By Brian Ruth
The Scene staff
Basketball at St. Louis Community College is off to a promising start for the 2014-15 season.
Both the women’s and men’s lineups are loaded with freshman talent poised to make an impact on the court. Both squads had successful 2013-14 seasons but are now adjusting to the new players.
The Lady Archers finished 17-8, just two wins short of a third consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament appearance and taking a silver medal in the Region XVI tourney. The men’s team ended at 22-12 with an eighth-place finish in the NJCAA national finals.
Men get bigger, stronger
Coach Randy Reed is looking to top last year’s successful campaign, his first with the men’s team. To do that, he needs a larger and more physical team. So this year’s roster is packed with bigger and stronger players.
“We’ve got a couple of 6’10” guys, a 6’8” kid in Terrence Brown, a 6’6” player from North Tech (and) forward Kevin James, so we’ve got some big bodies,” Reed said. “We’re very athletic and quick.”
Guard Sean Robinson and forwards Donald Stribbing and Joe Henderson have led scoring during the team’s 2-3 start. Stribbing and Robinson each had 13 in their opening game loss to Coffeyville Community College on Oct. 31, then Henderson exploded for 22 in the second game, a loss to Sunrise Christian on Nov. 1.
A 127-62 rout of Missouri Baptist University in the home opener on Nov. 6 provided a look at the future as Brown and James combined for 10 points in a second half that was dominated by scoring from the bench. Freshman guard Nate Rigmaiden scored 12 points, along with 11 from newcomer guard Eric Clark, 15 from freshman forward Chris Stanfill and another 10 from freshman forward Jeremy Vergas.
“The end of our bench is pretty good,” Reed said. “They’re not too far behind the starters. Those bench guys made that lead happen. Our starters only played, like, three minutes in the second half.”
In the first half, Stribbing had 13 points and Henderson and Robinson contributed 10 each.
On Nov. 8, the Archers were edged 77-76 in a visit to Lincoln College, with Robinson providing 23 points, and on Nov. 11, the team got its second win, 88-86 at State Fair Community College.
A series of 10 games beginning Nov. 21 is against teams that were 9-1 against the Archers last year, including NJCAA Division II rivals Penn Valley and Mid-South Community College.
“Penn Valley is going to be very good,” Reed said. “Also, North Central Missouri College, Three Rivers Community College and Mineral Area College ‑ all of them are good. It’s just the nature of the beast this season. It’s going to make us stronger for the regionals, though, really tournament-tough.”
Last season, the team relied on scoring by departed forward Randy Reed II, the coach’s son, and guard Cortez Connors. While the team has been overhauled, more adjustments are likely.
“This is a whole new team we’re putting together,” Reed said. “Last year, I knew Randy and Cortez were my studs. The whole offense was built around those two guys.
“This year, we’re still getting there. We don’t know who is going to be the star shooter, the best post player. We’re feeling that out.”
Tougher women’s schedule
The Lady Archers roster has a balance of promising freshmen and returning sophomores, a 5-0 start and high hopes of rebounding from falling one game short in a tournament appearance to end the 2013-14 season.
Coach Shelly Ethridge said a tougher early schedule should help the team at tournament time.
“Early in the season, the games we play are supposed to get us prepped for end of season,” she said. “But the competition level we played against early last year didn’t provide us with much help. It did give us what I think was overconfidence and certainly shed some light on what we needed to get fixed by the time the end of season rolled around.”
In five years at Forest Park, Ethridge has a record of 94-48 with three visits to the NJCAA Region XVI tournament.
Through Nov. 12, the Lady Archers have defeated Lincoln Land 62-50 and Lincoln College 70-26, both in the Lincoln College Classic; Rend Lake College 84-64 and Marshalltown Community College 83-70 in the Rend Lake Classic; and Highland Community College 93-37 in the Moberly College Classic.
Freshman Khalia Miller, a top recruit, was out the first two games with a medical issue but has scored 25 points in three appearances after being cleared to play.
“Khalia has been a great asset for us,” Ethridge said. “She’s one of those kids that I expect a lot more scoring out of. She’s a starter and one of our go-tos.”
Sophomore Deborah Holcomb is back in a big way, scoring 23 points a game after five starts with the Archers. A team captain has yet to be picked, but Ethridge sees Holcomb as a prime candidate.
“She’s a great leader on and off the court,” Ethridge said. “Deborah has been our motivator. She certainly raises the level of play at both practice and game time.”
The Lady Archers’ bench also has some promising freshmen. Center Abby Holtkamp, forward Myia Bridges and guards Amanda Hughes and Emily Fisher have contributed an average of 16 points a game so far.
“The more games we get under our belt, the better we’re going to get,” Ethridge said. “We still have a lot of newcomers, so we need to learn how each other plays – what we like, what we don’t like.”
The schedule will not get easier as the season progresses toward the March regional tournament.
“Playing the tougher competition is going to help us overall,” Ethridge said. “As far as I’m concerned, practicing against each other doesn’t help us near as much as playing a tough opponent come game time.
“Because the last time I checked, the most points wins.”