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Front row, from left, are Roane State basketball players Josh Shannon, Quincy Poitier, Charles Perry, Ivan Harden, Kyle Gunter and Malik Allen. Back row, from left, are assistant coach Alan Holt, Logan Hunter, Micah Goss, Tayte Kitts, Shamir Rolle, Chris Cook, Carlis Carey, administrative assistant Mike Elmore and head coach Randy Nesbit.
Oct. 23, 2015
Working with a roster full of new players is challenging and rewarding for Roane State Community College men’s basketball coach Randy Nesbit.
Roane State returns only three veteran players this season, which means Nesbit has had to manage getting his team ready in the short-term while developing young players for long-term success.
“There is an upside for the new players because they do not get pushed to the background or get lost in the shuffle,” Nesbit said. “There are not seven or eight guys ahead of them. They get a lot of attention and reps in practice. You have to keep looking at the idea that each week, you are going to see substantial progress. You have to keep that in mind, while the short term may be kind of chaotic.”
In a league loaded with talented teams, Roane State will have to grow up in a hurry. One stabilizing influence may be point guard Chuck Perry from Gainesville, Ga. Perry has been out of organized basketball for five years, but Nesbit said Perry has the potential to develop into one of the league’s best point guards. Nesbit said Perry scored 23 points in a preseason game.
“He’s shooting the three really well,” Nesbit said. “He is a smart guy. If he becomes a savvy, decision-making point guard, he could go Division I.”
Sophomore Ivan Harden will also play point guard. Nesbit said Roane State will often play a four-guard lineup to offset opponents’ size and to force bigger teams to guard more of the floor.
“That is definitely a strength,” Nesbit said of having two quality point guards. “They both penetrate well and find the open man.”
Guard Micah Goss of Knoxville, a transfer from an Illinois junior college, also brings experience to the backcourt. The Fulton product has good offensive skills, is a strong rebounder and a solid defender, Nesbit said.
Defensively, expect Roane State to give teams multiple looks.
“We will play maybe three different defenses to keep other teams from settling into a good rhythm,” Nesbit said. “We have never really done much of that before. We had a great chance to upset Southwest Tennessee last year playing a different defense than we were playing.”
Tayte Kitts, a 6-7 sophomore from Corryton, will anchor the frontcourt with help from 6-6, 245-pound freshman Shamir Rolle from Nassau, Bahamas. Nesbit expects Kitts to have a productive season and said that Rolle has shown good athleticism and potential.
Freshman forward Josh Shannon of Louisville, Ky. has put up “some incredible rebounding numbers” in preseason, Nesbit said.
Nesbit knows Roane State will face teams loaded with Division I prospects. But he believes the Raiders will be up to the challenge as the young players continue to develop.
“Our talent level is strong enough that if we can overachieve and out-execute the teams in our league that are supposedly above us on paper, then we can have a realistic goal of challenging for the top of our league,” Nesbit said. “It’s really enjoyable to coach this team. It’s a very high-character group.”
Nesbit is assisted by assistant coach Alan Holt and administrative assistant Mike Elmore.
Learn more about Roane State athletics.
1 Ivan Harden, sophomore, 6-0, 180, guard, Norcross, Ga.
3 Tayte Kitts, sophomore, 6-7, 192, forward, Corryton
5 Kyle Gunter, sophomore, 6-2, 185, guard, Sunbright
10 Charles Perry, freshman, 5-10, 153, guard, Gainesville, Ga.
12 Malik Allen, freshman, 6-3, 185, forward, Georgetown, Ga.
15 Josh Shannon, freshman, 6-3, 205, forward, Louisville, Ky.
22 Quincy Poitier, sophomore, 6-2, 196, guard, Nassau, Bahamas
23 Micah Goss, sophomore, 6-3, 190, guard, Knoxville
24 Chris Cook, freshman, 6-6, 185, forward, Knoxville
30 Carlis Carey, freshman, 6-4, 167, forward, Nassau, Bahamas
32 Logan Hunter, freshman, 6-4, 160, forward, Evensville
42 Shamir Rolle, freshman, 6-6, 245, forward, Nassau Bahamas
RS Trey Bingham, freshman, 5-11, 164, guard, Clinton
RS Tyler Hughes, freshman, 5-10, 149, guard, Kingston
RS Brady Nease, freshman, 6-3, 190, guard, Maynardville
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