The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles behind longstanding coach M.K. Turk do have a long row to how this year.  They will have to better by leaps and bounds but when you are crawling up a ladder and not all the rungs are there you have nowhere to go but back down.  Still, there is some fresh young faces, especially up front that, showed are hopefully ready compete at this level soon.   The Golden Eagles do have some talent, maybe not as much as the Louisvilles and DePauls of the world, but they do have some talent. 

The ‘Legend’ Wendell Ladner is the closest thing the Golden Eagles have to a  superstar on their roster.  Ladner is an undersized big man who can really bang down low.   In more ways than one!  You see Ladner has the looks of a Movie Star (think Burt Reynolds as Bandit).  Or the Marlboro Man.  Or a Porn Star?  The kid with the aw shucks grin from Necaise Crossing Mississippi is by far the most popular Golden Eagle and has brought the ladies to the stadium.  It is not only his porn stache and weightlifter body that bring him out but his incredible work ethic and good old boy mentality.  At six foot six and 220 Ladner is a man among boys on and off the court.  Wendell is not afraid to mix it up underneath either as he has never met an opponent he didn’t want to rumble with.  Nobody and I mean nobody messed with anybody on the Golden Eagles team or Ladner was there to make sure order was restored.  He specifically protected his sidekick Nick Revon (Snowman) who loved to drive into the key and cause contact.  He is the type of guy who drives big guys wild in the paint but Ladner always had his back.  Of course he missed a few games after a few of his more infamous scrums or one of his patented dives into the bleachers going for a loose ball and shredding some body part.  Speaking of scrums, there will be an all-out battle for this senior studs position but he will never be replaced in Hattiesburg.   Ladner does not look or act like a basketball player (tight end might be a better fit especially with his tough man reputation and rumors are he might try out for the Cowboys if he does not make it at the next level) but he can play.  Ladner plays like a big kid with his all-out non- stop hustle but he is also a solid shooter from up to even three point range (he has worked on this relentlessly) and can really pass as he has been called the ultimate teammate by many of the guys who line up next to this legend in the making.  Ladner will play at the next level as every team is looking for a player who will bang down low and be the enforcer for his teammates.  Can you imagine if this kid ended up in the Big Apple with his southern charm?  Speaking of Legends his throwdown with Karl Malone is already epic as he showed he will not back down from anybody.  He is the real deal and he will be missed around these parts for a long, long time!

Sophomore Randolph Keys was the second leg of this front line.  Keys may not be as dynamic as Ladner but he can play.  He is another Mississippi product who can guard big men or wings and can score with range up to 18 feet.  He can board (though nowhere near as good as his compatriot) and score in the paint and will block a shot or finish on the break.  He is better in big games and if not overshadowed by Ladner could be a superstar in Hattiesburg.  His play down the stretch was inspirational and in a few games he truly put the Golden Eagles on his wings and flew them to victory.  Hyperbole aside Keys is more than a second fiddle on a great Cadillac as he will see next year when he becomes the official first chair.  Or who knows if plays like he is capable he could surpass become the big dog down in Hattiesburg.  He has that kind of potential.  Fellow sophomore Joe ‘Awesome’ Dawson was the main front court backup and can really play.  Dawson did start a few games when Ladner was hurt and is a solid low post scorer and board guy and would have got more minutes but Coach Turk went with three guard sets often.  Dawson is truly awesome and some of the battles he and the legend had in practice were so ferocious they should be on a MMA mix tape.  Dawson is undersized (6’5) like most of his front court brethren but he is tough as they come and if Ladner would not take care of you Awesome would!  The brawl they had with Alcorn State might be the greatest in college sports as this tag team dup threw down with the Smith boys and Willie Norwood in a fight that the Hart Foundation would have been proud to have been in.  He might be tough but Dawson can play as well and even at six five played his fair share of center.   Senior Mickey Harrington can play but 6’4 will have a tough time hanging with bigger wings such as Mark Aguirre.  This hometown kid is popular here and does give Turk some experience and he can shoot.  Fellow seniors Royce Woolever and Gary Hannan are as opposite as can be but will be in contention for minutes.  Hannan is an undersized post who gets by on guile and toughness and led the team in scoring and boards two years ago.  Woolever is 6’10 and eats up space but is still developing and has not played much on the varsity.  Two more Sophomores Derrick Hamilton and John White  are in competition with Dawson (the first choice) to start next to the “Legend” and Keys up front.    Hamilton is a true small forward who can run the floor and hit jumps shot and is a terrific passer.  Turk stockpiled his JV team with some solid up front talent and more are coming this year. 

The Eagles have a solid front court and the backcourt had some talent as well.  Foremost of these was the chosen one from St. Aloysius High.  “And he shall be Revon!  And he shall be a good man!”  Senior Nick ‘The Cat’ Revon has had a sensational career in Hattiesburg.  A little out of his league size wise (a 5’9 150 pound two guard) against the Robertson’s of this league, Revon held his own for the most part.  Nick is a terrific athlete who can flat jump (he is a great high and long jumper on the Golden Eagle track team) who runs the court all day looking to get a shot.  Revon can score and is a really good ball handler who can also get his buddies involved with dimes that will melt your eyes.  And boy can he finish. He got to the foul line more often than Elvis eats banana and peanut butter sandwiches.  He is so popular at Reed Green that they play Rave On during the warmups.  Oh how the fans wanted to see him go toe to toe with Pistol Pete but after former Golden Eagle player Roy Danforth was fired as coach of Bayou Bengals that home and home series was called off.  That would have been fun.  Fellow senior Tom Bishop and John Prince are also in line for minutes on the wing.  Both have to play many minutes at the three with Revon eating up the two time.  Bishop is almost as good of a scorer as Revon but at 6’0 cannot guard small forwards effectively.  Prince is bigger at 6’4 but not the scorer though he can defend and helps inside.  Sophomore Curtis Green is not very big either (6’1) for a shooting guard (he also plays point in Turks never ending rotation there) but he can shoot.  

Point guard was an ever changing position for the Golden Eagles and probably the biggest cause of their inconsistency.  Green played both guards but was better suited as a point guard who is solid mid-range shooter and getting to the hoop though he is not a terrific passer. Senior Richie Goldberg is 6’1 and the incumbent and brings crazy smarts to the role.  This Brooklyn kid knows how to play the up and down game and can get to the hoop (like all NYC pg’s can do) but has some issues defensively.  Junior Steve Greene is only 5’11 but can flat deliver a dime.  When Turks wanted more of a shooter the ball was in the hands of Sophomore Casey Fisher.  Fisher was solid if unspectacular.  He can dish and shoot the rock but is not crazy athletic but is a good long range shooter.  Sophomore Kenny Siler played both guard positions and stays in the mix with hard work.  He is a natural leader and a real clutch performer.  Turk must decide on one and the way it looks now he will be ‘wise’ and go with the kid with the most complete game.  

The Golden Eagles from Hattesburg Mississippi representing Southern Mississippi hope to have a productive year in their debut season in Conference USA.  Coach M.K. Turk has put together a solid roster that is not big in size but huge in desire and tough as a dog in heat.    This program is well on its way of getting the type of recognition and respect it has journeyed from the deep south to get with the big dogs of this super new conference!