Rhinos College take 6-0 record into challenging weekend games in Florida
With a 6-0 record, Gaston College's basketball program is off to the kind of fast start few could have expected from the school's first team in 50 years.
Head coach Dickey Nutt's team has struck a balance between a high-scoring offense and a sticky defense to restart the program in such a successful fashion.
Jaylen Bates, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward from Atlanta, says the reason for the team's success is quite simple: "I just think we're gelling as brothers. Everybody's helping one another and our confidence is really growing."
Bates and fellow sophomores Zavion Jackson, Damon Davis and Kalil Camera and freshman Dee Merriweather comprise a starting lineup that has gotten solid bench support from freshmen Joshua Johnson, Da'marco Watson, Dedrick Givens and Naysean Baisy.
They've used that balance to pull out a pair of games in which they trailed in the second half - at Charlotte's Johnson and Wales in the season opener on Nov. 5 and against Lincolnton's Combine Academy on Nov. 10 at Gaston Christian.
"Basically, it's just been playing for each other in all of these games and not worrying about who scores and pulling together to win the games," Bates said. "We've learned a lot. We try to use every game as a learning lesson and play as one because it has got to be a team effort."
Davis is the leading scorer, rebounder and passer. A 6-foot-3 guard from Atlanta, Davis is averaging 16.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Other top scorers for the balanced team are Bates (10.5 average), Watson (10.5), Camara (9.7), Merriweather (8.8), Givens (8.4), Johnson (7.5) and Jackson (6.3). Baisy just returned last Sunday after missing the first four games with a foot injury and he has 25 points in his two games.
"We've just been taking one game at a time and don't really pay attention to anything other than that," said Nutt, whose team has played at games at each of its three home courts - Gastonia's Piedmont Community Charter School, Lowell's Gaston Christian School and Dallas' North Gaston High School. "We've had good guard play and good inside play and we've really played pretty good defense in virtually every game."
The Rhinos' defense has limited opponents to 39.1 percent overall shooting, 18.9 3-point shooting and has forced 18.2 turnovers per game.
This weekend, Gaston College faces a stiff challenge with a pair of weekend games in Florida.
On Friday at 8 p.m., the Rhinos play at Tallahassee Community College, which has sold out the game.
And on Saturday at 5 p.m., Gaston College visits Northwest Florida State College.
"It's why you get into college basketball to play against the best," Nutt said. "Tallahassee is traditionally one of the best. Northwest Florida is another great program. It'll be a good trip for us. We'll find out a lot about ourselves. We think it'll be more in line with what we'll play in Region 10 play."
Tallahassee Community College was a Region 8 runner-up two years ago and Northwest Florida State College has won National Junior College Athletic Association national championships in 1995 and 2015 were back-to-back Region 8 champions in 2018 and 2019.
Even with the expected raised competition, Bates said the team's game plan won't change much.
"Basically, we try to focus on our game plan and listen to coach Nutt and (associate head) coach (Jamie) Rosser because they are great coaches," said Bates, whose team opens its 14-game Region 10 schedule on Dec. 4 at Cape Fear Community College. "That's been what's been working for us so far this season."