BREVARD, N.C. - Twelve players. Three coaches. And just two words needed to encapsulate their rallying cry.
Steps forward.
It's the phrase that head coach Lee Burgess has used to describe his for the team and, in a larger sense, the basketball program for the upcoming year. That's not to say it will be easy to accomplish.
Burgess is faced with the task of replacing Darius Moose, Brevard's first team all-South Atlantic Conference forward who departed as the program's NCAA-era scoring leader. In his senior season, his 17.5-point scoring average and on-court leadership helped the Tornados secure their first SAC Championship berth in four years.
But Brevard expects increased contributions from its returners and hopes that a host of talented newcomers will help the team continue stepping forward as the new season approaches. Preseason second team all-SAC selection Miles Leathers was the conference's No. 2 performer in rebounding average and Brevard's third-leading scorer a season ago.
"Miles has had a great start through two exhibitions and has strong leadership qualities," said Burgess. "He's a guy that really leads well by example. His contributions to the team aren't purely statistical."
It is his statistical contributions, however, that have caught the attention of SAC coaches during his metamorphosis into one of the league's most respected players. Leathers is dangerous in nearly every facet of the game, as evidenced by a 20-point, four-rebound performance in Saturday's exhibition with UNC Asheville eight days after scoring nine points and collecting ten rebounds in the preseason opener at Auburn. With two assists, he will overtake fourth place in Brevard's NCAA-era record book and is five thefts away from moving into third in career steals.
Burgess expects sophomore forward D.J. Bostick to see an expanded role this season. "D.J. played a lot during the first several games last year when Miles was out, but those opportunities dried up when he came back. He's averaging 5.5 points and two rebounds in 25 minutes in our exhibitions. He's definitely contributing at a high level. We need a third guy to step up to back up Miles and Threatt, and it could be him."
Demarcus Threatt, a Division I transfer, has looked even better than advertised during the preseason. The diminutive junior guard, who was an all-region performer at Snead State Community College before spending a year at Fairfield University, has averaged 18.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while dishing out five total assists and coming up with two steals in two exhibitions.
"Threatt's contribution to our team is enormous," Burgess remarked. "He's difficult to defend, he shoots well, he's about winning, he finishes well, and he's one of the fastest players with the ball that I've ever been around. He's also a great on-ball defender and played a similar system in junior college, so his learning curve has been very small. If he's successful this season, the team has a shot to be very successful."
The team is optimistic that significant contributions will come from other areas as well. Senior Alex Moe and freshman Will Brown, who both stand at least 6-foot-8, will provide a potent one-two punch at the center position. Junior college transfer Omar El Diraoui has averaged 5.0 points and 5.5 rebounds against Auburn and UNC Asheville and is expected to start at forward this season. And sophomore guard Evan Dunham has been the team's third-leading scorer through two exhibitions despite playing only 16.0 minutes per game.
Having just 12 players at his disposal creates a significant challenge for Burgess as he prepares to face teams with additional bodies on their bench. "It creates a situation where our margin for error is a lot thinner than the teams we're playing," said Burgess. "We have to be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate, and when that doesn't happen, the preexisting gap caused by our lack of depth grows."
Burgess summarized his team's outlook succinctly: "We have to win when we have a shot at the end of games."
Fortunately for Brevard, last season's Tornados made a habit of doing just that. The team played its best basketball in late-game situations, finishing an astounding 9-1 in games decided by three points or less. The key, Burgess says, is in focusing on one possession at a time.
"We really did a good job of locking in on each possession throughout our games last season. We tried to play the exact same each time down the floor. That really helped us at the end of games, because when you play each possession the same, it doesn't matter how much time is on the clock."
The positive momentum from last season, particularly from a pair of improbable road victories that allowed Brevard to claw its way back into the postseason, will provide a boost as the Tornados begin the 2015-16 campaign on Friday. But the road will not be easy; most observers expect the conference to be stronger than last year. Preseason favorite Lincoln Memorial opened the season at No. 5 in the NABC poll, and three additional teams are ranked in the preseason Southeast Region top 10.
Brevard's players enter the season with a chip on their collective shoulder after being picked 12th in the preseason SAC rankings. But the tempered expectations provide the Tornados with ample opportunities to step forward this season.
"I don't think there's a number of wins this season or a place in the conference standings that's a benchmark for making the season a success," Burgess said. "There are just so many variables to be encountered throughout the season. But I've already seen tremendous growth and progress between these two exhibition games."
In short?
He's already seen his team take steps forward.
Brevard opens its season against Lander on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and faces Southern Wesleyan Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Both games will be played in Jefferson City, Tennessee's Holt Fieldhouse as part of the Carson-Newman Classic.
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Featured image courtesy of Zach Bland, Auburn staff photographer.
