The Bryan College Men’s Basketball Team hosted Maryville (Tenn.) College Monday night, winning their last nonconference game of the season, 79-73, and putting their winning streak total at ten in the last 11 games.

“Maryville was a big game, but every game is big now,” said senior guard Derek Batt. “Maryville is extremely talented and beat us at our last meeting, but we are on a mission this season.”

Senior forward Astral Guerrier reaches for the ball in Monday's game against Maryville College / Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

Speaking about the Lions’ mission, senior point guard Demond Craig said that this game was no different than any other game.

“We must win every time we step on the court,” he said.

In the first half, the Lions and Scots fought incessantly for the lead, but by halftime the Lions had claimed their place, going into the locker rooms with a leading score of 34-29.

The second half saw Maryville challenge the Lions, tying the score and then taking turns with the lead until just over nine minutes were left on the clock. The Lions held the lead until the final buzzer.

Senior forward Scott Newton had a “monster performance,” according to Craig, finishing the game with a season high 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Other key players of the night included senior guard Dominique Clements, who scored 13 points, and senior forward Astral Guerrier, who had a double-double and added 14 points and 12 rebounds

“The team is doing great and I am proud to be a member of it,” said Craig. “This year feels like a special year for Bryan College basketball.”

This week the Lions moved up to rank number 23 in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. They host their next game against Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.) tonight at 7:30pm.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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This week, I interviewed Don Rekoske, head coach of the men’s varsity basketball team about his goals for the season.

So coach, how has your season been going so far?

So far it’s going real well, we’re 7-3. We’re ranked just outside the top 25 at number 27 in the country.

[There are a] lot of seniors on this year’s team, a group of guys that I’ve really enjoyed coaching. A lot of these guys have played for me for four years. A couple of them are transfers that have played for me as juniors and seniors. We have a good group of guys, good chemistry. It’s been a real pleasure to work with this group.

Editors Note: As of Dec. 6, the Lions are ranked number 25 in the country.

Who are the team’s top players?

We have three all-conference players returning. We are a very balanced team first of all, but we still have our go-to guys. Senior forward center Scott Newton is the league’s runner-up MVP. Junior forward center Astral Guerrier and Senior forward Keith Bauer are second team all-conference players that are returning. Senior guard Dominique Clements has come in this year as a redshirt giving us a nice sixth man off the bench averaging about 11 points a game. Beyond that, Senior point guard Demond [Craig] has had a really good year so far as [point guard]. He’s been a four-year starter for us. That’s always a real luxury to have a kid play [point guard] that’s been a four-year starter. He’s been very productive. Senior guard Xavierian McCall really gets it done on both ends of the floor.

What are the team’s strengths and weaknesses?

Well, we have weaknesses; we’re still a work in progress. We’ve been trying to address those weaknesses over these past 10 days.

In their final game of the season, the Lions basketball team defeated the University of Virginia College at Wise 85 – 69 Saturday night. This victory places the team in a four- way tie for first place in the AAC. This is the first time the men’s varsity basketball team has achieved this status since 2000.

Photo by Billy Findley

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Junior point guard Demond Craig drives toward the basket. Craig tied his career high of eight assists Saturday night.

UVA-Wise was one game ahead of Bryan going into the game, but, after what Head Coach Don Rekoske said was one of the best team efforts he’s seen in his six years of coaching at Bryan, the Lions closed the season not only in a tie for first place but with the best overall record in the conference.

“This win justifies a season full of hard work,” said junior forward Keith Bauer.

The gym was filled to capacity, and the noise of the fans, both from Bryan and UVA-Wise, vibrated the rafters.

What junior guard Xavierian McCall described as a combination of nerves and apprehensiveness caused the Lions to falter somewhat in the first half. The Lions left the half, trailing 32 – 31.

“We knew we could give a better performance,” McCall said.

With junior forward Keith Bauer fighting through a substantial shoulder injury (he was injected with pain medicine shortly before the game started) and UVA-Wise desperate to defend their first-place ranking, a breakthrough on the Lions part hardly seemed probable, according to Rekoske.

“I honestly thought the game was going to go down to the wire,” Rekoske said.

However, upon returning from the locker room, it seemed a shock of adrenaline had pervaded the Lions. After quickly scoring the first three baskets of the second half, the team caught a wave of momentum that was unstoppable.

With just over two minutes left in the game, the Lions extended their lead to 21 points and went on to finish with an 85 – 69 victory.

Junior forward Scott Newton finished the game with a career high 32 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard/forward Derek Batt finished with a career high 21 points, and junior point guard Demond Craig tied his career high of eight assists.

“We set our goals at the beginning of the season, and, one game at a time, we achieved those goals,” said McCall.

Bryan’s post-season tournament begins this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. here at Bryan. Their first opponent will be Reinhardt College (Waleska, Va.), which is ranked sixth in the conference and finished this season with a 9 – 7 record in the AAC. The team’s top scorer is #17 Will Lewis, who averages just under 15 points a game.

Junior forward Scott Newton launches a hook shot over defenders. Newton had a career high 32 points against UVA-Wise Saturday night.

While the competition will be fierce, both Rekoske and the rest of the team have high expectations.

“Anything other than first place is going to be a disappointment,” Bauer said.

The men’s basketball team dominated the Cobras of Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.) 81 – 48 Monday night in Virginia. The victory put the Lions a mere two wins away from securing first place in the AAC this season and being eligible to host the post-season tournament scheduled to begin Feb. 24. It’s been nearly 10 years since the team has finished first in the conference, according to Head Coach Don Rekoske.

The win Monday was prefaced by a substantial victory against Montreat College (N.C.) last Saturday. However, the team stayed cautious going into Monday’s game, not taking anything for granted despite Virginia Intermont’s current ranking of seventh in the AAC.

Junior power forward Astral Guerrier soars passed for a layup during Saturday's game against Montreat College. Photo by Billy Findley.

“They’re very dangerous on the road,” Rekoske said Saturday after the game against Montreat. Junior forwards Scott Newton and Derrick Batt both concurred with Rekoske’s statement Saturday, and both said the team would need to stay focused in order to accomplish their overarching goal of finishing out the season on top. After Monday night’s performance, the Lions may do just that.

There was not a time during the game that the Lions trailed the Virtinia Intermont Cobras. Players of the game for Bryan included junior guard Xavierian McCall who finished with 14 points and junior power forward Astral Guerrier who dominated the boards with 14 points and 18 rebounds. The rest of the team followed suit, particularly three players off the bench, according to Rekoske – senior guard/forward Andrew Slikker, sophomore guard Jeremy Haley and freshman guard Tyler Clark, who, according to Rekoske, played his best game of the season Monday night.

“We really went out and took care of business,” McCall said. McCall said he really respects his teammates for not taking anything for granted against Virginia Intermont. He also expects Bluefield College (Va.) to come out strong Wednesday night.

“They’re going to be ready for us,” McCall said.

Bluefield is currently ranked third in the AAC and will be a challenge, particularly with junior starting forward Keith Bauer still injured and junior point guard Demond Craig, who is still recovering from a sprained ankle. Craig’s status is uncertain going into Wednesday’s game. However, win or lose, Rekoske said he has high hopes for the future of team.

“In all my years of coaching, this is a very special group of players,” Rekoske said. “This year has been great, and I think it’s just going to get even better.” The Lions are currently only half a game behind the first place team in the conference: the University of Virginia at Wise (Va.). If the Lions are able win Wednesday against Bluefield College as well as defeat UVA on Saturday, they will finish the season first place in the conference.

The Bryan Lions’ men’s basketball team cut short a three-game skid and won both away games last week, tying for first place in the AAC with the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs (Athens).

The highlight of the week was Saturday night’s game at Milligan (Tenn.) College  where the Lions took an early lead and held it the rest of the game for a decisive win 69-54. Head Coach Don Rekoske credits the win to many players who stepped up in the second half and made shots.

One highlight of Saturday night came early in the game when, as described by junior student assistant John Cannon, “Coach Rekoske took a gamble and put in Jeremy Haley,” who hasn’t played all season.

Rekoske said, “We put him in a key situation and he came in and knocked down a three-pointer.”

Cannon went on to say that sophomore shooting guard Haley’s “deep NBA three-pointer” lifted the team’s spirit. It seems as if that set the momentum for the rest of the game as only minutes later junior point guard Demond Craig made an assist to senior Scott Newton who “slammed a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer [putting the team] up by nine points.”

In the second half, it was sophomore power forward Astral Guerriers’ dunk that sealed the game, according to Cannon. Guerrier described the play leading up to his dunk with Craig penetrating the opposing team’s offense toward the basket and passing to Guerrier just before Milligan’s defense crashed on him.

With 15 wins overall, eight conference wins—seven with a lead of at least 15 points—and only four games to go, it’s safe to say that our men’s basketball team has had a good season.

“We’ve not only won a large number of games,” said Rekoske, “ but have done so impressively and sometimes in a dominating fashion.”

However, the season isn’t quite over yet., according to Rekoske. He hopes to continue building the “big-time momentum” created at the Milligan game and win the AAC conference. This will qualify the Lions to host the conference tournament, giving them a huge advantage.

“That’s the goal,” said Rekoske, “with only four games to go and a chance to win the conference, what else do [we] need for motivation?”

“We have great chemistry. We’re tough and we play hard,” said Rekoske, who added that the Lions are in the top five in the nation defensively and in rebounding statistics.

Rekoske said he hopes this momentum continues into this week’s games at Virginia Intermont College on Wednesday and against Montreat College on Saturday, which is a “big home game,” he said. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The Bryan College men’s basketball team is gearing up for the season with new recruits and returning players led by Head Coach Don Rekoske and New Assistant Coach Kyle Terry.

Terry graduated from Bryan last year and played under Rekoske. He has been named Rekoske’s assistant coach for the 2009-2010 season. In his senior year Terry shot 39.6 percent from behind the arc and hit a career high of seven three-pointers in one game. Along with being named Academic-All Conference for three years, Terry was also Academic All-American for his junior and senior years.

“He brings a good understanding of the program and already has the entire team’s respect in the locker room,” said Rekoske.

Last year the team finished 14-15 overall and 9-10 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The team has already started its preseason and is getting ready for the regular season.

“Preseason has gone well for us, and everyone is working hard,” said Rekoske.

There are four new players joining the team this year: two transfers and two freshmen.

Keith Bauer, a junior transfer from Roane State Community College (Harriman, Tenn.), who brings toughness to the team, can guard multiple positions and averaged 12 points per game last year, according to Rekoske.

Astral Guerrier, a sophomore transfer from Volunteer State Community College (Gallatin, Tenn.), is “extremely athletic, [has] good skill, and plays hard with a big motor,” said Rekoske. Guerrier averaged 11 points per game for Volunteer State.

Freshman Tyler Clark, who is “very skilled offensively,” comes from Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, Calif.). Rekoske expects him to help the team this year at both the two guard and the point positions.

Also, freshman Carrin Nash’s “length at the three will really help him. He can play both inside and out for us this year,” Rekoske said.

The five returning players for this year are sophomore Xavarien McCall, juniors Scott Newton, Demond Craig and Derek Batt and senior Andrew Slikker.

Team captain Newton, second-team All Conference, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game last year for the Lions.

“He put on 15 pounds of muscle and should be even better this year,” Rekoske said about Newton.

McCall averaged 12 points per game and four assists at the end of last year.

“[McCall] had a good off-season even though he had patella knee surgery,” said Rekoske.

Craig is a “good defender” and averaged seven points per game.

Batt “plays with energy and could be an excellent defender this year. He has improved his offensive skills and had a knee injury last year that affected him,” said Rekoske.

Another team captain, Slikker “should provide leadership and is an extremely hard worker,” said Rekoske. “This should be his best year for us.”

“Our impact player is, obviously, Scott Newton since he is probably one of the top two or three returners in the league this year,” said Rekoske. “We are also looking to Xavarien to have a big year along with our two transfers Keith Bowers and Astral Guerrier.”

The first home game will be on Oct. 29 against Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 7:30 p.m.

“The conference should be wide open and very balanced this year, and we are looking forward to getting started with practice,” said Rekoske. “We should be improved this year since we have more talent as long as we mesh together well.”