Freshman Brett Williams and
Junior Markus Oertelt (10) during a
preseason scrimmage

Erskine Men's Basketball Ready For A Winning Season

Erskine basketball coach Mark Peeler is ready to stop talking about rebuilding and start talking about winning.

"There comes a point in time when losing gets old and a team decides enough is enough," said Peeler, whose two Erskine teams have lost 41 of 52 games. "We are counting on these kids being the ones who stand up and stop this nine-year losing streak at Erskine."

Nine straight losing seasons have followed Erskine’s brilliant 1992 season, when the Flying Fleet finished 27-7 and reached the Elite Eight of the NAIA National Tournament. Nine years, a move to the NCAA Division II’s Carolinas-Virginia Athletic conference and two coaches later, Erskine is still trying to find a way back to the postseason.

Peeler came to Erskine from conference foe St. Andrews for the challenge of returning Erskine to the upper echelon of small college basketball programs, and the team has shown steady improvement.

After winning just four games in his first season, Peeler guided Erskine to seven wins last year, the Fleet’s best record in four years. Peeler added nine freshmen and a transfer for 2002 that he hopes will end the drought.

"The odds and history are against us but I know we will play hard, we will play very, very smart and we will be tough," Peeler said. "If that is not enough, so be it,"

Two-year starters Jeff Wiersma at center and Daniel Fischer at guard, both juniors, are the only returning starters, and sophomore guard Bobby Isom, who averaged 18 points a game in Erskine’s last five contests last year, will lead the team.

"We’re hoping that Bobby will pick up where he left off last year," Peeler said.

Peeler said that 6-7, 240-pound senior post player Bryant Puntch, who has seen limited action his first three years at Erskine, has developed into a solid contributor. Peeler added that junior guard Colibar Matos is an accurate shooter, but has played less than seven minutes a game during his career.

Peeler believes the non-conference schedule is more favorable for the Fleet this year with Emmanuel and Tusculum as new additions along with traditional rivals Presbyterian and Newberry. It will be in the conference, where Erskine has finished last the past three seasons, that Erskine will have to prove itself.

"We’ve had some growing pains in the conference," said Peeler, who is hoping his talented crop of newcomers can lift Erskine from the CVAC cellar.

"We focused on shooters during the recruiting season, and I think we are well-stocked," Peeler said.

Freshmen Vony Rivers, J.T. Greene and Cody Ledford are all long-range shooters in the backcourt . They will combine with a group of 6-5 swingmen who can shoot, including Jeff Sullivan, Stephen Bruce, Kevin Parker and Brett Williams.

"The inside will be bolstered by the addition of Francis Marion transfer Markus Oertelt and redshirt freshman Rickey McMullen," Peeler said. "Both have the capability to score inside and outside."

Peeler said, "The most important thing we can do here is bring in young men who love the game and play with passion. They need to be quality students in the classroom as well so it does take a special type of person.

"We will not be successful with ordinary student-athletes but with extraordinary young people who will be willing to sacrifice to lead this program back to the success it enjoyed in the past," Peeler said. "We have played almost all freshmen and sophomores the past two years and are just now starting to play some guys with experience.

"Combine that with a quality freshmen class and I don't think it will be long before we stop talking about rebuilding and start winning."

Erskine will open the season in a tournament in Louisville, Ky., against Bellarmine on Nov. 16. The Fleet play their first home game Dec. 1 against Presbyterian at 7:30 p.m., and begin the conference schedule against Pfeiffer at home Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

(Click here for more information about the men's basketball program)

Freshmen Vony Rivers shoots for three
during a preseason scrimmage