher.

Through the years few freshman have seen significant minutes their first year. Chad Byron could be an exception. " Chad has been outstanding so far in the preseason," stated Butcher. "We really think he will be a nice contributor and will actually play sooner rather than later because he’s been able to grasp things a lot quicker."

Compared to last year?: "It’s really hard to compare last year’s team to this year’s. I don’t think we’re nearly as athletic as last year. When you lose Pat Cureton, Jermaine Love, and those guys, you lose athleticism. I don’t think we are as disciplined as a team as we were last year. We don't do things right, time after time. We are a little bit behind in that area. We can shoot it a heck of a lot better than we did last year. And hopefully that will out weigh some of our mistakes early because I think we will be able to make a few more shots. This team is a little more physical because we are playing some bigger guys like Chris Simmons and Luke Fitzgerald. We are 245 and 250 pounds in the post unlike last year where we had Pierre Darden 210 and Pat Cureton at 190 pounds. So I think we’re a little more physical possibly than last year but probably not as skilled overall," stated Butcher.

Mid South Conference? : "It will be tough. Our league was really good last year and will be every bit as good this year. Georgetown is head and shoulders above everybody. They have so many returning guys who were good last year. I think Lindsey Wilson has had a nice recruiting class as well as Campbellsville. Pikeville will be a lot better off because they won’t lose as many guys at Christmas time. I haven’t seen the conference teams; I don’t know hardly anything about them, just that their rosters look very good on paper. I’m sure if they get things figured out, they all will be just as good as they were last year," said Butcher.

So the question remains, can Cumberlands make it five trips in seven years to the big dance in KC? Only time will tell. The strongest pre-conference schedule in years should prepare the Patriots for the always tough Mid South. If Cumberlands can get some breaks and the new faces gel with the old ones, look for the Patriots to again be among the final thirty two in Kansas City in mid March.

2005-2006 Season Preview

2004-2005 Season Preview