LSU and Saints roar, while Nicholls falls flat
November 13, 2012
After historic season, Colonels are hungry for more
November 13, 2012
Nicholls State men’s basketball coach J.P. Piper is smiling a little more than normal these days.
When one watches his team practice, it’s easy to see why.
With most of last season’s team back on a roster boosted with the return of senior Fred Hunter, the Colonels are looking prime and ready to make a run for the Southland Conference Championship.
Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Piper is enjoying the talent he sees within his team in the early stages of the season.
“I’ve told our guys a number of times that this has been the most fun that I’ve had coaching in a while,” Piper said. “Our team is experienced and they are a pleasure to be around. They, simply put, know what to do.”
Both players and coach agree that having Hunter back is a huge addition to the Colonels.
A 6-foot, 5-inch guard/forward, Hunter averaged 15.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a junior in the 2010-11 season, while shooting 57 percent from the field.
But the Denton, Texas native’s season ended after 20 games thanks to a season-ending ACL injury.
Because of how late in the season Hunter’s injury occurred, the Colonels and Hunter both agreed that a redshirt year was the best option last year.
That means Hunter’s return will end a season and a half on the pine – some of the hardest days of the player’s basketball career.
Hunter rehabbed for countless hours in the gym to return to playing shape following ACL surgery. His physical appearance has also changed, and the forward appears more cut and muscular than he’s ever been in his Nicholls career.
“I feel like a kid again,” Hunter said. “Sitting out that year and finally being able to play again, I’m just really excited. Now, all I’m focused on is keeping myself level before the season starts.”
With Hunter in the lineup, the Colonels will gain a threat on both the perimeter and the paint.
Piper said Hunter has returned to the team in 100 percent health. Combine that with his newer, more sleek frame and you have a player that could cause serious problems in the Southland Conference.
“You can’t tell that he’s a guy that’s coming off an injury,” the coach said. “He’s come back and he’s looked better than ever.”
But Hunter’s efforts will not stand alone in Thibodaux this season. The Colonels return most of their contributors from last year’s team, a group consisting of sophomore guard Shane Rillieux, sophomore forward Sam McBeath, junior Dantrell Thomas and senior Linden Smith-Hyde.
“We’re deeper than we’ve been here in a while here,” Piper said. “If Fred’s out sick one night, we still have a good chance to go win a ballgame. When we had Anatoly Bose, if he wasn’t in the lineup, I think the argument can be made that we wouldn’t have been nearly as competitive as we were. It’s nice to have those options.”
Rillieux will return as the team’s point guard for the second-straight season. A freshman from Brother Martin, Rillieux was supposed to backup Pedro Maciel last year before the Brazilian guard was lost for the season with an injury.
In emergency duty, Rillieux experienced some good and some bad, averaging 7.8 points and 2.6 assists per game.
The point guard said he expects those numbers to be better this year.
“Last year, everything was so fast, I really couldn’t catch a grasp of it,” Rillieux said. “But this year, I feel like I have a better hold of what I need to do in order to make my team a better team. I feel like I have more of an intelligence of what needs to be done.”
Piper agrees and said that he’s excited to see what the point guard can do in his second season.
The coach also touted the improvements of McBeath and Thomas, whom he said can score the basketball to make the team offensively diverse.
The biggest bummer of the 2012-13 season, according to Piper, is Nicholls’ schedule.
As always, the Colonels will play a murderer’s row non-conference schedule consisting of games with Vanderbilt, Missouri, Michigan State and Southern Illinois.
The Colonels will only play one non-conference home game – a Nov. 26 tilt with UNO.
The coach said he wishes his team would have more opportunities to lace ‘em up in Stopher Gymnasium.
“Those guys deserve to have that happen,” Piper said.
Regardless, the challenges will prepare the team for the grind of the Southland slate.
Rillieux and Hunter both agree there’s one goal – to win the final game of the conference tournament.
“No one wants that feeling of walking off the floor in the final game after having lost,” Rillieux said. “We remember that from last year and we don’t want that again.”
“That’s definitely our goal,” Hunter said. “To get into the Southland Conference Tournament, win it and then get into the NCAA Tournament. From there, who knows? But we think we can do it. We know we can do it.”
Nicholls State point guard Shane Rillieux dribbles the ball during a Southland Conference Tournament game last season. The Colonels’ believe its experience, combined with the return of Fred Hunter, will help the team make a conference push.
