The problem is how Coach Larry Little has brought this talent to the hub of the Ark-LA-Tex region.  And I will give you a hint: it is not for the diverse culture or night life though Shreveport has recently become a burgeoning movie making metropolis with Louisiana’s new tax breaks.  The powers that be did not like the college entrance tests that super recruit Robert Parish (and some others) passed to get into Centenary though they do not seem to have a problem with the North Carolina Tar Heels unique methods.  They have made it a point to single them out and put the program on probation for six years!  Yes, six years and mainly because Parish did not back down and stay enrolled at his home town school.  Centenary might not be eligible for post season play this year and it has greatly affected their overall recruiting for the future but this team will get to compete and might even get to play in the post season if super lawyer Johnnie Cochran has anything to do with it?  They played this year with a huge chip on their shoulder.  The NCAA kept the pressure on during the season but these Gents never backed down or lost their composure and the small little conference, the TransAm, they are affiliated with had their back allowing them to compete for the conference title in both the regular season and the tournament.  If Centenary does win the conference tourney then the courts will have to work out whether or not they are allowed to go dancing.  And with the talent on this roster this team just might be the ones that make the old school boys who run college sports squirm a little bit!  But first they had to make it through the season and earn that shot at changing the system!  And more importantly for this school these Gents want to show they belong to keep playing at this level and not get dropped down to the nether regions once again! 

The Centenary Gents put on a high scoring show for the folks of Shreveport in this season on the brink.  Led by one of the best big men in the country, the Gents let loose on an offensive explosion that saw them finish 

When you have a player like junior Robert Parish on your team you are blessed.  There are not many other big men in the country with his skills.  He is a seven footer who can score, rebound, defend, block shots and look nasty.  The Chief as he is called was the most dominant player in this conference the last two years.  Of course, that might change this year with except the big man from Jacksonville coming back to the TAAC or as it is now known, the A-SUN.  The showdowns that these two Goliaths are going to have this year will be must watch and even the national media will be hitting Shreveport and Jacksonville on those nights.  Not many leagues have two dominant big men like this league does and the fact the A-SUN is not exactly the SEC makes it even more incredible.  Parish has a great post game.  He loves to get the ball on the block and use a turnaround or a quick drop to score.  He is so big and strong that he is almost unstoppable when he gets the ball down low.  He is also one of the best in the game at kicking it out to an open teammate when he is double (or triple) teamed.  His unselfishness probably cost him from having a twenty point per game season but it sure helped the Gents win more games.  He can board easily and is the focal point of the defense, at least whatever defense the Gents have.  If a team is going to press up and down the court and run all day they have to have a big man to play goalie.  There is no better than Parish and he even got in on some of the fun running down and slamming a few home off the break.  His potential is unlimited and he may be even better at the next level when he does not face so many double and triple teams.  His famous stoic look comes off as intimidating but the Chief loves to have his fun off the court and his teammates love him.  His stubbornness to stay in school which kept his team on probation might have not settled well but it did not bother his relationship with his teammates who had the big man’s back. 

The Gents are lucky to have a solid backup as well for Parish in Junior Cherokee Rhone.  This JC transfer only played one year for Panola and showed he can indeed hang at this level though he only played limited minutes behind the Gents superstar.  They almost never have the Chief and Cherokee in together but it is good to know you have such a quality player coming off the bench especially at the center position.  Rhone is not Parish (he only goes 6’8 220) but he can score and rebound and has already become a huge fan favorite.  There are rumors that Coach Little is contemplating playing the Springhill Louisiana kid next to Parish next year in some big lineups especially with the Dolphins reentering the league but the Gents do have a couple of solid forwards already in place though neither one of them has the size of Rhone. 

Sophomore Willie Jackson is as good of a second option as there is in this league or at least he was least year.  Though these two guys are vastly different in stature are similar in what they do offensively.  This Louisiana kid can also post up down low even if he is only six foot six 210.  He has the muscle and the moves and the motivation to get the job done.  Jackson was a stud at Sibley High in Webster Parish leading his team an undefeated season and a state title and chose to stay close to home and his mother.  Oh, and to play next to Parish.  Jackson did not mind being second fiddle as this team won many games and this blue collar stud would rather win than accumulate stats though he still got his fair share of points and boards.  He averaged almost as many points as the Chief, going over the 15 points plateau average for the year.  He averaged just under 7 boards a game but that would have been higher if he were not playing next to Parish who averaged 11 a game which was in the top ten in the country.  Of course he is nowhere near the defensive presence that Parish is but he more than holds his own matching up with fours and sometimes going and guarding threes which is not his forte.   Jackson is a terrific weak side shot blocker and was second on the team in steals and averaged over two assists a game.  Jackson might not be the dominant player Parish with the infamous scowl and great nickname but he is a complete player and one of the most unrecognized great players in the country. 

Senior Tom Kerwin was the other starter at forward next to Jackson for the Gents.  Kerwin is a solid player who can score inside and out but has is limited athletically especially on the defensive end.  At six seven and rail thin he made his living down low for most of his career in Shreveport actually being a star here before Parish arrived.  He is not that guy anymore or at least the game has made that kind of guy obsolete.  He lost minutes throughout the year as Coach Little amped up his press and got some younger, more athletic guys on the court.  Still, Kerwin is a positive influence on and off the court and his consistency and leadership keep him in the lineup.  For now!   Fellow seniors Barry Haynie and Jackie Crawford are also in the mix and split time starting next to Kerwin before Jackson got here.  They are both solid score and board guys but neither is as athletic as Jackson.  The 6’8 Crawford from Grand Prairie Texas (just across the border) once led this team in scoring but those days are long gone.  Junior George Lett was in the same boat but with more talent after transferring in from a JC after one year last year.  The 6’7 post stud played extremely well down the stretch and could challenge Kerwin hard for the starting job at the 4.  He is a New York City kid but plays a meat and potatoes game and complements Parish well. 

Last season started with another Chief leading the way for the Gents.  Senior Milt ‘Chief’ Williams came in as the team leader and potential All-American.  Williams is a member of the Coushatta Indian tribe based in Alabama but grew up Texas where he was a high school legend.  He was coming off a great sophomore year where he led the team in scoring but last year was not meant to be.  The horned rim wearing wing had a hard time fighting off the slew of talent to surround the formidable front line.  Williams is a good player who can score but these kids Lewis is bringing in are at another level on what they bring to the table.  Wings like senior Connie Rae Mack, Larry Ward and Potato Ramirez (no, he is not from Idaho), juniors Leon Johnson, Larry Davis and Bobby White and super athletic sophomore Albert ‘Bobo’ Thomas all showed they can play when given the minutes.  Mack was a transfer from Vanderbilt but like Williams and Ramirez got bulldozed by the younger competition.  Johnson and White got the majority of minutes at the three as the season progressed with Ward starting the second half at the two.  Johnson is 6’5 185 from Newark New Jersey and can flat score.  He has a game that most have not seen around these parts.  Apparently his car broke down in Shreveport when he was traveling through on a recruiting trip and joined a pickup game which Little saw and then this kid never left.   Good thing cuz he can play.  White who is another Springhill product who is more of combo forward at 6’6 220 though he does most of his damage from mid-range.  Ward is a 6’3 scorer who is athletic and can shoot but is not consistent behind the arc.  The Gents are in good hands on the wings but the funny thing is that Little has supposedly recruited even more wings (especially 3 pt guys) as he does not want to sit still on this program’s opportunity to break into the national conversation. 

Point guard was the least solid position for the Gents.  Or should I say the most competitive and malleable.  Coach Little could not decide on his main man and ended up using three different players there.  Juniors Barry McLeod and Melvin Russell plus sophomore waterbug Napoleon Byrdsong combine to give this Gents many options.  McLeod is the best distributor but all three are terrific passers.  McLeod was the starter throughout most of the season though he did miss a few games which opened the door for his two compadres.  He was pushed.  A white kid coming from Connecticut coming to play ball in the deep south, McLeod has earned the respect of his peers.  He may not be the most talented but his game was made for Little’s style of play and he is a born leader.  Even with McLeod’s experience by the end of the year Byrdson had become a huge contributor as he can really fly down the court.  ‘Dynamite’ as the fans chant here might be the fastest player on the team and man can he defend but only goes 5’11.  Russell is 6’0 and is even a better passer then the other two but all of these guys need to learn how to hit a jump shot. The Gents don’t need their pg’s to score a bunch but this trio takes that to the extreme and somebody needs to hit a few threes to keep the pressure off the big guys inside.   

The Centenary Gents are one of those hidden little gem of a teams that you don’t get to hear about.  If you do is it usually related to their star big man Robert Parish or their problems keeping him eligible and their battles with the NCAA.   They are not all Parish and they can not only play but they can win games and they keep the fans of Shreveport very excited with their high octane up and down the court style.  The Chief may be the best player on this team but the Gents are not all just about the stonefaced one, they are a damn good TEAM!   If the powers that be let them play next year the rematch with them and the Dolphins could be one of the best kept secrets this side of Lava Hot Springs. 

LET THEM PLAY!  LET THEM PLAY! “