VGCC Vanguards end 2008-09 season with tournament semi-final loss
The Vance-Granville Community College men’s basketball team wrapped up its first season as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association by falling to Rockingham Community College in a conference tournament semifinal match on Feb. 28.
After finishing the regular season with a record of 14-12 (7-9 in conference play), the VGCC Vanguards entered the post-season as the fifth-seeded team in the NJCAA Region X Division II tournament. On Feb. 27, VGCC defeated No. 4 seed Surry Community College 88-71 in the first round of the tournament, which was held at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth. The next day, home-crowd favorite and No. 8 seed Rockingham CC outlasted Vance-Granville in overtime by a score of 84-76. The Eagles of Rockingham CC went on to lose to the Lancers of Lenoir Community College in the March 1 championship game, which also went into overtime.
VGCC head coach Avery Wilson said that accumulating a winning record and coming one win away from the tournament championship game gave him optimism for next year. “After this tournament, we know that we can win the championship now,” Wilson said. “That gives our players fuel to work hard to prepare for next season, both on the court and in the classroom.” Wilson will lose several players, including Bryan Burrell (pictured, right) and Mitchell Jeffries, both of Raleigh, and Dane Williams of Henderson. Burrell, who led the conference in assists and was third in NJCAA Division II nationwide in assists, is being recruited by NCAA Division I schools, while Division II colleges are looking at Jeffries, who was second team All-Region and led the conference in steals. Coach Wilson said that despite his diminutive stature, Jeffries was the “most feared player” by other teams in Region X.
Many Vanguards plan to return for another year. Among them is Raymond Dunn (pictured, left) of Henderson, who led the Vanguards in scoring and rebounds. Dunn scored 516 points during the regular season, an average of 21.5 points per game. That put him at 11th among all players in the nation in Division II. Dunn, who was named second team All-Region, also led the conference in rebounding and was 14th in the nation in that statistic. VGCC ended the season 13th in the nation in team offensive average, putting up an average of 85 points per game. Meanwhile, the Vanguards were third in the nation in team field goal percentage, making 51.6 per cent of their shots from the field, and were 24th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage. Wilson plans to work on defense during the off-season. “Offensively, we were as strong as anyone in the nation,” the coach said.
Above (left): Raymond Dunn of Henderson, a College Transfer student at VGCC, led the Vanguards in scoring and rebounds. He plans to return to the team next year.
Above (right): Bryan Burrell of Raleigh, a College Transfer student at VGCC, led the Vanguards in assists and free throws. Only two players in Division II across the country exceeded Burrell in assists per game. Burrell also excelled in the classroom and was awarded an academic achievement scholarship.
