BOILING SPRINGS --- Gardner-Webb enjoyed a tremendous start to the Tim Craft era in 2013-2014, posting 18 wins amid a strong late-season run into the quarterfinal round of the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Basketball Tournament.
The Runnin' Bulldogs, projected to finish seventh in the 11-team race for the 2015 Big South Regular Season Championship by the league's head coaches and media pool, finished in a three-way tie for second in the South Division last season - just two games out of first in the league's overall standings.
Riding a strong late-season run, which included a four-point win over regular season champion High Point in Paul Porter Arena, the Runnin' Bulldogs also played in the longest game in NCAA Division I last season, falling to VMI in an epic four-overtime thriller, 108-104, on February 5.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (18-15) entered the conference tournament having won five of their last seven, and opened the tournament in style, routing Longwood, 81-65, to cruise into the quarterfinal round. Gardner-Webb's postseason run would end there, as VMI got the best of the Runnin' Bulldogs in an offensive affair, 90-77.
In Craft's second year at the helm, the Runnin' Bulldogs have their sights set on finishing the task which has been just out of reach the past two seasons – winning the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Tournament and punching the program's first-ever ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Two starters return from last season's run, and combined with a roster blessed with both talent and experience, expect to make a strong push toward Gardner-Webb's ultimate goal of bringing a championship home to Paul Porter Arena.
Point Guard
Perhaps no position on the 2014-2015 roster has a more promising blend of talent and experience than point guard. Senior Tyler Strange (5-10, 185, Sr.) returns to the starting role for the fourth straight season as one of the Big South's most steady court generals with 391 assists under his belt in 78 career starts (97 games played overall). The Leominster, Massachusetts product has emerged as one of the top game managers in the nation on the offensive end while developing a reputation as a gritty defensive cornerstone last season.
Strange, who featured in the starting lineup alongside BCS-caliber recruits at national powerhouse Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, has also developed a reliable outside shot over the past two seasons, scoring in double figures 15 times in 2013-2014 while knocking down 64 shots from long range.
Joining Strange at point guard this season is transfer Harold McBride, Jr. (6-0, 175, Jr.), who will play his final two seasons at Gardner-Webb after an outstanding two-year career at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois. McBride played in 62 games for Lake Land, making 58 starts while earning a spot on the NJCAA Division I All-America Team last season after averaging 17.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game.
Incoming freshman David Efianayi (6-2, 170, Fr.) is expected to compete for minutes at both point guard and shooting guard this season following a successful prep career at Oconee High School in Orlando, Florida. Efianayi was rated as the No. 27 prospect in Florida for the 2014 recruiting class by Source Hoops after averaging 15.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during the 2012-2013 season.
Shooting Guard
Senior Jarvis Davis (6-0, 180, RSr.) will be expected to fill the void left by the departed Naji Hibbert, who finished last season second on the team with 11.5 points per game after transferring from Texas A&M. Davis occupied a vital role off the bench for the Runnin' Bulldogs a season ago, averaging 4.2 points per game in 21 games played while averaging just 10.5 minutes per appearance.
The former Hargrave Military (Va.) Academy standout is a dangerous spot-up shooter from outside in addition to being a lethal weapon at the charity stripe, having converted 51-of-56 attempts at the line in his previous two seasons with the Runnin' Bulldogs after transferring from Conference USA member UCF following the 2010-2011 season.
A trio of newcomers will provide a tremendous amount of depth at the position, headlined by McBride and fellow transfer Dylan Poston (6-4, 190, Jr.), who comes to Gardner-Webb as an accomplished all-conference performance and lethal three-point shooter from Daytona State (Fla.) College. The versatile North Myrtle Beach product is expected to compete for minutes at both shooting guard and small forward this season alongside Efianayi. Senior Adam Sweeney (5-10, 180, Sr.) is expected to compete for playing time at the two alongside McBride, Poston and Efianayi.
Small Forward
Lingering in the shadows of Hibbert and wing Donta Harper last season, Isaiah Ivey (6-2, 190, Jr.) is more than ready to step into the spotlight at the small forward position, coming off the bench last season to average 4.7 points in just 15 minutes per game while making 24 appearances. The sharpshooting Scott County (Ky.) High School product possesses outstanding range on his jumper and is eager to fulfill his promise as one of the program's top recruits in 2012.
Competing alongside Ivey for the starting nod at small forward is transfer Adonis Burbage (6-5, 200, Jr.) who sat out last season after transferring from Central Connecticut State prior to the 2013-2014 season. Burbage will pair nicely with Ivey at the three, possessing a longer frame and a more polished interior game following a strong sophomore season at Central Connecticut, where he averaged 10.3 points per game.
Poston will likely see plenty of minutes off the bench this season, possessing a versatile game that can slot in at both the shooting guard and small forward positions in Gardner-Webb's rotation. Freshman Jonovan Watts (Durham, N.C.) is an athletic forward who can play at both small forward and power forward. He is expected to sit out this season.
Power Forward
Returning to anchor the power forward position is junior Jerome Hill (6-5, 2-10, Jr.), who led the Runnin' Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding last season with 14.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The athletic southpaw became the second Gardner-Webb player in as many seasons to earn Big South All-Conference Second Team honors after posting eight double-doubles, including two in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Tournament.
The former Cook County (Ga.) star hit a pair of game-winning shots last season, including a clutch knockdown with less than a minute left at Radford on February 1 as part of a career-high 29-point performance.
Providing depth at the four this season will be Burbage and true sophomore Tyrell Nelson (6-7, 235, So.). Burbage's long, athletic frame will provide Coach Craft and his staff with tremendous flexibility between the three and four, with the ability to compete inside while also possessing outstanding range from the outside.
Nelson quickly became an integral part of the forward rotation last season, making four starts and averaging more than 20 minutes per game at both the four and the five as a true freshman. The former standout at nearby Metrolina Christian Academy averaged 8.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 32 games last season, earning a spot on the Big South Conference All-Freshman Team while reaching double-figures in 14 games.
Center
Nelson will most certainly anchor the center position for the Runnin' Bulldogs this season, coming off an outstanding rookie season in which he tallied two double-doubles and a pair of 20-point efforts. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound sophomore enjoyed a career-best night in the quadruple overtime loss to VMI last season, posting a double-double with 24 points and a Gardner-Webb freshman record 25 rebounds.
Senior Corey Hensley (6-8, 220, Sr.) and transfer Herve Aholode (6-6, 235, Jr.) will combine with promising freshman Brandon Miller (6-6, 250, Fr.) to provide a tremendous amount of depth at the center position this season, with each bringing a unique skill set to the role that is sure to keep opposing bigs off balance throughout the season.
Hensley came off the bench in nine games last season, averaging 4.3 minutes per game in a limited role at the five. Joining Nelson and Hensley in the principle rotation at center is Aholode, who joins the Runnin' Bulldogs following a strong sophomore season at Midland (Texas) Junior College. Originally from Cotonou, Benin in West Africa, Aholode averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game at Midland last season. Aholode played one season at national powerhouse Huntington (W.Va.) Prep alongside this season's top overall pick in the NBA Draft, Andrew Wiggins.
Miller is expected to compete for minutes in the middle, coming to Gardner-Webb from Orlando Christian Prep after helping the team lift another state title last season despite battling a series of injuries. Fellow freshman L'Hassane Niangane (6-10, 240, Fr.) will redshirt this season, joining the Runnin' Bulldogs from a Chalon U21 Club (Chalon, France) that posted a 27-3 record in 2012-2013.
Schedule
Carrying its tradition forward as a Division I competitor, Gardner-Webb won't shy away from taking the floor against some of the top teams in the nation this season – opening at LSU on Saturday, November 15 and traveling to face fellow BCS conference foes Clemson (ACC), Arizona (Pac-12) and Purdue (Big Ten), and could also face Seton Hall (Big East), Nevada (Mountain West) and Weber State (Big Sky) at the 2014 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
Add in regional Division I games against Furman (home), Jacksonville (away) and College of Charleston (away), and the Runnin' Bulldogs will be extremely battle tested before opening Big South Conference play on the road against Presbyterian on New Years Eve.
Gardner-Webb opens the 2014-2015 season on Saturday, November 15 with the first of a two-game road swing at Southeastern Conference power LSU in Baton Rouge, La. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. ET. The Runnin' Bulldogs will finish the road trip on Monday with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.
