Date: 10/19
Position: Point guard
Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Dederick Lee, Sr. (3.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 31.5 FG%, 33.3 3FG%, 60.0 FT%); Herb McGee, So. (3.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 32.2 FG%, 29.4 3FG%, 54.5 FT%)
Letterwinners lost (Key stats): None
Newcomers (Yr., Hometown/Previous school): John Pettway (R-Fr., Safford, Ala./Keith HS)
Miscellaneous Notes
- South Alabama returns both point guards from last season after not having any returning point guards last season
- Pettway redshirted in 2016-17
- Lee had 81 assists last year, the most by a Jaguar newcomer since 2011-12
- Lee and McGee had just 42 and 37 turnovers, respectively, last season
- Ken Williams, who saw action at both shooting guard and point guard last season as a senior, led the team with 106 assists
Matthew Graves
- On how the point guards have performed so far: "I really believe that all three of our point guards have made significant strides since last year. It's good that all three have been in our program – there are no newcomers in the mix even though John sat out last year. All three have done a great job pushing each other and competing for the minutes that are available."
- On having all three point guards back from last year: "They all three have done a great job in helping the other guys understand what we're trying to do. They're being leaders on the court, not only verbally but with their actions. You can really see the growth that all three have made. It's going to make my job a lot tougher in deciding who gets the minutes, but that's a good problem to have. I think you're going to see a better extension of the coaching staff onto the floor as we move throughout the season."
- On what each of them brings to the team: "I think through this point it's been a solid competition. Herb gives us the most versatility with his ability to shoot from the perimeter and defend multiple positions. Dederick gives us the most experience; even though he's only been in our program for a year, he's going into his fifth year of college basketball, so he brings an experienced component to that. John gives us a tremendous addition on the defensive end of the floor with his athleticism and his ability to guard multiple positions. Offensively, it's hard to quantify just how fast he is getting the ball up and down the floor. So you have a nice balance between the three and we have several weeks for the minutes to sort themselves out. They give our coaching staff a lot of options to look at, which is a very good thing."
- On how much Pettway has improved since last year: "From an offensive standpoint, he's dramatically improved from a year ago. His shot looks a lot better, he's much more comfortable shooting the basketball, and he's got to work on it, but you can see the work he has put in in the offseason. His decision making at full speed has really improved. He's fast to begin with, and now he's able to process and make decisions at a much higher success rate than he was a season ago."
Dederick Lee
- On how he would evaluate his junior season: "It was one of the best seasons I've had connecting and having good chemistry with everybody on the team. I could have done better (on the court), but when it came to assists and making my teammates better, I think I did a good job with that. I feel like I could have done better scoring-wise, but all in all, I think I did pretty well."
- On the competition at point guard: "Iron sharpens iron. We're just trying to get each other better. Every time we come into practice, we try to do our best, and if we do that, we'll get each other better."
- On how they get each other better: "By going hard and being physical, playing aggressive and not leaning away because they're your teammate. Being aggressive, but not hurting them."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/priorityfund
—USA—
