Gaston College head coach David Nutt (third from left) and associate head coach Jami Rosser (fourth from left) huddle with their team during the Nov. 5, 2021 season-opener at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte.

Posted: Jun 15, 2022

2021-22 REVIEW: Part 2 of 5 on how Rhinos' teams got started - Basketball

When Gaston College made the decision in the summer of 2021 to restart its basketball program, it was missing two important pieces - a home gymnasium and players.

By the start of the 2021-22 school year in September, head coach David "Dickey" Nutt and associate head coach Jamie Rosser had a 14-player roster and arranged a 28-game schedule with 15 games at four "homecourts."

Was it easy?

Not a chance. And it certainly wasn't a conventional start-up due to factors outside of the coaching staff's control.

Since the area was still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, Nutt and Rosser recruited players primarily by zoom telephone calls.

The duo, who had known each other since Rosser played for Nutt at Arkansas State in the 1990s, also reached out to coaching contacts and eventually watched players in practice sessions before completing their roster that included players from six states and two countries.

"Typically, what you do is recruit guys that fit your system and your program," said Rosser, named in May as Nutt's successor as Gaston College head coach after Nutt was hired as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Missouri of the Southeastern Conference. "So we knew we needed a point guard - and DaMarco (Watson) and Damon (Davis) kind of fit the point guard profile that we were accustomed to.
"With Dee Merriweather and Naysean Baisy, we recruited some kids that we felt fit the position of the 2-guard spot.
"Jaylen Bates and Kalil Camara were players we like to call 'tweeners,' you know, guys that can play anywhere from the three to the five (both forward positions and center). And they fit that mold.
"And then with Zavion Jackson, he could defend all five positions. And we always want our five (center) to defend like that but also play on offense maybe one or two positions. So he fit that mold of the hybrid athlete we were looking for.
"We just tried to put the correct pieces together. We got lucky and blessed that we got pieces that fit together and helped us be successful."

Did they ever.

The Rhinos started the season with a 6-0 record, suffered their first losses on a road trip that included an 85-70 loss to eventual NJCAA national champion Northwest Florida, won their first Region 10 game on the road and finished the season one game out of first place while having the league's best road record against Region 10 rivals.

Also, Gaston College closed the season playing its best basketball; The Rhinos won six of their last seven games, including back-to-back wins over first-place teams USC Salkehatchie and Caldwell Tech.

The season ended with an 18-10 overall record after a 106-93 win over Hosanna Bible College following emotional "Sophomore Night" ceremonies that celebrated Bates, Camara, Davis and Jackson.

"It was a great night but it is a bittersweet night" Nutt said after the Feb. 28 game. "Its is a shame that we are not eligible for post season play because we're a (first-year) start-up program because these guys are just now playing their best basketball. As we know, it takes time to gel and mature as a team, and this team is just as good if not the best team in the conference at this moment."

Gaston College practiced at Gastonia's First United Methodist Church and had four different "homecourts" in Dallas' North Gaston High School, Gastonia's Piedmont Community Charter and Gaston Christian and Belmont's South Point High.

Rhinos' season statistical leaders were Davis (14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists), Bates (13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds), Watson (11.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists), Merriweather (10.8 points), Camara (9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Jackson (6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds).

Bates also was honored at season's end by rival Region 10 coaches with a first team all-league selection.

"With us having a late start and having the first season in 50 years, I thought we had a really good season," Rosser said. "We kind of learned on the fly, learned how to work and grind and the season probably couldn't be any better than it was.
"We had a really hungry group because they felt they had a coaching staff that could help them. I think when you have young players with a coaching staff they think can help them, you can enjoy success."