Nov. 11, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette doesn't know what to expect in his team's first season as a member of the Southern Conference. On July 1, 2008, the Bulldogs officially joined the SoCon and will play their first men's basketball game in the 12-team conference on Dec. 6 against Georgia Southern.

In its five seasons as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Samford qualified for postseason play in every year and accumulated an impressive 53-39 record against OVC opponents. The Bulldogs finished as high as second place in the conference in 2006 and advanced to the championship game of the 2006 OVC Tournament.

Samford's 2007-08 senior class spent all four years in the OVC. The players developed a familiarity with the conference, and the Bulldogs' fifth-year seniors, Joe Ross Merritt and Travis Peterson, knew what to expect when they went on the road for an OVC weekend.

Head Coach Jimmy Tillette is Samford's all-time leader in wins.

"In the OVC, all of our older players had an understanding about what the trip ensued," said Tillette. "They all knew where to go to find the locker room, where we would eat, where we would stay and now it's just going to be a learning curve for everyone."

Tillette, who is in his 12th season as Samford's head coach, went on to say that in a league featuring the likes of Davidson, Appalachian State, Chattanooga and UNC Greensboro, finding the locker room will be the least of his team's worries this season in the SoCon.

"This is definitely a prestigious conference to be in," Tillette said. "Especially after Davidson's run in the NCAA Tournament last year, you realize how good these teams really are. The challenge of being in this conference will be stimulating. There are a lot of talented players, and for us the travel will also be a little more extensive. We will have to leave earlier on trips and that has made us concerned about distances as well."

As Samford heads into the 2008-09 campaign, the Bulldogs boast a roster comprised of eight returning letterwinners, three highly-touted incoming freshmen and a talented redshirt freshman in Matthew Friday. Samford will also have the benefit of spending its first full season in the 32-million-dollar Pete Hanna Center. Last year, the Bulldogs were forced to spend its preseason in Seibert Hall before making their transition across the street to the brand-new, state-of-the-art Pete Hanna Center in November.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to shoot the ball better in the arena this season," said Tillette. "We've been fully moved in here for about a year now and that will really help, especially because we definitely need to shoot the ball better at home. Last year, it took us a while to get used to. It's a bigger building; therefore the depth perception is tricky."

Trey Montgomery returns to the Bulldogs' starting lineup as the team's floor general at the point guard position.

Samford's 2008-09 schedule includes road games at Ohio State, Saint Louis and Belmont, as well as home-and-home matchups with Elite Eight-finalist Davidson. Following a pair of home exhibition games against Covenant College (Nov. 6) and Tennessee Wesleyan (Nov. 10), Samford will open its schedule Nov. 14, against Belmont in Nashville, Tenn.

RETURNING STARTERS
The Bulldogs' 2008-09 roster includes eight players that spent time in the starting lineup a year ago. Every returning player on the roster made at least three starts last season, a fact that speaks volumes for Samford's young, yet experienced team.

Junior point guard Trey Montgomery will begin his second full season as the Bulldogs' floor general. In 2007-08, Samford's talented 6-foot-4 guard was named the team's Most Improved Player after starting in 28 of the team's contests, including the final 25 games of the season. A native of Destrehan, La., Montgomery averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game in 33.1 minutes per outing. He also led the Bulldogs with 51 steals and finished second on the team in shooting percentage (50.5), rebounds (120) and assists (65).

Another bona fide member looking to return to the starting lineup this season will be forward Bryan Friday. Friday, a 6-foot-6 native of Grapevine, Texas, played in 29 of the team's 30 games a year ago and made 21 starts for the Bulldogs. A rugged competitor, Friday only missed one game all season after being elbowed in the mouth against Jacksonville State Jan. 7 and losing his top two front teeth. Despite his dental injury, he went on to score 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting against Tennessee Tech less than a week later. During the season, Friday averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 25.7 minutes per contest.

Junior Bryan Friday is looking to have a breakout season for the Bulldogs this year.

"Bryan and Trey are both guys that work really hard for us," Tillette said. "Last year, Bryan had a lot of issues with injuries, so hopefully all of that is behind him. Trey is a very hard-worker, and as the point guard on the team people tend to listen to him. It's going to be a long season, and we know that there will be some ups and downs, but we hope to be more consistent than we were last year."

Samford's Curtis West heads into the 2008-09 campaign as the team's only senior. A native of Baton Rouge, La., the speedy West received a medical redshirt last year after suffering an injury to his shoulder in practice on Dec. 1. Prior to the injury, he started in the first five games of the year and averaged 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per contest. On Nov. 20, West showed his explosiveness from the guard position as he recorded a double-double against Towson. In the contest, he finished with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

"We're going to be counting on Trey, Bryan and Curtis for leadership this year," Tillette said. "This season, Curtis is the only senior on the team, but he's an affable person and everybody on the team likes him. It's easy for him to say something and to be respected for what he says."

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS
Aside from Friday, Montgomery and West, Samford returns five additional letterwinners that spent time in the starting lineup last season.

Sophomores Josh Bedwell, Gaby Bermudez and Josh Davis are all expected to play key roles in the backcourt this season, while Jim Griffin and Andy King will be counted on to anchor the frontcourt. King, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-8 center from Omaha, Neb., will play one of the most important roles on the team this year as he seeks to replace center Travis Peterson as the starter at the "P" position. In Samford's "Princeton" offense, the Bulldogs' attack generally runs through the center, who must be an excellent decision-maker.

"It will be really hard to replace Travis at the `P' position," said Tillette. "We have Andy (King) who played some last year as a redshirt freshman and then we have Matthew (Friday) who redshirted last season. They are both young, so that's a little bit of a concern right now, but Andy's strength is shooting the ball. He's one of our best shooters."

Sophomore Andy King will play a key role for the Bulldogs this season as the team's starter at the "P" position.

Last season, King earned playing time in all 30 games and made starts against Towson, Florida State, No. 20 Clemson and Morehead State. He averaged 8.9 minutes and two points per contest. As a threat to shoot from beyond the arc, King tallied a 33.3 shooting percentage (10-of-30) from 3-point range, including a team-high 50-percent mark (10-of-20) in OVC play.

Two other players that are expected to spend time in the starting lineup this season are Josh Bedwell and Josh Davis.

Bedwell, Samford's 6-foot sharpshooter from Hartselle, Ala., led the Bulldogs with a 46.2 shooting percentage (54-of-117) from 3-point range last year and earned playing time in 28 of the team's 30 games. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game, and he finished tied for third in the OVC in 3-point percentage.

Davis earned playing time in 29 of the team's 30 games last season and made nine starts as a true freshman. He started in the Bulldogs' final eight contests of the season and averaged 8.6 points per game down the stretch. On Dec. 17, he was named the OVC's Freshman of the Week after he exploded for a career-high 23 points against Reinhardt.

"Right now, Josh Bedwell, Josh Davis and Andy King are head and shoulders the best shooters on our team," Tillette said. "So, when all three of those guys are in the game at the same time, the other team will have to guard the arc."

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN
There is only one redshirt freshman on the Bulldogs' roster this season, 6-foot-8 center Matthew Friday. Friday, a native of Grapevine, Texas, will be competing with Andy King for minutes at the "P" position. He possesses a tremendous upside for the Bulldogs and displayed his talents during his years at Colleyville Heritage High School.

At CHHS, Friday was a four-year varsity starter, was named the district's 2006 Defensive Most Valuable Player and earned three-consecutive first-team all-district honors.

After spending the 2007-08 season practicing with the team and learning the offense, Friday will be expected to step right in to game action this season and run the Bulldogs' offense.

"Matthew's done a good job of learning the offense and of getting familiar with it during game situations," said Tillette. "Some of the skills can be cultivated while the other ones are innate. Both Andy and Matthew are gifted passers. They can deliver the ball on the money."

NEWCOMERS
Samford boasts four newcomers to the roster this season. The Bulldogs will have three true freshmen on the team in Kaylin Johnson, Jeffrey Merritt and John Peterson, and will also welcome junior transfer Peter Carroll.

Johnson, Merritt and Carroll will all add depth to Samford's backcourt in 2008-09, while Peterson will be expected to fight for playing time at the forward position.

"Jeffrey is going to be a really good player," Tillette said. "Two of his older brothers played here so he definitely knows what he signed up for. His workouts have been good as have John Peterson's. John really has some nice quick post moves and we've also been very pleased with how Kaylin has looked."

SCHEDULE
Samford's 2008-09 schedule includes road games at Ohio State, Saint Louis and Belmont, as well as home-and-home matchups against 2008 Elite Eight-finalist Davidson. The Bulldogs' first SoCon game will be at Georgia Southern on Dec. 6, while their first home game in the SoCon is scheduled for Jan. 8, against Furman.

Samford will once again play a 20-game league schedule this season, similar to the OVC, but the Bulldogs will not play a home-and-home series against all 11 SoCon opponents. This season, Samford will only play The Citadel and the College of Charleston once.

The Bulldogs' most high-profile games in the conference this season will be at Davidson (Jan. 3) and at the College of Charleston (Jan. 12), as well as home games against both Appalachian State (Jan. 17) and Davidson (Jan. 31). Last season, Davidson won the SoCon title and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA Tournament behind the play of junior All-American Stephen Curry.

Samford's meeting with Ohio State on Nov. 29 will be its second matchup in six seasons. During the 2003-04 campaign, the Bulldogs played against the Buckeyes and dropped a hard-fought 80-62 decision.

After opening SoCon play at Georgia Southern on Dec. 6, Samford will remain on the road to play against the Rick Majerus-led Saint Louis Billikens on Dec. 13. The Bulldogs then return home to face Louisiana Tech in a return game from the 2008 ESPNU BracketBusters Challenge. Samford defeated Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., last season 73-70 (OT).

The Bulldogs will end their regular-season schedule with a three-game SoCon road trip against Chattanooga (Feb. 21), Western Carolina (Feb. 26) and Appalachian State (Feb. 28). Samford will then begin play in the 2009 SoCon Tournament from March 6-9 at The McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.

2008-09 Basketball Schedule