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Men's Basketball jumps to No. 4 in latest NAIA Top 25 Poll
By Matt Green
NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches Top 25
Poll
KANSAS CITY -- The Shorter University men's basketball team continued its steady climb up the the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll on Monday, appearing at No. 4 in the latest national ratings released by the organization.
Last week, the Hawks (11-0) enjoyed their highest ranking since the NAIA began its Top 25 Poll during the 2000-01 season, coming in at No. 5 in the country after beginning the season ranked 12th.
Shorter acquired 282 points in this week's national rankings to grab the No. 4 slot and is one of two Southern States Athletic Conference programs to appear in the Top 25 -- Southern Poly moved up six spots to No. 13 after its 82-77 overtime upset of then No. 4-ranked Georgetown (Ky.) on Saturday night in Kentucky.
The Hawks responded well to their first-ever top-five ranking last week with a pair of wins at the 2011 Bryan College Classic in Dayton, Tenn. Shorter downed Tennessee Wesleyan 86-77 on Friday before blowing out host Bryan 80-53 on Saturday night. The Hawks are 11-0 for the first time school history, besting the program's previous best start to a season formerly set last year, when Shorter won its first 10 games to open its schedule.
Shorter welcomed the addition of two new players last week at Bryan as juniors Anthony Banks and C.J. Davis laced up their sneakers for the first time as Hawks.
Both players averaged 14 points a game in Shorter's two victories, with Davis, a 6-2 combo guard, netting 19 points and Banks, a 6-7 power forward, adding 18 in Friday's win over Tennessee Wesleyan.
Junior Walter Hill continued his strong start to the season with 15 points, eight rebounds and five steals against Tennessee Wesleyan. Hill led all scorers with 18 points and hit three 3-pointers in Shorter's rout of Bryan the next day. The 2010-11 SSAC Newcomer of the Year and NAIA All-American paces the Hawks and ranks fifth in the SSAC at 18.3 points a game.
Shorter plays four games before the next set of rankings are released on Jan. 9 and could make a case for a top three rating pending several outcomes over the next three weeks.
The Hawks travel to Brunswick, Ga., on Thursday night to tangle with Coastal Georgia then return home on Dec. 30 for a second showdown with 17th-ranked Freed-Hardeman, whom Shorter dealt a 92-78 defeat on Nov. 12 at Freed. Shorter then hosts a pair of SSAC games on Jan. 6 and 7 against Belhaven and current SSAC West Division leader William Carey, respectively.
No. 1 Concordia (Calif.) and No. 2 Robert Morris (Ill.) are set to square off this Saturday, Dec. 17, potentially opening the door for movement at the top of the polls.
Shorter's game Thursday night at Coastal Georgia is set for a 7:30 pm tip. That game will not be aired on 95.7 The Ridge.
