KFDM COOP Posted November 16, 2007 Report Posted November 16, 2007 A homecoming of sorts for LU men's basketball You can't find moms who won't hug total strangers and invite them inside for a chat.You can't find a restaurant that doesn't serve great meatloaf with a sweet tea on the side. And at this time of the year, all across northwest Mississippi, you can't help but notice the smell of burning wood from the furniture factories that keep the region alive. Still, if you're traveling north toward Oxford, Miss., this afternoon, and if you take a long detour through Holly Springs, don't be alarmed if all the stores are closed. And don't worry, for the Southern hospitality is not amiss. It's just that the townspeople have left to see their two native sons, close to home, playing for Lamar. At 7 p.m. today inside Tad Smith Coliseum, the Cardinals will face what could be their toughest test of the entire season when they visit the Mississippi Rebels. But for a handful of Lamar players and one assistant, this game will also mark a sort of homecoming."I've been getting a lot of calls this week," said junior forward Justin Nabors, who grew up in Holly Springs with point guard Kenny Dawkins. "When I called home, the mayor of our city - I think he bought tickets for a whole section. I'm excited about that, going home. I've played with some of the Ole Miss players, so it'll be nice to see a couple of faces from the past." Along with Nabors and Dawkins, there's senior forward Lamar Sanders, who grew up in tiny Hickory Flat; and senior guard Currye Todd, who grew up in even-tinier Byhalia. Simply put, all four players have known each other since their favorite hangout was the sandbox."Everybody is so excited. Our boys have known each other since primary school, at least," said Elouise Nabors, mother of Justin Nabors. "We're all getting off work and leaving (for Oxford) at about 5 o'clock. I think just about everyone in Holly Springs is going." So how in the world did four small-town Mississippi kids wind up in the Montagne Center? Actually, the connection is super-simple. "Coach Skelton," Sanders said."Coach Skelton," Dawkins said."It's just coach Skelton," Todd said."You have to give credit to coach Skelton," Nabors said.They're all referring to assistant coach Don (Bubba) Skelton, who spent eight seasons as head coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he coached three of them - Sanders, Todd and Nabors. Skelton, too, was born in the river town of Greenville and grew up in Clinton, between Vicksburg and Jackson.The son of a coach, Skelton can lay the verbal lumber in practice. But he has long won the loyalty of his players by showing a lighter side, often cracking jokes and shooting stiff left-handed jumpers during downtime. Not surprisingly, Lamar head coach Steve Roccaforte has said this game was scheduled partly as a recruiting tool, a chance for his players to perform with family members in the stands. And aside from all the homecoming affairs, there is the small business of the actual game. Ole Miss finished 21-13 last spring in its first season under coach Andy Kennedy, winning the Southeastern Conference West Division and earning a trip to the NIT. The Rebels have won 132 of their last 165 games at home - and while the 8,700-seat Tad Smith Coliseum is smaller than the Montagne Center, it figures to be packed today. A football game Saturday against LSU has drawn in plenty of alumni and driven up demand for tickets to the basketball game. Ole Miss opened the season with a 97-63 blowout of Mississippi Valley State. The Rebels followed by nearly blowing a 22-point first-half lead against South Alabama, surviving with an 81-78 win Tuesday. No matter how you slice it, Lamar will be outmatched in support, size and athletic ability."I think what you do is, you try to simulate it in practice," Roccaforte said. "That's the good thing about my staff: Going into every game, we pretty much know the teams that we're playing. ... We'll be as prepared as you possibly can be to play those guys, as far as simulating what they do on offense and defense." In the meantime, the Cardinals simply have to cut down on turnovers if they expect to compete. They had 25 in their season-opening win Tuesday against LeTourneau, matching the number they had in their final exhibition against Central Oklahoma. Lamar's new style of play has naturally lent itself to some freewheeling in transition, which leads to more turnovers. But for Roccaforte's money, his post players are trying to do too much; instead of powering up for an easy shot, they've been putting the ball on the floor (and, as a result, out of bounds). The bottom line, Roccaforte said, is that Lamar will have fewer turnovers if it keeps the ball in the hands of Dawkins. And according to the numbers, Roccaforte is right. Including the Cardinals' two exhibitions, Dawkins has 13 assists and one turnover in three games. "The point guard needs to have the ball in his hands every time," Roccaforte said. "People are going to double our (point guards) and try to take them away, and we've got to fight through that. That's going to happen all year long. I just think we've got to take care of the ball, keep working on it. Catch the ball, face the basket, make easy plays and easy passes." If they can do that, who knows? Maybe they won't defeat Ole Miss outright. But maybe they'll send their families back home happy. "We've got our work cut out for us," Nabors said. "But if we go out and do what we have to do, we'll come out with a win."Lamar at Mississippi7 p.m. todayTad Smith ColiseumRecords: Lamar (1-0); Ole Miss (2-0)CoachesLamar: Steve Roccaforte, second season, 16-17 (second season overall)Ole Miss: Andy Kennedy, second season, 23-13 (third season overall, 44-26)Number to know4Number of Lamar players who grew up less than 50 miles from Oxford, Miss., where the Cardinals play today. They include Lamar Sanders, Currye Todd, Kenny Dawkins and Justin Nabors.
LamarJunior Posted November 16, 2007 Report Posted November 16, 2007 That's cool Coach Roccaforte would schedule a game within 100 miles on all their home towns. Sounds like Holly Springs will be a ghost town tonight.
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