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2006-2007 Season Recap
It was a year to remember for the nationally-ranked Itawamba Community College men’s basketball program. There were plenty of highlights for the Indians that finished in the top ten at the National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
14th-ranked ICC chalked up the biggest win in school history in a Sweet Sixteen showdown against fourth-ranked Northeastern JC (CO) at the NJCAA Tournament. That was the highest ranked school that the men’s program had ever knocked off and earned Itawamba a spot in the Elite Eight.
Northeastern was one of the nation's top offensive scoring teams, but was held to only 18 points and was forced to commit 18 turnovers in the first half as ICC led 31-18 at the break. Itawamba was able to hold on after intermission and captured a victory over the highest ranked opponent in school history.
"This was a great victory for us and our school," said head coach Marty Cooper after the game. "We didn't score a point in the first seven minutes of the game and that usually spells trouble. But our pressure defense kept us in the game and was the reason we were able to extend our lead."
Cooper’s club finished the year at 27-6, which is his best mark in nine years at Itawamba, after losing to number 11 Coffeyville (KS) and Seminole State (OK). All three of the schools that ICC faced in “Hutch” went on to win three games at the national tourney and each placed in the top seven in the nation.
“To make it to the Elite Eight is quite an accomplishment for these guys,” said Cooper, whose '06-07 club received the school's highest ranking ever in men's basketball at number nine in the NJCAA poll back in December. “This was a special group that just continued to prove the critics wrong all season long. We weren’t the biggest and most talented team around, but we had team chemistry and big hearts and that can take you a long way.”
Itawamba loses eight key sophomores from this year’s squad that won the regular season north division crown with an 11-1 record and captured the Region 23 Tournament title by bettering the south division regular season champs from Gulf Coast, 71-58. With that in mind, Cooper, who was named the District 15 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the national coach of the year award, knows these next two months are quite important in recruiting players that will fill in those gaps.
When you look at the post-season honors, freshman guard Anthony Brock and sophomore forward Larricus Brown made the first-team all-region 23 squad as well as first-team all-state. Sophomore post-player Dell Coleman made second-team all-state, while sophomore forward Tim Green and sophomore guard Justin Duke made the honorable mention all-state lists.
Cooper was also named the MACJC Men’s Coach of the Year. Coaches from all 15 of the state’s community college basketball programs voted on the annual award.
“Number one, it’s always nice to be honored by your coaching peers around the state,” said Cooper, who is now 160-88 in his nine years in Fulton. “Number two, I’ve never known a coach of the year winning it without having good players.”
A handful of those players participated in the annual North-South All-Star basketball game in Philadelphia. Oxford's Coleman, who signed with NCAA division one school, Jacksonville State, in the early signing period joined teammates Brown and Green, who both signed to play at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, on the north squad. Unfortunately, Brown was scheduled to have shoulder surgery the week before the game and was not able to take part. Pontotoc's Mike Penson was chosen to replace Brown on the north roster.
In February, Brown was named NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Player of the Week. It was the first time an ICC basketball player has ever received this prestigious national honor.
Brown, a 6-5 sophomore forward from Memphis, TN., guided Itawamba to three victories, which improved the teams overall record, at the time, to 19-3. Brown was instrumental in two come from behind wins against defending state champ, Holmes Community College and nationally-ranked Three Rivers Community College (Mo.).
For the week, Brown averaged 25.3 points per game, shot 57 percent from the field (26-for-46) and 50 percent from three-point range (7-for-14) along with a sparkling 94 percent from the free throw line (16-17).
