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Domanique Godwin is a Murray State freshman who prepares for clutch situations and thrives on it like a senior.
With him in the backcourt is his former Ardmore High School teammate Craig Murray, who transferred from Seminole State after a redshirt season to get his junior college career going close to home. Laron Buggs of Tulsa and June Carter of Oklahoma City are playing under their third head coach at the school, and this season is a much smoother ride.
Put two and two together — that would be two southern Oklahoma freshmen and the only two returning Aggies — and the home crowd knows what to expect from this quartet on a team of seven players.
Experiencing changes
Buggs and Carter went through a difficult freshman season. During a 6-23 campaign, then-head coach Mike Kelley stepped down for undisclosed reasons and the struggling Aggies finished the season under women’s coach Rennie Nickell.
But the sophomores are enjoying a renaissance under former Oklahoma State star Randy Rutherford.
“The coaching staff is a whole lot better from last year,” Buggs said of Rutherford and assistant Joe Adkins, who played at OSU shortly after Rutherford’s senior season of 1994-95. “It’s a whole lot better and a whole lot more disciplined.”
The inside-outside combo has thrived in the Rutherford regime. Not counting statistics from Monday’s victory over Seminole State, Buggs leads the team with 17 points per game, and Carter manages to average a double-double despite sometimes giving up a few inches to other big men at 6-feet-7.
“Most rebounds get me my points,” said Carter, who totals 15 points and 12 rebounds per game.
With a razor-thin roster — two players are out with season-ending injuries — the sophomores are like big brothers in a small family.
“It’s not a whole lot of people, so we get to know each other,” he said.
The local attractions
Godwin has played much bigger than a smaller brother. Seventeen games into his Aggie career, he’s hit two game-winning shots.
“I never expected it,” he said. “I know when it came down to it, I wanted the last shot.”
He tipped in a missed 3-point shot by Carter with 2 seconds left in a 58-57 win over Cedar Valley (Texas) last month. The month before, he sank an open 3 with 1.7 seconds to go in a 79-76 Homecoming win over Western Oklahoma State.
Good thing the Aggies practice how to play during crunch-time.
Domanique Godwin is a Murray State freshman who prepares for clutch situations and thrives on it like a senior.
With him in the backcourt is his former Ardmore High School teammate Craig Murray, who transferred from Seminole State after a redshirt season to get his junior college career going close to home. Laron Buggs of Tulsa and June Carter of Oklahoma City are playing under their third head coach at the school, and this season is a much smoother ride.
Put two and two together — that would be two southern Oklahoma freshmen and the only two returning Aggies — and the home crowd knows what to expect from this quartet on a team of seven players.
Experiencing changes
Buggs and Carter went through a difficult freshman season. During a 6-23 campaign, then-head coach Mike Kelley stepped down for undisclosed reasons and the struggling Aggies finished the season under women’s coach Rennie Nickell.
But the sophomores are enjoying a renaissance under former Oklahoma State star Randy Rutherford.
“The coaching staff is a whole lot better from last year,” Buggs said of Rutherford and assistant Joe Adkins, who played at OSU shortly after Rutherford’s senior season of 1994-95. “It’s a whole lot better and a whole lot more disciplined.”
The inside-outside combo has thrived in the Rutherford regime. Not counting statistics from Monday’s victory over Seminole State, Buggs leads the team with 17 points per game, and Carter manages to average a double-double despite sometimes giving up a few inches to other big men at 6-feet-7.
“Most rebounds get me my points,” said Carter, who totals 15 points and 12 rebounds per game.
With a razor-thin roster — two players are out with season-ending injuries — the sophomores are like big brothers in a small family.
“It’s not a whole lot of people, so we get to know each other,” he said.
The local attractions
Godwin has played much bigger than a smaller brother. Seventeen games into his Aggie career, he’s hit two game-winning shots.
“I never expected it,” he said. “I know when it came down to it, I wanted the last shot.”
He tipped in a missed 3-point shot by Carter with 2 seconds left in a 58-57 win over Cedar Valley (Texas) last month. The month before, he sank an open 3 with 1.7 seconds to go in a 79-76 Homecoming win over Western Oklahoma State.
Good thing the Aggies practice how to play during crunch-time.
It’s an exciting start to a JUCO career for Godwin. Murray is there for the ride, bringing what he learned in his redshirt season to the table.
“It’s real nice,” he said of reuniting with Godwin. “We get used to playing with each other.”
Murray had a solid game against his old team Monday, scoring nine points in a 66-64 win.
Team toughness
Every Aggie has to see playing time each game with a small lineup. It forces each player to work harder, with Buggs and Carter leading the way.
“I think we play harder than anyone else,” Rutherford said. “It’s easy to coach them because they have an opportunity to play and nobody has to sit around. … Me and coach (Adkins) are pleased with the effort.”
The Aggies also have a motto: “When we get tired, we get tougher.” And they have with not as much manpower as other teams.
“It makes you be accountable,” he said. “It only takes five guys to play.”
Whether it’s an experienced Aggie or old Tiger among the five, the home crowd knows what they’re getting.
I.C. Murrell
221-6527
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Tigers turned Aggies
■ Domanique Godwin: 6-foot-2 freshman guard, 9 points and 4 rebounds per game
■ Craig Murray: 5-10 redshirt freshman guard, 2 points, 1 assist per game
Two-year Aggies
■ LaRon Buggs: 6-1 sophomore guard, 17 points, 4 assists per game
■ June Carter: 6-7 sophomore center, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks per game
• Stats prior to Monday
