LENGTHY SKYHAWK MEN'S HOOPS SQUAD TO FEATURE DEPTH, VERSATILITY THROUGHOUT 2019-20 CAMPAIGN

MARTIN, Tenn. – Tabbed to finish in the upper tier of the Ohio Valley Conference, the 2019-20 University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball season projects to be one of the most entertaining in recent memory.

"These guys are a pleasure to coach and they're unbelievable to watch," fourth-year head coach Anthony Stewart said. "I have a 'wow' moment just about every practice if not every other practice. They're an exciting group and they're a disciplined group. They've worked hard and done everything we've asked of them and then some."

One year ago, the Skyhawks were picked to finish 11th in the preseason OVC standings. Following a late season push that resulted in a sizzling UT Martin squad becoming one of the most feared opponents in the league down the stretch.

The league's head coaches and communications directors took notice, voting the Skyhawks to finish fifth in the conference race. UT Martin is picked to finish as high as third in the OVC by a pair of national publications.

"We don't really worry about the preseason rankings," Stewart said. "We try to put 100 percent focus and energy towards the things that we can control. Whether we are a sleeper team or a favorite, we just go about our business and try to win each and every opportunity we have to step on the basketball court."

A successful season is likely hinged on the play of a pair of Preseason All-OVC selections as the Skyhawks landed a pair of honorees on that exclusive list for the first time since 2015. Quintin Dove earned All-OVC second team accolades last season after averaging 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. He was joined by Craig Randall II, who burst on to the scene by averaging 16.3 points per outing over the final 12 games of the season as a mid-year transfer.

"I know that both Quintin and Craig will continue what they established last year," Stewart said. "We count on them for their leadership – they lead by example with how hard they play every day in practice. They bring their lunch pail every day. Now we look to them for that leadership and that mentorship for some of our younger guys."

Derek Hawthorne, Jr. is also back in 2019-20 to give UT Martin three senior returning starters. Hawthorne ranked ninth in the OVC in three-point field goal percentage (.412) in league play and scored in double-digits in 13 different games last season.

"Derek had a good debut last year as a junior college transfer," Stewart said. "He's been successful at the Division I level and has done a very good job recently in practice."

One of the most highly anticipated debuts in school history will also take place this season, as Parker Stewart will suit up for his father. Parker brings one year of Atlantic Coast Conference experience to the Skyhawk backcourt, as he tossed in 10.8 points per game in league play as a true freshman at Pittsburgh in 2017-18.

"Coaching my son is a feeling I really can't explain – it kind of hit me recently," the elder Stewart said. "He sat out and got to practice a little bit last year but to really be this close to actually coaching my son in a Division I basketball game is sort of surreal. It's a blessing. To have a son that is able to play for me and is going to be a big part of our success - I'm very thankful for this opportunity."

Trenten Williams also returns for UT Martin but is expected to miss the season after suffering an offseason injury. The 6-3, 175-pound guard redshirted during the 2018-19 campaign.

Stewart and his staff worked hard on the recruiting trail to find 10 newcomers who hope to make an impact this season. Those 10 have adjusted well to the Skyhawk basketball culture and have provided Stewart with some spirited competitions throughout the practice season.

"Practice has been ignited," Stewart said. "We have better athleticism with this particular team. We have greater length and that was by design - our average height per position is quite a bit taller than years past. We struggled with depth last year - we were only suiting up six or seven guys when we made our run to the second round of the conference tournament."

Included in the 10 new faces are a mixture of four junior college transfers (Jordan Pierce, Jalen Riley, Miles Thomas, Steve Wooten, Jr.), two transfers from Division I institutions (Ajani Kennedy, Hannes Polla) and four freshmen (Isaac Aguiar, Ja'Darius Harris, Eric Rustin, Eman Sertovic).

Pierce is a 7-0, 290-pound center who helped lead Odessa College to a 28-7 record and an Elite 8 appearance in the NJCAA Tournament last season. He played his freshman campaign at the University of Dayton.

A 6-2, 190-pound guard, Riley averaged 9.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game as a true freshman at Antelope Valley College last season. He was a key player for the prestigious Spire Prep Academy in 2017-18.

Thomas was a NJCAA first team All-American last season at Walters State, averaging 21.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals per outing. He began his collegiate career at OVC member Tennessee Tech.

Standing at 6-6 and coming in at 215 pounds is Wooten, who collected averages of 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game last year at Mineral Area College. He spent his freshman season averaging 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds at Northeast Community College.

Kennedy must sit out this season after the 6-9, 215-pound forward led the Big West Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.464) last season at UC Riverside.

UT Martin is awaiting the status of Polla, a 6-11, 270-pound center out of the University of Oklahoma. The Lahti, Finland native was a four-star recruit and has practiced with the team while the NCAA rules if he is eligible to play this season.

Aguiar brings good size to the Skyhawks, as the 6-10 forward averaged 28.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks over a 41-game schedule at Covenant College Prep last season.

A 6-2, 170-pound guard, Harris earned the Tennessee Class A "Mr. Basketball" Award in 2019 at Peabody High School. He averaged 22.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals while leading the Golden Tide to a 27-7 record as a senior.

Rustin is the tallest player on UT Martin's roster as the Richmond, Va. product checks in at 7-1. He averaged a double-double (13 points, 10.3 rebounds) while swatting 3.7 blocks per game at Tennessee Prep Academy last year.

Sertovic gives the Skyhawks a consistent outside threat as the 6-5, 195-pound guard has proven to be lethal from beyond the three-point arc. He was part of a world championship and nationally ranked squad at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona.

With the plethora of talent around the UT Martin roster, it is clear that the opposition will have their hands full on a nightly basis when they square off against the Skyhawks.

"I actually anticipate having equally distributed minutes - we're going to go by committee," Stewart said. "It won't just be a one-man show or a two-man show, it will be a total team effort – the five guys that are out on the floor at that current time. Night-to-night, player-to-player, each game you really have to pick your poison if you want to key in on something. We are a multi-faceted program - we have guys who can play multiple positions and put on different hats on the offensive side and on the defensive side. I like our versatility – we have the ability to be chameleons and change our style at any point in time and be just as effective at anything that we do. I can put just about anyone in the game and be comfortable with the production I'm going to get on either end of the floor so that's really been a plus. That's not coaches talk – that's actually what's been happening every day in practice."

The nonconference schedule does UT Martin no favors as the Skyhawks have a 50-day layoff between home games (Nov. 9 through Dec. 29). UT Martin will travel approximately 14,491 miles throughout the 2019-20 campaign.

The Skyhawks will look to weather the challenging nonconference slate and click once OVC play begins on Jan. 2.

"Everybody's on one accord," Stewart said. "They've really meshed into what we are doing and what our vision is. What I like about this team is they are extremely receptive to learning and always wanting to get better - doing the extra things necessary for us to reach our goals. In Year Four, we want to take that jump that I know we are capable of making in the league standings. I'm really looking forward to seeing this group in action."

LENGTHY SKYHAWK MEN'S HOOPS SQUAD TO FEATURE DEPTH, VERSATILITY THROUGHOUT 2019-20 CAMPAIGN

Players Mentioned

Isaac Aguiar

Quintin Dove

Ja'Darius Harris

Derek Hawthorne, Jr.

Ajani Kennedy

Jordan Pierce

Hannes Polla

Jalen Riley

Eric Rustin

Eman Sertovic

Parker Stewart

Miles Thomas

Trenten Williams

Steve Wooten, Jr.

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