INSIDE MOREHOUSE, FEBRUARY 2015
Morehouse Hoops
Talented, But Young, Basketball Maroon Tigers Among the Best
BY ADD SEYMOUR JR.
GOING INTO THIS BASKETBALL SEA
SON, head coach Grady Brewer '80
knew he had a talented team, albeit a
young one.
So far, they’ve lived up to both
assessments.
The Maroon Tigers are among
the top teams in the Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
this season, going 9-2 in January, and
knocking off first-place Paine College
along with most of the contenders in
the SIAC Western Division. They sport
the league’s top defensive team and
one of the best rebounding.
The only stumbling block has
been losses to teams such as Fort
Valley State, an Eastern Division cellar
dweller, and bad losses at home to
Benedict, Stillman and Claflin.
Brewer points to things that he
says young teams often have prob
lems with.
“Three things down the stretch that
we’ve been concentrating on,” Brewer
said. “I’m looking for us to be a better
free-throw-shooting team, not missing
layups and taking care of the basketball.
“But so far, I’m pretty happy,” he
said. “Like anything, it takes time for them
to gel with one another and I think we’re
getting there. It’s still not there, because
of the inconsistency. But I think this team
has a very good future ahead if they stick
together, learn how to share the ball and
commit to picking up the pennies."
Picking up the pennies is one of
the mantras that Brewer repeats often at
Forbes Arena. It means taking care of the
little things, he said, which allows them to
take care of monies - such as layups.
His team leans heavily on
dynamic freshman guard Tyrius
Walker II, a business administration
major from Atlanta, who leads the
team in scoring with 13 points a
game. Inside Tyrone Brown, a 6’
9” junior center from Millen, Ga., is
among the SIAC’s leaders in rebound
ing, averaging eight per game.
Another integral part of the Maroon
Tigers success this season hasn’t set foot
on the playing floor, Brewer said. Bigger
and louder crowds at Forbes Arena have
allowed Morehouse to be third best in
attendance in the SIAC Ibis season. It’s
also given the Maroon Tigers a strong
home-court advantage.
“The crowd has been tremendous
this year,” he said. “Our kids have really
appreciated it. I asked earlier that every
one create the sixth man, and I’d like to
say “thank you’ to everybody this year for
coming out We just want to continue to
build on that” ■
FOOTBALL
Twenty-Two Sign to Play Football on National Signing Day
Pattillo Inducted Into Decatur High School Wall of Fame
Athletic Director Andre Pattillo 79
was inducted into the Decatur High
School (Ga.) Wall of Fame on Jan.
16. Pattillo, a multi-sport star ath
lete at Decatur High, was honored
for his athletics accomplishments
as a football and baseball player
at Morehouse, his 20-year career
as a college basketball official and
his years of service as director of
Admissions (1996 to 2000) and
athletic director (2000 to present)
at Morehouse.
BASEBALL
Coach Mitchell Excited About 2015 Maroon Tigers Team
WITH A FOCUS on getting larger on the
offensive and defensive lines, and add
ing depth to the quarterback position,
Morehouse football coaches signed 22 players
on National Signing Day in February.
“I would have to say by far this is the
top class that I’ve been involved with since
coming to Morehouse,” head coach Rich
Freeman said. He credited the support
from President John Silvanus Wilson Jr.
’79, who said he committed coaches to
finding some talented football players.
“We weren’t very big or able to run
the football when we needed to on like
third and short or first and 10. Those
are downs that pretty much can help or
hurt the tempo, pace and continuity of
an offense. So we got bigger as a football
team, and I’m very happy with that.”
Coaches also signed two quarter
backs, Keilan Knight from Birmingham,
Ala., and Taylor Brown from Austin,
Texas. Knight is a threat both running
and throwing the football, while Brown
was a sought-after recruit.
The Maroon Tigers picked up 10 com
mitments from the state of Alabama, part of
Freeman’s strategy to renew ties in that state.
“Back when we started the program in
2007, we got a huge tlirust from the state of
Alabama just with connections that I had and
defensive coordinator George Copeland has
as former coaches at Alabama State,” Freeman
said. “We kind of got away from that and
kind of focused on Atlanta and Georgia. But I
wanted to get back to Alabama, so with the 10
signees, I think we have reopened some doors
for us that will be beneficiaL
“Overall, I think we were able to
accomplish pretty much everytfiing that we
set out to,” Freeman said. “This is the first
time since I’ve been here that we are basi
cally done with recruiting at this point. I’m
very excited and looking forward to getting
them into fall camp.” ■
-AS
MOREHOUSE BASEBALL coach Robert
Mitchell couldn’t wait for the 2015 sea
son to get started.
Since going a competitive 9-28 last
season with a strong, young nucleus, and
after adding some talented new players, the
Maroon Tigers have been eager to start the
2015 baseball season.
“This team has a lot of potential,”
Mitchell said. “We’re still dealing with some
of the things that we’ve dealt with in the past
-a little immaturity. But other tlian that,
this team has more potential than any team
we’ve had for the last four years.”
One of the biggest problems for the
Maroon Tigers last season was a lack of
pitdiing depth. They’ve added three new
pitchers in Darron Bowling, Cole Gibson
and Anthony Dodd.
“All three of them are throwing the ball
quite well right now,” Mitchell said. “If they
can continue to throw the ball they way they
are throwing it, well reap the dividends when
we get to conference play.”
Mitchell also pointed to two outfield
newcomers, Jared Manner and Justin Stephens.
Manner is flitting over .600 this season while
Stephens has been solid at the plate in the field
They join returning sophomore stal
warts in catcher Zachary Lowe and 2014
All-SLAC outfielder Caleb Pyscher to form
a solid young nucleus, while Ryan Christian
rounds out a solid outfield
“We are playing better,” Mitchell said
“Our eariy record doesn’t really indicate it, but
we’re doing things that we fed will pay divi
dends when we get into conference play.”
For more information about the
Morehouse baseball team, go to http://athletics.
morehouse.edu/indexaspx?path=basebalL
-AS
HERE ARE THE 2015 MOREHOUSE FOOTBALL SIGNEES:
0G Leonard Williams, 6’ 3”, 280 pounds, Americus High School, Americus, Ga.
0G Henry White, 6' 4”, 335 pounds, South Cobb High School, Marietta, Ga.
0G Trey Wilson, 6’ 4”, 325, Brookwood High School, Lawrenceville, Ga.
0G J.J. Cyriaquie, 6' 2”, 277 pounds, Charles E. Jordan High School, Durham, N.C.
DE Antonio Johnson, 6’ 3", 220, Centerpoint High School, Birmingham, Ala.
QB Keilan Knight, 6' 2”, 205, Centerpoint High School, Birmingham, Ala.
DB Elijah Brown, 6' 3", 200, Wheeler High School, Marietta, Ga.
DB Dorion Bush, 6' 2”, 185, Ramsey High School, Pinson, Ala.
LB Carzell Thomspon, 6’ 0”, 220, Jackson-Olin High School, Birmingham, Ala.
WR Sherman Starks, 5” 10”, 175, Centerpoint High School, Birmingham, Ala.
WR Amyr Smith, 5' 8”, 160 pounds, Grady High School, Atlanta, Ga.
DE Tim Foster, 6’ 2" 240 pounds, Pleasant Grove High School, Pleasant Grove, Ala.
LB Ty Ware, 6' 0”, 209 pounds, Pleasant Grove High School, Pleasant Grove, Ala.
QB Taylor Brown, 6’ 2”, 220 pounds, Stephens Episcopal High School, Austin, Tx.
TE J. Elijah Toney, 6’ 3”, 225 pounds, Heard County High School, Franklin, Ga,
WR Trevor Gichaba, 5' 8”, 170 pounds, Cox Mill High School, Concord, N.C.
OT Tyler Kendall, 6' 3”, 280 pounds, South Cobb High School, Marietta, Ga.
0T Joseph Samuel, 6’ 5” 305 pounds, Fairfield High School, Fairfield, Ala.
RB Bricen Terry, 5’ 9”, 190 pounds, Creekside High School, Atlanta, Ga.
0L Jordan Harris, 6’ 6”, 330 pounds, Alabama State University
DL Jordan Sidney, 6’ 2”, 285, Tennessee State University
DL Brandon Ketchup, 6’ 4”, 300 pounds, Paine College
