Hello all, I know you have been reading our message board and you had one poster make the journey over to the Haven. So I figured I would come over to the Hole and talk hoops with you guys as well. Maybe I can educate some of you on the Toppers.
First for those of you that don't know. Let me give you a run down of our history:
43 conference championships, third-most in NCAA history
42 seasons with 20+ wins, sixth-most in NCAA history
35 All-Americans
13 NIT berths (most of which came when NIT was "the" post-season tourney, and 3 final fours in that)
21 NCAA Tournament berths
14th in NCAA history in all-time wins (1,627)
8th in NCAA history in all-time winning percentage (.673)
7 "Sweet 16" appearances in NCAA tournament
NCAA Final Four in 1971
Now to tell you a little about this years team. This is probably the deepest most athletic team we have had on the hill in 20 years. We can easily go 10 deep without a huge dropoff in talent. Although there is a little after 6 or 7. We have 3 guys on the team with around 45" verticals and a couple others close to 40". Everyone on this team can slam it down. With the horses and athletes we have this year we want to get out and run and apply a full court man to man pressure on the ball with some half court traps thrown in. I'll give you a breakdown of our players.
Pre-season conf. player of the year Sergio "I aint scurred" Kerusch (guard/forward)- What can I say, he is the heart and energy of this team. Has good athleticism. Won our dunk contest 2 of the last 3 years. Great at penetration and getting to the hole. But he likes to take jumpers and chuck 3's a little more then he should. He has a good looking stroke but he settles for the jumper to often. But when he is on, he can't be stopped. Case in point dropping 31 opening day against St. Joes, and shooting 6-8 from 3. But his biggest strength to our team is his rebounding ability. He will come flying in out of nowhere and sky for the rebound. Has been coming off the bench as kind of a wake up call from coach. NBA-type caliber player
Steffphon "Hurcules" Pettigrew (forward)-- He is our workhorse. Nicknamed Hilltopper Hurcules because is a monster. He is built like a D-1 linebacker. He is not flashy, but at the end of the game when you look up at the scoreboard he will have 19 pts and 8 reb. At 6-5 he is small for the post. But he creates a problem for opposing big men. He is fast and can throw his strength around to muscle into good postion on the block. Also has a decent long range jump shot. NBA-type caliber player
"The chosen" Juan Pattillo (forward)--Those of you that watch the game are going to be in for some high light dunks from this guy. He is a monster at the art of finishing at the rim or in traffic. Will get several AND "JUAN's" a game. Nicknames (Air Force "Juan"...The Chosen "Juan"). He has a decent lookin shot, but he puts so much arch on the ball that it often hits the front of the rim. If he can knock that down he is almost unstoppable. But he is really only reliable offensively from 10 feet and and in. He is however a GREAT defender when he wants to be. He can literally guard any position on the court. NBA-type caliber player
Brandon "Snap" Peters (guard)-- Our star freshman recruit. Led Yates HS to #1 in the nation last year and led them in scoring. You may remember Yates as the team from Texas that destroyed a team 171-40 or something like that. He is also an A+ athlete with a 48" vertical. Has a decent shot, but at this point early in his freshman year it looks like defense and driving to the basket is his bread and butter. In our first game he had 9 pts, 7 asst, and 7 steals. He is a pest in the defensive side of the ball and will create several turnovers a game. Looking forward to him being on this team for the next few seasons.
Ken "The Jet" Brown (PG)-- He is one of the fastest players I have ever seen with the ball. He can go end to end in the blink of an eye. Just forget the fact that he sounds like Mike Tyson. He is a JUCO transfer at the Point. Good at distributing the ball and pushing the pase of the game in our favor. Excellent on ball defender as well.
Cliff "Kevin Durants bro" Dixon (Forward/Center)-- Not his brother by any means. But then again they are only half brothers. He is athletic and just an all around hustle guy. Last season he thought he was a guard and tried to play on the perimeter way too much. This season he gets it and is quickly becoming a contributor for this team.
Caden "Butters" Dickerson (guard)-- Our 3 pt specialist. Although he had surgery in the off season and hasnt had the same stroke so far to begin the season. I am sure it will be back at some point though.
"Can you smell what Jamal is Crookin" Jamal Crook (pg)-- Not a great shot, good distribution and tenacious defender. Doesnt push tempo as much as Brown but can still run with the best of them. Can be a bit foul and turnover prone however.
Those are our key players. I am sure a couple more of the fresh/newcomers will get some minutes as well. Kahlill McDonald is another 3 pt specialist off the bench for us and Kene Anyigbo is the next Pettigrew when he learns the college game a little more.
Any more questions you guys may have for me feel free to ask away. I look forward to our game against you guys tomorrow night. And wish you luck the rest of the season. I hope you all only lose one game all year
--Rojo
