Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball Takes to the Court
10/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Takes to the Court
10/12/2002
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's men's basketball team took to the court for their first practice of 2002-03 season Saturday.
All 16 of Marshall's players participated in the two-and a-half hour practice that began at 7:00 a.m. and focused mainly on team-building drills and skills work.
"We are definetly going to be very athletic team," sophomore Ronny Dawn said. "All of these guys can run and jump."
The Thundering Herd welcomed several newcomers to their first full practice. Junior college transfer Marvin Black and freshmen Mark Patton, LaVar Carter and Renardo Dixon all exhibited outstanding athleticism in drills. All four of these newcomers are expected to contribute immediately.
Marshall appears to have the makings of a solid backcourt with the return of standout shooting guard Ronald Blackshear and senior guard Monty Wright. Joining that duo in the backcourt will be sophomores Ronny Dawn, Enoch Bunch, and A.W. Hamilton (a Wake Forest transfer).
In the post Marshall is expected to rely on 6-10 junior Ardo Armpalu. In preseason strength conditioning Armpalu exhibited tremendous strength recording a team-best clean of 280 pouns, a squat of 365, and a bench press of 275.
At the forward spots Marshall exhibited a great deal athleticism with Oklahoma State transfer David Anderson, junior Joe Dressel, and freshmen Renardo Dixon, LaVar Carter, and Mark Patton.
In preseason strength work, Anderson ranked among the top three strongest Herd players and recorded the teams third-best vertical jump at 38.5 inches. Guard Monty Wright tested out with a 40-inch leap, with forward Joe Dressel recording a 39-inch vertical.
Marshall will practice again Sunday at 7:00 a.m. The annual "Thursday Night Thunder" is slated for October 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the Henderson Center.