Men's Basketball

2008 Season Preview: When the 2007-08 men’s basketball season began for Aiken Technical College on November 2nd, it marked the program’s 15th season and the 5th season in NJCAA Division 1. Coach Bruce Capers, now in his 4th season as head coach, has a combined record of 71 wins and 32 losses. Under the direction of Coach Capers, the Knights won the Region 10 championship in 2006 & 2007. The Knights are also the 2007 Region Tournament Champions, District 3 Champions, and appeared in the 60th annual NJCAA Division 1 Championship Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas, for the first time in history as a NJCAA Division 1 program. The Knights finished the 2007 season with 28 wins and 9 losses.; Capers, a former Harlem Globetrotter, continues to be excited about the opportunities at ATC. In just three seasons, eight players have graduated and 10 ATC basketball players have earned the opportunity to further their athletic careers at four-year colleges and Universities. Three players received basketball scholarships to NCAA D-1 level schools and seven to NCAA D-2 level schools.; “We have established a high standard for our program at ATC and we are going to work to keep the high level of respect that we earned in our conference and district. We are going to work to continue to gain more and more respect on a national level,” according to Capers. “Our goal is to prepare ourselves to be winners in life, in the classroom, in the community, and on the court.”; The 2007-08 season will be a challenge, but with a solid nucleus and six players returning with championship and national tournament experience, the Knights have a chance to repeat as Region 10 Champions in order to return to the national tournament and win. Sophomore Guard Gabriel Robinson will lead the Knights’ attack with his versatile all-around play. “Gabe has seen the league and knows what to expect this season and I think he will blossom this year,” said Capers. Joining Robinson in the back court will be returning sophomore Glen Miller who scored a 2007 season high of 24 points in a win against conference rival Brunswick Community College. Also returning in the back court are sophomores Gregory Thomas and William Lee McLaughlin. Both have a lot of athleticism and high-flying dunks to go along with their defensive intensity. “We expect Greg and William to continue to play with a lot of energy and bring a level of maturity that will be beneficial to our program.”; The Knights front court will return three players led by Ashton Wine who was two rebounds away from averaging a double-double as a freshmen. “Ashton is a big strong guy who can cause match-up problems for many of our opponents.” Ashton’s season high as a freshman was 24 points and 14 rebounds. Denario Quin will join Ashton in the front court. “Denario is a natural scorer who can find different ways to score. We fully expect DQ to pick up some of the scoring load we lost to graduation.” Rashaud Commodore is also returning and is expected to give the Knights a lot of defense and rebounding in their quest to repeat as champs.; Derrick King will also return after recovering from an ACL injury and is expected to be 100% at the start of the season. “Derrick will give the Knights some much needed mental and physical toughness.; Capers also has Knights fans excited about his crop of newcomers. In the back court the Knights welcome Lance “L.J.” James, a transfer from the University of Albany. “Lance is a very exciting player with a high basketball IQ. His leadership at the point guard position is impressive and his work ethic on and off the court is second to none. Marques Washington, a 6’7” forward JUCO transfer, is also a very good veteran player that will give us more experience and athleticism on the wing. We are also pleased to add two local student athletes: Brandon Roland, a freshman who led Aiken High School to the state tournament as a senior, and Tracy O’Neal, a 6’7” freshman from South Aiken High School. Justin Edwards 6’4” a freshman from Greenville, SC, led Southside High School to the state title game averaging over 15 points per game and he is expected to play a major role in the Knights’ success.
Past Seasons: 2007 Season Recap; 2006 Season Recap