Southwest Athletic Conference 2003-04 Season Recap
Everyone knows that preseason predictions are an inexact science. Sometimes, a team that is picked to finish high in the standings will inexplicably collapse and end up near the bottom. On other occasions, a team that nobody picked to do anything will prove itself worthy at season’s end. The 2003-2004 SWAC regular season provided both of these occurrences, along with the customary correct predictions as well.
At the beginning of the year, the top three teams were picked to be Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, and Mississippi Valley State (in that order). As Meatloaf would say, “two out of three ain’t bad.” Texas Southern ended the year in third place, while MVSU finished up the regular season with the best record in the SWAC. Prairie View? Well, that’s a different story.
The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils rolled through regular season play with the league’s best record, losing only twice in 18 contests, after going 6-4 in non-conference play. Preseason Player of the Year Attarrius Norwood led the team in scoring, but it was the tandem of Solomon Forbes and Edward Mack that allowed the Delta Devils to cruise through their SWAC schedule. The trio combined to score 42 points and grab 13 rebounds per game, giving the team a trio that was nearly unmatched in the SWAC. The Texas Southern Tigers finished up league play in third place, but the team was hounded by inconsistent play. The team was unable to put together an extended string of quality wins and instead became a very streaky team during conference play. Just when the team seemed to be headed in the right direction, after three straight wins, the team lost its last two regular season games to Southern and Alcorn State, dropping it to third place. I mentioned earlier that Prairie View A&M was chosen to finish second in the league, and in reality the team did end up in second…to last. The non-conference slate was a sign of bad things to come for the Panthers, who went 0-9 to begin the year. And although the team managed to scrape together seven conference victories, that wasn’t enough to make the eight-team conference tournament.
One peculiarity of this season was the abundance of parity in the midst of the conference: five teams – Grambling, Alabama A&M, Jackson State, Southern and Alcorn State – all ended the season with identical 9-9 league marks. The big surprise from this group was Alabama A&M, which was picked to finish ninth in the ten-team conference. But behind the determined play of Obie Trotter and Terry Horton, the Hornets proved the skeptics wrong and climbed all the way up to fifth in the conference by season’s end.
Then, all alone in the cellar of the SWAC, there is Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions were not very golden at all on the court this season, managing only one win – coming against Alabama State. In this case, the coaches and SIDs were on the mark, as everyone had picked the Lions to dwell in the cellar through the season, and the only real interest generated by UAPB was whether they would end the season as one of the nation’s worst teams. In that respect, mission accomplished.
SWAC Tournament
Usually, when headed into a league tournament, the casual observer can expect one upset – maybe two. But in the unpredictable world of the SWAC, three of the top four teams fell in the opening round of the conference tournament, opening a huge door for second-seeded Alabama State to roll into the NCAA Tournament with a Conference Championship.
The opening round of the tournament saw four very close games, with two coming down to the final possession. The top-seeded Delta Devils were upended by the eighth-seeded Braves of Alcorn State, 67-66, as MVSU’s duo of All-Conference guard Solomon Forbes and SWAC Player of the Year Attarrius Norwood combined to score just 20 points. Alabama State provided the only non-upset of the first round, barely escaping with a 63-62 victory over Southern. Ralfeal Golden hit a three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to give the Hornets another close win. Jackson State and Alabama A&M also defied convention, pulling off upsets against higher-seeded Texas Southern and Grambling, respectively.
With many of the heavy hitters gone in the first round, the semifinals also proved to be full of exciting contests. In what may have been the SWAC game of the year, Alabama State outlasted Jackson State in double overtime, 59-56. Once again, it was a game-winning three-pointer that allowed the Hornets to move on, this time coming from the hands of senior guard Malcolm Campbell. Jackson State had a chance to win the game down the stretch, but Xavier Oliver swatted away Ernest Hassell’s attempt with time winding down, giving ASU possession of the ball and ultimately a spot in the finals. Alabama A&M joined their inter-state rivals in the final by holding off a hard-charging Alcorn State squad, 83-81. The Bulldogs appeared to have the game in hand late, holding a 72-59 lead with 2:21 to play, but the Braves would not go quietly, putting together eight consecutive field goals to dwindle the lead to just one. The Braves then held the ball, down two, with eight seconds left, but Terry Horton got a piece of DeAndre Jones’ lay-up attempt to preserve the win.
Horton and Obie Trotter attempted to carry the Bulldogs in the title game, combining for 41 points, but a balanced Alabama State attack proved too much in the Hornets’ 63-58 victory. Alabama State controlled the tempo of the game from the outset, never trailing after the 16:58 mark of the first half. Malcolm Campbell, who was named the Tournament MVP, scored eight points in a 13-5 run down the stretch that finally put down the Alabama A&M squad, which had come back from a 11-point halftime deficit to tie the game on two occasions in the second half. Campbell was joined on the all-Tournament team by teammates Xavier Oliver and Ralfeal Golden, while Trotter and Horton were named from the losing side.
The Big Dance
Upon winning the SWAC Postseason Tournament, the Hornets then discovered that they would be up against perennial powerhouse Duke University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets provided little resistance to the Duke juggernaut, falling, 96-61. Campbell led all scorers in the game with 26 points to close out his collegiate career, but there was no way that the Krzyzewski Krew would lose in this one.
Postseason Hardware
All Conference Team:
Attarrius Norwood, forward, Mississippi Valley State
Solomon Forbes, forward, Mississippi Valley State
Paul Haynes, forward, Grambling
Brion Rush, guard, Grambling
Obie Trotter, guard, Alabama A&M
Conference MVP: Attarrius Norwood, MVSU
Norwood was tabbed the preseason Player of the Year and did not disappoint when the season began, leading his team to the regular season championship and the top seed in the conference tournament. Throughout the year, Norwood averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
Freshman of the Year: Tyrone Nelson, Prairie View
The emergence of Nelson was one of the few bright spots for the Panthers this season. The forward averaged over 15 points per game, while placing second in the league by hauling in over eight rebounds per game. Look for him to continue his stellar play next season for the Panthers.
Coach of the Year: Lafayette Stribling, MVSU
Stribling earned the Coach of the Year vote after guiding his team to the top spot in the SWAC regular season standings and the subsequent top seed in the conference tournament.
Team Recaps
Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (16-2, 22-7)
The Delta Devils easily made their way through the SWAC regular season schedule, posting the conference’s best margin-of-victory and scoring defense, but one fatal slip up in the first round of the conference tournament cost them everything. By far the consensus top team in the conference, the team was led by the trio of Attarrius Norwood, Solomon Forbes and Edward Mack. Norwood, the SWAC Player of the Year, and Mack, the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, typified the solid play of the Delta Devils. But with Norwood and Mack, along with top rebounder Willie Neal, graduating, the focus next season will be solely on Forbes. Hosea Butler, who was the leading assist man for the Delta Devils this year, will also be counted on to contribute more on the offensive end as well, in order to make up for the sudden void.
Team MVP: Attarrius Norwood
Top Scorer: Norwood, 14.3 ppg
Top Rebounder: Neal, 7.6 rpg
Top Assist Man: Butler, 3.6 apg
Departing Starters:
Norwood (graduation)
Mack (graduation)
Neal (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Forbes (junior forward, 14 ppg)
Butler (junior guard, 8.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.6 apg)
Alabama State Hornets (11-7, 16-15)
After the team’s 3-12 start, I would assume that nobody had Alabama State finishing second in the regular season and then winning the postseason tournament. And yet, that is what the Hornets did. Behind the shooting of Malcolm Campbell and the inside presence of Xavier Oliver, the Hornets played tough defense and scored just enough to win. The team had the second-best scoring defense margin in the league, yet posted the second-lowest scoring offense in the SWAC. With the graduation of both Campbell and Oliver, both aspects of the ASU game will be tested. Ralfeal Golden, who starred in the conference tournament alongside Campbell and Oliver, will be asked to up his offensive production in their absence. Also look for Alexander Oliver to step right into the offensive void and produce. And if the team gets off to another slow start next season, as it did this year, don’t count them out too quickly.
Team MVP: Malcolm Campbell
Top Scorer: Campbell, 13.4 ppg
Top Rebounder: Xavier Oliver, 6.8 rpg
Top Assist Man: Campbell, 3.3 apg
Departing Starters:
Campbell (graduation)
Oliver (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Golden (junior guard, 12.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Alexander Oliver (sophomore guard, 7.2 ppg)
Derrick Russell (junior forward, 4.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
Texas Southern Tigers (10-8, 14-15)
Texas Southern was picked in the preseason to finish in the top spot in the SWAC, but the team settled for third place after an inconsistent regular season. One of the major problems that the team had this year was its inability to hit the three-pointer. The Tigers ranked dead last in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (only 27 percent) – although the team didn’t take many shots from beyond the arc to begin with. TSU made its living near the hoop, with help from leading scorer and rebounder Allen Lovett. Lovett and his fellow Tigers helped give the team one of the best frontcourt crews in the conference, although the team will lose forwards Lionel Willis and Akil Butler to graduation. Despite the departures, look for Lovett to once again control the offense from his guard position.
Team MVP: Allen Lovett
Top Scorer: Lovett, 13.9 ppg
Top Rebounder: Lovett, 5.4 rpg
Top Assist Man: Sean Walker, 2.8 apg
Departing Starters:
Willis (graduation)
Butler (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Lovett (junior guard, 13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
Walker (sophomore guard, 10.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.6 apg)
Michael Sneed (junior forward, 8.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Grambling Tigers (9-9, 11-18)
When talking about Grambling this season, the conversation will ultimately turn to Brion Rush and Paul Haynes, who formed the most prolific scoring duo in the conference this season. Rush, who led the SWAC in scoring, and Haynes, who came in third, combined to score almost 37 points a game for the Tigers – over 50 percent of the team’s offensive output. As a squad, the Tiger offense ranked second in the conference in points scored – but that was quickly countered by the team’s porous defense, which ranked ninth out of 10 teams. Opposing squads shot almost 46 percent on average against the Tigers – numbers that won’t win many games. With such stats, it’s a small wonder that Grambling managed to place fourth in the conference. But with Haynes lost to graduation, the Tigers will need somebody to clog up the middle and keep opposing teams from having free reign on the offensive end once again.
Team MVP: Brion Rush
Top Scorer: Rush, 19.3 ppg
Top Rebounder: Paul Haynes, 9.7 rpg
Top Assist Man: Maurice Searight, 7.0 apg
Departing Starters:
Haynes (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Rush (sophomore guard, 19.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.1 apg)
Searight (sophomore guard, 5.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 7.0 apg)
Ron Ellis (junior guard, 9.7 ppg)
Alabama A&M Bulldogs (9-9, 13-17)
One team that was very well suited to play against Grambling was Alabama A&M, which had the best offense in all the SWAC this season. That offense was propelled mostly by the combination of Obie Trotter and Terry Horton, who ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the conference in scoring. Trotter will be back for another chance at the league title, albeit without his frontcourt complement, Horton. There are many departing pieces from the team that made it all the way to the conference finals, including Horton and fellow big man Otis Walker, but Trotter figures to get some help from some bench players that now will be called upon to deliver. No matter what, don’t count out the Bulldogs – after all, the team was predicted to finish ninth at the beginning of this season.
Team MVP: Obie Trotter
Top Scorer: Trotter, 18.2 ppg
Top Rebounder: Walker, 6.0 rpg
Top Assist Man: Trotter, 4.3 apg
Departing Starters:
Walker (graduation)
Horton (graduation)
Lorenzo Burks (graduation)
Jarvis Smith (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Trotter (sophomore guard, 18.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.3 apg, 3.0 spg)
Rickey Ricketts (junior guard, 9.3 ppg)
Andre Matthews (junior forward, 5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
Jackson State Tigers (9-9, 12-17)
Jackson State came out of the gates very strongly this season, posting an 8-3 conference mark after 11 games, but fell apart down the stretch, losing six of its last seven games to join the cluster of teams at 9-9. JSU seemed to have turned another corner come tournament time, however, by taking down third-seeded Texas Southern and taking eventual champion Alabama State to double overtime before succumbing. The end result was surely disappointing, but the Tigers had a respectable year thanks in large part to its talented trio of seniors: Ishmael Joyce, Leonard Taylor and K.C. Cavette. The good news was that the trio combined to provide over half of the team’s offense. The bad news is, of course, that all three have now graduated. Without three huge pieces of its offense, the Tigers will look to reload next season, with veterans Ernest Hassell and Antonio Williams-Parker looking to take a large part of the offensive load, but don’t expect the same amount of offense from this squad.
Team MVP: Ishmael Joyce
Top Scorer: Joyce, 15.6 ppg
Top Rebounder: Taylor, 5.5 rpg
Top Assist Man: Cavette, 2.7 apg
Departing Starters:
Joyce (graduation)
Cavette (graduation)
Taylor (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Hassell (junior forward, 3.7 ppg, 2.7 apg)
Williams-Parker (junior guard, 7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Southern Jaguars (9-9, 12-16)
The Southern Jaguars could never get anything going during the 2003-2004 regular season. After the team’s first win streak – a three-game run early in the conference season – it was promptly followed up by a three-game losing streak that took away any momentum the team may have built up. The team was then unable to get another streak going until the very end of the regular season, and by that time it was almost too late. While the streak allowed the Jaguars to join the group at .500 in conference play, it did little to help the team’s fortunes. Timothy Johnson and Deion Sanders led the team on the offensive end – Sanders, despite missing nine games. Both players have now graduated; however the team has plenty of depth to provide for a more consistent season next year.
Team MVP: Timothy Johnson
Top Scorer: Johnson, 13.6 ppg
Top Rebounder: Peter Cipriano, 5.2 rpg
Top Assist Man: Trayvean Scott, 2.9 apg
Departing Starters:
Johnson (graduation)
Deion Sanders (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Jerimie Collier (junior guard, 11.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
Scott (junior guard, 7.6 ppg, 2.9 apg)
Cipriano (junior forward, 6.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
Alcorn State Braves (9-9, 11-18)
Alcorn State was another team that couldn’t get much going during the regular season, thanks in large part to three separate three-game losing streaks that took away any chance at advancing within the conference. Seniors Brian Jackson and Dion Callans cleaned up on the score sheet and the boards, respectively, with sophomore Trey Johnson proving to be an effective second-scorer and point guard. Although the team didn’t have a spectacular regular season, the Braves provided the shock of the SWAC Tournament when it upended top-seeded MVSU in the first round. The team then almost upset Alabama A&M in the semifinals, instead falling by just one bucket. The Braves will hope to continue the good feelings elicited by the team’s late season run next year, albeit without the services of both Jackson and Callans.
Team MVP: Brian Jackson
Top Scorer: Jackson, 13.9 ppg
Top Rebounder: Dion Callans, 6.8 rpg
Top Assist Man: Trey Johnson, 2.7 apg
Departing Starters:
Callans (graduation)
Jackson (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Johnson (sophomore guard, 11.0 ppg, 2.7 apg)
Myles Howard (junior forward, 6.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Prairie View A&M Panthers (7-11, 7-20)
Picked to finish second in the SWAC in the conference’s preseason poll, this season was disastrous for the Prairie View Panthers. Most of the blame could fall on the team’s lack of defense – the team allowed its opponents to shoot nearly 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc, both worst in the conference. This helped to counter act the offensive prowess of freshman Tyrone Nelson and senior Kevin Cooper, who tied for sixth in the league in scoring. Unfortunately for the duo, no other Panther averaged in double figures. It was a down year in particular for senior Roderick Riley, who was named the preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Riley averaged 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and yet he didn’t become the offensive or defensive force that he was expected to be. With Cooper and Riley both graduating, all eyes will be on Nelson to see if he can top his excellent freshman campaign.
Team MVP: Tyrone Nelson
Top Scorers: Nelson and Kevin Cooper, 15.1 ppg
Top Rebounder: Nelson, 8.4 rpg
Top Assist Man: Jared Ellison, 2.7 apg
Departing Starters:
Cooper (graduation)
Roderick Riley (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Nelson (freshman forward, 15.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
Ellison (freshman guard, 5.4 ppg, 2.7 apg)
Joshua Thompson (freshman forward, 3.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1-17, 1-26)
It was a very forgettable year for Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The team placed no players in the top 20 in scoring, rebounding or assists – a suitable characterization of a terrible season. The team’s lone win of the year came at Alabama State – a game that the Hornets would surely like to have back. Nonetheless, that was the only highlight of a year in which the Golden Lions were outscored by an average of 22.1 points per game. But with five seniors graduating, maybe a new infusion of talent will change the losing ways of the Golden Lions. Then again, maybe not.
Team MVP: Michael Kendrick
Top Scorer: Kendrick, 7.5 ppg
Top Rebounder: Justin Lloyd, 4.4 rpg
Top Assist Man: Chris Parker, 1.7 apg
Departing Starters:
Lloyd (graduation)
Lee Curry (graduation)
Billy Hall (graduation)
Key Players Returning:
Kendrick (junior guard, 7.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
