Roadrunners set to begin a new era

Sedalia, Mo. The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners men's basketball team has been busy preparing for the upcoming season. This year's roster consists of 13 newcomers to go along with a pair of returning players. The entire coaching staff is also new for the upcoming season.

Head coach Jeremy Jackson has a clear idea of the style of basketball that his team will play this season.

"We want to play a fast style of basketball, getting up-and-down the court, and creating some transition scoring opportunities," said Jackson. "We want to create a lot of that with our defensive intensity. We want to be able to guard the ball and make teams score over our length. We also want to make sure we play solid defense."

Coach Jackson expects leadership on this year's team to come from a variety of players.

"There is a good core group of sophomores this year," said Jackson. "We have the two returners in Daniel Garza and Malick Ndiaye who know what to expect in Region 16 and have the experience to help lead."

The Roadrunners will also need contributions from a lot of newcomers this season. Coach Jackson likes what he has seen from this group so far.

"We have a couple freshmen who will come in and be immediate impacts for us like Nate Wilder, Da'Ron Hall and JP Ndong, all have great skill sets and are ready to come in and prove themselves," said Jackson. "We also have a couple transfers in Jai'Kori Phillps , Gavin Q Murphy, and Ibraheem Sylla. These guys have come in and worked hard for us from day one."

The Roadrunners will face a very tough schedule to prepare them for Region 16. The Roadrunners will open the season on Oct. 31 with a home game against Hutchinson Community College. The Roadrunners also take on Cloud County Community College and Southeastern Community College. They will travel to Barton Community College before opening a six-game home stand. SFCC will make their traditional trip   to Moberly Area Community College over Thanksgiving weekend.

SFCC will play three games away from home in December to close out the year. The Roadrunners will return to action on Jan. 3 with a trip to Coffeyville Community College. SFCC will begin Region 16 play with a trip to Mineral Area College on Jan. 7. The Roadrunners will close the always tough Region 16 schedule hosting Moberly on Feb. 22.

"I think our Region is loaded with great talent across the board, some great coaches who are not only highly respected but also amazing at what they do," said Jackson. "So, we will definitely be in for some great games." 

Coach Jackson has some goals that he would like to see his team accomplish this season.

"I would like to be playing our best basketball in March," says Jackson. "I want to continually see this team keep growing and building a foundation here at State Fair to put us on the map as one of the best programs in the country."

David Rohrbach SFCC Athletics