Josh Terry Averaged 11 points and 4.3 rounds per game in the
2011 season.

Tyshwan Edmonson Lead the 2010 season and was second in the OVC scoring with 17.1 ppg.

John Fraley Started all 34 games in 2011 season and was 4th in the OVC in rebounding.

» By MARLON SCOTT – mscott@my.apsu.edu

With the possible exception of Morehead’s head coach, Donnie Tyndall, all the OVC basketball head coaches are breathing a sigh of relief and rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a season without facing Kenneth Faried. This begs the question, “Who benefits the most with Faried in
the NBA?”

The answer is the APSU Govs.

On paper, it is easy to see why OVC coaches and sports information directors voted the Govs to win the 2011-12 OVC Championship.

The primary reasons the Govs are the favorites in the 2011-12 OVC Championship discussion are returning players, new faces to replace key losses
and depth.

“I think there is a lot of excitement about this basketball team. We figured we would be picked near the top and we think we are a good enough team to contend for the championship in a league where there are a number of really good teams,” said Govs head coach Dave Loos at the OVC Media Day in Nashville.

“It is a league now where you have to be ready to play every night or you are going to go home with a loss,” Loos said. “As I said, we are excited, the community is excited about this team. But as we all know, it is going to be settled on the floor, and we hope we are ready to make a run for it.”

In his 22nd year as head coach, Loos has a squad with experience and talent. This season’s lineup includes nine players from last season’s 20-win team.

The most significant loss to the Govs team was point guard Caleb Brown. Brown started all 34 games last season and led the team in free throws and assists. He also made 57 steals, second only to Terry and Edmonson.

The Govs also lost forward Marcel Williams and guard Tyrone Caldwell. Both Williams and Caldwell came off the bench averaging 10 minutes a game. They played on the team three years before transferring during the offseason.

Filling Brown’s position will be JuCo transfer Jerome Clyburn. Clyburn comes from Santé Fe Community College in his home state of Florida.

Backing up Clyburn will be freshman guard Herdie Lawrence. Lawrence played at Collins High School in Atlanta where he averaged 15.7 points and 4.8 assists per game.

Ready to jump into the frontcourt is Chris Freeman. Freeman averaged a double-double, 21 points and 12 rebounds, at Muhlenberg High School in Greenville, Ky.

The Govs will play two top 25 teams this season, California and Memphis. They will also participate in an ESPN Bracketbuster game for the ninth time this season.

“We appreciate the fact people have some respect for our program, but we also understand it’s where you finish, not where you start,” Loos said. “We will be driving that point home.” TAS