With six guys gone from one of the best defensive basketball teams in the Southern Conference, this season’s Buccaneer team has an almost totally different look.
With the loss of Adrian Meeks, Renaldo Johnson and D.J. McDuffie to graduation, a preseason injury to Sam Oatman and now the loss of Cory Seels (dislocated shoulder) and senior point guard Cliff Decoster, the Bucs, who were young at the start of the season, just got younger.
“We’re not the same team as we were last year,” said head coach Ed DeChellis. “We lost three guys to graduation and Cliff to illness. You got four guys out of five that we don’t have (from last year’s team).
“We’re a completely different team, we’re very young . are we guarding the way I want no, are we capable of getting better yes.”
The Bucs (9-7, 2-3) led the Southern Conference in field goal percentage defense (.399) and steals (9.96) last season, but rank fifth (.411) and sixth (8.81), respectively, in those categories this season.
On the offensive side, though, the Bucs have four players averaging double figures in the scoring column compared to only one who average over 10 points per game all of last year (Dimeco Childress, 13.2 ppg).
“Offensively, at times, we have scored off our defense,” DeChellis said. “Maybe we aren’t guarding the way I want them to, but we’re getting some steals and creating some offense off our defense.”
Two of the four Bucs in double figures are sophomore post players Jerald Fields (13.3) and Zakee Wadood (14.9). Fields and Wadood are also averaging 6.5 and 7.8 rebounds per game, respectively.
Both players have stepped up their productivity from last season inwhich Fields averaged 6.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg, while Wadood averaged 2.8 ppg and 3.0 rpg.
“Jerald and Zakee are playing great for us,” DeChellis said. “They have been very consistent for us all year, that has been a very positive part of our team right now.
“We knew they were going to be good players, we just didn’t know how long it would take for them to come along and mature.”
Coming into the season DeChellis believed the veteran backcourt of Childress, Decoster and junior Ryan Lawson were going to be the strength of the team, but the frontcourt has provided a pleasant surprise.
With Decoster out and last year’s backup point guard Sam Oatman recovering from an injury over the summer, the point guard position has fallen on the shoulders of freshman Michael Tolliver.
“It’s the hardest position to play on the floor,” DeChellis said. “He’s doing the best he can and he’s getting better. We’re going to do some things offensively to help him . to take some of the burden off him.
“It’s hard losing Cliff and Sam, (it is like) losing our first and second team quarterback. Now you have a guy you were going to groom and play spot time and now he has to play 30 minutes a game.”
The loss of the six guys from last season’s team that went 13-3 in the SoCon and won the North Division title has given the Bucs a much younger look on the court.
DeChellis, however, believes the team will improve as the season progresses.
“This team is progressing and has done everything I’ve asked them to do so far,” he said. “They have protected our home court and done things well enough to win some on the road.
“Sometimes I think its pretty remarkable what we’ve been able to do and been able to overcome.”
The Bucs next play at Davidson on Saturday at 7 p.m.

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