Oct. 30, 2007

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Don Hogan enters his 15th season as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of West Florida. Hogan has now won over 200 games and has become one of the top coaches in the Gulf South Conference for overall wins and conference wins. The team is coming off a 10-17 season, in which they started 8-5; however, the promising season became a struggle down the stretch. This year's team has several new faces and the expectations are high, despite the fact that two very talented big men (Ken Mitchell and Andy Beauchamp) are injured and will have to sit out the season.

Hogan is very optimistic about the squad he has for this season. "I really like our team, we should be much improved. Our preseason conditioning and individual workouts have shown me a very competitive group. We have a lot of newcomers, which gives us some uncertainty, but the potential of our newcomers is exciting. We will have a lot more options and depth on this squad." Hogan also believes his returners will help form a great nucleus for the team to build on. "Deondre (Boynton) and Max (Hoggard) are now in their third year here and will be good leaders on and off the court, and Kenny (Holmes) has the capabilities to be a strong leader also."

Hogan is also looking for his two seniors, Vitor Boccardo and Lucas Evangelista, to have very productive seasons, after one year in the system. Among the top newcomers are transfers, Ryan Henry (Jr. / Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Josh Jackson (Jr. / Madison, Wisc.), and Charles Bouie (Jr. / Pahokee, Fla.). Hogan is also excited about his freshmen, Chris Ammons (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Lucas Malone (Niceville, Fla.). In addition, Rod Doss, who was redshirted last year, is ready to go this season and has the coaching staff excited.

In no other season, has there been as much uncertainty in the Gulf South Conference. Every team lost significant players from last year, and it was apparent with the preseason coaches poll, as the voting was spread over several teams, as four of the seven schools in the East Division of the Gulf South Conference received first place votes. The Argos were picked 6th in the seven team East Division, primarily since they finished 6th last season, and lost their top scorer (Barry Durosier) and top rebounder (Marcus Grant) to graduation. "The conference is wide open this year, and we think we have improved as much as anyone else," explained Hogan, who feels good about his chances this season.

Coach Hogan has a new coaching staff this year, as his longtime assistant John Lykins did not return for this season. Wade Anderson, who played at Pensacola Christian, and was an assistant at Faulkner State last year, is on the staff for this season. Anderson had previously been a graduate assistant coach at UWF before heading to Faulkner State. In addition, Wes Horne joins the staff this year also. Horne was an assistant last year at PJC. Hogan believes the two assistants will be great additions, "Wade and Wes help give us a fresh new approach. They are great teachers on the floor and both have connections in Alabama that gives us another recruiting avenue. We will miss John (Lykins), as he did a great job for us, but sometimes change is a very good thing."

The Argonauts prepare for the regular season with three exhibition games on the road against Division I schools. On Halloween night, the team will travel to Tallahassee, to take on the Seminoles. Then, Friday night November 2nd, the Argos travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. The Preseason concludes November 10th in Mobile, against South Alabama. Hogan likes the challenge of the exhibition games, "These games will test our confidence level, and give us great insight on how to handle big teams."

The regular season includes 16 home games, with some challenging games against St. Leo (Away), Nova Southeastern (Home and Away), Columbus State (Home and Away), and Delta State (Home), before the conference games begin in January. The Argos start with four straight home games, including the opener on November 15th against Concordia-Selma. At the end of December and into the first part of January, the team has a string of six consecutive home games that includes Missouri-St. Louis, Delta State, and North Alabama. The first of that home stand is the UWF Hoop Classic Tournament on December 29th and 30th.

The prospective players in the mix for the Argos this season, includes 8 returners and 6 newcomers, along with 4 players that will be redshirted this season. At Point Guard, Deondre Boynton is returning for his third season and brings great experience. Boynton was the third leading scorer last season and started every game. He will be supported by transfers Ryan Henry and Josh Jackson, who are both versatile enough to play the point or the wing position. In addition, the Argos added Clay Sidner, who might be the most true point guard on the squad. Last year's back up Tyler Fleming may move to a wing position to take advantage of his defensive skills and shooting ability.

For the other guard (wing) positions, much of the load may fall on Kenny Holmes and Rod Doss. Both have had outstanding practices and should provide some offense. Max Hoggard is coming off an ACL injury and should be ready to provide some punch from the wing. Freshman Chris Ammons might be the future star once he gets used to the physicality of the college game. He is a good shooter who makes good decisions with the ball. Another freshman, Lucas Malone, who is a very aggressive player, may see some action at the wing as well as the post.

In the post position, the Argos still have some great options, despite losing Mitchell and Beauchamp to injuries. Seniors Vitor Boccardo and Lucas Evangelista should anchor the 4 and 5 positions, with Charles Bouie, a transfer from Indian River CC, providing some solid play in the paint. Meanwhile, David Maddux, who has worked thru some injuries, will also provide quality play. Fortunately the Argonauts have some quality depth at the post position.

To sum up the Argos for 2007, the theme is depth and versatility. This might be the most skilled Argo team from top to bottom in many years. If the team can work together, they can make some great things happen.