Courtside: Former Trojans Excelling Abroad

12:04 A.M., SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2010
TAYLOR BRYAN (EMAIL)

Several former Trojans have already started their seasons with club teams all around the world and several more are waiting to begin competition.

Three members of Troy’s 2010 Sun Belt championship squad used their team’s success on the court to secure professional contracts overseas. Michael Vogler (Nevezis - Lithuania), Antywan Jones (Astrum Levice - Slovakia) and Yamene Coleman (CSS BC Miercurea Ciuc - Romania) were able to pick up deals to play and have already seen action in a couple of games.

Brandon Hazzard and Richard Delk are also expected to ink professional deals at some point in the very near future.

I was unable to find any stats on Vogler, but Jones is averaging just over 3 ppg in about 16 minutes of action through four games. Coleman has played just one game, but scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his first action.

The recent Trojans aren’t alone in the pro ranks. Former Mid-Major All-American O’Darien Bassett is spending this season in France with Stade Clermontois Basket Auvergne. He has played in two games and is averaging 13.5 ppg.

Scoring in double-figures in Germany is another former Trojan – Richard Chaney. Chaney spent just one year with Troy (2006-07) and is posting 11.5 ppg for club team Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in Germany.

A well-traveled European veteran, Lamayne Wilson has already played in five games with Budivelnyk Kyiv in Ukraine. He is averaging just more than 6 ppg and four rebounds in action that includes two Euroleague contests.

One last former Troy hoopster has already begun his professional season. While not overseas, Corey Hornsby is very much active abroad. Hornsby is dominating the competition in the Mexican league to the tune of 22.8 ppg and 7.9 rpg through 10 games with Huracanes de Tampico.

Several others former Trojans spent last season playing professionally around the world and are expected to be back in some location later this year and in 2011 including Richard Damus (Spain), Bobby Dixon (Italy/France), Herbert “Moo” Evans (Harlem Globetrotters), Cedric Jackson (Israel), Tom Jervis (Australia) and Rob Lewin (France).

The 2010-11 edition of the Trojans begin preparations for their title defense on Saturday, October 16. They will hit the floor first on November 8 against West Alabama in exhibition action.

Stay tuned to TroyTrojans.com and follow @TroyAthletics on Twitter for the latest on all of Troy Athletics.

Courtside with Taylor Bryan

6:36 P.M., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010
TAYLOR BRYAN (EMAIL)

You won't be able to see this when I publish it, but once you do it will be an exciting day for the online Troy community with the launch of the new TroyTrojans.com. A lot of props are due to assistant director of athletic media relations Travis Jarome for the hundreds of hours he spent working alongside the ICS staff in getting this site up and running.

Courtside is going to be your home for insider news and perspective on the Troy men’s basketball program. I look forward to bringing you some knowledge and insight in my dealings with the top-notch coaching staff here and a team that is sure to be exciting this season.

Speaking of exciting weeks, it has also been an exciting week for former Trojan Brandon Hazzard. He was announced as a participant in the Charlotte Bobcats Summer Camp in preparation for the 2010 AirTran Airways Summer League in Orlando that will be played in the next couple of weeks. You can check out the full announcement here (http://www.nba.com/bobcats/orlando_summer_league_100630.html)

Congrats and good luck to Brandon as he fights for a position on the squad over the next few days.

I had a look at Troy’s hoops schedule for the upcoming season the other day and as it stands now and it is sure to be a great slate, especially at home in the last year of Sartain Hall. I don’t want to put any details out too soon, but there are going to be a few out-of-conference games that our fans will really be excited about along with the always competitive Sun Belt Conference schedule.

That’s it for today, but be sure to browse the new website and check out some of the new features we will be using to keep our great fan-base informed about the goings on of Troy Athletics. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/tabryan) and the Troy Athletic Department (twitter.com/troyathletics) for breaking news and updates.

GO TROJANS!
TB

Troy Strikes Partnership with ICS

The Troy University Department of Athletics has struck a deal with ICS Sidearm Sports for a new look to TroyTrojans.com. The site launches July 1, and the Media Relations Office and the Department of Athletics is very proud of the new site. There will be bumps along the way as we work out different things in order to get the site running, but trust me when I say that this is one of the best looking sites I have seen. There will be different items than on the last website, and they will be easily noticeable. We hope you sit back and enjoy looking through the new TroyTrojans.com.