Men add new cast of character

By Kyle Ringo
The Metropolitan

This is new. It might even be novel.

The approach to building a college basketball program from the ranks of the beleaguered to the hierarchy of hallowed that Metro coach Mike Dunlap is taking is different at the least.

He says he is not interested in bagging the highest talent if that means sacrificing character.
Instead Dunlap intends to build the tradition of going to class, getting good marks and
graduating. He might be more open to the idea of risking a scholarship or two on talent alone only when there is a foundation of success in school to surround that risk.

In his first season, which begins Nov. 15 in

California at the College of Notre Dame, Dunlapâs formula for integrity first has produced before the first shot.

Two of the newest Roadrunners, Ollie Brent and Rashawn Fulcher, netted $20,000 Jackie Robinson Scholarships earlier this fall. Each player will receive $5,000 a year to help with the expense of attending college.

Both players come to Metro from California fresh out of inner city high schools. Brent is from the Los Angeles area and Fulcher hails from Oakland.

ãOnly 50 kids receive the Jackie Robinson Scholarships each year,ä Dunlap said.
ã(Brent and Fulcher) are both captains. They are both high GPAs. Both are incredible people.ä

Fulcher views the award as vindication from his peers who told him he was going about things all wrong by staying away from the trappings that have swallowed so many inner city kids before him.

ãIt gives me a sense of pride, confidence and assurance,ä Fulcher said. ãAssurance in that Iâve overcome the peer pressure.ä

Now Fulcher will concentrate on overcoming some of the most powerful basketball teams in the nation.

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will provide some solid competition this season. But that is nothing new.

Two years ago, perennial RMAC powerhouse Fort Hays State won the national title. The Tigers along with Nebraska-Kearney and Regis figure to be contenders once again this season. All three schools are ranked in several pre-season publications.

ãThe RMAC is one of the top three conferences in the country,ä Dunlap said. ãI think it is rugged.

ã... Regis is very gifted this year. Kearney and Hays have been ranked in the top 15. Thatâs gnarly enough, and obviously Southern Colorado always has great athleticism.ä

Dunlap said that despite the difficult schedule of top-flight conference teams, he believes the Roadrunners have a chance to contend.

ãIf the stars are kind to us, yes I do,ä Dunlap said.

ãWe go into every competition feeling like we have a chance to win. My particular track record is always that the teams start slow and finish fast.ä

Considering Metro has nine new players this season, Dunlapâs streak of slow starts could continue. But, the Roadrunners will not face the big three RMAC teams until well into January, giving them plenty of time to speed things up.

Metro will play an eight-man rotation, Dunlap said, with the strength of each playerâs performance in practices determining who fills the eight spots.

The coach has not decided who those eight players will be to start the season, but the competition has begun to wind down.

Two returning players will see most of the action at point guard. Senior Sidikie Kamara and sophomore DeMarcos Anzures filled the position last season, and that will not change this year.

Similarly, sophomore transfer Lee Barlow (6 feet, 8 inches tall), and returning senior Adrian Navarro will split time at center. Navarro finished last season as the teamâs second leading scorer.

The final three positions will be filled by a mix of five players in freshman Fulcher and Brent, and junior transfers Phillip DeGraffenreid, Nathan Hallows and David Adler.
ãI think that ultimately, we will show our true colors on defense,ä Dunlap said. ãOffense always comes a little later because of timing and rhythm.

ãWe just have to move as a unit. That takes time. You have to go through some adversity and you have to have some success to build on.ä

Navarro thinks this team is already a step ahead of this time last year when he was a part of a divided Metro team that spent much of its time fighting itself.
 

ãWe hang around, and we joke together,ä Navarro said. ãYou can see we really love each other.ä

That is definitely new and novel at Metro.