By JESSE HALEY Special to the Daily Press
The basketball Corsairs, who were second in their conference last year, return eight lettermen to the hardwood for Santa Monica College, among them power forwards Ronald Eskridge, Morgan Smith, a thin Eric Norcross and currently injured point guard Marko Mihailovic.
However, the 2002-03 roster includes no center.
“It’s a little different,” said head coach John McMullen. “But we’ll have more overall depth at that position.”
One of the starting forward spots will belong to Ronald Eskridge, the 6’6” sophomore from Palisades High. A D-1 prospect as yet uncommitted, Eskridge is an explosive, natural athlete who can pose a constant offensive threat.
Morgan Smith will occupy the opposite wing. McMullen calls Smith, a sophomore from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, “a key player” — an all-round athlete who can shoot or drive and rebound.
A problem the power forward-stacked Corsairs may face is matching up against teams with less size and more speed, especially at guard.
“We have to find ways to defend small, quick players,” said McMullen.
Mihailovic’s return in a few weeks may lessen the concern.
At the post, McMullen will start 6’7”, 235-pound sophomore Bryan Jolly. While shorter than other junior college centers, McMullen expects Jolly’s strength will counterbalance the height advantage of the 6’10’’-plus post players he’ll match up against in the league.
“Jolly’ll give us the muscle to defend those guys,” McMullen said.
Egemen Alpay, 6’8’’, 225-pound freshman and former co-captain of the Turkish Junior National team, will come off the bench to relieve Jolly at center.
An ankle sprain benched starting point guard Mihailovic, who has already committed to play at University of Pacific next year.
Ball-handling duties will fall to Eric Jones, the 5’11” freshman from Los Angeles High School, an all-city player last season.
Sophomore Jun Nakanishi, a quickfooted, 5’10” guard, will also get some minutes at point while Mihailovic tries to get back to full strength.
Forward Eric Norcross is another question mark for SMC. He’s suffered health problems recently including a hernia that kept him from training over the summer.
“He’s a little weak and out of shape, but he’ll put on a another 10 or 15 pounds,” McMullen said of the currently lean Norcross. “He’s been practicing pretty well for a guy who’s been out as long as he has.”
Norcross is expected to play more as the season progresses.
The Corsair coaching staff said they are also expecting good things this season from two other sophomores, guard Daniel McGaffeny from Mississippi and power forward Justin Ferichs, a local kid from Palisades High.
SMC plays its first home game Thursday night against L.A. Harbor College, before Saturday’s doubleheader, when the women’s team takes on Compton College at 5:30 p.m. at SMC before the men face Santa Barbara City College at 7 p.m. Both will be conference openers.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 15, 2002. Read the original PDF.