AIKEN, SC--Tenth place is where the USC Aiken men’s basketball team will finish in the 2003-04 Peach Belt Conference race, according to the annual preseason poll of the league’s 12 head coaches released today at the conference’s media day in Augusta, Ga. The Pacers collected 31 points, five points behind ninth place Georgia College & State University.

USCA finished last season with a 5-23 record. The team’s 4-15 conference mark tied for fourth in the PBC’s North Division and tenth overall.

“I know this team thinks they’re better than number 10 and they’re going to work hard everyday in practice to prove that to the rest of the league,” Pacer Head Coach Mike Roberts said. “The Peach Belt will be as tough this season as it ever has been. If we want respect, we’ll have to go out and earn it night in and night out.”

Columbus State, who received 115 total points, and seven first place votes, is atop the PBC poll for the third straight year. Following the Cougars by just two points is Kennesaw State. The Owls garnered four top votes and a total of 113. Clayton College & State earned 89 points and the third spot in the poll.

Armstrong Atlantic State and Augusta State tied for fourth place. AASU received the lone remaining first place vote and matched the Jaguars’ 82 points. North Florida (73) in sixth and USC Spartanburg (72) in seventh place were separated by just one point.

Francis Marion has a solid hold on eighth place with 59 points, 23 ahead of Georgia College & State (36) in the ninth spot.

The Pacers received one sixth place vote, two eighth place votes, three ninth place votes, three tenth place votes and two eleventh place votes to total 31 points.

Lander’s 21 points placed the Bobcats at number eleven, two points ahead of UNC Pembroke (19) in the last spot.

Voting in the coaches’ poll is conducted on a points system. Each first place vote is worth 11 points, a second place vote is worth 10 points and so on. Coaches are not allowed to rank their own teams.

Roberts returns eight letterwinners to his seventh USC Aiken basketball squad. Included among the returnees from last year’s team are four starters, the top four scorers from last season and five of the top six rebounders from a year ago.

Senior Lee Burton (15.2 ppg/3.7 rpg) led the 2002-03 Pacers in scoring. Bryant Latimer (14.5 ppg/3.0 rpg) scored in double figures 26 times last season, including a career high 27 points in USCA’s win over USC Spartanburg. Minda Statkus (8.7 ppg/4.8 rpg) led the squad in rebounding and posted a double-double against Presbyterian College, his first game ever in a Pacer uniform.

Roberts, 80-87 in six years on the Pacer bench, will have to find a replacement for point guard Eric Dugans. The Columbia, S.C., native started 73 games and played more than 3,000 minutes (28.1 mpg) in four years as a Pacer. He finished his career as the school’s all-time assists leader with 439. That number also ranks Dugans fifth all-time in the PBC.

Newcomers Cameron Conover and Trent Boyd, along with Latimer (74 assists/2.6 apg) will be the top candidates for Dugans replacement. Mars Hill College transfer Curt Triplin will be a solid addition to the front line after finishing second in the South Atlantic Conference last season with an average of 7.6 boards per game.

The Pacers will open their 2003-04 campaign on Nov. 22, when they play Carson-Newman College. The game, in Jefferson City, Tenn., will begin at 8:00 p.m. USCA’s first home game will be Dec. 6, against Carson-Newman, tip-off at “The Courthouse” is set for 7:30 p.m.

2003-04 Peach Belt Conference
Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

1. Columbus State (7).....................115
2. Kennesaw State (4)...................113
3. Clayton State................................89
t4. Armstrong Atlantic State (10).....82
t4. Augusta State.............................82
6. North Florida.................................73
7. USC Spartanburg.........................72
8. Francis Marion.............................59
9. Georgia College & State...............36
10. USC Aiken................................31
11. Lander........................................21
12. UNC Pembroke...........................19

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