Bulldogs tip off 2021-22 with more options

PERKINSTON — Last season was a strange one, and it was particularly difficult for a new coach to step into and establish his culture.

Mississippi Gulf Coast men's basketball coach Tim Ryan faced all the COVID-19 ramifications with his inaugural Bulldogs team, and now he's ready to unleash a much better version.

"I like the team a lot right now," he said. "We're bringing back a lot of experience a couple of transfers a couple of new guys all of which will have an impact on our team. I thought last year we got something started we didn't have quite the year we wanted to obviously, but I think we're going to build on that and I'm looking forward to it this year."

Gulf Coast tips off its 2021-22 season Monday when it travels to Mobile to play Bishop State. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs' first home game will be Friday when Royal Ambassadors visit Perkinston. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

Home tickets are on sale at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, including All-Basketball Season Passes good for every men's and women's game in the final season at the Weathers-Wentzell Center. The new basketball arena will open in 2022.

The biggest change will be that, quite simply, it's just a bigger squad. That's not even talking about size, but the number of players Ryan will be able to play. Last year, the Bulldogs were so thin they had to activate a manager on the squad to fill out the roster when the injury bug hit them particularly hard.

The increased depth will affect one end of the court specifically.

"If we're gonna win, we're gonna have to play some defense and I think that was one thing that was really lacking on our team last year," Ryan said. "A big part of that was because we had so few guys you know they had to play so many minutes last year. We had a game last year against Southwest — we actually won the game — but we played four guys 40 minutes. I've only played one guy 40 minutes in a game, never played two, much less four guys play 40 minutes. Our guys were exhausted, so I think you'll see a much improved defensive team."

Gulf Coast brings back star guard Melvion Flanagan (So., Peabody/Alexandria, La.), who averaged 19.9 points last year. He certainly led the MACCC in confidence, and the conference noticed his undisputed talent.

"Melvion was the only freshman on the All-Region team last year," Ryan said. "He was our leading scorer, led us in multiple statistics on the offensive side, so he'll be a big part of our offense again this year." 

One thing that will help him out is the previously mentioned depth, and a newcomer will let Flanagan move to shooting guard. Donovan Sanders (Fr., Lake Cormorant/Walls) averaged 17.4 points and 4.1 rebounds as a high school senior. 

Kevin Grimes (So., Bay Springs/Bay Springs) is finally expected to step onto the court for the Bulldogs. The swingman has had two redshirt for two years because of injuries, but led Bay Springs to a state championship as a senior while averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Dontavius Proby (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) provided a huge shot in the arm for the team last year. 

"He's just tough as nails," Ryan said. "He was a huge part of our team last year. We were so short-handed and it was great to have a guy like him that gives it on every play and doesn't back down from anybody."

Another reason for optimism is the return of Anthony Ratliff (So., Terry/Jackson), who was the Bulldogs' best all-around player last year. He had to defend bigger players in the post and did it well, then made them play on the other end where his athleticism was too much. Calvin Johnson (So., Long Beach/Long Beach) is also back, and he'll be a four who can shoot from long range.

Carr Thiam (So., Wharton/Tampa, Fla.) returns as one of the best shooters on the team. Ryan said he's playing more athletically this year with better bounce. He'll be joined up front by Augusta University-transfer Lee Flenor (So., South Miami/Miami, Fla.), who was third in the Peach Belt Conference with 8.9 rebounds per game.

Caleb McCarty (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) is another transfer from Hinds who will bolster the front line. He averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds as a freshman. Dillon Farmer (So., Choctaw Central/Conehatta) provides another big body on the inside who make strides by leaps and bounds last year. The Marine reservist joined the team at Christmas and came on down the stretch.

The MACCC eliminated divisions this year, which means the Bulldogs will play every team in the state once in the regular season. The top eight teams will make the state tournament.

Gulf Coast will run a pro-style offense called the Pistol, and the Bulldogs will push the pace. They'll press the opposition to help generate points, too. 

"I'm looking forward to a great year," Ryan said. "Last year was a tough year through COVID both on and off the court for our guys and our families, but the one thing about these group of guys is that they're just they're an excellent group of guys. They made the year so much better both on and off the court. They finished last year with a 3.26 GPA, which is excellent for a junior college men's basketball program, so it's a lot of fun working with these guys and a lot of fun to watch."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.