Lions' season starts with test on the road

Paine men's basketball coach Ron Spry said his team's record last season was a little deceiving.

While the Lions finished at 8-21, Paine dropped seven contests by five or fewer points.

"A lot of people failed to realize we were right there at the end of a lot of games," Spry said.

With last season behind them, the Lions open their 2009-10 season at 3 p.m. today at Claflin.

"Claflin's has had a tremendous run of success the past few years. We expect a tough game from them," Spry said. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Here are a few things to look forward to this season:

EXPERIENCE: Paine has one of the more seasoned backcourts in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with senior guards Najee Tolbert, Marcus McDaniel and Julian English.

Last season, English led the Lions in scoring with a 13.5 average.

Spry, entering his 30th season at Paine, said he's hopeful experience will translate into wins this season.

"I'm banking on that," he said, "because they've been there."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Paine struggled last season because of two factors: poor field-goal shooting and even worse rebounding.

The Lions finished 12th of 13 conference teams with a .398 shooting percentage while they finished last in the league in rebounding (-5.1 a game).

Spry said his offense usually feeds off his defense, but he added rebounding will be a team effort -- Paine's tallest players are 6-foot-6 center Daniel Walden and 6-6 Theron Goodson.

"We have to have all five guys rebounding," Spry said.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: The Lions play host to Lane and Kentucky State later this month before playing at Augusta State.

Of Paine's first four opponents, two advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament last season.

AILING: Paine has battled through an assortment of injuries during the preseason.

McDaniel has a knee injury and will not play today. Spry said he could be back in the lineup as early as December.

Also, senior forward Curtravious Smith has been battling through a knee ailment. Walden has missed some practice time because of a back injury.

"We've had some problems. It's not like they've been practicing consistently," Spry said. "But when you're facing the challenge, you don't make excuses."

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.