McNeese does have some returning talent coming back including an all-world guard, a vagabond basketball savant and a brother post combo with size and talent to die for.  Still, the boys from Port Charles are looking for to another great season.  Coach Ralph Ward plays a fast-paced style emphasizing speed and defense but knows he needs to fill out his roster with some more talent especially at point if they want to do the two-step in Indy. 

McNeese would have been nowhere if it were not for the play and leadership of the incredibly mature first year player, Mr. Dumars.  Dumars is a one of a kind player.  Already legendary for his work ethic, he has made basketball his life.  Growing up in Shreveport (his Mom was a custodian at future rival Northwestern State and his Dad ‘Big Joe’ was a truck driver) he wanted to be a football player but a big hit and this extremely smart kid decided to try basketball.  Dumars worked his tail end off perfecting his jump but he always played the game like a running back driving through the key with one goal, to get to the basket.  He never shies away from contact and welcomes the big guys trying to stop him on his way to his goal.  Dumars led the Southland in free throws per game as he attempted over 8 a game and made over 6.  He is becoming a clutch perimeter shooter as well as learning the nuances of ballhandling.  He has taken to it so much he was playing point at certain times and being only six three some think his future is playing that difficult position. Dumars is a solid defender but those waterbugs are hard to hang with.  Dumars does not care but this little fireplug is not afraid of matching up with anyone.  He is truly a complete player who can do it all and after averaging over 15 a game as a freshman you would think offense would get him his recognition.  You would be wrong because playing in the Southland with no TV deal and no big time opponents is akin to being on the CW.  You can do some mighty good stuff but if nobody is watching does it matter?  But Dumars does not give a lickety split about attention, he just wants to win. There is not a coach in the country that would not want Joe Dumars in their back court.  He is that good.

Dumars is not the only stud on this team.  The man who sounds like he was on an English court is the man in Lake Charles.  Senior Bill Reigel has bounced around quite a bit and really knows how to play this game. Reigel hails from Monaca Pennsylvania and did not even make his varsity squad until his Senior year after a growth spurt got him up to six three.  Getting cut three times not only gave him more motivation to succeed but let him work on his unique game.  After a dazzling senior year Reigel first went to Duquesne but did not last long as THE Duke and Mike Kryzezeski cherry picked him for his Blue Devils where he had a great Sophomore year.  Then the US Army came a calling and made him an offer he could not refuse. After making All-Army at Ft. Benning he met Charles Kuehn, a legend for McNeese, who talked him into coming to Lake Charles.  Man did McNeese strike gold with this guy.  Reigel plays a hybrid of a wing and post player where he uses his almost trick shot ability to get his release over bigger guys.  He actually has a play where he gets the ball in the key and swings backwards through the key taking a wide hook shot that is impossible to block.  He makes it often too.  Reigel can also score running from the wing and like all of his teammates on Ward’s constantly moving offense he moves well without the ball.  He averaged over 20 a game and to be honest he does not have many other great skills outside of scoring but man can he put the ball in the hole.  The confidence and leadership this well-traveled cowboy gave to this team was immeasurable. He understands this game like a coach and is not afraid of taking the tough shots in big games.  

Junior center Edmund Lawrence is a horse in the middle.  Or at least a giraffe!  A true seven-footer, Lawrence was the most dominant big man is the conference at times.  A little inconsistent, Lawrence has all the tools to be something special.  He was marvelous the first half of the year until his injury set him and McNeese back.  Lawrence did come back and helped the team but he was nowhere near the player he was before the injury and seemed to have lost his dominance in the paint.  Probably because he is rail thin for his height and needs to bulk up some as 218 is not going to get it done banging against the monsters of the pro world.  Still, he managed to be a solid big man for this team and has a chance to be something special.  In a league like the Southland where most of the centers are under six ten and do not have the skill sets of some of the guys even in similar leagues like the SWAC (see playing game versus Willis Reed) or the MEAC a seven-footer can (and should) dominate.  Lawrence can do that and will for two more years if he does not get hurt again. The fans love their home town kid who turned down many bigger schools to stay and play in Lake Charles.  Big E as he likes to be called (I think someone else might have already taken that one but oh well) averaged over 11 points a game (14 before the injury) and led McNeese in rebounding with over 8 a game (almost ten before the injury).  Lawrence is a true rim protector who intimidates others coming to the hoop more than he blocks shots but he will swat them away if they come near his paint.  Don’t get me wrong about Lawrence: he was playing the second half after a major injury which he hobbled back onto the court to make sure his team had a chance at winning a league title.  As good as Dumars and Reigel were there is no way this team would have made the run it made without him. Every player on the teams knows this as does Coach Ward.  To show how good he was before the injury you need to look no further than his matchup with Robert Parish of Centenary who ironically was the only big man higher rated than Lawrence when they came out of high school in the whole country (see how important getting him was).  Lawrence dominated Parish who is a sure fire first round pick scoring 26 points, grabbing 15 boards and blocking five shots (including three on the Chief).  This kid has the goods for sure.  I am just saying he needs to bulk up and increase his strength and stamina and the world is his oyster, not just this beautiful lake town in the middle of nowhere where he is without doubt the biggest fish!  Think of this: When Lawrence went to Colorado State this year it was the farthest he has ever been away from home!  Enough Said! 

Fellow junior John Rudd is a beast underneath.  A power forward who packs a wallop, Rudd is tough inside and makes no bones about his business.  Rudd is one of the best board guys in the country and at six seven and 230 pounds he takes up more than his requisite share of space.  This small town (DeRidder) big-boned kid defines the term power forward.  Rudd sets manly screens for Dumars to wrap around for his jumper and will gladly knock down anyone getting near his teammates or the key.  He has a limited scoring game but really loves to make life miserable underneath.  He teamed with Lawrence to give McNeese a NBA style front line in size and demeanor.  The one thing McNeese had unlike the rest of this league was a posse of players up front who had size and the skill to contribute in large minutes or short spurts.  Nobody in the Southland had near this kind of depth up front.  Anthony Pullard, Jerome ‘Zydeco’ Batiste and Edmond’s brother David are capable backups for both Rudd and Lawrence and showed their worth when Lawrence missed those games and cut back his minutes.  Sophomores Pullard and Batiste are solid all-around players who do blue collar work on both ends.  The ‘Little’ Lawrence also has got size (genes man, he goes six ten but is also rail thin) and is a solid goaltender and board guy.   David started at center when his brother went down and really showed that he has some game of his own especially on the offensive end.  He likes his brother does not wander too far from the basket but has a nice touch and will finish when he gets the ball close to the basket.  Pullard and Baptiste got better and more minutes as the year progressed and both came up big when their Goliath went down.  Pullard has pro size at six ten and 245 but plays a bit more outside the key than Ward would like.  Of course to be honest to get on the court on this team up front you have to be able to play outside the paint so Pullard adjusted so he could get some minutes.  This helps his overall game but he showed that he knows how to get the job done in the paint when called upon but needs to get a little better on the boards.  If he was as tough as Rudd in the key he would get more time but he wants to go next level and that means a more diverse overall style in today’s game.  Batiste was the guy left on the JV to start the year but really played well when Lawrence went down.  He can score and board well and will block a shot.  He is another big body at six nine that gives this team not just another big body but somebody with solid all-around post skills and has a bright future in Lake Charles and beyond.  He easily led the JV in scoring and rebounding and will battle for minutes this year but as good as this trio is they cannot replace the defense Edmund (is it u or o Eddie) brings to the table.   

Senior Frank Glenn and Henry Ray shared the other forward position at least until Reigel was ready for action.  Both are talented players who accepted secondary roles to benefit the team.  Not everyone can be the go to guys and these guys garnished their roles with relish.  Glenn maybe the best athlete on the team and is a terrific board guy especially for his size (6’2).  He gave the team the kind of stable influence that you expect from a stud like this.  Glenn started the first half of the year but gladly went to the bench when one of his good friends (and the front line scoring option this team needed) Reigel finally became eligible midway thru the year.  He barely played down the stretch but this kid has a huge impact on the success of this program.  Ray is also undersized at six three but can get off the ground and gave McNeese another solid season.  Not really a wing Ray played there most of the year and is a good all-around player.  This team has much talent on it’s bench but still needs that up front trio to perform well to get to the promised-land this year.  And they need a point guard. 

Last year Ward relied on a plethora of players to run the show.  It did not work all that well.  If this team had a point guard like let’s say Indiana or Michigan State (or even Stephen F Austin) they would destroy the competition in the Southland.  But alas they do not.  Seniors Clyde Briley, Toddy Moore and Kent Andrews will get first crack but none of these guys are either true point guards or good enough to run the show especially at the pace Ward wants.  The rest of the bench will be filled with some good wings and all of those terrific post players.  Juniors George Murphy, Curtis St. Mary (what a name) and don’t call me Chirley McLaurin will battle with sophomore studs Michael Cutright and Kenny Jimmerson for leftover minutes behind Dumars and Reigel.  The first three do not have JV eligibility left so are in for a long year on the pine.  Murphy has the best chance to play as he can shoot and can jump through the roof for a 6’2 guy.  The sophomores are almost assured another year of ‘seasoning’ but they can play and have some size too as Cutright is 6’4 and Jimmerson is all of 6’7.  I guarantee you all five of these guys including the tall wing will do everything they can to learn the skills of the point guard over the summer to try and get into this lineup.  That, of course, is easier said then done but as that kid showed in Lansing even big kids can play the point if they put in the time and they have the Magic. 

The difference down the stretch for McNeese was the eligibility of seniors Reigel and Stan ‘Snookie’ Kernan.  Both were serving in the military and only became eligible for the last half of the season.  That is when things changed for McNeese.  Both are natural scorers and tremendous competitors.  Snookie is a big city kid (he learned the game on the ‘dirt’ playgrounds of DC and not the Jersey Shore) who is hard-nosed and tough.  Snookie can flat run (won the 100 yard all city title in high school) and is constant motion.  He has developed a fine jump shot and when he is in with Dumars there is no better shut down backcourt in the conference.  Kernan might not be a pro caliber player but he is one heck of a competitor who knows how to play and down the stretch was perhaps the best bench player in the league. The problem is though that he is not really a point guard though he likes to share the ball with teammates.  Ward has said he is going to try and transition this kid to point more out of necessity then ability.  He does have some of the skills but he is not the kind of ballhandler you want running the show.  And he prefers running the court on the wing, not in the middle. 

McNeese State is lucky to have a solid group of players at their disposal.  Forefront in this group was budding superstar Joe Dumars and his tremendous attitude.  A no nonsense player, he oozed confidence and that confidence spilled over to a team who needed it.  And when a couple of senior studs came back from the military this team was ready to take no prisoners.  McNeese surprised some with their late run through the Southland Conference.  They did not surprise themselves.   Can they repeat the magic?  And with their terrific 7 foot big man coming back to full strength, can they take the next step and in the words of Ray Davies ‘Come Dancing’ this year?