Bevill State-Walker College turned to a familiar face to turn the Bears’ basketball program around — Rick Bolling.
And the coach can’t wait for the opportunity.
Following a two-year hiatus that saw the Bears drop to the bottom of the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) standings, Bolling is back and has hopes of turning the program into a champion.
“It feels like I’m back in my element. This is what I love to do,” said Bolling, who also coached the team during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. “I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else than coaching junior college here in Jasper. This is the best junior college town in the state as far as people supporting the program. The people here are the reason I came back. I want to win a championship for them more than anything in the world.”
Bolling’s second era opens Monday. The Bears host Enterprise-Ozark at 7 p.m. at Glen Clem Gymnasium.
Bolling led the Bears to the No. 1 seed in the state tournament in 2006-07 only to get ousted in the first round of the event by a Southern Union team that Bevill State beat by 40 points in the regular season. The loss has always stuck with Bolling.
“I feel like I let everybody down three years ago. I’m back to redeem myself,” Bolling said.
Bolling takes over for Al Blanton, who led the team to a 26-37 overall record, including a 9-25 mark in ACCC play over the last two seasons. The Bears also missed out on the ACCC state tournament each year.
Bolling, who took over as head coach in April, didn’t have much time to recruit, however, he likes this year’s group. Four players from last year’s team — Carbon Hill’s McClain Burrough, Pat Carr, Terry Randle and Allen Rigsby — are back. Bolling has also added four transfers — James Davis, Anderson Jones, Richard Nasseri and Brian Smith.
“It’s a whole new team,” Bolling said. “We’ve got a good nucleus of kids with experience and freshmen. I’m a guy who believes you don’t win in this league with an all-freshman team. We wanted to get some guys with experience because the sophomores have been through the wars and freshmen don’t know what to expect.”
Bolling is counting on a couple of sophomores to lead this year’s team — guards Pat Carr (6-foot-6) and Brian Smith, (6-2) a transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock.
“I’ve been very impressed with Pat Carr. He could be one of the best players in the state. He should have an outstanding year. Brian Smith is the real deal. He has the potential to be one of the best guards I’ve ever coached. I think Pat Carr and Brian Smith could be the best guard combination in the state when it’s all said and done. I expect big things out of Pat. He’s the complete package,” Bolling said.
Just like his previous stint as head coach, Bolling wants his team to push the ball up and down the court.
“We want to push it and run every opportunity we get. We’re going to shoot a lot of 3s and that’s because I feel our strength is at guard. We are six-deep at guard, but we’re only four or five deep inside. If the inside guys come through, we could be one of the top teams in the North. They will be the key,” he said.
Bevill State’s inside game will revolve around Terry Randle (6-7) and Wallace State-Hanceville transfer Anderson Jones (6-7) as well as freshman Joe Fife (6-10).
“These are good kids. They work hard and play together. There’s not a jealous kid out there. We had some jealously the last time I was here. We’ve got a good mix of kids. I think we will be as good at guard as we’ve ever been here,” he said.
Bolling has put together a top-notch non-conference schedule this season. Both Three Rivers (Mo.) and Chipola (Fla.) will make trips to Jasper.
“If people love basketball they need to mark their calendar. Chipola is the preseason No. 1 and Three Rivers is always a powerhouse,” Bolling said. The Bears will face Chipola on Nov. 12 and Three Rivers on Jan. 5.
“Can we compete with them, I doubt it, but it’s good to play those kind of teams just to see where you are at on the national level. It also helps when you get back into the conference schedule. We are a long way from a championship club. I’m sure Shelton and Wallace are the teams to beat in the state. Our goal is to get to the state tournament this year. They haven’t been in the last two years.
“I’m encouraging people to reserve seats. We need to get this place back like it used to be. We are not going to get it back overnight. We’ve got to win first of all. No one likes a loser, whether it’s Alabama football, Auburn football or Bevill State basketball.”
Johnathan Bentley
Sports Editor
Sunday, Nov 01, 2009
Reprinted by permission of Daily Mountain Eagle
