Travis King
Sophomore, point guard – 6-foot-2, 215 pounds
Last year: 5.7 points per game, 2.0 assists per game
Lowdown: King will miss at least the first game of the season while recovering from a fractured kneecap. When healthy, King is a floor leader and distributor who can also hit open jumpers consistently.
Maureece (Reece) Rice
Senior, shooting guard – 6-foot-1, 224 pounds
Last year: 15.8 points per game
Lowdown: Rice, the team’s only senior, will be need to do what he does best: score. He has a special touch around the basket and can hit any shot on the floor. He is somewhat undersized though and will not fill the box score like Carl Elliott did.
Wynton Witherspoon
Junior, small forward – 6-foot-7, 197 pounds
Last year: Did not play per NCAA transfer rules
Lowdown: The Virginia Tech transfer led the team in scoring in its exhibition game Oct. 31. Witherspoon showed that he is not afraid to drive or take a jumper and that although he is a free spirit off the court, he is singularly focused come game-time. He is extremely athletic, a trademark of coach Karl Hobbs’s teams.
Damian Hollis
Sophomore, power forward – 6-foot-8, 205 pounds
Last year: 5.2 points game, 3.0 rebounds per game
Lowdown: Hollis has quickly become a favorite among Colonials fans with his easygoing demeanor and smooth jumper. Hollis, who is more comfortable playing on the wing, will be forced to play more in the post this year because of the team’s lack of front court depth. Although just a sophomore, he has already become one of the team’s vocal leaders.
Rob Diggs
Junior, center – 6-foot-8, 202 pounds
Last year: 10.5 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game
Lowdown: Diggs spent time in Oklahoma with Hollis this summer participating in an intensive weight-training course in hopes of being able to bang with the Atlantic 10’s centers. Last year, Diggs displayed his athleticism and extended the range on his jump shot, but was too easily pushed around in the post.
This article appeared in the November 8, 2007 issue of the Hatchet.
