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Bulldogs ready to tip off 2024-25 season

Bulldogs ready to tip off 2024-25 season

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast tips off the 2024-25 men's basketball Friday, and coach Owen Miller is looking to build on his great debut season that ended one possession short of the national tournament.

The Bulldogs finished 19-10 with a three-point loss to Jones in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament finals.

"Compared to last year, we're bigger," Miller said. "We're physically better, meaning we're more athletic. We're longer and I think we'll have more depth. Obviously, it's very early, but having a calendar year to recruit obviously helps. We're able to go out and get some high school kids, get a transfer, get a couple of out-of-staters."

The Bulldogs play Coastal Alabama-South in the Pensacola State Classic at 5 p.m. on Friday, with a game there against Santa Fe the next day at noon. They'll open their home schedule Wednesday when the Mobile University JV visits Dantzler Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

All-MACCC guard Jabbari Barry (So., Lake Charles La./Barbe) returns. He averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a freshman, shooting 45.6 percent from the 3-point arc and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line. His 3-point shooting percentage was second-best in the conference.

"He poses a lot of problems on the opponents," Miller said. "He can really, really shoot the basketball, and he's able to create space. He's gotten in better shape, and I think you'll see a better defender. I think you will see a guy that's a little more explosive."

Fellow guard Kaue Kalinowski (So., Brazil Curitiba/Divine Savior) is also back. He started 11 times, averaging 7.4 points per game and breaking double-digits 11 times. Five of those games in double figures came in his final seven games.

Larry Lee (So., Utica/Raymond) provides an experienced big body in the lane. He's got a knack for rebounding, and Miller says you'll see a better offensive player this year.

A couple of redshirts will be playing their first college games this season. Avan Wilson (Fr., Bay St. Louis/Bay), already an explosive player, used that year to bulk up. Quinton Greer (Fr., Carthage/Leake Central) may be the Bulldogs' best spot-up shooter.

Mekhi Strong (Fr., Edwards/Raymond) is a newcomer arriving on campus after leading Raymond to the state championship. He's a quick, athletic wing, and at 6-foot-4, will fit well in the Bulldogs' press. Braylon Boyd (Fr., West Point/West Point) is another long player who can shoot 3-pointers and finish at the rim. 

Aujaylen Barron (Fr., Gulfport/Harrison Central) has been a difference-maker in the preseason. When he switched teams in intrasquad scrimmages, it usually meant that squad would win.

Thomas Tangle (So., Standing Pine/Choctaw Central) is another newcomer, but he's already proven to be comfortable at Dantzler Arena. He scored 22 points for Northwest Mississippi in the regular-season finale last year.

"He makes us better," Miller said. "He's experienced, and he's been through our league, so he knows what to expect. He's a guy that was very productive in our league last year."

Emerson Jones (Fr., Fairfield Calif./Salesian College Prep) arrives from California, another 6-foot-6 wing who is athletic and can shoot. Matthew Hinton (Fr., Atlanta Ga./Dutchtown) is a 6-foot-9 post player who can run and protect the rim.

Gulf Coast finished tied for third in the MACCC last year, going 9-5. The conference schedule is a long grind which tips off Jan. 13.

"There are a lot of really good coaches, a lot of really good players in our league," Miller said. "With 14 regional games, the key is just being consistent throughout your season, staying injury free. But this league is very good. It's gonna be very competitive again, I think as you look at the league, you would have to pick Jones right now."

He'd love to see his second squad take the next step.

"Our goals will be the same as they were last year," Miller said. "That's to play the best basketball that Gulf Coast has ever played. We don't get caught up too much in the end result. We try to stay in the day and in the moment and try to take it day-by-day and just kind of immerse ourselves in the process. But if we handle our business and we continue to improve and we become a team, we've got a chance to be right there."

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.