Feb. 28, 2008
By Matt Daniels, Citizen Tribune

With the regular season coming to a close, it’s step up time for the basketball teams in the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association as the NJCAA Region VII Tournament begins Monday, March 3, at ‘Z’ Buda Gymnasium on the campus of Walters State.

All 25 teams (13 men’s teams, 12 women’s teams) participating in the event will be battling for just one spot each in the NJCAA National Tournaments held in Kansas in mid March.

The tournament will run through Sunday, March 9, and admission will be $7 per day or $20 for a full tournament pass. There will be four games per day except the opening night and on Championship Sunday, and game times will be announced after the completion of the conference schedule.

The tournament will, as always, showcase some of the best talent in the country at the junior college level, as the TJCCAA is widely recognized as one of the most competitive conferences in the nation.

This year has been no exception, and the tournament appears to be a wide open affair after a wild season in conference play.

Below, fans will find capsules on each team appearing in the tournament that should help them identify with the teams that are participating in the tournament, as well as provide insight on each program in the field.
The winners of each tournament will earn trips to the NJCAA National Tournament in Kansas. Both nationals will be held March 18-22, with the women going to Salina and the men heading to Hutchinson.

MEN
WALTERS STATE SENATORS
The homestanding Senators have to be considered an early favorite to grab their fourth region title since 2002, but they must respond to something unfamiliar this season — coming back from a loss.

Walters State enters the tournament at 28-1 overall and winners of the TJCCAA Eastern Division title, but the No. 11 Senators lost their regular season finale to Motlow State last Saturday.

Despite the loss, Walters State appears in good shape for a title run on their home floor, where they have dominated the competition this season. The Senators were a perfect 13-0 at ‘Z’ Buda Gymnasium this year.
Walters State is led by a pair of freshmen who both rank in the top-six in scoring in the conference. Guard A.J. Thomas leads the team with 18.2 points per game, and forward Laquantis Stewart tosses in 17.7 points per contest.

Not that a trip to the national tournament is not enough incentive for the Senators, but a championship run will also allow Coach Bill Carlyle to record victory number 900 with a title.
Walters State received a first round bye and will open up Thursday evening against the winner of Columbia State and Hiwassee.

MOTLOW STATE BUCKS
The No. 17 Bucks come into the tournament as the second seed from the Eastern Division with a 26-4 overall record, which is a school record for wins.

Motlow is one of the best defensive teams in not only the conference, but the country as well. The Bucks allow just 68 points per contest, which ranks second in the TJCCAA.

Motlow is also a potent offensive ball club, and they are led by sophomore guard Tyree Evans. Evans, who transferred from Butler County (Kan.) after last season, leads the league in scoring at 21.2 points per game.
Freshman forward Cliff Dixon adds 16 points a game, while sophomores Demarco Stepter and Frank Henry-Ala both average right at 10 rebounds per game.

The Bucks also received a bye in the opening round, and they will play Thursday in the quarterfinals.

CHATTANOOGA STATE TIGERS
The Tigers enter this year’s tournament with a 12-8 record and a third place finish in the Eastern Division.

Chattanooga State runs an up tempo stlye on offense, and they are not afraid to take any shot on the floor. The frenetic, wide open offense has led to several 100-plus point games, and the Tigers average 96 points per game.

Where Chattanooga has found trouble is on the defensive end, where they allow over 81 points per contest, but they are capable of holding a team well below that number.

The Tigers have played most of the season with a short bench, but some injured players have now worked their way back heading into the tournament.

Sophomore Greg Brown leads Chattanooga in scoring at 18.3 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference, and he is an excellent threat from 3-point range.

Freshman post Jordan Lee is the best scoring threat on the interior with a 15.7 points average, and sophomore Dominque Rouse provides the muscle on the boards by grabbing 8.3 rebounds a game.
Chattanooga will take on Dyersburg State in the first round on Tuesday.

CLEVELAND STATE COUGARS
The Cougars moved over the .500 mark to 14-13 and clinched the fourth spot in the East standings with their win over Hiwassee on the final weekend of league games.

Cleveland State is balanced in terms of points as well, having scored just one more point this year than they have allowed.

Sophomore wing Tray Okoth will be the man to watch for the Cougars, as he leads the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game. Sophomore guard Ernest Saunders contributes 12.1 points a contest.

Cleveland State will open on Tuesday against Volunteer State in the opening round.

HIWASSEE TIGERS
The Tigers have lost four straight games to limp into the tournament at 17-11 overall and with the fifth seed in the Eastern Division.

Hiwassee was in the running for a possible third place finish in the division until they were derailed with the four close defeats.

The Tigers rely on their defense to carry them, and they allow 73.4 points per game. The only problem for Hiwassee is that they average only 72.9 points on offense.

Josh Nofflett is the workhorse for the Tigers, as he is second in the conference in scoring at 20.1 points per game. Carl Taylor compliments Nofflett with 15.1 points, and they are an effective one-two punch for Hiwassee.

The Tigers will open with either Columbia State or Jackson State on Tuesday in the first round.

ROANE STATE RAIDERS
The Raiders may just be the team with the worst luck coming into the region tournament. No other team has played so many close games and not been able to close the deal as Roane State.

The Raiders finished the regular season with an 8-21 record and a sixth place mark in the East, but the team was competitive in nearly every game they played.

Roane State will look to slow the pace of play, and that is evident in their 68.9 points per game scoring average.

Sophomore Kendall Butler is the leading scorer at 14.9 points, and fellow second year player Ben Sneed adds 14.4 points a game.

The Raiders will open the tournament in the play-in game Monday night against Simmons College.

SIMMONS (Ky.) PANTHERS
The Panthers enter this year’s tournament as a true wild card to the other teams in the league.

Simmons has not faced a single member of the TJCCAA this season, but they have built a 24-5 record against stiff competition.

The Panthers routinely play against the toughest teams in Illinois and Ohio due to their campus location near Louisville.

Simmons recently had their nine-game winning streak snapped at Vincennes University of Indiana and they suffered a tough early season on the road at Southeastern Illinois. Both Vincennes and Southeastern Illinois are perennial national tournament contenders.

The biggest win of the season for the Panthers came early on in the year when they defeated Allegany (Md.) on the road.

Simmons is led in scoring by sophomore Deshawn Pendleton, who averages 16 points per game. Freshman Darrell Bell contributes 15 points per contest for the Panthers, as they average 80 points on offense and allow just 62 points per game.

Simmons will participate in the opening game of the tournament Monday night when they take on Roane State in the play-in game to advance to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

SAINT CATHARINE PATRIOTS
The Patriots finished off a solid regular season with a 22-6 overall mark and a Western Division title to get a bye in the first round of the tournament.

St. Catharine averages right at 78 points per game, but they have established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the country by allowing just 65.7 points. That mark is tops in the TJCCAA.
Arthur Latham leads the offensive attack for the Patriots with a 17 points per game clip, and Brandon Russ follows close behind with 16.3 points.
St. Catharine will open on Thursday when they will take on the winner of between Cleveland State and Volunteer State.

SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE SALUQIS
The Saluqis were rolling along towards a Western Division title until they were forced to forfeit all 11 games from the first half of the season.
Southwest responded by defeating St. Catharine in their home finale, and they clinched second place in the West after Jackson State lost over the weekend.

The Saluqis stand at 13-13 after the forfeits, but they are a force to be reckoned with on offense.

Southwest counters allowing 82 points a game by scoring 102 points per contest, which is tops in the conference and third in the nation.
Dominique Johnson leads the Saluqis with 17 points per game, and A.J. Nance adds 16.3 points for Southwest.

The Saluqis, defending champions of the tournament, will take the floor for the first time on Thursday when they battle the winner of Chattanooga State and Dyersburg State.

JACKSON STATE GENERALS
The Generals battled all season for positioning in the Western Division, but a loss to Columbia State dropped them from a possible bye in the first round to a third or fourth place finish.

Jackson State currently stands at 14-9 overall and a win over Volunteer State on Thursday would clinch third place, but a loss drops them to fourth.
The Generals have been solid on offense with an 82.6 points per game average, but they have struggled defensively by allowing 80 points.
Freshman Stanley McNeil leads Jackson State offensively with 18.9 points per game, and he is a leading candidate for player of the year honors.
Mike Williams adds nearly 16 points per game, and Tristan Carter contributes 11.1 points a contest.

The Generals will begin play on Tuesday against the winner of the play-in game or Hiwassee, depending on their finish in the West standings.

COLUMBIA STATE CHARGERS
The Chargers opened the season with just one win in their first 13 games, but they got hot in Western Division play and moved toward a possible third seed with an 8-19 record.

Columbia will await the results of Jackson State’s game on Thursday with great anticipation, as they will gain third place with a loss by the Generals.
The Chargers average 10 points less than their opponents — 88 points allowed to 78 scored — but Columbia was able to pull off upsets of St. Catharine and Southwest down the stretch to improve their position.
Marrio Hunter leads the Chargers with 15.4 points per game, and Dontavious Merriweather puts up 13.4 points.

Columbia State will take on Hiwassee or the play-in winner in the opening round on Tuesday.

VOLUNTEER STATE PIONEERS
The Pioneers have been unfortunate in the second half of the season, as they have played much better but not had much to show for it in the win-loss column.

Vol State currently stands at 9-16 overall with one game remaining, but many of the losses have been games that they could have won.
The Pioneers allow nearly 80 points per game, but they have seen their struggles offensively by putting up 76.8 points a contest.

Brandon McGill has led Vol State this season with a 13.3 points per game clip Justin Wilson adds 11 points and Deandre Reeves tacks on 10.2 points for the Pioneers.

Vol State will open play on Tuesday when they take on Cleveland State.

DYERSBURG STATE EAGLES
The Eagles enter the tournament with a 5-20 mark for the season, and they have struggled to find victories for most of the season.
Dyersburg finished sixth in the Western Division, and they tallied a 2-14 mark in conference play this season.

The Eagles have had no struggles on offense, averaging 84 points per game, but they have failed to find a way to stop anyone this year. Dyersburg allows 95.3 points per game.

George Coleman and Tyrus Mann have been the bright spots for the Eagles on offense, as they average 16.6 and 12 points a contest, respectively.
Dyersburg will open up on Tuesday in the tournament against Chattanooga State.