BY JACK BULLOCK And then there were seven. The South Egyptian Conference lost a long standing member to its league this school year as Goreville opted to leave the conference to join former SEC team and rival Vienna in the Black Diamond Conference for the 2011-12 school year. Not only is this a big blow to the remaining league members but it took away a quality sports program in all sports. The Blackcats have become a small school baseball power in the past two seasons making it to the state finals. This school will be missed but the remaining schools will move on. In boy's high school basketball this conference has had some great moments in the past decade and more. They have produced Division I talent and several regional championships. Add a sectional championship to that list after last season. The Meridian Bobcats and head coach Jeff Mandrell got over the proverbial “hump” last March as it took down ABV Top-Ranked Trico in the final of the NCOE 1A Sectional. It marked the first time since 1972 that this program reached that far into the state tournament. The season ended one game later at the hands of Woodlawn at the Salem 1A Supersectional but that shouldn't diminish the accomplishment of this group. The good news for the 'Cats and the terrible news for the rest of this conference is that the majority of talent that was on that 27-5 team returns for the 2011-12 campaign. If you are looking for a threat to those Bobcats in the SEC race look no further that Tamms where the Egyptian Pharaohs reside. Coach Matt Mandrell (Jeff's brother) has this program sky-rocketing to higher heights. The Pharaohs were one of the highest scoring teams in the state last season, averaging 80 points a night and finished 22-7 overall. Losing to Meridian in the regional semifinal is no shame. With Goreville, Egyptian and Meridian in the same regional, that represented 70 wins! The matchup between these two teams at Tamms on December 9 will determine the league champion. If you are looking for a surprise team in this league look to the quality job that Coach Russ Marsh has done at Dongola. A league doormat for the past few seasons, the Demons rose to the occasion last season and put together some building block wins that sets up for some marked improvement this winter. Coach Marsh has some young kids that are now a year older. For the first time in many years Dongola could win more games than they lose. That will be big news. Head coach Treber Hill has some kids back at Joppa that he hopes will change some numbers around this season. Coach Rhett Barke at Cobden saw one of the best players in the school's history graduate last season and his team coming back will have to produce a lot of points that Rob Lehr took with him. Shawnee has an interesting change in its head coaching situation as LaDonna Bachmann takes over the Redskins. Bachmann has coached boy's and girl's sports in all different age groups and this season she takes on the task of trying to put Shawnee back on the basketball map. She will have seven returning players back from a 3-19 team. Century also has a new head coach who is familiar with the conference as Travis Foster, who has coached at Cobden as an assistant boy's coah and most recently as the girl's head basketball coach, take over the Centurions program that has some young kids back. As for the South Egyptian race, circle that December 9th date on your calendar.

1. MERIDIAN The Bobcats were just 16 minutes from a trip to Peoria. Leading Woodlawn at halftime of the Salem 1A Super, the Bobcats were cruising along. However the second half produced just 11-points as Woodlawn took over the game and punched their ticket to the River City with a 50-41 win. Head coach Jeff Mandrell did all the right things and made all the right moves to get his club to that game. He has done a overlooked, fantastic job at this school and warranted his ABV 1A “Coach of the Year” award. His team got “a big monkey off of their back's” by winning the school's first sectional title in basketball since the very first season of two-class hoops back in 1971-72. That Bobcats' club finished second that year. The talent that returns from last season could make the 40th anniversary of that trip to Champaign even more memorable. The 'Cats did lose some scoring from last season as guard Brent Kennedy, a top backcourt specialist, and forward Darryl Rayford, have left the building. Kennedy averaged 11.4 points a game for the high scoring Bobcats while pitched in 10.4 points. In a normal season for most teams, losing that many points to graduation would set a team back a notch. Not this team or program. The ones remaining should have everyone in the loop smiling and thinking big goals. Coach Mandrell will have his top two scorers back from last season's 27-5 club. Six-foot-five junior Joshua Jones averaged a robust 15.1 points a night for Meridian. This one, like most of his other teammates, are complete players. He can go outside and hit a 3-point shot (45 made in 2010-11) or take the ball strong to the glass. Jones grabbed 6.2 rebounds a game, which was second on the team. Jerry Johnson is the next big threat on the list of weapons on this club. Johnson is a 6-foot-3 senior, who like Jones, can do it all. His 11.4 points a night and 7.2 rebounds a game were good enough to put him on the ABV 1A first team (Jones was also on the list). These two are capable of leading this team all the way to Peoria. The best news for this team is that if either of the “Double-J's” have an off night, there are others to pick up the slack. The third starter returning for the 'Cats is 5-foot-11 senior guard Cameron Ballard (13.2 points, 4.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds per game) who is also resourceful enough to put up a big night. Those three starters are the leaders by example. The other two starters will come from a group of kids that also played some in 2010-11. Six-foot junior Jammerio Moore came off the pine a few times last season for Coach Mandrell and gave the Meridian team some quality minutes (2.4 p.p.g.). Six-foot-four Justin McClellan also got into quite a few contests last season as did Demarko Ransom, a 5-foot-8 senior. Michael Schoffner is a 5-foot-11 sophomore who got into some games last season as a freshman. Those are the top seven players back from a team that finished fifth at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament, second at the SEC Tournament to Goreville and won the Vienna Thanksgiving Classic. “We have a solid nucleus of players returning,” said Coach Mandrell, whose last two teams won regional titles and finished a combined 56-5. “Three of the kids started and the other four played a lot off the bench last season.” OUTLOOK – This program has always been on the verge of greatness but has never quite reached the potential. Last season was a big step in the right direction when it comes to postseason accomplishments. This team picked up its biggest prize in 40 years when it took down Trico in the title game at Norris City as they erased a lot of past postseason failures to reach the state's “Elite Eight.” Can you say, “Final Four?” There are some weaknesses in every team and this team has them (free throw shooting was 53 percent last season) and the bench doesn't look too deep heading into the season. But this team hauled down an astounding 1,058 rebounds (31.1 per game) last season. In the past two previews, ABV has correctly projected the winner of the 1A and 2A Deep South supersectionals. In 1A Sesser-Valier and Woodlawn made ABV look quite prolific. Look for Mounds Meridian to make it a “three-peat.” The Bobcats are the A Baseline View.com pick to make it to Peoria.

2. EGYPTIAN The Pharaohs got on quite a roll last season in winning a couple of big regular season games in February against Goreville and eventual regional champion Neoga. They dropped a high-scoring 89-77 semifinal to Meridian at the Goreville 1A Regional. Buy with four returning starters back from the 22-7 team, the sky is the limit for those Pharaohs, who haven't won a regional title since the Dana Ford led 2002 team Since then they hadn't won 20-games until last winter. Look for another 20-win season and even more success. Coach Matt Mandrell will also have some key reserves back from that 2010-11 club. The graduated senior starter from last season was Jhermarien Terry, a 5-foot-9 guard. He averaged 14.3 points and a team-leading 5.2 assists a game. The key to this team for 2011-12 is who will take the baton and lead this group from the point? More on that later. Let's talk about the four starters back. Three of these players, according to Coach Mandrell, are on pace to reach 1,000-points each. Six-foot-one senior Marcus Marable and 6-foot senior Darmez Nelson are both returning. Nelson led the team in scoring last season with 18 points a night while Marable chipped in 13 points and nearly seven rebounds a contest. Both of these players play a lot bigger than they look and their overall quickness must be witnessed to be believed. The third player back who started is Davanta Price, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, who started in the backcourt for Egyptian as a sophomore. Price averaged 16 points a game while dishing out 3.8 assists. Price will handle more of the ball handling duties this season for Coach Mandrell with the absence of Terry in the lineup. Starter number four is 6-foot-3 Keyontae Woodson, a 6-foot-3 senior forward (11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds per outing). That is as strong of a “Fab Four” as there is in the 1A South and this quartet has logged a lot of varsity minutes. The fifth starter will be a key for Egyptian as there are several players back that could end up in a platoon situation. Six-foot-two sophomore guard Justin Prewitt only played half of the season in 2010-11 because of an injury at the mid-season point. Others in the mix include one senior, 5-foot-10 guard Steven Salzman who played a lot off the bench as a junior. The three kids Coach Mandrell mentioned next are junior varsity players from last season that could move up to more important minutes. Six-foot junior Reggie Davis, 5-foot-10 junior Alex Santamaria and 6-foot-1 Brandon Woodson should all get a chance in practice to show that they belong in varsity situations. “We have four returning starters from last season and if we can stay healthy and have some younger players contribute we could have another successful season,” said Coach Mandrell, who has a 78-58 mark in his run at Egyptian. “The players had a good summer and put themselves in a position to have a good season.” OUTLOOK – This could end up being the best team ever produced at this school. With four starters back from that 22-7 regional team, there can be no excuses. Grasping the urgency of the situation is the key element of any team heading into a season with high expectations. Look for these seniors to understand what is at stake. If the Goreville Regional had been seeded a couple of weeks later, that Egyptian/Meridian game would have probably been for the regional title. Coach Mandrell will know exactly what they have and what they have to improve upon just two weeks into the season. They will line up in two consecutive tournaments (eight games) right off the bat. The Christopher Thanksgiving event will likely end up with themselves and Sesser-Valier in the title game. They will face some larger 2A schools that will test them at the Trico Pioneer Invitational. They have every bit as much quickness as those Bobcats listed above but are a bit smaller. ABV rates them just slightly below Meridian but a victory by the Pharaohs in that December matchup wouldn't be a huge surprise. These two might be the two best 1A teams in the South. Did ABV mention December 9th? Be there or be square.

3. JOPPA The Rangers had an “up-and-down” season in 2010-11. They won a few games but they didn't play as well at times as perhaps they should have. ABV won't go as far as saying underachiever but these Rangers probably had higher expectations than a 7-19 overall mark. Head coach Treber Hill is back for second season as the head coach and his first order of business is replacing some missing seniors from last year. Four senior starters are gone, Dakota Parker (15.1 p.p.g., 11.2 r.p.g.) Jake Wolfe (13.9 p.p.g., 4.9 r.p.g., 1.3 a.p.g.) Carson Godfrey( 7.9 p.p.g., 1.3 a.p.g.) Kasey Garris ( 4.1 p.p.g., 6.6 r.p.g.). That is a lot of production missing. Also among those missing is Travis Beck, a starting guard from last season, who transferred to Massac County. So it isn't a stretch to say that this coach is starting over. Coach Hill does have one returning starter, 5-foot-11 junior Alex Copley who averaged 9.7 points and three rebounds a contest as a soph. This mentor believes Copley will play the role as team leader this season and since he is the only player back with significant experience he has inherited that spot. Look for a player missing from the squad as a sophomore to be back out for the team as a junior. Five-foot-nine guard Wyatt Aviles should be part of the lineup according to Hill. He played for Coach Hill on the junior varsity in 2009-10. The other two seniors Coach Hill listed are both named “Dalton.” Six-foot-three forward Dalton Godfrey is back for the Rangers while 6-foot-1 guard/forward Dalton Stoner transferred in from Massac County. After those seniors the rest of the team is very young. But due to some circumstances that arose last winter, some of the returning underclassmen have experience coming into this season. “We took our lumps last season but I saw quite a bit of improvement out of this group,” said Coach Hill. “I think that the experience should pay off for them this season.” Six-foot-five sophomore Andy Walquist returns after being one of the kids forced into varsity action last season. Walquist put up modest stats (2.6 points, 2.7 rebounds) but those numbers could go way up. Another sophomore on the starting lineup radar is 5-foot-10 shooting guard Tyler Castleman (1.7 p.p.g.) who Coach Hill called a “gym rat” and who this coach hopes will become a more complete player on both ends of the floor this season. Not many coaches will throw freshman into the starting line up but at Joppa this season that might happen. This coach mentioned 5-foot-10 frosh Marky Marlatt as a potential varsity impact player. “Marky is a pure scorer who can get baskets in a lot of different ways, and he can also handle the ball pretty well,” added Coach Hill. “How he handles the immediate transition from junior high to high school basketball will probably tell the story of his level of success.” Joppa will have another junior in 5-foot-11 Austin Arrison and three other sophomores who will battle for minutes. Six-foot-one forward Trey Sharp, 5-foot-10 Justin Harvill and 5-foot-9 Joey Bennett should all get a look in preseason practice. Two other freshman, 5-foot-10 guard Kamren Blanford and 5-foot-8 guard Blakeley Wright will work toward earning that varsity uniform. “Wyatt Aviles and Dalton Stoner are the two that I'll be looking towards for energy,defense and leadership on the floor. I believe that each of them will make an impact on the offensive end as well. Stoner is a pretty solid rebounder also. To sum it up, I think that if we can get stops defensively and limit turnovers, good things can happen,” finalized Coach Hill. OUTLOOK – Losing the numbers and the experience that this program did last season is a tough situation to deal with. However there is some talent back, albeit inexperienced as a whole. Coach Hill has kept everything in the right perspective and these kids coming back should understand what is expected from them. The Rangers also play in the Crab Orchard Thanksgiving Tournament so they will face the chore of five games in the first week. So this coach will know by December 1 what work has to be done.

4. DONGOLA The Demons have been a doormat in this league for some time and that moniker isn't going to float this season. Coach Russ Marsh has taken control of this struggling program and there is now some optimism in place. Returning players and some added confidence heading into the 2011-12 season has some people taking notice among the coaching fraternity in the SEC. Coach Marsh has nearly everyone back from last season's 5-19 team (2-5 SEC) and his club should win several more games this winter. Four of the top five scorers are back for the Demons who were eliminated on the opening night of the regional by host Goreville. The top score back is senior Jordan Eads, a 6-foot-1 guard, who notched 16.8 points a game for the Demons as a junior starter. Junior center Tyler Eddleman, who at 6-foot-5, is the tallest of the Dongola players averaged 10.8 points per try. Six-foot-one junior guard Tyler Thompson is also back for Coach Marsh to work with after scoring seven points a night. Clay Harris, a 6-foot-2 junior guard added 5.3 p.p.g. as a sophomore. Those four should all improve after a quality summer, according to Marsh. There is more talent available for this coach to work with this season. Six-foot-three senior forward Austin Hinkle, who didn't play last season, is back for the Demons. Another new face in uniform this season is Sheldon Thomas, a 6-foot-2 junior. Coach Marsh also mention a pair of freshman who could help out the cause; 6-foot-2 Uriah Holmes and 6-foot-2 Tim Kissiar. Both could help out the depth, especially the first week of the year when the Demons play five games at the Crab Orchard Thanksgiving Tournament. “Our team will be fast and will rebound well,” said second year head coach Russ Marsh. “Having three seniors back who scored a lot of points for us last season is a plus. Tyler Eddleman scored 258 points last season as a sophomore and I look for him to have an even better junior season.” OUTLOOK - The Demons won four of their last seven games before Goreville eliminated them from the regional last February. They have the right components returning for a successful season. They will be part of a five-team logjam behind Meridian and Egyptian in the race for third place in the SEC. Coach Marsh has gotten things going a bit better at this school and hopefully things will continue to improve for this program. If they could somehow reach double-figures in wins, that would be some great news for the folks in the stands wearing Red and Black.

5. CENTURY Not to be left out, the Centurions also introduce a new coach to the league that is a familiar face to fans of the South Egyptian Conference. Travis Foster is the new mentor for this team as Tyson Bormann stepped down as coach at the end of last season. Foster spent time as the girl's basketball coach at Cobden and was an assistant for Josh Franklin for the boy's at the same school. Foster brings to the table a 40-18 overall record in two seasons coaching the Cobden girl's team. In his first season there in 2009-10 his Lady Appleknockers made it to the 1A Salem Supersectional where they fell to Cowden-Herrick. That team finished 26-6. Last season his club ended up 16-12. He inherits a program that despite having some athletic talent didn't fair well last winter. The Centurions were just 4-23 in 2010-11 and were 2-5 in the SEC. Century lost three seniors, with one starter Josh Wright being the most missed after averaging 11 points a game last winter. Ryan Wilson (5.5 p.p.g.) is also gone, leaving a lot of job openings for prospective applicants this season for Coach Foster. The top one on the stat sheet from a year ago that returns is 6-foot-5 senior Chance Butler, who was the leading rebounder for the Centurions while leading the club with 11.5 points per Century contest. Javel Scott is a 5-foot-11 senior guard shooter and quick. Six-foot-one senior Anthony Kimmins did not play last is one that will start. He is very athletic and strong and Coach Foster is looking for him to contribute immediately. Devarae Edmonds is a 6-foot-2 freshman who will probably jump in right away. One junior for the team stood out last season was Cordon Height, a 6-foot guard, who is considered the best shooter of the group and having him back in uniform is very important to Coach Foster's game plan. He was a starter after Christmas for Coach Bormann. Two other seniors could see minutes this season if they make the preseason Foster grade. Six-foot-four forward Jaron Brust played sparingly last winter as did 5-foot-11 Joseph Everett. Both will be in the hunt for PT off the pine. There appears to be three sophomores who showed enough last season to gain another look this season. Six-foot-five forward Devontay Pullett, who didn't play until his eighth grade year, could help out off the bench. Five-foot-eleven Zach Sauerbrunn and 5-foot-10 Aaron Jones both played some last season as freshman. Coach Foster believes that 5-foot-8 freshman Caden Height will play some this season. According to Foster, Height is “extremely smart and makes good decisions.” “I know it is my first year but the first two weeks have been great in practice,” said Coach Foster. “The kids are getting better every day and are doing a good job learning my system. I'm looking forward to a good year.” OUTLOOK – This team was deficient in many different categories last season but the biggest two were simple. They didn't score enough points (41 p.p.g.) and they the gave up too many points (58 p.p.g.) to have much of a chance against good teams that could defend and rebounds. These two categories much be improved on if the Centurions are going to get back to winning basketball. Coach Foster knows how it is done. However it may take some time to see some progress.

6. COBDEN The Appleknockers have the biggest graduation loss of the whole league heading into 2011-12 as Rob Lehr, a second-team ABV 1A Deep South selection has left the program after a 12-14 overall record from a season ago and a 4-3 SEC mark. Lehr, Bo Gearhart and Travis Moore all graduated from the team that dropped out of the state tournament after losing to Cairo at the Goreville 1A Regional. Coach Rhett Barke has a lot of kids out for the team this year with many of them having varsity time served. Which ones start is up to Coach Barke and he has several players back that showed up in the scoring stats from last season. Five-foot-eleven junior JC Chapman is the top scorer numerically from last season as he added 6.1 points a game to the total. Tyler Lewey is a 6-foot-2 sophomore (four p.p.g.) who will likely start as will 6-foot Austin Flamm (2.8 p.p.g.) and 5-foot-11 soph Zach Moore (1.8 p.p.g.). Senior guard RJ Mills is part of the discussion for assignments and this 5-foot-11 backcourt player added 1.7 points a night last winter. Josh Aspen, a 6-foot-2 junior, also added something to the tip jar last season with 2.2 points a night. Look for 6-foot junior Nathan Sweitzer to also be in the chase for minutes. “Maturity will be the key to our success,” said Coach Barke. OUTLOOK – The Appleknockers return a bunch of kids who got to watch Rob Lehr score a lot of points last season. It is time for these kids to do some scoring on their own. Cobden could have a good season if all of these kids can work well together and overcome the inexperience that they have.

7. SHAWNEE Something has happened this season in southern Illinois that has set a precedent in boy's high school hoops. If some high school basketball junkie years from now asks you the question “who was the first female head coach for a varsity boy's team in southern Illinois?” and you remember this article, you can give the correct answer without having to phone a friend. LaDonna Bachmann takes the reigns of the Shawnee Redskins becoming the first female boy's varsity head basketball coach in this area. She has a nice resume of coaching at all levels of play including coaching basketball, baseball, softball and even football. She is a graduate of Murphysboro High School and has a bachelor's degree from SIU-Carbondale. Bachmann lettered in basketball, softball and track at Murphysboro in all four prep years. That in of itself is quite an accomplishment. She takes over for Tim Ellis this season after the Redskins were just 3-19 in 2010-11 and lost their regional game to Meridian by an outlandish 88-31 score. Only one senior for that team has left, meaning that the ones returning all have varying levels of experience. Three of the kids are seniors. Six-foot-two Andrew Livesay is a two-year starter who will now see his fourth coach in his four years in the school. Gary Pind and Gage Shelton are also seniors who part of the that team from a year ago that look to improve. Both are in the 5-foot-7 range in height. Coach Bachmann mentioned two juniors as being part of the formula, 5-foot-10 Brandon Pind and5-foot-10 Gavyn Ellet. She also is counting on a pair of sophomores; 6-foot-3 Austin Treece and 5-foot-9 Aiden McMahan. Those kids are a start of what could turn out to be a good year. Coach Bachmann was passed over for this job last season and it was clear that the kids in this program wanted her to apply again. This time the school board hired her and the work has begun to rebuild this program that hasn't posted a winning season in many years and hasn't won a regional title since the Redskins grabbed back-to-back championships in 1999 and 2000. “We're looking for returning guard Aiden McMahan to be an outside threat for us this season while Andrew Livesay and Austin Treece will give us some inside offense,” said Coach Bachmann. OUTLOOK – ABV has always said it is much better to have a head coach at your school that actually teaches at the school and interacts with the kids on a daily basis. It is better for the coach, the kids and the school as a whole. Coach Bachmann knows all of these kids as she is a P.E. Instructor at the school and has coached girl's basketball there as well. This will be a good experience for the players this year. ABV projects a few additional wins for this program and a much better attitude all around.