February 17, 2008
Pensacola surprises Gulf Coast
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - It wasn’t only that Gulf Coast couldn’t send its six sophomores off with a victory on Sophomore Night Saturday against Pensacola. The Commodores’ 75-53 defeat to the Pirates also cost them a chance at a 20-win season and a possible .500 finish in the Panhandle Conference. And all against a Pensacola squad that entered winless in the conference at 0-9, and was 12-14 overall. “I’m very discouraged, very upset for our sophomores that they had to go out this way at home,” Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell said. “We did not play very intelligently, and forced a lot of shots in the first half.”
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February 14, 2008
Commodores get big win
News Herald (By Josh Weinfuss ) - Before the season, Jay Powell said he would turn around Gulf Coast’s men’s basketball program. The Commodores’ 72-67 win over Tallahassee at the Billy Harrison Field House on Wednesday night did just that. It gave Gulf Coast sole possession of third place in the Panhandle Conference, a vast difference from the preseason prediction by league coaches. Both teams have games left against lastplace Pensacola. Gulf Coast finishes against Chipola on Feb. 23, and Tallahassee completes its season against Okaloosa-Walton. All five Panhandle coaches voted Gulf Coast (18-10, 4-6) to finish last in the league, including Powell. Wednesday’s win gave Gulf Coast the season series against Tallahassee (17-8, 3-7). The Commodores won the last time the teams played in Panama City on Jan. 9, 57-54.
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February 10, 2008
Raiders win in rout
News Herald (By Adam Pruiett ) - The Okaloosa-Walton College men’s basketball team has viewed a postseason berth as an afterthought, and that’s exactly what it was after the first half Saturday at Raider Gym. The sixth-ranked Raiders jumped on visiting Gulf Coast, controlling the first half before putting together one highlight-reel worthy play after another in the second half of a 99-56 Panhandle Conference victory. After a two-year absence, OWC (23-2, 8-1) is heading to the state tournament. While Gulf Coast will be absent, the Commodores already have improved on last year’s one-win conference record.
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February 3, 2008
GC MEN, WOMEN VICTORIOUS
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - A number of patterns continued Saturday night in Panhandle Conference basketball, and not all of them were beneficial to Gulf Coast. Not even for the topranked Lady Commodores, who won 75-42 to improve to 24-0, 9-0. Gulf Coast’s men’s squad snapped its four-game losing streak by extending Pensacola’s to seven with an 86-66 win. The Commodores are 17-9, 3-5, while the Pirates slumped to 12-12, 0-7.
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February 2, 2008
GC MEN NEED A VICTORY AGAINST PJC
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - The men want to stop the bleeding. The women won’t stop winning. It feels like old times at Gulf Coast. Gulf Coast’s basketball teams travel west to take on Pensacola Junior College. The Commodores (16-9, 2-5) will try to stop a four-game losing streak today at 7:30 p.m. Their last win came Jan. 12 against the Pirates (12-11, 0-6), who still are looking for their first Panhandle Conference win. Since that time, Gulf Coast has been overpowered by two nationally ranked Top 10 teams and a tough Tallahassee squad.
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January 31, 2008
NO. 1 FOR A REASON
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - By the time Chipola guard Mario Little casually dropped in a finger roll with 1 minute, 15 seconds left Wednesday night, the scoreboard was on its way to recording top-ranked Chipola’s 66-51 win over Gulf Coast. But the Commodores’ fourth straight loss wasn’t a replay of last weekend’s blowout to Okaloosa-Walton, or even the type of shellacking most teams receive from the No. 1 team in the country. “A lot of teams would’ve folded the tents after Saturday night,” Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell said. “They did not do that. They competed.” Powell said the problem wasn’t effort, but the Indians’ more talented roster. For that, Powell takes responsibility. Gulf Coast’s (16-9, 2-5) largest deficit was 17 points twice in the first half. The Commodores cut it to 41-29 at halftime. They chipped away at that lead, bringing it down to eight with 14:10 left in the game on Arian Maliqi’s free throw. Malik Alvin converted a three-point play for Chipola and hit another basket to push the lead back to 13. It lingered around that mark until the Indians hit six consecutive free throws to go up by 17.
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January 30, 2008
GC LOOKS TO DETHRONE NO.1 CHIPOLA
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - One blowout was enough for Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell. Since the Commodores were scorched by the Okaloosa-Walton Raiders, 97-61, on Saturday, Powell has been searching for ways to avoid another one-sided loss to top-ranked Chipola tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Billy Harrison Field House. “One blowout’s too many for me,” Powell said. “The reason why I could sleep (Sunday) night was because I don’t think the guys ever just gave up and gave in.” After last weekend’s game, Powell was down but not discouraged about the Commodores’ performance. OWC hit a school record 21 3-pointers, some of which came on shots that made even Powell’s jaw drop. He gave the Commodores (16-8, 2-4) Sunday off, and they got back to work Monday. “It’s been a while since I reminded them of three goals that we set for our team on the first day of school ... to be the toughest, most aggressive and smartest team in America,” Powell said. “There have been a lot of nights that we have come close to being one of those teams, but we did not do that at all Saturday.
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January 27, 2008
OWC TOO MUCH FOR GC
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - A glimpse of how Tay Waller’s Saturday night went: With 4 minutes, 5 seconds left in Okaloosa-Walton’s 97-61 win over Gulf Coast, the sophomore guard kissed a 3-pointer off the backboard from 22 feet as he drifted left in midair. Waller made almost everything he put up. Actually the Raiders made almost everything they attempted. OWC (20-2, 5-1) produced a school record 21 3-pointers on 32 attempts for a 65.6-percent clip against Gulf Coast (16-8, 2-4) in their Panhandle Conference matchup.
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January 23, 2008
GC WOMEN HANG ON, MEN FALL
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Brad Reese’s 30 points weren’t enough for Gulf Coast to win its first road conference game this season. The Commodores (16-7, 2-3) came within three points with two minutes left, but didn’t get any closer against the Eagles (16-4, 2-3). “They got up on us big in the first half,” Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell. “We fought back, but they just had more.” With point guard Ben Vega out with a strained medial collateral ligament, Powell opted for a starting lineup all 6-foot-6 or taller featuring center Mirnes Islamovic, Darryl McGhee, Dmitry Pirshin and Arian Maliqi.
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January 22, 2008
GC HITS THE ROAD
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast’s second swing through the Panhandle Conference schedule begins tonight at Tallahassee for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The Commodores, led by first-year head coach Jay Powell, have defied expectations after past losing seasons. Gulf Coast (16-6, 2-2) will try for its second win over Tallahassee (15-4, 1-3) this season at 7:30 p.m. at the Eagle Dome. In their first meeting, the Commodores took an early lead and held off the Eagles in a 57-54 win.
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January 16, 2008
INDIANS RALLY WITH LATE RUN
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Top-ranked Chipola didn’t believe how much this year’s Gulf Coast men’s basketball team has improved. It almost cost the Indians. They needed a 14-0 run in the second half Tuesday to kick start a 79-68 win over the Commodores at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center. “I knew that Coach (Jay) Powell was going to have his team ready,” Chipola coach Greg Heiar said. “He preaches the right thing. It’s toughness and play-hard ability. He has them doing the right thing.
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January 15, 2008
1 AND 1 BONUS
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - It has gone on like this for more than 40 years. Gulf Coast and Chipola have been bitter rivals. For the most part, though, the basketball always has been good. “Their games were wars,” said Chipola Athletic Director Dale O’Daniel. “It was what rivalry and school spirit was all about. Somehow we lost some of those things.” Tonight, that rivalry will be part of a night rarely seen in junior college basketball. The Gulf Coast Lady Commodores and the Chipola men’s team, both ranked No. 1 in the nation, will play under the same roof on the same night.
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January 13, 2008
GC MEN SOAR FOR SECOND CONFERENCE WIN
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast started hot, finished hot and has become one of the hottest teams in the Panhandle Conference after a 75-64 win Saturday over Pensacola at the Billy Harrison Field House. “We were hoping we’d be 3-0 at this time,” Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell said. “We kind of blew that when we went to OW” Jan. 5 and lost 73-62. “The last two the men have played hard.” The Commodores (16-5, 2-1) won those last two conference games. Only top-ranked Chipola can also say that. Saturday night, Gulf Coast showed signs that it’s growing up.
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January 10, 2008
MEN TAKE ANOTHER STEP FORWARD
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Wherever Gulf Coast needed him to be, Mirnes Islamovic was there Wednesday night. The third-year sophomore grabbed the most important of his eight rebounds with 52 seconds left to help seal a 57-54 Panhandle Conference win over Tallahassee at the Billy Harrison Field House. It was Gulf Coast’s first win over TCC since Jan. 11, 2005, a span of eight games.
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January 6, 2008
PANHANDLE MEN'S TITLE UP FOR GRABS
Freedom News (Adam Pruiett ) - College men’s basketball team may be one of the most explosive in the country, but Saturday night the Raiders had to summon one of their best defensive efforts. Facing a rejuvenated Gulf Coast Community College under first-year coach Jay Powell, No. 19 OWC used stingy defense and key 3-pointers in the second half to hold off the Commodores, 73-62, in the teams’ Panhandle Conference debut.
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January 4, 2008
PANHANDLE MEN'S TITLE UP FOR GRABS
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Strap in. Hold on tight. This may be one of the closest Panhandle Conference races in awhile. Four teams have been ranked nationally this season. The five schools have a combined 71-11 nonconference record. “In my 11 years it’s absolutely the most balanced and competitive and equal conference that I’ve seen since I’ve been in the league,” Okaloosa-Walton men’s basketball coach Bruce Stewart said.
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December 17, 2007
GC's OFFENSE MISSING IN LOSS
News Herald (Staff Reports) - A day after playing one of its worst defensive games but still winning, the Gulf Coast men’s basketball team played one of its worst offensive games Sunday against SantaFe Community College — making less than 30 percent of its shots in a 72-66 overtime loss. “We just didn’t shoot very well,” said Gulf Coast head coach Jay Powell. Only two players scored in double-figures, with Brad Reese’s 23 leading the way. But even Reese didn’t shoot well, hitting only 8 of 23 from the field. Ben Vega had 15 points; no other Commodores had more than six. Had it not been for a 14-6 advantage on the offensive boards and a 19-14 advantage in forcing turnovers, Gulf Coast likely would never have sniffed overtime. The disparity in chances was stark: Gulf Coast had a 74-54 edge in field goal attempts, but made three fewer than SantaFe. “It was just a very poor night on the offensive end,” Powell said. The loss is the second to Santa Fe this year; the first was a 71-68 decision on Nov. 23 at Gulf Coast. It was the Commodores’ first loss of the season after a 6-0 start. P.J. Turner scored 12 points to lead a quartet of Santa Fe players in double figures. Mavin Davis added 11, and Blake Hyden and Francis Aihe scored 10 each. “They seem to have our number,” Powell said. Gulf Coast is now 12-3 and doesn’t play again until the Panama City Holiday Classic, when they host the nation’s No. 5-ranked junior college team, Vicennes College, at 7 p.m. Dec. 28. The Commodores also play Georgia Perimeter the following night.
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December 16, 2007
GC TOPS MANATEE
News Herald (Staff Reports) - It was like a shooting gallery in the first half of Gulf Coast’s 95-85 win over Manatee on Saturday. If it had been the county fair, they’d have run out of stuffed animals to give away. For a coach trying to develop a defensive mentality, it must have felt like he was the target. “It was horrendous,” Commodores head coach Jay Powell said. Manatee shot nearly 57 percent from the field in the first half, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range, but Gulf Coast responded with 53-percent shooting for a 53-48 lead. “Thank goodness we shot well in the first half, because we didn’t play any defense in the first half,” Powell said. If there was an upside, things are different at Gulf Coast from past years. The Commodores didn’t play all that well, but they still won. “I do know that we come out every night and compete,” Powell said of his team, 12-2. The win total ensures Gulf Coast’s best record in three seasons, and it still has 16 games remaining. Brad Reese, who was 11 of 11 from the free-throw line, led five Commodores in double figures with 21 points. Arian Maliqi had 13 points, Gabriel Charley added 12, and Ben Vega and Byron Walker each had 10. Aaron Mitchell had 20 points to lead Manatee. Gulf Coast dominated the boards, outrebounding Manatee 43-27. Mirnes Islamovic led the Commodores with nine rebounds. Walker added eight. Gulf Coast plays Sante Fe at 1 p.m. CST today in Gainesville. The Commodores won’t practice again until Dec. 26, Powell said. Gulf Coast hosts a Christmas tournament starting Dec. 28, when it plays the nation’s No. 5 team, Vincennes College.
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December 9, 2007
GC MEN EARN 11TH VICTORY IN 2OT
News Herald (Staff Reports) - Brad Reese scored 25 points and Byron Walker added 22 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, as Gulf Coast beat Central Florida in two overtimes. Reese (10 of 17) and Walker (10 of 16) both shot well, leading four players in double-figures. Ben Vega had 15 points and Mirnes Islamovic added 14. Vega also had five assists. Central Florida was led by Shahee Martin with 23 points. Central Florida jumped to a 13-point lead in the first half, but Gulf Coast cut it to 41-39 at halftime and it stayed close the remainder of the game. “We showed a lot of resiliency to come back,” said Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell. Gulf Coast (11-2) plays Manatee Community College in Gainesville on Saturday.
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December 5, 2007
GCCC EARNS 10TH WIN
News Herald (Staff Reports) - Brad Reese scored a team-high 17 points to lead the Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball team to an 82-66 win over Enterprise-Ozark Tuesday night. Arian Maliqi scored 15 and Ben Vega 10 for Gulf Coast. The Commodores led 45-28 at halftime. They defeated Enterprise-Ozark for the second time this season. Gulf Coast improved to 10-1 on the season. The Commodores face Seminole on Friday at 6 p.m. CST. They wrap up the weekend against Central Florida on Saturday.
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November 16, 2007
COMMDORES VISIT LYNN HAVEN ELEMENTARY
GCAthletics.com (Steve Merchant ) - Gulf Coast Women's Basketball, Men's Basketball, and Men's Baseball players recently visited Lynn Haven Elementary School. The athlete's fielded questions from the students from "what is it like to be a college athlete?", to "what country are you from?", to "what is your day like?". The Commodores that participated were from left to right, Norris Harvey (Assistant Basketball Coach), Byron Walker (MBB), Brad Reese (MBB), Jeleesa Williams (WBB), Daryl McGhee (MBB), Ben Vega (MBB), Arian Maliqi (MBB), Dmitry Pirshin (MBB), Curt Trexler (Baseball), Jonathan Murner (MBB), David Schulze (Baseball), and Ben Francis (Baseball).

December 2, 2007
GC MEN TOP IMG ACADEMY
News Herald (Brad Milner) - Dmitry Pirshin led four Gulf Coast players in double figures with 16 points, as the Commodores defeated IMG on the final day of a tournament held at Chipola College. IMG defeated Pensacola, a Panhandle Conference opponent for Gulf Coast, on Friday. Jonathan Murner (Bay) and Mirnes Islamovic scored 11 points each, while Darryl McGhee (Walton) scored 10. Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell called the output “a total team effort,” and added that defeating IMG a day after its win over PJC reinforced that the 19th-ranked Commodores (9-1) can play with anyone. “I think it will help our men start believing a little bit,” Powell said. “They see that if we stick together, play good defense and unselfish basketball that we can compete with the teams in our conference.” Gulf Coast travels to Enterprise-Ozark on Tuesday.
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December 1, 2007
GC MEN TOO TOUGH FOR GENESIS ONE
News Herald (Pat McCann ) - Brad Reese led four players in double figures with 21 points as Gulf Coast dominated Genesis One 104-83 Friday in a men’s junior college basketball tournament hosted by Chipola College. The Commodores (8-1) took a 45-30 lead into intermission punctuated by Darryl McGhee’s dunk moments before halftime. McGhee, a 6-foot-8 sophomore post player, had 15 points and 10 rebounds. “It really might have been” McGhee’s best game this season, GC coach Jay Powell said. “He finished around the hoop and went to the boards for us. “He had a big dunk as time ran out in the first half to give us some momentum going into halftime.” Ben Vega added 18 points and Byron Walker 11 for the Commodores. Terrance Joyner, who has signed with the University of Arkansas, led the losers with 22 points. Gulf Coast will play IMG Academy at noon today at Chipola.
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November 25, 2007
GCCC DEFENSE KEY TO VICTORY
News Herald (Staff Reports) - Arian Maliqi scored 31 points in Gulf Coast’s 94-82 victory over New York TCI on Saturday in the Commodore Thanksgiving Classic at the Billy Harrison Field House, but it was the defense of Brad Reese and Jonathan Murner down the stretch that made the difference. With the two teams battling basket for basket and eight minutes remaining, Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell had Reese and Bay graduate Murner take turns defending Jamel Jackson, who already had 25 points for TCI. Jackson didn’t score again. “Those two guys just went out and did a great job on him,” Powell said. The victory raised Gulf Coast’s record to 7-1 and took a little of the sting out of Friday’s 71-68 loss to Santa Fe. Maliqi was 12 for 18 from the field, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range, to lead five players in double-figures for the Commodores. Reese, Ben Vega and Mirnes Islamovic each had 12 points, and Byron Walker added 11. Walker had 10 rebounds to lead Gulf Coast. “For the second night in a row, we didn’t shoot the ball that well,” Powell said. “But we penetrated better tonight than last night.” Gulf Coast made 44 percent from the field and 22 percent from behind the 3-point line. After taking a 39-36 halftime lead, Gulf Coast exploded for 55 second-half points. The two teams combined for 101 points in the second half. Jackson led New York TCI with 25, leading a quartet of players in double-figures. Khalid Gerard scored 19, and Kevin White and Diloo Brown had 14 each. Gulf Coast plays Alabama Southern on Friday at noon at Chipola College.
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November 24, 2007
GC MEN RANKED #18 IN THE NATION
News Herald (Brad Milner) - On Wednesday, the GC Commdores recieved a #18 national ranking. On Friday, a spirited second-half comeback fell short for the Gulf Coast men, as they fell to Santa Fe for their first loss of the young season. Santa Fe led 37-26 at halftime behind 40-percent shooting from the field. Gulf Coast shot 32 percent to fall into the hole, but improved to 13 of 31 in the second half during the comeback. Brad Reese led Gulf Coast with 15 points. Ben Vega scored 11 and Gabriel Charley 10 for the Commodores (6-1). P.J. Turner paced Santa Fe with 15 points, while Francis Aihe and Roderick Emanuel added 12 points apiece. Blake Hyden (11 points) and Jarrell Douglass (10) also were in double figures. Gulf Coast faces New York TCI today at 6 p.m.
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November 18, 2007
GC MEN REMAIN UNDEFEATED
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - For the second straight game, Gulf Coast limited an opponent to less than 35-percent accuracy as the Commodores downed Coastal Georgia Community College in a game played at Okaloosa-Walton CC. Gulf Coast improved to 6-0 as Brad Reese scored 17 points and Arian Maliqi 16. Just as critical, GC limited Coastal Georgia to 21-61 shooting, 34.4 percent form the floor. “Our men played well defensively,” GC coach Jay Powell said. “We still have to start playing more intelligently on the offensive end.” Mirnes Islamovic added nine points and nine rebounds for the Commodores, who held a 41-35 edge on the boards. Piers Finch topped the Georgians with 12 points, all coming on 3-point baskets. Gulf Coast entertains Santa Fe CC on Friday in its men’s and women’s Thanksgiving tournament.
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November 17, 2007
GC MEN STILL ON A ROLL
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast improved to 5-0 with a victory over Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College at Okaloosa-Walton. Gabriel Charley led the Commodores with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Byron Walker had 12 points, Arian Maliqi 11 and Darryl McGhee 10. LeMario Bennett had 12 points for ABAC, which was held to 22 first-half points and 32.8-percent shooting. “We did play defense,” Commodores coach Jay Powell said. “ABAC tries to slow you down, but at the same time our guys played even better defense, and holding people to where they’re missing more than two of every three shots is pretty good defense.” Gulf Coast plays Coastal Georgia today at 5 p.m. at O-WCC.
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November 14, 2007
WALKER SIGNS NLI WITH ALABAMA STATE
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Ribs and football sealed it for Byron Walker. During his official visit to Alabama State, the Gulf Coast sophomore transfer indulged in both American pastimes with Hornets men’s basketball coach Lewis Jackson and his wife, ASU women’s basketball coach Freeda Freeman-Jackson, and both their teams. It was then that Walker knew he wanted to attend ASU. He will sign a national letter of intent Thursday morning at the Billy Harrison Field House, joining three Lady Commodores who will play Division I basketball next season. “I thought it was the best thing for me and my family,” Walker said. “I thought they showed they wanted me, and my father always told me to go somewhere where they show they want you.” Walker is averaging eight points and five rebounds this season. He came to Gulf Coast from Kennessaw State, a D-I school located about 30 minutes north of Atlanta, Walker’s hometown. Moving closer to his family was a major factor. Alabama State is located in Montgomery, Ala. “He’s a young man that could have a bright future ahead of him if he has the proper work ethic,” Gulf Coast men’s coach Jay Powell said. “I told him I can help him get back to Division I basketball. I’m keeping my word.” He also was recruited by Stony Brook, Troy, Wichita State, Coastal Carolina, Murray State, Savannah State, Ball State, Fordham and some Division II schools, but the opportunity to compete for a starting spot at the power-forward position at the historically black school was appealing. “I grew up in the South and I’m real big on family and I thought it was real great,” he said.
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November 11, 2007
COMMODORES STAY UNBEATEN
News Herald (Staff Reports) - Brad Reese scored 18 points, making 3 of 5 from 3-point range, as the Gulf Coast men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 with a 77-55 win over the state’s third-ranked junior college team, Central Florida Community College, on Saturday at the Billy Harrison Field House. Reese was one of five Commodores in double figures. The others included Darryl McGhee with 14, Mirnes Islamovic 13, and Ben Vega and Arian Maliqi with 11 each. McGhee and Maliqi led Gulf Coast with six rebounds each. Vega led the team with four assists. “The men played hard and I’m proud at their effort right now,” said Gulf Coast head coach Jay Powell. “I see some things that we need to work on, but I see a bright future for us.” Ricardo Lewis led Central Florida with 19 points. De’Andre Duncan and Marvin Dibble had 10 points each. Gulf Coast returns to action at 5 p.m. Friday against Abraham Baldwin College, in a game that will be played in Niceville.
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November 10, 2007
GC MEN IMPROVE TO 3-0
News Herald (Staff Reports) - Mirnes Islamovic scored 14 points to lead four Commodores in double-figures as Gulf Coast beat Seminole Community College at Billy Harrison Field House to remain undefeated after three games. Gabriel Charley, Darryl McGhee and Arian Maliqi each added 10 points for the Commodores. Gulf Coast raced to a 34-10 halftime lead against Seminole, which made only three field goals in the first half. Free throws helped keep the game from becoming a complete blowout: Seminole made 12 of 22, including 9 of 14 in the second half; Gulf Coast made 2 of 3 free throws for the entire game. Matt Stillwell scored 13 points to lead Seminole. Gulf Coast hosts Central Florida Community College today at 4 p.m.
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November 6, 2007
FRESHMAN CHALLENGE
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Gulf Coast’s Brad Reese made sure he stood out on both ends of the court in the Commodores’ 90-74 win over Enterprise-Ozark at the Billy Harrison Field House on Tuesday. The freshman, who led all scorers with 26 points, was challenged defensively by Gulf Coast coach Jay Powell before the game with a matchup against Deondre Young, Enterprise’s top scorer. Reese responded on both sides, of the ball with 10 of the Commodores last 25 points to help them pull away for the win and holding Young to only 12 points. “I think I played great on the offensive and defensive side of the ball,” Reese said. “The team played great.” Gulf Coast (2-0) has scored 90 or more in its first two games this year. On Saturday, the Commodores defeated Marion Military Institute 99-59. In his first collegiate game, the Laurel Hill product was nervous before tipoff, but Reese was calmer during his second game and Gulf Coast benefited when Enterprise-Ozark went to full-court pressure about the midway point of the first half.
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November 4, 2007
GC MEN DEFEAT MARION MILITARY INSTITUTE TO OPEN SEASON
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - Jay Powell’s head coaching debut at Gulf Coast (1-0) was a success as his Commodores cruised to a 99-59 win over Marion Military Institute. Gulf Coast held the Alabama school to 20 points in the first half and increased its own first-half total of 49 with 50 in the second half. Sophomore Arian Maliqi led the Commodores with 17 points and Gabriel Charley had 15. Dmitry Pirshin and Mirnes Islamovic each had 13. Sophomore Darryl McGhee led both teams with nine rebounds.
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November 1, 2007
LOOKING THE PART, Commodores start with Questions, Optimism !
News Herald (Josh Weinfuss) - In his seventh month as Gulf Coast’s new men’s basketball coach, Jay Powell has started to settle into life as a head coach. He dresses the part with his footwear apparel sweatsuit. His office fits the part with basketball decorum and a library stocked with books about basketball strategy and history. Days away from his first game as a college head coach, the 27-year-old Benton, Ky., native hasn’t let that all get to his head. As Powell tries to take Gulf Coast out of a nineyear-long rut that has seen only one winning season since 1999, he has remained mindful of the Commodores 7-23 record last season. “People ask questions: Are you going to be able to beat Chipola? Are you going to be able to beat Okaloosa-Walton? Are you going to be able to beat Tallahassee? Are you going to be able to beat Pensacola?” Powell said. “I think not to be too rude, but I think it’ll be very foolish of a coach to sit here and say we’re going to be right there in first place. Well, hogwash. “I do know that we’ve put together a talented group.” Powell’s seen the unforeseeable future before. He doesn’t know who will stay healthy or eligible or interested. Last year, the Commodores lost center Mirnes Islamovic to a knee injury weeks before the season started, and players puddlejumped into suspensions for their grades. A healthy Islamovic anchors five returning sophomores from last year’s squad, including last season’s leading scorer, Darryl McGhee, who averaged 10.4 points per game, and its leading rebounder, Dmitry Pirshin, who averaged 6.9 per game. Guard Ben Vega averaged 9.6 points and 2.7 assists. Forward Arian Maliqi shot 31.9 from behind the 3-point line, and averaged 9 points. The group was handpicked by Powell to play on this year’s squad. “When you come in as a new coach, you don’t know exactly how returning players are going to respond to you,” Powell said. “I’ve been very pleased with all five of those guys. They haven’t caused me any grief; they haven’t given me problems by saying, ‘Oh, this isn’t how the previous coach did things.’ There hasn’t been any of that nonsense, and I appreciate that.” This year’s team may be a polar opposite to last year’s. The Commodores’ newcomers play an above the rim style of basketball that Powell has matched with a fast-break offense and hard-nosed defense. Powell said he has a zone defense and half-court sets that he will use throughout the season in situations that warrant them. In his first recruiting class, Powell landed sophomore Byron Walker, a transfer from Kennesaw State, and freshman Brad Reese, a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana. Powell also signed Bay graduate Jonathan Murner. As of now, Powell hasn’t settled on a starting five. He said there’s still three or four guys battling for the starting point guard job, and he will go with a seven- or eight-man rotation to start the season. “They like to get after people which will go along with philosophy of teams I like to coach and players I like to coach,” Powell said of the freshmen. Gulf Coast starts its 30-game schedule Saturday at home against Marion Military Institute, and plays its first four games in eight days. Powell thinks his schedule, which features games against 16 teams in the Top 50 of NJCAA’s preseason poll, is among the country’s best. “Are we going to be able to beat those people this year? Maybe, maybe not,” Powell said. “It’s too early to tell. I know that we’ve got along way to go but we’re going to get there."
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October 16, 2007
COMMODORES OPEN SEASON AT HOME
The Gulf Coast Commodore Mens Basketball team led by new Head Coach Jay Powell, will open their 2007-08 campaign, Saturday November 3rd vs Marion Military Institute. Game time is 3:00 PM. According to Coach Powell, "This is an exciting time for Gulf Coast Community College Men’s Basketball program.  We have five men returning from last year’s squad that have found a new energy and dedication to doing things to the best of their ability.  Each of these men are determined to turn Gulf Coast into a hard-working winning program.  The seven newcomers are also making great strides in their ability to reach maximum potential.  We strive as a program for constant improvement, and of course, without constant 100% effort that cannot come."

Mens Schedule
Mens Roster

August 21, 2007
COMMODORES BEGIN 2007-08 CAMPAIGN OCTOBER 1
The Gulf Coast Commodore Mens Basketball team led by new Head Coach Jay Powell, will begin their 2007-08 campaign October 1 with their first day of practice. “I’m excited with the possibilities that these guys have,” Powell said. “They have good talent as far as basketball players. They have high character. They’re coming in and they want to prove to this community that Gulf Coast men’s basketball is a winning program.