November is upon us, and college sports fans know what that means: basketball season is here again.
The University of Tampa men’s basketball team is set to begin the 2009-10 season. They begin the season ranked No. 5 in the Sunshine State Conference, with Florida Southern projected to win the title.
The Spartans are coming off a season in which they finished 16-12, their tenth straight winning season.The team is led by, among others, junior Rashad Callaway. Standing just 5’10”, the Bayonne, N.J. native has been an impact player since his arrival at UT two years ago.
He enters this season as a preseason All-American, named an honorable mention by The Sporting News.
In addition to his explosive quickness, he said he has improved his shooting and defense during the offseason, making him all the more dangerous.
“I’m really not a defensive player,” Callaway said. “But in order to win games you have to play defense. You have to stop the other team.”
Additionally, Callaway said he began taking on a leadership role last season in preparation for this year.
“This year I have to become more of a leader on and off the court,” Callaway said.
In addition to Callaway, the team possesses other dangerous weapons. Guard Anthony LaBruno is the team’s only other returning starter.
The senior appeared in all 28 games last year, starting 25. He averaged 31.3 minutes per contest along with 11.5 points per game.
Fans can also expect to see more playing time from Rudy Jean. His deceptive 5’8” frame is masked by surprising strength and a self-described “sneaky” playing style.
Although he did not start a game in either of his first two seasons, future opponents can expect to see a lot more of the man his teammates call “Young Ru 22.”
Marcus Morrison has emerged as another candidate for a starting job after starting the team’s final five games last season as a freshman.
The 6’7” Morrison, listed as a forward, recorded double-digit rebound totals in three games during his rookie campaign. With the departure of UT’s two leading rebounders from last season, Jonathan Ball and Fred Woods, the Spartans can use Morrison’s combination of height and athleticism.
On the coaching front, the Spartans are run by a familiar face. UT head coach Richard Schmidt is entering his 27th season at the helm. He is the team’s only head coach since the program’s revival in 1983.
UT Hall of Famer DeCarlo Deveaux stays on as an assistant coach. This is his third season in the position after playing for Schmidt in the early 1990s.
Recent UT graduate Justin Pecka joins Deveaux after having previously served as the team’s manager. Student assistant Hernan Roldan rounds out the staff, also in his third season with the squad.
Although the roster and staff are set, the team has openly discussed a new way to get its fans involved and attract more people to the games.
Coach Schmidt has referenced the establishment of a “committee” in which the fans would sit behind the opposing bench and heckle the other team at UT home games.
While it has been discussed internally since its first public mention at Midnight Madness, other details regarding UT’s upstart version of the Cameron Crazies still remain vague.
The Spartans open the season Monday against Florida Memorial at the Martinez Center at 7:30 p.m.