Chris Raimondi—Sports Editor
Kennesaw State’s men’s basketball team will begin its first full season under head coach Jimmy Lallathin Friday Nov. 14 against Syracuse. Lallathin, who was promoted after serving as interim head coach since Jan. 2 earlier this year, has stressed tempo and toughness during the offseason in efforts to rebound after coming off the program’s fourth straight season with less than 10 wins.
The Owls have nine returning players, three transfers, two true freshmen and one redshirt freshman. The new-look team brings a fast-paced offense this season with a smaller and more athletic roster in comparison to previous teams.
“Our pace is what’s going to be different,” Lallathin said. “Instead of us having to matchup with double bigs, they (other teams) are going to have to matchup with a smaller lineup. But one sub and we can completely change our look.”
Key roster additions include transfer Damien Wilson and true freshmen Nick Masterson and Justin Diecker. Wilson transferred from Memphis University after he was granted a hardship waiver by the NCAA. The 6-foot-7 guard will see time playing the four position in the starting lineup, but the label is a misrepresentation, according to Lallathin.
“I could see Damien Wilson bringing up the ball up the floor just as much as you could see him running and finishing at the rim,” Lallathin said. “Our numbers defensively are more important than they are offensively. It’s not about ‘you’re a four, now that means you’re a power forward.’ No. We’re going to let our players make plays.”
Freshmen Masterson and Diecker have earned respect in the locker room over the summer with their hard-nosed play. “Nick Masterson and Justin Diecker are two of the toughest guys on this roster,” Lallathin said.
Diecker has practiced with the team after having hernia surgery and a hyperextended elbow, and Masterson is in contention for a starting position. Both freshmen will add much needed depth to the roster.
Junior center and Ivory Coast-native Willy Kouassi returns as the tallest player on roster at 6-foot-10, but he added nearly 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason, according to Lallathin. Kouassi enters his second season with the Owls after transferring from Auburn with his countryman Bernard Morena, who begins his sophomore campaign this season.
Kouassi stands as the only true center on the Owls’ roster and hopes his new frame will translate to more rebounds after failing to place in the top-20 rebounders in the A-Sun last season.
Veteran guard Delbert Love returns for his senior season, but he will see time in a different role with the added depth. Love finished as KSU’s leading scorer and 18th in the A-Sun in scoring, averaging 12.6 points a game last season. However, Love is not expected to be the Owls’ leading scorer this season.
“He’s going to run a little more point [guard] for us this season,” Lallathin said. “He’s not going to score the way he did last year, but he’s going to be a better player than he was last year. What I hope to see is a more balanced group. He might not score as much, but his numbers will be higher, in terms of his percentages.”
Lallathin referenced the rosters’ depth helping shouldering the load on offense and allowing the team’s guards in Love and Yonel Brown to spread the ball. “Playing under Coach L I’ve been more comfortable and playing to my strengths,” Brown said.
Junior forwards Orlando Coleman and Nigel Pruitt were named team captains, along with Love and Brown, and expect to build on last year’s performance which saw both players finish second and third, respectively, in scoring for the team behind Love. “I’ve just been trying to better myself for the team really,” Coleman said. “I want to win. I feel like if I grind and work hard, I can give us a chance to win.”
Lallathin also brought in new faces on his coaching staff this offseason. His first hires include associate head coach David Rivers, assistant coaches Paul O’Connor and Jon Cremins and graduate assistant Drew McGhee who was injured last year in an exhibition game and was forced to sit out his final year of eligibility.
With McGhee just one year removed from being a player, he offers a new perspective to the coaching staff to bring cohesiveness between coaches and players off the court. “He keeps me in the know,” Lallathin said. “In the terms of ‘this is what the players are thinking.’”
The Owls were picked to finish sixth out of eight teams in the in the preseason coaches’ poll for the Atlantic Sun Conference. However, the A-Sun now has just eight teams with the departure of last season’s conference champions Mercer, as well as East Tennessee State, moving to the Southern Conference. Five of last years’ top-10 A-Sun scorers and eight of last year’s top-10 rebounders have graduated or transferred from the conference, leaving the door open for new stars to rise.
KSU travels to Syracuse to play the Orange in the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. Friday Nov. 14 and return to Kennesaw Nov. 26 for the home opener against Samford at 2 p.m.
