SEC coaches plucking talent from the Raiders
6/7/2010 – SEC coaches often pluck from Raiders, Panhandle Conference
By ADAM ROSENBERG
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4484 | arosenberg@nwfdailynews.com
SANDESTIN When Southeastern Conference basketball coaches gathered on Wednesday to meet at the Sandestin Hilton for their annual spring meetings, they weren't in unfamiliar territory.
After all, they've been plucking players from this part of the state quite frequently over the past few years.
This season, the Panhandle Conference will send three players to the SEC. Northwest Florida State College's Brian Bryant and Sherrard Brantley will attend Mississippi State and Georgia, respectively, while Tallahassee Community College star Marvell Waithe will continue his career at Arkansas.
Bryant and Brantley run the Raiders' total of players sent to the SEC over the last three years to six. Two years ago, Johnnie Lett and Tay Waller jumped from NWF State to Auburn while Johndre Jefferson went to South Carolina and Charvez Davis went to Alabama last season. Waller was named Auburn's MVP this season.
It's a trend that certainly favors NWF State coach Bruce Stewart in his recruiting efforts, as he has plenty of examples he can point to of former players moving on to one of the country's most prestigious athletic conferences.
"Absolutely we use our success with the SEC as part of our presentation to recruits," Stewart said. "We've sent more players to the SEC over the past 10 years than any other junior college in the country. We back that up with names and schools."
For established SEC coaches like Mississippi State's Rick Stansbury, who will coach Bryant next season, part of the allure is the toughness of the Panhandle Conference. Another part is Stewart's reputation for developing talent.
"No. 1, the Panhandle Conference is one of the best conferences in the country," Stansbury said. "There's as much parity as you'll find. Beyond that, Brian comes from one of the best coached programs in the country playing for Bruce Stewart. There will be no concerns about him understanding and doing the right things because he's been coached."
Stewart believes that the success of his teams recently and the frequency with which he's sent players to the SEC is no coincidence.
"If you're going to win the Panhandle Conference, you need two SEC-type players," Stewart said. "We've been fortunate enough the last few years to have that."