The Selma Times-Journal

The Junior College Tigers basketball team at Marion Military Institute is going to have some new faces when the tip off for the first time of the 2005 season.

Second-year coach Al Blanton returns only two players from last year’s squad that traveled to compete in the national championship tournament in New Hampshire.

Blanton has built a team with some local players and some not-so local places to aid in his reloading process.

Locally, Clarence Allgood from Marion, DaRon Waters from Selma and Steven Pair will see playing time. Not-so local players include Brandon Chase from Baton Rouge Brennan Jones from Colorado Springs, Tramell Wooten from Mt. Vernon, Ga., and Vencile Jackson from Columbus.

Then Blanton signed a player for a pretty good distance away &045; Abdoulaye N’Diaye from Dakar, Senegal will see some playing time for the Tigers this season as a true freshman. Overall, the Tigers recruited 17 players during the summer and early fall, but when Midnight Madness was held last week, the Tigers have 14 people on the roster.

The rest of the roster shapes up with James Pearson from Jackson’s Gap, Darrel Tubbs and Quentin Snow from Birmingham, and Terrance Ratcliffe from Alberta.

Blanton’s next task was to build a schedule.

The Tigers will tip things off on the road at Bevill State-Fayette on Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.

According to Blanton, the Tigers concentrated on fundamentals at the first of the season and then teamwork will come.

Tiger fans got an early taste of MMI basketball during Midnight Madness last week.

The Tigers will play their first home game of the 2005 season on Nov. 11 against Northwest-Shoals. Tipoff is 6 p.m., and admission is $5.