Ever since head coach Wiley Brown took over the IU Southeast men’s basketball program in the 2007-08 season, the Grenadiers have gone through a series of significant steps.

The first step came in his first campaign, guiding IUS to the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and a berth in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship tournament.

Last season along with repeating as conference regular-season and tournament champions, the Grenadiers won in the opening round of the NAIA Division II tourney for the first time in program history.

Now, Brown believes his IUS troops are ready to move up to the next step, which is to become a national championship contender.

With seven seniors and three returning starters, the Grenadiers appear primed to make a title run.

“We’ve got some guys who really want to win a championship. It’s not a dream anymore — it’s reality now,” Brown said. “We’ve just got to get a little smarter. We’ve just got to continue to play defense, rebound and get up and down the floor.”

The three returning starters have assisted IUS in starting this season 2-1.

One of those starters is former New Albany High School standout Craig Bryant. The 6-foot-3 senior guard ranked second on IUS in scoring last year at 13.5 points per game, helping him earn a spot on the all-KIAC team. He also was among the team leaders in assists (60), steals (39) and blocked shots (nine). So far this season, Bryant is averaging 9.7 points a contest.

Brown says Bryant’s versatility and leadership will be crucial for the Grenadiers to make a run for the ultimate goal.

“Craig is very critical because he can do a lot. He can defend and rebound,” Brown said. “He’s a leader out there on the court. All the players love Craig.”

Another player expected to be productive is 6-1 guard Jazzmarr Ferguson. The junior led IUS in scoring (15.1) and assists (102) last season to join Bryant on the all-conference squad. Ferguson has picked up where he left off last year, averaging 13.3 points and 4.3 assists a contest in 2009-10.

Senior guard Carlos Mitchell also returns as a starting guard. Mitchell is averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest so far after he scored 10.8 a clip last season.

The other two starters comprise of a transfer and a player who has not dressed for the Grenadiers in two years.

Six-foot-ten sophomore A’Darius Pegues has started the first three games at center after transferring from Western Kentucky, replacing longtime pivotman Charlie Gonzalez.

Junior forward Rick Bodiford is back with the Grenadiers after sitting out the past two seasons. Bodiford, who played for IUS from 2005-07, has been solid so far by averaging 12 points and 5.7 rebounds a contest.

The Grenadiers’ bench is deep and experienced. Leading the IUS reserves is 6-6 freshman Brice Mitchell, who is currently the team’s sixth man. Along with the younger Mitchell, Brown is expecting a lot from 6-3 senior guard Alex Gravelle, who shot 36.4 percent from 3-point range last season.

“Alex Gravelle is playing well and he had a great summer. He’s going to have a tremendous year,” Brown said. “Brice Mitchell gives us a lot of energy. He’s playing really well.”

Seniors DeJon Gary and Clay Ryan are currently coming off the bench after getting opportunities to start last season. Gary led the Grenadiers in steals (68) last season, while ranking second in assists (94).

IUS will continue to be a full-court pressing team. But its offense has changed this year.

Brown has installed a dribble-drive motion offense this season, which has helped the Grenadiers average 82.7 points per game. The former University of Louisville player says the main thing the players have had to get adjusted to with the new scheme is reading the defense.

“In the dribble-drive, it’s all about the reads,” Brown said. “Once we get the reads down, we’ll be fine.”

The Grenadiers’ nonconference schedule includes a pair of NCAA Division II foes and two NAIA Division I powers. IUS will face both Southern Indiana and Bellarmine, which was ranked No. 1 in D-II in two preseason polls, in the Bellarmine University Classic Dec. 11-12.

A week from tonight, the Grenadiers will visit the top-ranked squad in NAIA Division I, Robert Morris College, located in Chicago. On Jan. 2, they will host the University of the Cumberlands, ranked No. 14 in NAIA D-I. The Grenadiers lost to the Cumberlands in the season opener on Nov. 2, 83-64.

“Those teams will help us out tremendously,” Brown said. “The guys like those types of games and I love them.”

In the conference, Brown expects Brescia to have a solid squad. The Owensboro, Ky., school dropped to NAIA Division II this year after being in Division I the past few seasons.

Brown also looks for Berea to be tough. Brown is 19-1 in KIAC contests since his arrival at IUS.

Two Clark-Floyd area players on this year’s roster is Jeffersonville graduate Josh Lowery, a senior guard, and Floyd Central alumnus Chet Werncke, a freshman forward.



WOMEN'S HOOPS

For the past couple of seasons, the IU Southeast women’s basketball team could rely on one person to get the ball in the bucket.

That player was Andrea Chambers.

The 5-foot-8 forward ended her standout career last season by ranking ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,164 points. Chambers averaged 13.3 points per game in 2007-08 and 10.4 in 2008-09.

This season, IUS head coach Robin Farris expects the Grenadiers to score by committee due to the graduation of Chambers.

“My biggest concern is points,” said Farris, who is in his 21st year at the IUS helm. “I think the scoring will have to be spread out a little bit. We don’t have anyone like Chambers yet.”

Both of Farris’ returning starters are expected to get the Grenadier offense going. Whitney Duncan returns as the starting point guard. The 5-foot junior is IU Southeast’s top returning scorer at 8.8 points per game. She also led the Grenadiers in assists (94).

Sophomore Megan Murphy is the second-leading returning scorer at 6.3 points per game. The 5-10 forward also is expected to pick up the slack on the boards with the departure of forward Tiffiani Slaughter.

Three other Grenadiers should see significant minutes in junior guard Morgan Hunsaker, junior forward Tia Wineinger and junior forward Alden Krausse, who is a Floyds Knobs resident and graduated from Presentation Academy in Louisville.

“We have a lot of experience and a lot of depth, and that’s promising,” Farris said. “I think we’ll get better and better. We just cannot have any turnover issues.”

Farris also is expecting significant contributions from his newcomers. Freshman Kortney Woods is a 6-foot center from Louisville who runs the floor well and will play in the post. Fellow freshman Ashmere Woods is a 5-7 freshman guard who should help the Grenadiers in the backcourt.

An IUS freshman with local ties is 5-8 guard Jasmine Cain. The former Jeffersonville standout has gotten some minutes during the start of the 2009-10 campaign, as the Grenadiers have compiled a 2-1 record.

“Jasmine has looked good at times,” Farris said. “She needs some time to get back into basketball shape. She has played nine to 10 minutes a game for us so far. Her time and role could increase as the season progresses.”

Farris plans on playing a more up-tempo style this season due to the departures of Chambers and Slaughter, who excelled in the half-court. He hopes to apply more full-court pressure on defense, which should force more turnovers and create easy baskets.

“I feel like we’re quicker this year. Hopefully with a quicker team, we’ll score more baskets,” Farris said. “I do want to press more this year, and in our half-court defense, we want to shut down the lanes.”

The Grenadiers hope a quicker style will help them repeat as Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions and earn them a return trip to the NAIA Division II Women’s National Championship tournament.

“It’s something they want to do,” Farris said. “They want to experience that again. They all have their sights sets on winning the conference.”

Farris thinks Asbury and Brescia will challenge IUS for the KIAC title. Brescia returns to the conference and NAIA Division II this year after spending the past few seasons in NAIA Division I.

Farris says the Grenadiers’ nonconference schedule will prepare them for the KIAC. The nonconference slate includes NCAA Division I IUPUI, NCAA Division III Hanover and NAIA Division II teams Taylor and Huntington.

“We can certainly challenge for that,” Farris said about repeating as KIAC champions. “We have as good of a chance as anybody to win conference. Our tough nonconference schedule should help us.”