READY TO SHINE
Some players yearn for the big stage to make a splash. Meet all eight who will carry their respective teams—and the inaugural Charleston Classic
By Michael Freer
The theme for the inaugural Charleston Classic is “new”: New tournament, new arena, new names. Some of the players in this tournament may not ring familiar to fans across the country, but they are players who will no doubt be major contributors, not only to their teams, but within their respective conferences as well.
| Dionte Christmas | 6’5”, 205 | senior, guard/forward |
| School: TEMPLE |
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Claim to Fame: Led the A-10 in scoring for a second straight season (19.7 ppg). Earned First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors last season and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship. Was also second on the team in rebounds, assists and steals.
Outlook: Christmas has a chance to become the first player in A-10 history to lead the conference in scoring for three seasons. He will no doubt be the preseason pick for the conference player of the year. He had just three points in the loss to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, so he’ll be looking to bounce back and start strong in 2008-09.
>>Read Dionte Christmas' profile
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| Charles Jenkins | 6’3”, 220 | sophomore, guard |
| School: HOFSTRA |
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Claim to Fame: Was last season’s Rookie of the Year in the Colonial Athletic Association. Second on the team in scoring at 15 ppg, fifth-best in the CAA among returning scorers. Scored in double figures in 27 of 29 games last season.
Outlook: With the CAA’s leading scorer (Antoine Agudio) gone, Hofstra will look to Jenkins to add even more scoring. Fans should see more of Jenkins’ all-around game. Last season he was the only player in the CAA to rank in the top 10 in scoring and the top five in steals.
>>Read Charles Jenkins' profile
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| Jermaine Johnson | 6’7”, 250 | senior, forward |
| School: COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON |
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Claim to Fame: Earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors last season, leading the team in rebounding (8.5 rpg). In 2007-08, Johnson was one of just two players in the conference to average at least 10 ppg, 8 rpg while shooting 50 percent from the field (UNC-Greensboro’s Kevin Hines was the other).
Outlook: The Southern Conference Freshman of the Year in 2006, Johnson is one of the top returning players in the conference. He is the Southern Conference’s top returning rebounder, and he needs 53 points to reach 1,000 for his career (something that he’ll look to do in front of his home crowd).
>>Read Jermaine Johnson's profile
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| David Kool | 6’3”, 200 | junior, guard |
| School: WESTERN MICHIGAN |
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Claim to Fame: Earned First-Team All-MAC honors last season. His 16.3 ppg led the team and was good for fourth in the MAC. Upped the stakes in conference-only games, averaging almost 18 ppg, while shooting 85.5 percent from the free-throw line (third in the conference) and connecting on 71 three-point field goals.
Outlook: The MAC Freshman of the Year in 2006, Kool scored more points (523) than any returning player in the conference last season. In fact, among those who will be playing in the Charleston Classic, only Temple’s Dionte Christmas scored more points last season. And, if the game is close late, the ball will be in his hands. In his career, Kool has made 61 of 69 free-throw attempts in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime (91.3 percent).
>>Read David Kool's profile
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| Kevin Langford | 6’8”, 245 | senior, forward |
| School: TCU |
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Claim to Fame: Led the team in scoring last season (13.3 ppg) and added 5.3 rpg for the Horned Frogs. Earned Third-Team All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2007-08.
Outlook: New TCU coach Jim Christian will have eight newcomers on the roster this season, so last year’s leading scorer will be a source of stability for the Horned Frogs. Langford is one of five returning players in the MWC to average at least 13 ppg and 5 rpg last season.
>>Read Kevin Langford's profile
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| Courtney Pigram | 6’0”, 185 | senior, guard |
| School: EAST TENNESSEE STATE |
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Claim to Fame: A First-Team All-Atlantic Sun selection last season, Pigram led the Buccaneers in scoring (15.8), assists (3.4) and steals (1.4).
Outlook: Arguably the best player in the Atlantic Sun, Pigram is yet another big-time scorer for this tournament. With 1,445 career points, he needs 555 more to become the second player in the history of the conference to reach 2,000 points (joining Centenary’s Willie Jackson). Proving he’s not just a scorer, Pigram tied the conference single-game record for assists, with 18 against Mercer last February.
>>Read Courtney Pigram's profile
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| Keith Rivers | 6’5”, 215 | senior, guard/forward |
| School: CLEMSON |
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Claim to Fame: Led the team last season and was 11th in the ACC in scoring (14.7 ppg). Was Second-Team All-ACC and is one of the top defenders on the team, leading the Tigers in charges taken last season (9).
Outlook: A prolific scorer, Rivers leads all returning ACC players in career three-point field goals (212), and if he matches his points total of his junior season he will finish his Clemson career as a top-five career scorer. The Tigers responded well to Rivers’ scoring ability, going 10-4 last season when he was the team’s leading scorer.
>>Read Keith Rivers' profile
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| Mark Yelovich | 6’5”, 200 | freshman, guard/forward |
| School: SIU EDWARDSVILLE |
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Claim to Fame: Averaged 22 ppg and 10 rpg for Mount Zion High School (Ill.) last season. Also hit 86 percent of his free-throw attempts.
Outlook: The Cougars are heading into their first season at the Division I level, and they are minus their top four scorers from the previous season. Yelovich could find himself handling a lot of the scoring duties early for the Cougars, who will be competing in the Ohio Valley Conference.
>>SIU Edwardsville 2008-2009 roster
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Michael Freer is a writer/researcher for ESPNU and ESPNPlus.
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Photos Courtesy AP
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