Spivery: SU needs ‘pieces’

• By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Mar 15, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:45 a.m.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southern University men’s basketball team is looking to add players for next season, and to do that, the coaching staff has to make some choices in order to free up scholarships.

“We’ve got to do some recruiting,” Southern coach Rob Spivery said. “We’ve got to get a few more pieces.”

The grocery list could be one, two or three more players.

“We’ve got to find another perimeter player or two who can play with his back to the basket and be a decent rebounder,” Spivery said. “And maybe another perimeter scorer.”

To make room, however, the staff has to decide who on the current roster will get scholarships for next season. Spivery said he’ll meet with players after spring break, which will be this week, concludes.

“We’re certainly going to evaluate some guys,” Spivery said.

Southern (11-19), which lost 56-55 to Jackson State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday night, has lost both of its SWAC tournament games since winning the event in 2006.

The Jaguars were expected to improve on a 10-21 mark in 2005-06, but a six-game losing skid deep in this season prevented that from happening. SU finished 9-9 in SWAC play for the second straight season.

Meanwhile, regular-season champ Alabama State, which blasted Southern twice this season and dominated the conference, could be even stronger next season.

With SU not making substantial progress this season and with Alabama State looking so powerful, the Jaguars have to do something to improve the roster.

When SU signed 5-foot-9 point guard Brian Talley from Duncanville (Texas) High in November, Talley was expected to be the only signee.

The plan had been to reward guard Geri Guillory, a walk-on, with a scholarship for his final season.

Those two scholarships would fill the void from losing two seniors: 6-foot-3 guard Joe Holliday (7.6 points per game) and 6-9 center Joseph Jack (7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game).