East Mississippi Community College returns to the hardwood for Tuesday’s basketball season openers

SCOOBA – The beginning of November signals the tip-off of the MACJC basketball season, as East Mississippi Community College hits the hardwood this week to open the 2016-17 hoops campaign.

On Tuesday, the EMCC men play host to Faith Preparatory Academy, out of West Memphis, Arkansas, in a 7 p.m. home game at Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus, while the women's team travels to Birmingham to take on Lawson State Community College in a 5:30 p.m. road contest.  The Lions will then welcome rival Meridian Community College to Scooba on Thursday for a 5:30/7:30 p.m. hoops doubleheader.

A year ago in head coach Billy Begley's first season at the EMCC helm, the Lions advanced to the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas for the fifth time in the last seven years after finishing as NJCAA Region 23 Tournament runners-up.  Minus all five starters from last year's 20-9 team, EMCC returns just two players and welcomes 13 newcomers to this year's new-look squad.  The departing quintet of Jahyde Gardiner (Iona), Daniel Simmons (Southeast Missouri), Juan Davis Jr. (Troy), Nat Dixon (Chattanooga) and Montrael Nabors (Jackson State) all signed with four-year schools.

Returning from last season are sophomores David McFarland, of Raymond High School, and Quitman's Anterio McKines.  McFarland averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, while shooting 49 percent from the field and a team-best 78 percent from the line.  McKines added 5.9 points and 3.1 boards per contest as a collegiate rookie a year ago for the Lions.

Expected to lead the Lion newcomers this season are Charleston Southern University transfer forward Melvin Brooks III, two-time all-state guard Cam Horton from neighboring Alabama and Horn Lake's Carlos Thomas.  From Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Brooks helped lead Cardinal Gibbons High School to a state championship as a senior.  A three-year varsity starter for Jacksonville (Ala.) High School, Horton averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals an outing as a senior in being tabbed Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Class 4A First Team.  A Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game participant this past year, Thomas averaged 15.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 58 percent from the field and 77 percent from the line for Horn Lake High School.

Another transfer who could make an impact for the Lions is guard Jerrod Moorer Jr., who ranked as the nation's No. 5 scorer (23.5 ppg) in NJCAA Division II last season at Iowa Central Community College.  A 41-percent shooter with 87 made 3-pointers a year ago, the Selma, Alabama native prepped at Dallas County High School.            

Newcomers from EMCC's district area include the Starkville tandem of Keith Harris and Josh Skinner, Columbus' Quan Hines, and Ace Alford from Southeast Lauderdale High School.  Additional in-state newcomers for the Lions this season include forwards Mitch Storm (Madison Central HS) and Ill'yan Scott (Pascagoula), swingman Reggie Turnage (Potts Camp HS), and guards Job Vernor (Center Hill HS) and Kaleb Gilbert (Nettleton).