Men’s basketball begins season Saturday
WEST POINT, Ga. (Oct. 21, 2021) – After having one of the best seasons in program history last year, the Point University men's basketball team will look to experience similar success in the 2021-22 campaign set to begin Saturday.
The Skyhawks open the season Saturday inside West Point Park Gymnasium, facing the University of Mobile at 3 p.m. This will be the first home basketball game that fans will be allowed to attend since February of 2020.
Head Coach Jake Deer, the reigning Appalachian Athletic Conference coach of the year, leads Point in his third season and is excited for the journey ahead.
"I'm really excited and proud of all the players that have bought into the vision and have worked tremendously hard to turn the tide of our culture," Deer said. "This year presents another opportunity to take a step forward to moving our program forward."
Preseason preparation
The Skyhawks have been busy during the offseason and preseason, both on and off the court. The Skyhawks participated in several community service events and participated in the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association as an on-court demonstration team.
With a return to a more "normal" preseason schedule, Deer says there has been more consistency for the team during the preseason, benefiting both from a physical aspect and team connectivity.
"We will benefit from having a full offseason as well as a full preseason in order to strength train, focus on agility, speed, and control," Deer said. "We've put more of an emphasis on developing relationships within the team through our discipleship group, community service, and team-building experiences."
On the roster this season
Point returns all five starters from last season and has added several newcomers who Deer expects to make an immediate impact. Three of the Skyhawks' returners from last season include seniors Corey Bowen and Lorenzo Freeman, who were named to the All-AAC first team and Ray Reeves who was named to the All-AAC second team.
Bowen led the conference last season in field-goal percentage, shooting a .700. Bowen finished the regular season averaging 16.3 points per game and scored 390 points. Freeman was ranked No. 5 in the AAC, averaging 20.38 points per game. Freeman scored 489 points during the regular season. Reeves was the third-highest scorer on the team behind Bowen and Freeman, averaging 10.6 points per game. Reeves averaged the most minutes at 34.8 and was No. 5 in the AAC in 3-point field goal percentage at .423 and in 3-pointers made with 58.
Junior R.J. Selman (8.9 points/game), junior Gentrell Taylor (8.8 points/game), and junior Jake Smith (7.4 points/game) return as the next three Skyhawks in last year's scoring column. Smith also led the team in assists with 109.
"I like our talent, our size, and our athleticism, but it's not a track meet; it's a basketball game. Therefore, our skill level and our ability to execute game plans will be critical for us," Deer said.
Deer said Javier Turner, a forward sophomore transfer from the University of Wyoming, and Jack Gray, a grad transfer from Brewton Parker College, are expected to make an immediate impact and add veteran depth to the team.
A look at last season
The men's team finished the season 18-7 and earned a spot in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2012. The Skyhawks set a new school record for longest winning streak with 10 games as the Skyhawks were undefeated for the entire month of December.
Despite having the best record in the conference entering postseason play, the Point men's basketball team entered the AAC tournament as the No. 2 seed with a conference record of 14-6.
In the final regular-season NAIA conference rating, the Skyhawks were ranked the No. 1 team in the conference, but a regular-season champion was not declared for the 2020-21 season due to teams playing an unbalanced schedule.
Point's season ended in the quarterfinal round of the AAC tournament, as the Skyhawks fell to Union 85-71.
On the schedule this season
Point opens the season with four nonconference opponents before turning its attention to AAC play, hosting St. Andrews University on Saturday, Nov. 6. With the addition of AAC newcomer Johnson, Point will play 24 league games. In addition to the four nonconference games to open the season, the Skyhawks have three additional nonconference matchups during the season, with one matchup being an Exhibition contest at NCAA Division I Stetson University on Dec. 30.
"Every game is important for us as we try to get one percent better each game," Deer said. "We will take it a game at a time. Every game is a competitive game on our schedule, and we must respect our opponent by the way we prepare."
The Skyhawks have a total of 16 home games that will be played inside West Point Park Gymnasium, with seven games during the fall semester and nine in the spring term.
The final game of the regular season will be at home on Saturday, Feb. 19, against Tennessee Wesleyan. The AAC tournament will follow Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 23-26, at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Attendance and streaming
Fan attendance for indoor events at West Point Park Gymnasium is permitted. Fans must follow Point guidelines regarding wearing masks and social distancing, which will be updated periodically throughout the season based on the number of case counts in the community and on campus. All games will be streamed live, and live stats will be available.