Led by a returning starting backcourt, the ETSU men’s basketball team will be looking to take the next step, after winning the Southern Conference North Division title last season, and make the NCAA tournament.
With guards Dimeco Childress, Cliff Decoster and Ryan Lawson back after playing big-time minutes last season, the Bucs are hoping to win the SoCon tournament championship and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s good to have three guys that played as many minutes as they did last year,” said head coach Ed DeChellis of the Bucs’ backcourt which accounted for 41.3 percent of the team’s total offense.
ETSU went 18-10 last season, winning the North Division with a record of 13-3 and DeChellis believes that will give his team confidence for the 2001-02 season.
“I hope it gives the team some confidence with the success we had last year,” DeChellis said. “We need to build on that and make the NCAA tournament this year.”
Even with the success that ETSU had in the regular season, their quarterfinal loss to Georgia Southern in the Southern Conference tournament stands as a huge motivation factor for this year’s team.
“It was very disappointing,” said Childress of the Bucs’ 72-64 loss to the Eagles in the conference tournament.
“All the hard work and not even get to the NCAA tournament, so it’s been my motivation factor for this year to get to the tournament.”
Childress and his teammates believe this year’s team could be even better than last season, to make reaching the big dance a huge possibility.
“I feel positive about this team,” said Childress, who was an all-conference performer last season, while leading the Bucs in scoring at 13.2 points per game.
“We have some guys with game experience and we have guys that don’t, (but) our freshman class is very athletic. It’s the most athletic team since I’ve been here.”
Decoster, the team’s starting point guard, said, “All the success we had last year has made us motivated to be just as good or even better.”
The Bucs will have eight guards to shuffle in the backcourt, as sophomores Cory Seels and Jerald Fields return to take charge up front.
“We’ll be deeper at guard,” said junior Ryan Lawson, who averaged 7.6 ppg and 2.0 rpg last season. “We have our best inside, outside guy returning in Jerald Field, (so) we can be better than last year.”
Seels and Fields have added some strength over the summer and will be looking to fill the void left by graduated postmen Adrian Meeks and Renaldo Johnson.
“Both guys (Seels and Fields) are bigger and stronger than they were last year,” DeChellis said. “We’re hoping those two guys can really solidify the front court for us.”
Another void that needs to be filled with the departure Meeks, Johnson and fellow senior D.J. McDuffie is the leadership role, which is already beginning to be filled by this year’s veteran players.
“Trying to be a leader (is important), as point guard you’re supposed to know what everybody’s doing and where everyone’s supposed to be,” Decoster said. “We have to do our part and help motivate the younger guys because they don’t know what it takes (to win in college) and it’s our job to tell them.”
Lawson said, “I want to lead by my actions, maybe not as much verbally, but by what I do and the way I do things.”
DeChellis will also be counting on his two starting seniors, Decoster and Childress, to not only be the team’s leaders on and off the court, but he expects each of them to have tremendous senior campaigns.
“He’s (Decoster) is a great on-the-ball defender and he works extremely hard,” said DeChellis of his starting point guard who averaged 26.6 minutes per game last season second only to Childress (28.7 mpg).
“He gives everything he has every night, every once and awhile he makes a bad decision, but then he’ll make a great hustle play or offensive play to make up for it.”
As DeChellis looks to Decoster to lead the team from the point guard spot, he will rely on Childress to make the big shots when the Bucs need them, as he did last year.
“Meco is a good player for us,” DeChellis said. “He’s a guy that wants the ball in his hands and he’ll take the big shots and make the big baskets when we need it.”
Some of the newcomers that DeChellis will be looking to right from the start of the season are freshmen Tiras Wade, James Anthony and Michael Tolliver, who has yet to clear eligibility problems.
Anthony will step right into the backup point guard position behind Decoster, as sophomore Sam Oatman will have to redshirt the season due to a knee injury he suffered over the summer.
Wade, the 6’7″ guard from Tampa, Fla., is one of the most athletic players on the team and may see significant playing time early on.
“He’s very good at creating for other and he’s very good at getting his own shot,” DeChellis said.
ETSU will open its season on Nov. 16 against Guilford in Brooks Gym before playing five consecutive road games in a very tough pre-conference schedule.
“It’s a hard schedule,” DeChellis said. “I’m always hoping (in) our preseason schedule (that) we’re playing some pretty good teams which helps us throughout the conference.

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