Note: Head Coach Adam Walsh announces the four newcomers, plus an additional as a student assistant coach, before practice begins on Thursday, October 15.
SHREVEPORT, LA - There will be four new freshmen and student assistant when the Centenary College men's basketball team takes practice later this week. The Gents added freshman LaTavein Kennedy from Shreveport, as well as classmates Treylan Matthews, Grant Miller, and Mitchell Tarantolo.
Also, freshman John Creed will serve as a student assistant coach for the 2015-16 season.
"We are excited about welcoming our new incoming class of Gentlemen," said head coach Adam Walsh. "We have a well-rounded group position wise and are excited about what each young man brings to the table. We lost a strong group of seniors last year, but we feel like we have replaced them well. This is a great class off the court as well, both academically and character wise, which is important to the overall growth of our program. It's never fair to directly compare incoming freshmen to exiting seniors, but we look for either an increase in size, skill, or toughness when comparing them to those you replace in relation more so to the exiting seniors as underclassmen. I believe that we have matched or exceeded in replacing our recent departures, but that is what we hope for year to year."
"I would be remiss for not giving credit to Justin LeBlanc for at least part of our incoming class. As he has proven, he can flat out recruit. We will miss him, but his impact is still evident on this year's incoming class through his work last school year prior to taking over the helm of the Ladies program," added Walsh.
Not only have the Gents claimed all three Player of the Year honors in their first three seasons in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, they have also taken every Newcomer of the Year award as well (The SCAC recognizes Newcomer of the Year in place of Freshman of the Year). Coach Walsh feels that the Maroon and White have a good chance of continuing on this very rare feat.
"As with each new group, there will be growing pains, but if history holds true, one or more of these young men could have a big impact on this upcoming season," said Walsh.
Here is a closer look at the incoming players and the new student assistant coach:
Dominique Kennedy
Freshman
6-1 / 160 / Guard
Shreveport, La. / Loyola College Prep
Dominique played basketball for Bill Kael at Loyola College Prep in Shreveport. With the Flyers, he took All-District and District Most Valuable Player honors, as well as All-City and All-State accolades. Dominique also made the Honor Roll at Loyola College Prep.
Dominique is the son of Timmie and Shreka Gatson and has one brother, Darius Gatson. At Centenary College, he is majoring in education.
Coach Walsh on Kennedy: "While these are huge shoes to fill, Dominique reminds us of a former Gent coming out of the local ranks. Jonathan Blount was a skinny scoring guard coming out of high school, who, once he developed physically, blossomed here. We hope that as Dominique adapts to the strength and speed of the college game, we may see similar results down the road.
Treylan Matthew
Freshman
6-0 / 175 / Guard
Houston, Texas / Summer Creek HS
Treylan played both guard positions for head coach James Bailey at Summer Creek HS.
Treylan is the son of Kelvin and Chaun Matthews and has four sisters, Trystan, Teyah, Kaelyn, and Kimetria, with one brother, Kyren. At Centenary, he is majoring in business administration.
Coach Walsh on Treylan: "Treylan Matthews brings a quiet hustle and toughness to the floor that we expect to impact our program. He is confident with the ball in his hands and he is accustomed to playing with higher-level players. One out of four of his high school teammates are now competing athletically in college this school year."
Grant Miller
Freshman
6-8 / 235 / Forward
Dallas Texas / Dallas Academy
Grant played for Jeremy Civielo at Dallas Academy. He garnered numerous honors for the Bulldogs in four seasons, including being the first player in Dallas Academy history to go on and play in college sports. In both his junior and senior seasons, he earned All-State and All-District recognition as well as being named District MVP his senior season. Grant also helped guide the Bulldogs to a State Runner-up Finish in his final season. Academically, he achieved honor roll status.
Grant is the son of Andrew and Tracy Miller and has one sister, Meredith. At Centenary, he is majoring in business.
Coach Walsh on Grant: "Grant Miller brings obvious size to our program that we haven't had the past five years and should be able to step in and contribute some from the beginning. He has a tremendous work ethic and a propensity for learning.
Mitchell Tarantolo
Freshman
6-5 / 180 / Forward
Austin, Texas / L.C. Anderson HS
Mitchell will join the Gents after playing for Daniel Pittsford at L.C. Anderson HS. Besides basketball, he also participated in track and field for head coach Daniel Hunter, winning the District Title in the high jump in both 2014 and 2015. Mitchell was also a member of the 4x400 meter relay team in 2015. Academically, he was named Academic All-District all four years of high school and even earned Academic All-State honors once.
Mitchell is the son of Joe and Karen Tarantolo and has a sister, Maddie, and a brother, Rob. At Centenary, he is majoring in engineering.
Coach Walsh on Mitchell: "We are calling Mitchell an x-factor within this class because he has made leaps, no pun intended, as a basketball player over this past year. We think he will be an exciting addition to our program that the fans will enjoy."
John Creed
Manager
Baton Rouge, La. / Christian Life Academy
John played point forward for head boy's basketball coach Stephen Dale He also played catcher for baseball coach Johnathan Causey for the Crusaders. He made the Dean's List every year at Christian Life Academy.
John is the son of Lisa and Curtis Creed Massey and has two sisters, Elise and Camille, and a brother, Charles. He majors in education at Centenary.
Coach Walsh on Creed: "We are also excited that John Creed is joining our program as a student assistant. A good student assistant is hard to find and I think we have a great one. His enthusiasm for the game runs deep, and we are blessed to have his energy and organization around our program."
