Jackson State Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

The Tigers enter the season without two All-SWAC first-team selections from a year ago, yet no one around the Jackson State program is feeling self-pity.

That’s because JSU is still stocked, with three starters and 10 overall lettermen returning for the 2009-10 campaign.

Darrion Griffin and Jeremy Caldwell will certainly be missed, but the Tigers will go on, at a faster pace than in previous seasons, according to coach Tevester Anderson.

He needs players that can run and get up and down the floor quickly, and he’ll likely use a number of bench players to keep everyone fresh. But Grant Maxey will find the floor more than most of his teammates.

Maxey led the Tigers in scoring a year ago with a 16.4-ppg average. He’ll team with Garrison Johnson (10.7 ppg) to give JSU a solid one-two scoring duo.

Also returning is sophomore Rod Melvin, who was the league’s top freshman in 2008-09.

Anderson’s plan to push the tempo coincides with the fact his team has plenty of depth and experience. Now they’re just going to try to use that to earn a crown.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Jackson State was the No. 2 offense in the SWAC by a narrow margin. The Tigers averaged 69.9 points per game to first-place Prairie View A&M’s 70.2, with the actual difference being just 11 points between the two clubs.

• F Grant Maxey is the top returning scorer in the SWAC this season after ranking second in the league with 16.4 points per game a year ago.

• G Rod Melvin had the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the SWAC as a freshman with a ratio of 1.6-to-1.

Last Year:   18-15 overall, 15-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Head Coach:   Tevester Anderson (career 198-152); 7th year at Jackson State (95-100).

Quote To Note:   “We are excited about this season. We are going to play a more up-tempo style, we have good upperclassmen coming back and some good new players who we expect to help us out a lot.”—Coach Tevester Anderson.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   The Tigers added some major beef in the off-season with the signings of junior college transfer Gertavin Blake and true freshman Ramond Gregory. Both players are 6-10, 260 pounds and will provide some size for coach Tevester Anderson.

Both can concentrate on getting to the boards and playing intimidating defense while they develop their offensive games. The backcourt gets a boost with 6-4 Jazmonn Major and 6-1 Christian Williams added to an already abundant guard rotation.

Key Early-season Games:   The Tigers get only two home games prior to Dec. 30, with Stephen F. Austin and Southeastern Louisiana coming to town Dec. 2 and Dec. 5, respectively. The Stephen F. Austin game will be the second of a home-and-home, so JSU should have learned from the first game if it’s a loss. Road contests with Baylor, Tulane and Nebraska are among the tests for JSU in December.

Program Direction:   Coach Tevester Anderson certainly has JSU in a prime position to be a contender in the SWAC for a few years. If he can continue to bring in solid recruiting classes, the Tigers should be one of the top programs in the league.

Now it’s a question of becoming competitive against some of the bigger teams JSU faces in the non-conference schedule.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Rod Melvin, G Garrison Johnson, G De’Suan Dixon, F Grant Maxey, C Gertavin Blake.

Roster Report:  

• Jackson State associate head coach Eric Strothers was named as one of the best mid-major assistant coaches in Division I by CollegeInsider.com during the off-season. Strothers was an honorable mention selection after more than 15 years at JSU.

• The big men for the Tigers need to be ready to score off the double teams Grant Maxey likely will draw. If Maxey is able to find someone when trying to pass out of the double teams, it’ll force the defenses to try to go 1-on-1 with Maxey more often.

• G Rod Melvin should be even better as a sophomore, although his numbers may not show it. Teams are going to be ready for Melvin, who may have surprised some opponents as a freshman.