ANDERSON, S.C. – Versatility, long-range shooting and defense with an emphasis on rebounding are what seventh-year Anderson Head Coach Jeff Brookman believes will be the hallmarks of his men's basketball team during the 2021-22 season.

AU was tabbed eighth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll last week, with Brookman's Trojans seeking their sixth consecutive postseason appearance this year and its 10th overall appearance in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament since joining the league in 2010.

Trojan fans will see a blend of familiar faces, along with new arrivals at the Abney Athletic Center this season, with the roster featuring 10 returning letterwinners, including seven players who have combined for 162 starts during their careers. Six newcomers will also vie for playing time on the redesigned Annie Tribble Court.

"We have a versatile group," said Brookman. "We can play a number of different ways - we have a lot of size and on the flip side, we've got good guard play, so we can play a number of different ways, depending on who we're playing. We have four or five guys that can really (with the emphasis on really) put the ball in the basket. I'm not sure how the new 3-point line will affect us, but we have a number of guys that can really get going from three."

The Trojans, who return nearly two-thirds of last season's scoring prowess and more than two-thirds of last season's rebounding, have posted a 25-13 (.658) mark in the Electric City over the past three years and have knocked off three top-25 ranked teams in the past two seasons.

"Hopefully we'll be a better rebounding team than we've been in the past, especially on the offensive glass," added Brookman. "We've struggled the past couple of years, so we wanted to get bigger and more athletic, but at the same time also have some shooting."

THE BACKCOURT
The veteran guard duo of Crosby James II and Quin Nottingham will be expected to lead the way in the Trojans' backcourt. James, the 2020 South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, returns for his junior season after earning Honorable Mention All-SAC honors following the abbreviated spring campaign. The Columbia, S.C., native drew a starting nod in all 19 games last season and led the team in scoring with more than 15 points per game.

After a stellar junior season, Nottingham was limited to just eight games (four starts) last season after starting all 29 contests and garnering Second-Team All-Conference recognition at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. He led the team, ranked fourth in the conference and 61st nationally by netting nearly 20 points per contest. The Champaign, Ill., native also displayed a touch from the charity stripe - ranking third in the league with an 87.3% free-throw shooting percentage.

Nottingham scored at least 20 points on 11 occasions and reached double-figure scoring in 27 games during the 2019-20 season. The versatile transfer from Kaskaskia College was 10th in the SAC in defensive rebounds and assists that season, while ranking fourth in the league with 47 steals. In his debut with the Black and Gold, he poured in 62 points in two games at the 2019 Region Crossover Tournament, including 34 against the host Saints.

In addition, the junior tandem of Mason Carver and Rahim Jenkins, along with the squad's lone sophomore, Sully Reames, are expected to provide quality minutes in the backcourt.

Carver, a Lexington native, has seen action in 34 games over the past two seasons, while averaging more than 11 minutes in 14 contests during the spring. He scored a season-high seven points twice – at Wingate and against Newberry – and equaled his career-high with nine rebounds against the Bulldogs. Jenkins and Reames each played in three games last season.

A trio of true freshmen guards will make their regular-season debut with the Black and Gold this weekend, with Bronson Smith (Piedmont, S.C.), Myles Jenkins (Lexington, S.C.) and Collin Mills (Asheville, N.C.) all courtside in the Abney Center.

Smith was an all-around athlete at Woodmont High School, who averaged nearly 18 points per game as a senior for the Wildcats, while Jenkins was a two-time All-State honoree and set a single-game scoring record with 31 points while playing prep hoops at River Bluff High School. Mills was a three-year varsity letterwinner who earned All-Conference accolades after averaging 18 points per game as a senior for the Asheville Christian Lions.

"These guys are coming along and are eager to compete and play," noted Brookman. "They'll each help us at some point in time - whether its immediately or as part of the process."

THE FRONTCOURT
When Brookman mentioned long-range shooting proficiency, one of the players he had to have in mind was forward Jalen Hillery. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native drew a starting nod in 13 games last season, while playing in all 19 contests. Hillery caught fire from long range against Newberry at the Abney Center last February, going 8-for-10 from beyond the arc against the Wolves, with all eight baskets coming from beyond the arc. He finished with a season-high 31 points and wrapped up the season second on the team and 24th in the SAC in scoring (12.7 ppg.), while ranking second on the team and 18th in the league in field goal percentage (47.7%).

Another long-range marksman in the frontcourt is Josh Livingston. A Myrtle Beach native, Livingston has seen action in 90 contests during his four seasons with the Black and Gold, and was one of just two players to start every game last spring. The 6-foot-8 forward was second on the team and 15th in the league in 3-point field goal accuracy (41.1%). Livingston averaged more than eight points per game after reaching double-figure scoring in seven contests and scored a season-high 18 points in the home win over Limestone last January, while pulling down a season-high 11 boards against Coker.

Among eight players listed in the frontcourt, junior forward Mack Burgett can be a force inside and has provided quality minutes in 46 games over the past two seasons, while leading the team in field goal accuracy (56.5%) during the spring campaign. The Richmond, Va., native pulled down at least four rebounds on five occasions last season and reached double-figure scoring in four games, including a career-high 13 points at Newberry.

Senior Satchel Hester, who logged nearly 11 minutes per game in 18 contests in the spring, averaged more than two points and nearly two boards per contest after netting nearly nine points per game during the 2019-20 campaign. He came off the bench to drain a career-high five 3-pointers in the six-point setback to Carson-Newman, while equaling a career-high with 18 points against the Eagles. Center Jason Edwards has played in 54 games over the past three seasons, while scoring a career-high 16 points against Limestone and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds at Lincoln Memorial during the 2019-20 season. The native of Sydney, Australia has owns a 56.3 percent career field goal percentage.

Among the newcomers that Brookman will rely on to bolster the frontcourt is veteran Parker Dortch, who played two seasons at NCAA D-I Loyola Marymount after two years alongside teammate Quin Nottingham at Kaskaskia. He saw action in all 45 games during his time in Los Angeles, while scoring a career-high 20 points in 31 minutes in a Lions' win over Portland and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against Pepperdine in early 2020.

Additional size and depth for the Black and Gold will come from a pair of 6-foot-9 true freshmen in David Okpara and Ian Thomson. Okpara played AAU hoops with the highly competitive Elite Amateur Basketball, with Thomson earning Region 1A Player of the Year accolades while playing for Southside Christian in Simpsonville. He averaged 16.7 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.1 blocked shots as a senior for the Sabres.

"We have a good mix of returners and new guys," added Brookman. "We have a lot of experience, but I think that's probably the case across the board in college basketball with the COVID year. But we do have a lot of experience back at every position. And our returners know how difficult the league is. They know that you have to compete on a nightly basis."

"We have to improve our rebounding," said Brookman. "Especially our offensive rebounding. That's an area we need to do a much better job on and we've got to be a better defensive team - especially with the type of teams we are playing and in our league you've got to be ready to defend on every possession. We need to get back to playing solid defensive basketball."

THE SCHEDULE
Brookman has crafted a 28-game slate for the Black and Gold that features 24 South Atlantic Conference contests and four games against opponents from the Peach Belt Conference.

The Trojans' slate will include five contests against four preseason top-25 teams and an additional pair of games against Carson-Newman, which was receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Preseason Top-25.

With the South Atlantic Conference expanding to 13 teams with the addition of Limestone last season, the Trojans will square off against every league team twice – in a traditional home-and-home series - unlike last season when the conference schedule initially featured an unbalanced schedule of 20 league games.

With last season as the exception, AU will open the campaign in a conference challenge for the eighth consecutive year and for the fourth straight season, the season-opening conference crossover event will feature Lander and Southern Wesleyan along with Flagler. The Trojans will play host to the two-day event in the Electric City for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

The Trojans will open the season by squaring off against No. 2 Flagler for just the third time in school history, with the Saints making their first-ever visit to the Electric City and AU looking for its second straight win over the Saints.
A day later, the Trojans will play host to Lander on Annie Tribble Court with the Bearcats looking to extend their win streak over the Trojans to four straight after claiming victories in each of the last three conference challenges – with the last two wins coming by an average of five points.

AU is scheduled to open its road slate with a brief one-game road trip to defending Southeast Region Champion and preseason No. 17/19 Lincoln Memorial (Nov. 17) before returning home for a two-game homestand, as UVA Wise (Nov. 20) and No. 14/16 Queens (Nov. 23) invade the Abney Athletic Center. AU took the Royals down to the wire twice in Charlotte last season, falling in overtime during the regular season and then nearly erasing a 19-point second-half deficit before falling by five in the quarterfinals of the 2021 SAC Pilot Flying J Men's Basketball Championship.

Following the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Trojans go on the road to face Newberry. The Trojans have won three straight and eight of the last 10 meetings with Newberry, with six of the last eight games being decided by an average of less than three points.

AU opens the month of December at Mars Hill before returning to the Electric City for its longest homestand of the season. The Trojans play host to Carson-Newman on Dec. 4., with the Eagles looking to carry over their late-season success from last spring. The Black and Gold will look to win their sixth straight decision over Coker when the Cobras invade the Abney Center on Dec. 8, while second-year league member Limestone and third-year head coach Kyle Perry pay a visit on Dec. 11.

AU then equals its longest road swing of the campaign by embarking on a three-game swing to Lenoir-Rhyne (Dec. 15) and wrapping up both the calendar year and its nonconference slate with games at Young Harris (Dec. 18) and Georgia College (Dec. 31).

The Trojans open the New Year by welcoming Catawba to the Abney Center on Jan. 5, with AU traveling to Carson-Newman (Jan. 8) and Queens (Jan. 12) for their second meetings in five weeks before opening the second half of its grueling SAC schedule by playing host to Wingate for a Saturday afternoon contest on Jan. 15.

Three days later, the Trojans square off against Mars Hill (Jan. 19) for the second time and they begin a road swing on Jan. 22 with their second meeting against Limestone. AU wraps up the trip by squaring off against Tusculum on Jan. 26, with the Pioneers looking to build on their third NCAA postseason appearance a year ago - and its first since 2009.

The Trojans are scheduled to close out the regular season by meeting Coker (Jan. 29), Lincoln Memorial (Feb. 2), UVA Wise (Feb. 5), Newberry (Feb. 9),
Lenoir-Rhyne (Feb. 12), Wingate (Feb. 16), Catawba (Feb. 19) and Tusculum (Feb. 26) for the second time of the season.

"We have all the same goals," concluded Brookman. "The players and fans like to look at wins and championships. Everyone wants to make it to the final four of the tournament and win the championship, but we talk about getting better every day – improving on a daily basis and respecting the process. We can't get locked in on 'win, win, win.' We have to pay attention to the details - to the little things and improving on a daily basis before we can get to where we want to be. If we can do those things every day, then that leads to (success)."

The 2022 South Atlantic Conference Tournament will feature the top eight teams in the league squaring off on Wednesday, March 2 at the home sites of the four top seeds, with the tournament semifinals and championship slated to be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6, at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.