ESPN Men's Basketball

Updated: November 2, 2009, 1:16 PM ET

Team preview: Morgan State

Blue Ribbon Yearbook previews the 2009-10 season, exclusively on Insider

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Blue Ribbon Yearbook

Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 334 Division I teams. To order the complete 2009-10 edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.
(Information in this team report is as of Oct. 1.)

COACH AND PROGRAM

Todd Bozeman has taken Morgan State to unprecedented heights in just three years on the job. A perennial sad-sack at the Division I level, the Bears have broken the team record for single-season wins in consecutive years, own back-to-back conference championships and made it to last season's NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

Here's the scary part. Bozeman thinks this season's team could be even better.

"Honestly, this could be the most talented team that we've had since we've been here," Bozeman said.

Such a remark would make it seem as if Bozeman expects an easy path back to the Big Dance. Far from it. The Bears lost three starters from last season, including sec-ond-team all-conference forward Marquise Kately and point guard Jermaine Bolden, who led the league in assists.

"I don't look at that as a negative. It's just an opportunity for some other guys to step up," Bozeman said. "What we've tried to do is each year someone else has an opportunity to step up into a different role."

PLAYERS

For Reggie Holmes (16.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg), that means assuming full ownership as a team leader. The 6-4 senior guard earned first-team All-MEAC honors after rank-ing third in the conference in scoring and leading the Bears in scoring and free-throw percentage (.742) while establishing himself as the team's premier defender. Holmes is the only returning player who logged more than 1,000 minutes last season.

"Reggie, his first two years, he just came off the bench and scored," Bozeman said. "Last year he was kind of our sergeant at arms, learning how to be a leader and taking on more of a prominent role. He was kind of in training, and now he's the epitome of what you want in a leader."

Sophomore Kevin Thompson also returns to the starting lineup. The 6-8 Thompson (8.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg) made the MEAC's all-rookie team as a red-shirt freshman and ranked third in the conference in rebounding.

Blue Ribbon Previews
Take an Inside look at the MEAC with Blue Ribbon's 2009-10 team reports: Bethune-Cookman Coppin State Delaware State Florida A&M Hampton Howard Maryland-Eastern Shore Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T South Carolina State

Thompson won't be alone in the post. Junior center Rodney Stokes started 22 games after missing the first portion of the season with a foot injury. The 6-10 Stokes (4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) averaged more than a block per game played, swatting 28 shots in 25 contests.

A pair of transfers have the inside track on the other two starting jobs.

Joe Davis returns to active duty after sitting out the 2008-09 season after his transfer from Cleveland State. A 6-0 junior, Davis averaged 8.4 points off the bench in his last season with the Vikings. He can score either with his outside shot or off the dribble.

Junior college transfer Danny Smith will get the first crack at the point guard spot vacated by Bolden. Last season, Smith averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field for Western Nebraska Community College, a program whose alumni list includes NBA veteran Bobby Jackson. Smith is a product of Woodlawn High School in Baltimore and knows many of the players on the current Morgan State roster.

"It's Danny's turn. That's kind of how we're looking at it," Bozeman said. "Based on how he played in junior college and what I saw of him from high school, I don't see him having a difficult transition."

Returnees Troy Smith and Ameer Ali (2.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg) will be expected to provide depth at their respective positions. Smith, a 6-4 senior guard, contributed 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds a night. Ali, a 6-4 swingman, cast an unflattering light on his team for his flagrant-foul takedown of top NBA draft pick Blake Griffin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma. Ali will try to make himself known for more positive reasons this season.

Sophomore Sean Thomas played only 6.3 minutes a night as a freshman, but Thomas (1.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg) should see time at the point behind Smith. Freshmen Dewayne Jackson and Anthony Anderson take to the court after a year's worth of practice time as redshirts.

Bozeman likes to have a utility guy who can play inside or outside, and he thinks the 6-8 Jackson can fill that role. At 6-10 and 235 pounds, Anderson has the size to eat up minutesand foulsin the post.

Jarrod Denard, a 6-2 freshman guard out of Freire Charter School in Philadelphia, could provide a spark in the backcourt. Bozeman describes him as "a very, very explo-sive player."

A group of seniors rounds out the roster: 6-7 forward Gene Johnson (3.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg), 6-9 center Buford Foote (0.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg) and 6-5 forward John Long (0.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg).

Dominique Scott, a little used 5-10 guard, is back on the squad after sitting out last season.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: B
BENCH/DEPTH: C
FRONTCOURT: B-
INTANGIBLES: A-

Bozeman has brought Morgan State out of the basketball wilderness and made the Bears a legitimate competitive program. Wins over the likes of Maryland and DePaul last season certainly helped.

"When we first got guys, they had to justify why they were going to a team that hadn't won nine games total in three years. But now, guys feel good about it," Bozeman said. "They don't have to say why they're picking Morgan State. Instead, it's, 'Oh wow, you're going to Morgan State.' "

When it comes to the MEAC race, Morgan State is not going anywhere. Holmes and Thompson are among the best players in the conference, Stokes could be poised for a breakout season, and Davis has a solid track record of success at the Division I level. Morgan State also boasts as much quality depth in the frontcourt as any team in the league. If Smith can rise to the occasion, as Bozeman expects, the Bears will be the class of the conference yet again.

"I like the pieces that we have," Bozeman said. "I'm just not sure how it's going to jell."

It's tough to make a repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament in a one-bid league like the MEAC, but Morgan State looks to be up to the task.

For the most comprehensive previews available on all 334 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2009-10 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbookonline.com or call 1-877-807-4857.