Last season started well with the Rattlers playing a variance of southern schools both from the Old Historically Black Colleges and some of the newer ones around Florida.  Some of the other HBC have a bad taste in their mouth from the days the Rattlers used to lay the bite on the other teams in the old SIAC. Ogelsby was known for making sure the other team knew his team had come to play as his Rattlers were dominant for a minute.  Most of those old rivalries were right there in the MEAC which they had been a bit late to the D-1 party but were here with their old brethren again.  But their old rivals took a bite out of the rattlers getting some revenge.  The season ended badly losing 10 of their last 12 and Oglesby realized he has to get better defensively.  He does have some genuine gamers coming back but he would trade that in for some talent and supposedly if it is true he has.  But for now he will be counting on the old school bunch that once dominated the SIAC

Seniors Willie Collier and Wait Bellamy are the heart and soul of the team. Collier is an undersized guard who loves to run and takes it to the hoop every chance he gets.  He is not really a point guard but more of a waterbug on the court.  His aggressiveness and speed helped define Oglesby style of play.  He is that type of guy that you play with in the gym on a Saturday afternoon who never loses because when he gets the ball he is gone.  He can seriously outrun most guy with the ball in his hands and does not stop coming.  Collier is the type of guy every coach loves because he makes his job so much easier.   Collier does have to improve his jump shot as speed will only get you so far in this game. 

The same cannot be said for his sidekick in crime.  Bellamy has a pro ready game with great all-around skills.  Bellamy is a gifted shooter who can fire it up with anybody.  Bellamy supposedly has shot at least 500 shots every day since he was in high school and it shows.  But that is not the whole story.  At six four and about 230 Bellamy was one of the best offensive line prospects in Florida at Lincoln High in Bradenton his Junior year but his love was basketball and he skipped football his senior year to pursue his dream.  Well he had to work much harder at basketball (hence all of the shots) and did not get recruited by big time schools like he would have in football.  This was one of the luckiest breaks in Rattler history as he came to Tallahassee and quickly became a legend on the basketball court for FAMU.  Bellamy is one of the best wings in the Southeast and he can do it all on the court.  His first year here he played power forward and led the team in rebounding and scoring.  He moved to the wing and has developed the ball handling skills to complement his great mid-range jump shot.  He can also pass and is a total team player.  But Oglesby knows his greatest ability to score and in half court sets (is this team ever slows down) he is the main option.  Not many other guys can ISO like Bellamy.  He will play at the next level (if the leagues realize how good this HBCU kid is and gives him a shot) as his game is perfectly suited for the one on one game of the pros.  Wherever he ends up he will make somebody one heck of a great player and teammate.  But for this year the goal for this terrific tandem in the backcourt is to get back to the top of pack.  

The rest of the backcourt is a group of guys who want their chance to shine.  Seniors Spike Gibson. Tommie Mitchell and David Wright want to finish off stellar careers with one more productive season for the Rattlers.  Gibsonis 6’5 and has got solid all-around skills but never really got a chance to play as much as he wanted as Oglesby went younger with some kids who fit the needs of the team more.  Gibson is a true wing and the Rattlers have one of the best in the country there so Gibson was basically Bellamy’s caddy.   Mitchell is in the same boat and has long been stuck behind Collier but is solid.  Wright is a scorer but got hurt and lost minutes (and his spot in the rotation perhaps).  These guys want to close their careers here stronger than their junior year and maybe continue their basketball journey.  Gibson is athletic enough to get a look at the next level and Wright can flat score which should get him a shot at least in Europe. Mitchell has no aspirations of moving away from Tallahassee and to be honest might not play much his senior year with some of the new blood around town.  Sophomore Aldwin Ware has got some game as well and proved it after an early callup from JV when Wright went down.  He is solid on both ends of the court and is really adept at picking pockets.  As a matter of fact this kid was second in the MEAC in steals averaging over two a game even though he barely averaged fifteen minutes a game.  He is not really a point guard as he does not distribute that well and he had a few too many turnovers but he is not really a scoring guard either.  He is a classic combo guard who will play hard wherever Rockjaw puts him.  His competitive fire burns and he fits right in with a team filled with gamers.  This 6’2 kid may not have the skill set to get to the next level but he is going to do everything he can to get the Rattlers as high as they can go.  Fellow Sophomore Terry Giles gives Coach Oglesby the same type of desire and is almost as adept at pilfering the ball. Giles pushed Collier hard at the point down the stretch and they will battle and probably split time this year.  Giles is the best passer on the team by far and it will not be long until he and Ware are manning the backcourt in Tallahassee.  When Oglesby has decided to play them together it causes havoc on the defensive end for opponents.  But for now Collier and Bellamy are the men here and this duo will have a hard time replacing that roadrunner and that offensive juggernaut.  Other underclassmen who got some minutes and should compete for more time next season include Sophomore wings Darrell Spence, Paul grady and Leonard King.  All of these guys can run and give the Rattlers some athleticism on the court to match up with their post players.  Speaking of posts Oglesby has some young guys hissing to get some time on this Rattler team but unless something happens probably won’t.  His front line is pretty deep though like any team they could use a seven footer who can block shots and throw down some dunks. 

Junior Clemon Johnson had a standout second year in Tallahassee.  Johnson is a rugged big man who can play power forward or center.  ‘Big Clem’ is better suited for power forward with his size and skills.  He is tough as nails and this soft spoken big man knows how to use all six foot ten and 240 pounds of his body.   Especially his backside as he one of the best in the league at setting screens for his teammates.  Johnson is not a great scorer but gets the job done.  He is best on the board and on the defensive blocks, using his strength and his smarts to his advantage.  He has learned how to follow his own shot and put it back in the hole, usually with authority.  Clem Johnson is also a winner.  Period.  Maybe his best attribute is that he is without question the team leader and makes everyone on the team better because he has high expectations of himself.  He is a legend in Tallahassee already both on and off the court. 

Senior Robert Williams started the season in the starting lineup next to Johnson but and has some game down on the box. He is very savvy in the ways of the game.  He uses everything he has to beat you.  A little undersized for the 4 at 6’6 he brings it at 230 and like his sidekick Clem will not back down from anyone.  He will be challenged by a pair of juniors and a pair of sophomores.  Juniors Wayne Barber and Cleveland Spencer both got some minutes last year and performed well.  Neither is going to make you think the Big E has moved to Florida but they are solid, workmanlike big men.  Sophomores Mike Toomer and Doug Cook played next to each other for most of their first year for the Rattlers.  Both are 6’9 but bring similar styles.  Both can bang inside and are good board men but Toomer has a bit of an advantage on the offensive end.  He will push hard to start next to Johnson but don’t leave Cook out of the equation.  He is a gamer and the fans love him.  There are rumors that Walter Pete Taylor might be returning after his sabbatical to get his grades up to snuff.  If he does that would be a huge improvement down low for the Rattles as this kid can flat fill it up in the paint.  This sophomore to be only goes 6’7 but is the best offensive player on the team on the blocks.  If he does come back, he will almost assuredly start next to Johnson, he is that good. 

The biggest rumor of all, however, is that the ‘Clown Prince’ of basketball might be returning to Tallahassee.  That’s right the great Meadowlark Lemon once went to FAMU and did in fact play a few JV games before he was drafted into the military.  Well, the rest is history as Lemon took this ‘opportunity’ to play for the traveling team and soon became the main attraction.  Lemon is a pure showmen who has uncanny basketball skills and actually has a year left of eligibility.  This 6’3 master of the post would undoubtedly fill up the new arena they are opening on campus this fall.  Yep, the yet to be named facility will replace old Gaither Gym and will have double the capacity.  The Rattlers could sure use those seats filled and Lemon would sure do that but at 6’3 how much can he help down low?  We know he can make half court hook shots but can he bang with the monsters that dominate the paint in the MEAC?  I don’t know but we would all love to see Meadowlark in some real games. 

The Florida A & M Rattlers have not had the kind of success they were hoping for when they finally joined D-1 basketball and their old brethren from the SIAC in the MEAC.  The Rattlers have a roster full of big-time talents plus the type of gamers you need to succeed.   Coach Ed’ Rockjaw’ Oglesby knows how to lead a team to success, he did it for years in the old SIAC, but these kids were not ready for D-1.  Not last year at least.  With great group of recruits coming to Tallahassee courtesy of assistant coach Willie Booker, this program has a solid future.  As a matter of fact, the Rattlers might have the best recruit in program history coming up from Tampa.  He certainly is the biggest as Jerome James, a 7 foot 300 pounder has committed to play here.  Now to see if this kid has some poison in his bite as big Clem Johnson will make sure he is tough enough.