MSCC will open the season on Oct. 31 against Kaskaskia College in the first round of the Greyhound Tipoff Classic presented by RJ Young.
“We will put an extremely entertaining team on the court for our fans,” said Coach Parker. “We have a lot of athleticism, and we have, by far, more size than we’ve ever had. We have seven guys who are 6-5 or taller; that is unprecedented for our program.”
Parker said he expects big things from returnees Shaquille Culbreath and Marquavious Smith (redshirt sophomores), and Justin Harris, Tony White, and John Braxton.
“Our team starts with Shaquille Culbreath, who was voted captain by his teammates,” Parker said.
“He was our fourth leading scorer as a freshman two years ago, and he has really improved since then. I’m expecting Shaq to be a great leader for us this year.”
Culbreath, a product of Crossett High School in Arkansas, is a 6-0, 165-pound guard.
Smith, who graduated from Germantown High School in Tennessee, is a 6-6, 190-pounder.
“We’ve already had some Division I schools come down to check out both Marq and Shaq, and one school has been here twice. They will be on a lot of recruiting radars this season.”
Harris is a 6-5, 195-pound post player who played high school hoops at Nettleton in Jonesboro.
“Justin was our third leading scorer last year,” Parker pointed out. “He’s very athletic, is a good rebounder, and runs the floor very well. He is certainly capable of providing highlight material, so fans will want to stay alert when he’s in the game.”
White, a product of Jonesboro High School, has bounced back from an injury that sidelined him the last month of the 2013-14 season. The 6-0, 160-pounder will be the Greyhounds’ floor leader.
“Tony had worked his way up to be our starting point guard last year and then got hurt at the beginning of February,” Parker said. “Our team surgeon, Dr. Michael Hood at Delta Orthopaedics, performed surgery four days after the injury, which really speeded up Tony’s recovery, and he’s come back stronger than ever. We’re expecting big things from him.”
Braxton, a product of Collierville High School in Tennessee, is one of the Greyhounds’ better defenders.
“He does a great job, defensively in particular, and he has a nice jump shot out to about 15 feet,” Parker said. “At 6-7, he also gives us some depth at the post position, and he’s smart and understands our system.”
Parker said he is counting on several first-year players to make valuable contributions.
“Our most college-ready freshman is probably Tasmania Jones. At 6’6” he has a big, strong body but also has ball-handling skills and can shoot the three. Every college coach who’s visited this fall has been extremely impressed by what he can do with that big body. He’s a major-college, three-guard prospect with his size and athleticism. He’s going to be a really good one.”
Jones, a graduate of Wynne High School who also played at Jonesboro, will make his presence felt in the post but can also play on the perimeter as well as lead the fast break.
Kaylon Tappin, 6-1, 195, a product of Hall High School in Little Rock, will also make an impact this year.
“He’s a very smooth player, is very physical, and has a big-time body,” Parker said. “He’s able to get to the paint, absorb contact, and finish. He attacks the rim very well and can go up and throw it down over people. Fans will enjoy seeing him.”
Parker says he is counting on Fort Smith Northside graduate Joe Dye, 6-1, 180, to provide long-range shooting.
“Joe may be our best three-point shooter. He led Northside to the 7A final four last year and was all-state. He’s a very good player with a high motor, and we’re excited to see what Joe’s going to do for us this year.”
Forrest City High School product Trent Steen, 6-7, 205, brings a winning mentality and a great work ethic to the Greyhounds.
“Trent helped Forrest City to the state title last year, and I’m confident he’s going to be a big-time player for us,” Parker said. “He has a ton of upside and could be the biggest surprise of this recruiting class.”
“He has good size, is physical, and plays really hard. He can shoot the ball from the outside and finishes well with either hand inside.”
Jovione Bailey, 6-3, 200, who graduated from Southwest High School in San Diego after transferring from Watson Chapel in Pine Bluff, is an intriguing prospect.
“As a sophomore at Watson Chapel, he didn’t average the most points, but his coach said he was arguably the team’s best player,” Parker said. “That team included T.J. Handley and Rodney Ollison, and we know what kind of players those young men were for us.”
“Jovione is left-handed, has a strong body, can shoot the three, and can finish. He has a chance to be a pretty good player.”
Tevin Brown, 5-9, 150, will battle White for time at the point guard position and also comes from the Pine Bluff pipeline at Watson Chapel. “Tevin does a great job of running the team and directing our traffic,” Parker said. “He gives us good quickness, ball-handling and can knock down the three if you leave him open.”
The Greyhounds are also expecting good things from Tyon Dailey, 6-6, 190, Kirby High School; DeShawn McGowan, 6-5, 235, Monticello High School; and Emaje Young, 6-2, 215, Searcy High School.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to play 28 regular-season games. Season-long, reserved-seat tickets for all home contests are available for $50 through the MSCC Foundation (Kathy Bennett, 870-733-6866 or kbennett@midsouthcc.edu). Admission for individual games is $5 for adults and $3 for students. MSCC students and employees will be admitted free with college ID card.
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