A strong senior class leads the 2016-17 Piedmont College men’s basketball team into the season, looking to leave a legacy after posting the best finish since the 2009-10 season a year ago. But the journey is not over and there is still more to be accomplished by this group.
“They’ve taken that to heart and this is their last chance and they’re trying to enjoy every minute in practice and sprints and all that,” Head Coach Greg Neeley said. “We’re going to go as far as they lead us and that’s not added pressure, that’s just the facts of what it is and they’ve earned the right for that opportunity.”
The Lions were selected as the second pick in the USA South Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing sixth in 2015-16. Those expectations have not put added pressure on the group, but do have spirits high in the preseason.
“We have a mature team, and for us, maturity doesn’t help us make more shots or anything like that but maturity can help us in practice,” Neeley said. “Our guys have really bought in and that’s all to their credit. We don’t script any of that, we don’t make them do any of that, they’re just excited to be in the gym and get better and it makes it fun for us as coaches because they bring the energy and we just get to work on basketball.”
The culture of Piedmont basketball starts at the top as the seniors on this year’s squad feature four players that have been under Neeley since his career began with the Lions.
“It’s our older leadership, those guys have been through a lot and played a lot of minutes. They are committed to being good teammates and working together and working hard,” Neeley said. “All we can control right now is us trying to be better than everybody else in our league every practice. Our guys have done a really good job of doing that and it starts with our senior leadership and the guys underneath them have bought in completely too.”
Neeley’s career numbers have improved each season with the Lions from 9-16 in his first season to 13-13 in 2014-15 and 15-11 just a year ago. Expectations are high for the Lions as they begin year four under Neeley and look to continue the legacy begun by this senior class.
STORYLINES
–Piedmont is coming off its best season since the 2009-10 year after posting a 15-11 record
–The Lions will face former assistant coach Mike Floyd who is now an assistant at Hanover
MATCH FACTS
Piedmont faces Hanover on Saturday, November 19 to open the 2016 season on the road in tournament play. Tip-off on Saturday is set for 5:00 pm with live stats provided courtesy of the Office of Sports Information at Mount St. Joseph.
SCOUTING HANOVER
The Panthers are coming off a 14-12 season a year ago and were 12-6 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Hanover returns the top two leading scorers from a season ago in second team all-HCAC selection Wes McKinney and Cam Fails. Hanover averaged just 11.1 turnovers per game in ’15-’16, which ranked second in the HCAC and inside the top 30 in the nation. Hanover also had one of the best defensive units in the conference, leading the HCAC in field goal percentage defense at .443. The Panthers also had one of the league’s top three scoring defenses at 72.0 points per contest.
SERIES RECORDS
This is just the second meeting between these two and both will have come in tournament play at a neutral site. Hanover took the only previous meeting 97-74 back in 2008 in Danville, Kentucky.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Lions have six seniors on the 2016-17 squad including four four-year student-athletes in PEYTON LUKEN, TRAE GAINES, CHASE ENGLAND and DANIEL MCCRAVY. KELLY ASSINESI and OSMOND ROBINSON II transferred in but still possess the same leadership qualities for the Lions. Those six players account for three of the top returning scorers, three of the top five rebounders last season and the top three threats behind the arch.
LAST TIME OUT: USA SOUTH QUARTERFINALS (L 77-75 TO GREENSBORO)
With just six seconds remaining in the game, the Pride of Greensboro College hit a layup to go ahead 77-75 and held on for the victory in the quarterfinals of the USA South Championship Tournament. The Lions had one last chance, but a full court drive by CHASE ENGLAND ended in a missed layup at the buzzer ending the Lions 2015-16 season.
Elation turned to defeat as the Lions tied the game with 35 seconds remaining on a JUSTIN VALLEJO 3-pointer giving the Lions the spark they needed late in the game, but a layup on the ensuing possession proved to be too much for Piedmont in the end.
The Lions fell behind early in the contest as Greensboro took a 9-4 lead with just over 16 minutes to play, but a seven point run put Piedmont up 11-9. It remained no more than a three point game until PEYTON LUKEN drained a 3-pointer to make it 19-15 Piedmont.
Luken would hit another 3-pointer on the next possession just 32 seconds later as he ended the day with three from beyond the arc. Piedmont stretched the lead to nine points late in the first half but went into the half up by seven 44-37.
Both CHASE ENGLAND and PEYTON LUKEN had over ten points in the first half as they had 13 and 11, respectively.
The game remained close in the second half as Piedmont led until the 14:29 mark when Greensboro tied the game at 53. The Pride took the lead on a 3-pointer by Simeon Howard with 12:33 to go making it 61-58.
Greensboro held the lead from that point until JUSTIN VALLEJO hit a jumper in the paint to give Piedmont a 67-66 lead. These two continued to fight back and forth as it was never more than a three point game from that point on.
The Pride were up by one with less than a minute to go when Howard hit a jumper to extend their lead to three points, 75-72. Vallejo’s 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining tied the game but the Lions’ last chance hope fell short on their final possession.
Piedmont finished the year 15-11 overall with their best mark under Head Coach Greg Neeley and best season overall since the 2009-10 year.
NEXT UP FOR PIEDMONT
After Saturday’s season opener, Piedmont will face tournament host Mount St. Joseph on Sunday with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m. The Lions will remain on the road for a quick turnaround facing Sewanee in Tennessee Tuesday night.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE LIONS
To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont College Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, Snapchat: @PiedmontLions and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.
