East Georgia State College off to a fast start
The East Georgia College men’s basketball team is off to a roaring 4-0 start behind strong all-around play. After defeating Clinton Junior College by a score of 102-74, the Bobcats went to Brewton Parker and defeated the JV by a score of 106-71, followed by two home wins against Middle Georgia Tech (102-66) and Brewton Parker again (94-47).
The Bobcats currently sit at 11th in the country with an average of 101 points per game and their defense has continued to get better every game. A big part of their success has been because they are currently shooting a 49.2 percent from the field and are also eighth in the country with 17.5 steals per game.
As the Bobcats prepare for the conference opener on December 1st, Coach Neil Bailey had this to say about the team, “We have a long way to go before we reach our potential. We’re still working on getting our rotations set with a few games left before conference play. I am hopeful that with continued hard work we can begin execute well on both ends of the court”.
“I’ve been really impressed with the play of Jordan (Johnson) and Trey (Hagood) so far, they’ve been very consistent. Larry Bullock has done a great job on defensively; I really think he will be one of the top perimeter defenders in our conference this year. Brian Pearson, Jalen Watson, and Jon Blair have all played very well for freshman and provided good interior defense and solid post play. Dj (Felder) has yet to find his true rhythm but I have faith he will breakout as a factor in our conference. And Alex Reid has been a huge spark off the bench for us.
“All in all I am please with where we are. I feel like this is the best group we have had here and we hope to continue to make progress each day.”
Johnson, who was one of best players in the conference last year, has continued his stellar play as a sophomore as he’s averaging 21 points per game while also averaging four assists, 1.5 steals, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Johnson is currently 22nd in the country in scoring.
Hagood, a newcomer to the Bobcats, has been exceptional as well, averaging 15 points, seven assists, 7.2 rebounds, and an incredible 6.5 steals per game this season. The steals number has him good for first in the country and he is 16th in the country in assists.
Bullock, one of the leaders of the team, is averaging 10.8 points, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 rebounds per game. Pearson has played well in the post, averaging 5.2 points, six rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 0.8 assists per game. Watson has joined him with five points, 8.5 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game.
Felder is averaging 8.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. Reid is averaging five points, two rebounds, two assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
The Bobcats get a week off for Thanksgiving break, but then return to play Clinton Junior College at home on November 26th and visit Middle Georgia Tech two days later. Then it’s time for conference play to start for a team hoping to make a run.