Players streak to the basket for a lay-up or pull up and shoot a jump shot. Junior Kevin Smith elevates for a 180-degree jam. The sound of swishing nets fills the gym. This is Guilford basketball.

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) preseason poll ranked Guilford’s men’s basketball team ninth out of ten teams, ahead of Eastern Mennonite. The team’s roster lists only four returning players – none of whom were starters. With so many unknowns, judges hesitate before ranking Guilford any higher.

Gone are seven players from last year’s team who finished with a 15-11 season. They take with them 64 points, 30 rebounds, and 15 assists per game – not including the experience that comes from playing together for four years.

To surpass expectations, Guilford will have to receive strong contributions from its large group of first-year and transfer students.

Junior forward-guard and co-captain Robbie Poteat commented on the incoming group. “The first-year class is really big, yet also very quick. We have some tall guys and the guards are all incredibly athletic,” he said.

There is a down side to having so many talented newcomers.

“One thing that worries me this year is that with all the excessive talent, I don’t want anybody to get discouraged because they are not getting the playing time they would on another team,” said Poteat.

New players showcased their athletic ability and penchant for scoring during the inter-squad scrimmage on Nov. 6. They got up and down the court very quickly and several of the men exhibited extraordinary leaping ability.

“We’ve got an extremely good offensive team,” said Poteat. “We have five or six guys that can go out and score 20 points on any given night.”

Junior center Genaro Lawhorn agreed. “On offense we have a two-headed monster with me and Brandon Clifford,” he said. “Inside we’re scary. We get guys double- and triple-teaming us, and we kick it out to the shooters. We have guys who are pure shooters.”

The offense will rely on post play with two big guys in the middle. As they draw more attention, they free up opportunities and space for the smaller players outside. This takes coordination and the ability to play together.

If there is one concern for the team, it is chemistry. Lawhorn commented, “Early in the season we might struggle with playing together, but we’re working on it every day.”

One thing that will help is the presence of Coach Tom Palombo. Last year, his first year with the team, Palombo shared the conference Coach of the Year award with Bob Johnson of Emory and Henry.

“Chemistry is critical,” he said. “Sometimes the teams with the best players don’t win. The teams that play the best together win, and that’s chemistry.”

On the court, it affects how well the guys play defense together. The players must be comfortable with each other for the defense to excel.

“No matter what, we are going to have guys who compete,” Palombo said. “If you’re willing to compete, you can play defense and rebound,” which will be the key to starting the Quaker’s fast-break offense. When the defense begins playing well, this team will be exciting and fun to watch.

Everyone on the team is optimistic about the upcoming season.
“We’re going to compete every night,” Palombo said. “There will be no off nights for Guilford. We will go after teams and we will play hard every night.”

Lawhorn added his own positive on the season, saying, “I am anticipating us doing great things this year and winning the ODAC tournament. We want some of those pretty rings.”

The season began Nov. 10 when the Quakers beat the Italian Junior National Team 74-60 in the Alumni gym. The game was particularly challenging, as NBA scouts were watching the Italian squad.