Carson-Newman Men’s Basketball Position Previews: Frontcourt
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the second in a two-part series breaking down Carson-Newman's men's basketball positions. This part deals with the forwards with help from senior Josh Rogers (Bristol, United Kingdom).
VIDEO: Josh Rogers Interview
Carson-Newman returns plenty of depth down low with the return of first team All-SAC pick and preseason All-American Carson Brooks (Knoxville, Tenn.), as well as the team's third and fifth leading scorers Sawyer Williams (Owenton, Ky.) and Rogers.
"We're seeing a lot of what we had last year with me, Carson and Sawyer back," Rogers said. "We have to maintain that core group and add to it. It's a mixture of keeping going what we had while adding new elements to the mix at the same time."
Those new elements give Carson-Newman something it needed mightily at times last year – post depth.
The Eagles add in Josh Murray (Burlington, N.C.), Matt Knight (Abingdon, Va.) and Will Gardner (Oak Ridge, N.C.) down low.
"With the added depth, not only do we bring new dimensions to the way we're playing as a team," Rogers said. "But we also can play less minutes and be more effective in the minutes that we do have. The new guys really do bring a lot to the table."
Murray transfers to Carson-Newman from Jacksonville where he appeared in 37 career games for the Dolphins. Murray went to Cummings High School where he was named to the NCPreps.com 2A All-State team in 2012-13. He was also an All-Region selection while leading Cummings to a 21-5 record as a senior. He was named MVP of the Eastern Guilford Christmas Holiday Tournament, recording a triple-double of 22 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks in the title game.
Knight adds depth but also intrigue to the Carson-Newman lineup – his older brothers both play for Tusculum. His senior season he averaged a double-double with 20+ points per game. Meanwhile, Gardner averaged a double-double with 12.3 points and 10.6 rebounds as a high school junior. He also dished out 3.4 assists a game and blocked 2.7 shots per contest.
"Josh Murray is a freak of nature," Rogers said. "He's wearing on me a bit this preseason because he's dunked on me like 10 times. I'm really looking forward to him doing that to other teams. Will is a big body who has very good touch, Matt is very athletic at 6-5 and we need all of them to step up and contribute this year."
Rogers, Brooks and Williams were exceptionally efficient last season inside. The trio shot a combined 58 percent from the field and all ranked in the top seven in the league in field goal percentage.
"We haven't done any major transformations in the way we play," Rogers said. "We're not too complacent. We know how we play, we're just trying to build while enabling the new players to join the system and contribute."
Brooks owns the SAC and Carson-Newman record for most field goals made without a miss. He was a flawless 12-for-12 from the field in C-N's opening game last year at Barton. Rogers was at his best late in the year a season ago, scoring a career high 19 points in the Eagles NCAA tournament loss to Montevallo. Williams has four career 20-point efforts and four career double-double games.
Carson-Newman's post presence will be on display when the Eagles open the season Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. against Southern Wesleyan. Coverage starts 15 minutes prior to tip with the Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to Tipoff on Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
