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Union lost just two seniors from last year’s squad, but those two players were All-Americans and accounted for over 36% of the team’s scoring. However, the Union Bulldogs return three starters and eight players overall from last season’s team, including the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, Greg Truvillion (18 points/game, 9 rebounds/game). Five newcomers join the program this year as well that will be called on to step in and contribute early.
First year Union head coach David Niven says, “We have a good group of guys returning this year. Some of them played large roles and some of them will get a chance to prove their abilities this year. Truvillion gives us a very good inside threat. Combine that with his intelligence and passing and he is one of the best players in the country. Keith Tolliver, Antoine Joseph, Martez Hawkins, and Tacuma Alexander all started at various times throughout the last season. Alan North, Roland Banhoro and Veljko Petrovic will all get opportunities to fill the large shoes left by Brian Lake and Matt Neaville.”
Five seniors lead the 2009-10 squad led by All-American and TranSouth Newcomer of the Year, Truvillion. Alexander, North and Tolliver each return for their fourth year of basketball at Union, while Hawkins is back after transferring to Union as a junior.
Union has four juniors on the roster, led by Joseph. Banhoro and Petrovic both return for their third season, while Stan McNeil joins the squad after transferring from Jackson State Community College this year.
CJ Davis is the lone sophomore on the team, transferring to Union this year from Los Angeles City College.
Three freshmen round out the roster led by red-shirt freshman Samuel Danache who was with the team last season. Daniel Kelley of Nashville and Brady Sheppard of Milan, Tenn. begin their college careers with the Bulldogs.
“Our newcomers also give us added depth and fill many of the needs we have,” says Niven. “McNeil led the state in three-point shooting last season and is a tough cover with his quickness and shooting ability. Davis is a prolific scorer. He can find ways to score from anywhere on the floor. Danache comes off a red-shirt year and is an explosive athlete. He will be a mismatch most of the time that he is on the floor. Kelley is a very good shooter that will certainly push some older guys for minutes in his freshman year. Sheppard is a good shooter and a very smart player that will develop his college game this year.”
Union’s trek back to the national tournament will be tough as their schedule is littered with ranked teams. Their TranSouth title defense begins in January with a tough league schedule that put three teams in the national tournament in 2009.
The Bulldogs are going for their seventh league title in the 13-year history of the TranSouth. Another trip to the NAIA National Tournament would be the program’s thirteenth appearance, and sixth in the past seven years.
