NMJC hoops begin play this week; USW already underway

Clayton Jones/News-Sun

NMJC freshman Lorelle Waters grabs an alley-oop with

one hand for a dunk during practice.

  Hard to believe but basketball season is here for local college teams New Mexico Junior College and University of the Southwest.
  While the USW men and women got underway this past weekend at the Santa Claren Classic in Espanola (the Mustangs went 1-1 while the Lady Mustangs went 2-0), the NMJC women get underway Tuesday night when the Lady Thunderbirds host Cochise 5:45 p.m. at Caster Activity Center.
  The NMJC men's team gets its season underway Thursday during the first day of the Thunderbird Classic when the T-Birds host the University of the Southwest JV at 8 p.m. (the Lady T-Birds play Arizona Western College at 5 p.m. – check out the rest of the the T-Birds' and Lady T-Birds' schedule on their pages at go-thunderbirds.com).
  For NMJC, both teams are looking to get over tough near postseason misses in 2010-11. The T-Birds and Lady T-Birds both tied for the fourth and final spot but the NMJC men and women each lost the tiebreaker.
  This season both teams appear ready to make another push for the postseason.
  The T-Birds have All-WJCAC player Dequan Hicks back to lead a team that will have a little more scoring punch from a year ago (though it won't be near as big). The 6-foot-7 Hicks is getting looks from D-I schools and a solid season will only make his stock rise. Read a complete preview on the men's team in Thursday's News-Sun, but players to watch this season will be Alex Phillips, Marvin Binney, Desmond Lee, Lorelle Waters and Josh Shelton.
  The Lady T-Birds also have their top player from a year ago back in Teonna Campbell. The 5-foot-10 sophomore from Ontario, Calif., is a versatile weapon getting looks from several large D-I schools – including Missouri and USC – and has received offers from smaller institutions. With NMJC recruiting some size, she'll be able to flourish in her natural spot at small forward, but expect her to also play the power forward position.
  While you can read a preview of the Lady T-Birds in Tuesday's edition of the News-Sun, other players to watch are point guards Kya DeGarmo (Eldorado grad) and Stacie Telles, wing Waleska Perez, shooting guard Angel Reyes, and post players Markia Thomas, Honor Duvall, 6-foot-6 Marta Oledzka and 6-foot-3 Isidora Madzarevic.
  Previews for the USW teams will run in the News-Sun on the same day of the their home opener Nov. 9 against Northern New Mexico.