Men's Basketball Ranked 19 in Nation

For the first time in many seasons, the Shawnee Community College Saints will enter the season nationally ranked. "Being ranked 19th in the country carries some responsibility with it. We need to prove that we are one of the better programs in the country, year-in and year-out," Head Coach John Sparks said. Sparks has three starters returning from last season's team that advanced to the Region 24 Finals. Once again Coach Sparks and the Saints improved their record, winning four more games than the previous season. This was also the first winning season since 1990 and Coach Sparks and his Saints expect to improve on last year's record.

The Saints lost two sophomores from last year's team. Kente' Hart (Carson Newman University) and Ronland Ranson (Southern Illinois University Carbondale). Coach Sparks embarks on a new season without last season's dynamic duo. Hart lead the Saints in scoring and assists while Ranson led the team in rebounds and was generally an unmovable object in the paint. With that said, Sparks looks to his sophomore class to lead them back to the Regional Finals.

Edwin Torres (6.6ppg, and 2.5apg.), who finished second in Region 24 in steals (2.1spg), will arguably be the top point guard in the conference and in Region 24. Martavious Williams started 28 games (8.1ppg. and 3.5 rpg) for the Saints and is one of the top guard/forwards in the league. These two guys will be key in the Saints reaching their lofty goals. Torres and Williams look to lead the Saints statistically while Marlon Robinson & Joktan Roberts look to form one of the most formidable front courts in the region. JR Nicholson, a crowd favorite, gave the Saints great minutes off the bench last year. Brandon Bundren also returns after a red-shirt year and looks to contribute in the backcourt.

The 2005-06 Saints team will have similar feel, but expect them to be more athletic. "We have assembled a group of student-athletes that I enjoy coaching, they are very athletic and very competitive," Coach Sparks said. The 2005-06 schedule will be challenging as the Saints enter into the Midwest Athletic Conference facing several teams that will be nationally ranked. Coach Sparks needs the freshmen to contribute immediately by playing Saints basketball. That means playing hard and playing an exciting brand of basketball, especially on the defensive end. The Saints will play their first game at home against Florissant Valley at 3 p.m. this Saturday.

The complete schedule for the Saints can be found here.