2007-08 Men's Basketball Season Outlook

Guilford returns three starters and 10 letter winners from last year’s 24-5 team that reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Senior Ben Strong, a 6-11 center, is back after winning the National Association of Basketball Coaches Co-Player of the Year and the D3hoops.com Player of the Year awards. Strong averaged 25.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in Guilford’s best season since 1974-75.

The Sporting News and DIII News both tabbed Strong as their preseason 2007-08 NCAA Division III Player of the Year. D3hoops.com ranked Guilford fourth in its preseason poll, while The Sporting News picked the Quakers eighth and DIII News rated Guilford 11th in its poll. Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's basketball coaches put Guilford first in their preseason poll for the first time.

Tom Palombo, the NABC’s 2006-07 South Region Co-Coach of the Year and D3hoops.com’s 2006-07 South Region Coach of the Year, needs to replace graduated swingmen Jordan Snipes '07 (17.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Thomas Burge '07 (5.7 ppg., 3.0 rpg.). The pair started each of the past three seasons and gave Guilford great athleticism and versatility. Sophomore Clay Henson (5.2 ppg.) provided key backcourt minutes off the bench in his rookie campaign, which will help him contribute more in 2007-08.

Strong will command the attention of every opponent. He enters his senior campaign ranked 13th in school history with 1,494 career points. In 2006-07, he ranked fourth among the national leaders in scoring, ninth in rebounding and 12th in blocks per game. Strong won the ODAC Player of the Year Award and was a five-time ODAC Player of the Week. His 737 points and 25.4 scoring average rank fourth in school history, first among Guilford’s Division III students. He recorded 18 double-doubles and scored at least 20 points in 19 games. Strong poured in an NCAA Division III Tournament-record 59 points, including the winning free throw with 12.2 seconds left, in Guilford’s 129-128 triple-overtime win over Lincoln (Pa.) University in the third round of the 2007 NCAA playoffs. His 59 points set league and school scoring marks and helped him win the Most Outstanding Player Award at the four-team NCAA sectional tournament.

In addition to Strong, Palombo returns senior point guard Caleb Kimbrough and senior power forward Eric Belkoski, who along with Strong, have started each of the past two years. Kimbrough, Strong’s teammate since middle school, is a three-year starter. He has improved each year and consistently ranks among the ODAC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. Belkoski is a 6-3 forward who brings toughness and hustle to the post. He showed an improved scoring touch as a junior, averaging 8.4 points per game.

Junior power forward George Neville and 6-10 sophomore center Tyler Sanborn return to provide frontcourt depth and insurance. Senior Ray Edmond, a defensive specialist on the perimeter, appeared in all 29 games with Neville and Sanborn.

Guilford plays a largely regional schedule again, including two regular-season ODAC games with Virginia Wesleyan, the 2006-07 national runner-up and 2005-06 national champion. The Marlins (Palombo's alma mater) took all three meetings with Guilford last year and have ended the Quakers’ season in each of the past three seasons. Hampden-Sydney, another ODAC team in the 2007 NCAA playoffs, is another tough league rival. Nonconference contests with Emory, Greensboro, Averett and Methodist will also help determine regional supremacy. Guilford was privileged to play NCAA Division I University of South Carolina Nov. 5 in a preseason exhibition. The Gamecocks are coached by Guilford alumnus Dave Odom '65 and associate head coach Matt Parke spent two seasons on Odom's USC staff.