2021 Centenary Men's Basketball Season Preview

How will the Centenary men's basketball team follow up its 2019-20 dream season? Time will tell, but the Gents appear to be well-equipped to build on their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history as they enter the 2021 season as one of the favorites again in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The journey begins on Friday, Jan. 15 against Texas Lutheran with the tip time set for approximately 8 p.m. in the Gold Dome.

The Gents are picked to finish third in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 2021 season, it was announced on Wednesday following exclusive voting by the league's head coaches. Centenary, led by fourth-year head coach Chris Dorsey, received 49 points and one first-place vote, and are predicted to finish only behind St. Thomas University, who received 59 points and five first-place votes, and Texas Lutheran (58 points/3 first-place votes). The University of Dallas and Trinity University are predicted to finish fourth (tie) with 35 points apiece.

The Gents will play a unique, shortened schedule this season due to COVID-19 influences. Centenary will play 12 total regular-season games, all conference contests, with six at home and six on the road. The Maroon and White interestingly enough will open the season against Texas Lutheran. The two teams, picked to finish second and third in the league this season, will of course meet for the first time since the SCAC Championship contest last spring. The Bulldogs and Gents play again on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 4 p.m.

"It has been a long year thus far, however the guys have worked hard despite the current circumstances," said Dorsey.

"Their maturity this year has been great and the moment they have been working so hard for is finally here. We are all excited to get going with conference play and we look forward to the opportunity to play.

"We have a young, yet experienced team. We have 10 players returning from the championship team a year ago and five new freshmen that will be a huge contribution to what we do. We are just very thankful to be playing and can't wait to get going with the season,"

The Maroon and White, as previously mentioned, are coming off their most successful season in school history as the Gents won the 2020 SCAC tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Centenary's impressive season ended in heartbreaking fashion on March 6, 2020, as the Gents lost to the host UT-Dallas Comets, 83-81, in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship in Richardson, Texas.

The Gents finished the season 18-10 and 15-5 in SCAC play, winning its first SCAC Tournament with a convincing 77-56 victory over the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs in Kerrville, Texas. The 21-point margin of victory was the largest in the 18-year history of the SCAC tournament. Centenary earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the first time in school history and won the title game for the first time after three previous appearances came up short.

The win also marked the Gents' first men's basketball conference title since 1980 when the Maroon and White claimed both the regular season and conference tournament championships while a member of the Trans America Athletic Conference (now the Atlantic Sun Conference). The Gents set division III program era records for longest winning streak (10 games), conference wins in a single season (15), and home wins (10) as the Gents went 10-1 at home last season.

Dorsey is 46-34 after his first three seasons with the Gents including an impressive 31-17 mark in SCAC play. He was named the 2019-20 SCAC Coach of the Year as Centenary dominated the SCAC postseason individual awards. Cedric Harris, one of the most accomplished players in Gents history, was named the 2019-20 Southern Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, an All-SCAC First Team selection, and the 2020 SCAC Championships MVP. He was also named to the 2020 D3hoops.com South Region first team, one of just 15 players to earn that honor.

Sophomore guard Ralph Johnson (New Iberia, La.) was named the 2019-20 SCAC Newcomer of the Year, and he and sophomore forward Neil Hawkins (Titusville, Fla.) earned Honorable Mention all-conference honors. Those two returners along with a large goup of juniors; forward Neil Hawkins (Titusville, Fla.), forward Xavier Johnson (Baker, La.), guard Kile Mingo (Cypress, Texas), and guard Tykeem Singleton (Fort Worth, Texas), guard AJ Hall (Thibodaux, La.), and sophomore Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) form a strong core for the Gents.

Ralph Johnson played in all 28 games with 25 starts and averaged 11.1 points per game (third on team) and shot 47.8 % from the floor (third on team) last season. He averaged 29.5 minutes per game and had 15 double-digit scoring performances. Johnson was very versatile as he also averaged 2.9 assists per game and 2.7 rebounds per game. His play elevated in conference play as he averaged 12.4 points per game and 3.7 assists per game.

Hawkins played in all 28 games with 25 starts and averaged 7.9 points per game (fifth on team) and 6.6 rebounds per game, which ranked second on the team and 12th in the conference. He shot 52.7 % from the floor for the season which led the team and was third-best in the conference. He averaged 8.1 points per game and 26.0 minutes per game in SCAC play, posted seven double-digit scoring performances during the season and recorded six double-digit rebounding performances.

Mingo played in 28 games with 17 starts as he averaged 8.6 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game. He averaged 25.1 minutes per game and shot 38.7 % from the floor, and shot 36 % from three-point range which was third-best on the team and 84.6 % from the free-throw line, second on the team. He scored 7.8 points per game in SCAC play and recorded 12 double-digit scoring performances during the season

Thomas was a major contributor for the Gents in his inaugural season as he played in all 28 games, starting 13. He averaged 7.0 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game, averaged 20.9 minutes per game and shot 36.7 % from the floor for the season. He reached double digits eight times and recorded one double-double. He averaged 24.2 minutes per game, 8.9 points per game, and 5.1 rebounds per game in SCAC play, and ranked in the top 15 in the conference in steals and blocked shots. 

Centenary hits the road for four-straight games after this weekend, facing Schreiner in Kerrville on Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. The Gents then travel to Dallas to face the Crusaders on Jan. 29 (8 p.m.) and Jan. 30 (4 p.m.). Centenary returns home to face Colorado College on Feb. 5 and 6 at 8 and 3 p.m. respectively and are at Austin College on Feb. 19 (8 p.m.) and Feb. 20 (7 p.m.). The Gents then close out the regular season at home on Feb. 26 (8 p.m.) and 27 (4 p.m.) versus St. Thomas.

A link to the Gents' complete schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/schedule. 

Live stats and live video are available for all home games.

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