The cupboard is not bare at Allen Community College for coach Andy Shaw as he goes into his fifth season at the helm of the Red Devil men’s basketball program.
Although the Red Devils lost two-thirds of their starting backcourt as Darnell Jones-Bowie and Jermaine Long completed their eligibility last season and moved on to four-year schools, the returning backcourt should be well-stocked for 2016-17.
The returning piece from last year’s starting backcourt is sophomore DaRon Mims. The 6-4 wing from Oklahoma City will be asked to do even more for the Red Devils this season without Jones-Bowie and Long by his side.
Mims averaged 11.9 points-per-game with a 57 percent field goal percentage. Mims is also a capable 3-point shooter, hitting 34 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc as a freshman.
His consistent growth throughout the season has Shaw excited to see what he can accomplish this year.
“He really came on strong at the end of the season,” Shaw said. “He is going to be looked to as a leader for us.”
Joining Mims at the wing spot will be sophomore Jah-Kobe Womack. The St. Louis product averaged 7.6 points per game, but struggled with his consistency and saw his minutes fluctuate throughout the season because of that.
“He had a solid freshman year and we are looking for him to make a leap in his sophomore year and become more of a leader for us as well.”
Sharpshooter Quentin Blaue from Ottawa also returns for his sophomore year. He averaged 6.9 points per game and made 35 percent of his shots from 3-point distance.
“He really came on strong towards the end of the season,” Shaw said. “In our post-season work, he was really playing with confidence and shooting the ball well.”
In the front court, the Red Devils will have to replace the production of big man Jameel Henson. Henson was a difference-maker on both ends of the court with his elite athleticism for his size.
One of the players Shaw will be counting on to fill Henson’s shoes in the post will be sophomore Ithello Cross.
Cross averaged just 4.2 points per game, but did a lot of the dirty work for the Red Devils in the paint and averaged 5.5 rebounds per game.
Allen hopes that the new recruiting class Shaw is bringing in can supplement the core they have returning.
Lead Guards
