A tough preseason, strong recruiting and experienced players are usually a formula for success.  It’s a combination the CLU men’s basketball team is counting on to help lead them to success when their season tips off in less than a week.

“It was a big recruiting year for us,” said coach Rich Rider. “They are excellent. We have well-prepared freshman that are ahead of most freshman we have had in the past years. They worked hard over the summer and will have a big impact on this team.”

The Kingsmen are looking to improve from last year in a few key areas.

“More energy, higher skill set and more depth to our team,” said Rider. “We want to incorporate more speed and quickness into our game. We have better shooters and will be a more up-tempo-type team.”

With a roster of five freshmen and three sophomores, the Kingsmen have a team that will play with a lot of intensity.

“It’s a little intimidating to be playing with older and stronger players,” said freshman forward Guy Lynott, from Lake Washington, Wash. Lynott is one of the Kingsmen’s top recruited players on the roster this season.

“The teammates are very supportive though. They always help out and tell me what to do to help me learn,” said Lynott.

Although he thinks it’s a tough transition, Lynott’s teammates have seen him adjust well. Lynott is listed at 6’6” and will be a big impact player right from the start.

“Guy is an all-court player and can do a lot on the court for us,” said junior guard Michael Palmer. “He’s playing well right now, he can shoot the 3-ball and can work well down in the post as well.”

Senior forward Jayvaughn Nettles and junior point guard Steven Davis are responsible for leading the Kingsmen this year.

“This is the strongest team I have seen while here at Cal Lu. I feel really good about us this year,” said Nettles. “The chemistry, effort and holding each other accountable is really driving us to be an overall better team.”

This year’s team isn’t the tallest team that the Kingsmen have ever had, but they look to make up for it in other places.

“Everyone here is young and passionate. We have been working real hard during the off-season and during preseason workouts and plan on making up for our lack of size with speed and quickness. There is a fire within us,” said Nettles.

The Kingsmen have taken a new approach to their preseason workouts hopefully to promote more success and prevent injuries.

“We spread out our workouts instead of doing running and lifting on the same days,” said Nettles. “It helped save our bodies. We went hard from early on and I felt like this is the hardest working team I have been a part of.”

So far, this process has paid off for the Kingsmen, as no injuries have been reported throughout preseason workouts.

The Kingsmen’s season opener on Saturday will be against Division I Pepperdine University. For a Division III team to get a match up against a big-name Division I school is unusual, but the Kingsmen are looking forward to taking full advantage of the opportunity in front of them.

“It puts no pressure on us. We are going to go in there and play loose, fast and smart basketball,” said Nettles.
It’s a sentiment Lynott agrees with.

“It’s going to be a fun game and be great experience to play against a good Division I team to start out,” Lynott said.  “We have been working hard and are looking to hit the ground running.”

Nick Ballou
Staff Writer
Published Oct. 31, 2012