By Benny Rogers/TVCC Sports Information
Unfamiliar faces will attempt to take the men’s basketball team at Trinity Valley Community College back to what has become a familiar place.
As the 11th-ranked Cardinals open the season Friday in the annual College College Classic in Plano, the goal is to see the season reach the NJCAA tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., for a third straight year.
To do so, fourth-year coach Kris Baumann will rely on a team of newcomers. Only 6-8 Houston sophomore Melvin Swift returns from last year’s 28-5 squad that went 17-2 in Region XIV Conference play.
Newcomers expected to contribute early include a pair of sophomore transfers — 6-2 Stephen Edwards (Santa Clara University) and 6-7 Leon Gilmore (Creighton University). Baumann is also looking for big things from 6-7 Houston sophomore J.C. Washington.
Josh Robinson, a 6-5 sophomore from Shreveport, La., also returns to the team after a one-year absence. Robinson helped the Cardinals to a national tournament appearance and a 29-7 record in the 2013-14 season as a freshman.
“We have a very skilled team that will be very capable of scoring points,” Baumann said. “This will potentially be the best scoring team since I’ve been here.
“We are excited to get up to the Metroplex and see how we stack up against three good teams.”
The Cardinals are scheduled to open against Odessa at 2 p.m. Friday. They will play Midland at 2 p.m. Saturday and Carl Albert at noon Sunday.
They are scheduled to be at home Friday, Nov. 6, against Dodge City at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 7, against Southwestern Christian at 7:30 p.m.
The Cardinals have been tabbed as the team to beat in the conference’s East Zone, drawing 12 of 14 first-place votes in the annual coaches poll.
Conference play begins Saturday, Nov. 21, at home against Angelina. Game time is 7 p.m.
Baumann is in his fourth year at the helm of the Cardinal program. He is 77-24, making him the fastest coach in school history to reach the 75-win plateau. In his first three seasons, the Cardinals are 32-15 in conference play – 32-6 the last two.