College men’s basketball: Indians play Saturday night in regional – Salisbury Post

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Catawba’s fifth-seeded males’s basketball workforce takes on USC Aiken on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. the opening spherical of the Southeast Regional at Augusta’s Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Within the small-world class, fourth-seeded USC Aiken is coached by Mark Vanderslice, who grew up in Salisbury and performed for West Rowan’s 1997 2A state champion workforce.

Vanderslice has skilled fairly a journey since his enjoying days ended at UNC Asheville. He’s coached on the D-I, D-II, D-III and junior school ranges.

Stepping into the enterprise, Vanderslice traveled from UNC Asheville to Heidelberg to Toledo to Furman, serving as both the pinnacle of basketball operations or as an assistant coach.

He obtained his first likelihood as a head coach at Louisburg in 2010-11 and put up monster seasons corresponding to 32-3, 30-6 and a program file 35-2.

After 5 seasons and a 152-20 file at Louisburg, Vanderslice was employed to information the USC Aiken Pacers. That is his eighth season at USC Aiken.

USC Aiken received the at all times robust Peach Belt Convention, and Vanderslice was named Peach Belt Coach of the 12 months for the second time after USC-Aiken received the regular-season championship.

Catawba, in fact, additionally has boasts a coach of the 12 months, with Rob Perron being honored not too long ago by the South Atlantic Convention for the primary time.

Catawba (23-7) and USC Aiken (22-8) don’t meet typically. They’ve break up eight earlier conferences. They haven’t confronted one another since  USC Aiken received a 92-90 regional tussle in 2009.

USC Aiken is led by Tehree Horn, who averaged 16,2 factors and 6.2 rebounds and was first workforce all-conference.

Tyler Johnson (13.2), Jalen McCoy (12.5) and freshman Karon Boyd (10.5) are the opposite key scorers for the Pacers.

Catawba is led by All-SAC second workforce picks Javeon Jones (14.9) and DeAngelo Epps (14.5). Adrian Scarborough, Peyton Gerald and Kris Robinson typically rating in double figures, and the Indians are very deep.

Perron normally can play 10 with out a lot drop-off.

Catawba usually takes care of the ball and thrives on steals. Catawba is third nationally in that class.

Augusta, ranked tenth nationally, is the No. 1 seed for the regional and the host workforce and can tackle No. 8 Emmanuel within the opening spherical  at 5 p.m.

Peach Belt Event champion Augusta (26-5) has been coached for nearly 20 years by Dip Metress, who was the faculty roommate at Belmont Abbey of long-time West Rowan boys basketball coach Mike Gurley. Keshun Sherrill, who starred for Gurley at West, went on to do superb issues for Metress at Augusta and was one of many nice gamers in Peach Belt Convention historical past.

No. 3 Lincoln Memorial squares off in opposition to No. 6 Lander at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Second-seeded UNC Pembroke tangles with No. 7 North Georgia at 2:30 p.m.

The regional format requires video games on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.