ALBANY TECH MEN’S PREVIEW: New look Titans anxious to start season

ALBANY — Much like their female counterparts, the Albany Tech Titans will start the 2015-16 season with a new look and a new outlook.

The Titans return just one player from last year’s team and three red-shirted freshmen. They lost not only their top scorers but all of their athleticism as well. Head coach Sylvester Patterson said while this squad certainly won’t be filling up the highlight reels, they’ll be able to compete.

“We definitely don’t have the athletes that we had last year,” he said. “We have maybe one or two guys that’s really athletic, other than that, they’re below the rim guys. Our big post, they’re not jumping out of the gym or anything, but they seal well.

“Kenneth Washington has a really good jump hook and he knocks that down consistently. We’ve been working on post moves, working with him and it’s gonna be a different type of team. It’s not gonna be a high-flying, dunk-every-other-possession team, but they’re gonna grind it out. All of them are good students and that’s what we were looking for.”

Injuries have been an issue during the preseason. Patterson said the team’s starting point guard Trey Garcia is out until January, so it’ll be up to the next man to step up.

One of the most pleasing developments has been the team’s defensive presence. Patterson said they’ve become ball hawks and held teams to under 70 points in all seven of their preseason games. On the ball, they pressure heavily and has been a strength.

“They’re really good defensively,” he said. “We played Middle Georgia State Wednesday night and one of the coaches commented that they were really good defensively. They put a lot of on the ball pressure, we’re picking up full court this year, kinda changing the style.

“Last year we were more of a zone because I didn’t feel we could press. We had a lot of big guys, kinda slow, but shot the ball really well. We were really good offensively last year. Defensively, we were shaky.”

Patterson added that while their youth and inexperience may prolong the adjustment period, it also may work in their favor.

“One thing about young teams, they don’t know any better so they soak up whatever you teach them,” he said. “And that’s what these guys have been doing. They’ve been working really hard in practice, they’re inconsistent, but that’s the way freshman are.”

They play their first game of the season against Faulkner State Community College today at Albany State’s HPER Gym at 4 p.m.