Poised For Return To Prominence On Court
Driving The Lane: Miami Dade College women’s basketball player Kanisha Clark drives to the rim against students from Coach Susan Summons basketball class. The Lady Sharks open the regular season Nov.1 against Daytona State College at Kendall Campus.
After posting a 12-14 record last year, Miami Dade College men’s basketball coach Matt Eisele is confident his team is poised for a turnaround.
“We’ve got a great incoming pool of talent that is going to be very good,” Eisele said.
The Sharks will get a chance to prove how they’ve improved on Nov. 3, when they kick off their 2010 season against IMG Academy at Kendall Campus.
During the season, the team will be counting on leadership from their only returning players, guard Zachary Lamb and center Julien Sargent.
But they will also lean heavily on the depth they accrued through recruiting.
It includes freshmen forward Maurice Kemp, a transfer from Alabama A&M, forward Antonio Hester, a transfer from Indian River State College, forward Kendal Jennings (Madison, Alabama) and center Jorge Charadon (Hialeah Senior High School).
“Our biggest strength is our depth,” Eisele said. “We knew we had to add it; if we can score 100 points, we will.”
They also recruited several guards: Darwin Ellis (Lincoln High School, Brooklyn, N.Y.), Shondel Stewart (John F Kennedy, Paterson, N.J.), Devin Brooks (St. Raymond’s, N.Y.) and Xavier Munford (St. Benedict’s Preparatory school in N.J.).
Sargent a 6-11 center is charged with clogging up the middle for the Sharks.
“I’ve been working on my post moves, getting stronger and conditioning,” said Sargent. “I wasn’t in shape last year, but now things have changed, we are in a great position because everybody is on the same page.”
Eisele is banking on that change.
“I think we can win state this year,” Eisele said.
Juan Gonzalez contributed to this report.
