AASU Men's Basketball Opens 2007-08 Season On Friday

The Pirates face Coker College on Friday at 6:00 p.m., then take on St. Andrews on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The games will take place at the Smith University Center on the campus of Francis Marion University.

Coming off of a 20-win season and an NCAA Championships berth for the third time in the last four seasons, the Pirates face the unfortunate task of replacing more than 50% of its offense from 2007-08 in departed seniors Bryan Taylor, Tory Harris and Darly Massamba. Taylor leaves AASU as its all-time leader in games played and the second-leading rebounder in school history, while Harris ranks among the school's all-time leaders in free throw shooting.

The Pirates return two starters in senior point guard William Kane and senior forward Patrick Sanou. Kane averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 assists per game last season, while Sanou enjoyed career highs with 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, leading the team in blocked shots with 36. Other key returnees include senior shooting guard Jamaal Galloway (9.7 ppg), who broke the all-time three-point basket record as a junior last season, and senior forward Franchot Brown (2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg).

Seven newcomers join the Pirates for 2007-08, led by a duo of junior college transfers from St. Petersburg JC. Guard Tametria "T.T." Hall and forward Calvin Wilson helped St. Petersburg JC to consecutive Florida state tournaments as Hall averaged 16 points a game and hit 48.5 percent from three point range, while Wilson averaged 10 points and five rebounds a game.

Senior guard Corey Johnson transfers from Arkansas-Little Rock for one season and is a former All-Region player from Aiken Tech, while junior guard Andrew Webber joins the Pirates from Australia.

With the Peach Belt Conference moving back to a home-and-home schedule, the Pirates will play 20 league games this season. In addition to the Francis Marion tournament, AASU will also face West Georgia in a non-conference matchup, then host two tournaments in December.

AASU has been picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll of the league's coaches, behind Augusta State, Clayton State, Columbus State and GCSU.

The Pirates will play its first three games of the season away from home, then return to Alumni Arena for their home opener on Wednesday, November 28, at 5:30 p.m. against PBC foe North Georgia.