SAVANNAH, Ga.- It took the head coach a number of years and a number of moves to get to this point in his career. As the buzzer sounded, the Clark Atlanta University Panthers supporters inside Enmarket Arena screamed, and the players on the court started hugging and high-fiving each other; the coach just sat under the basket.
Clark Atlanta Panthers head men’s basketball coach Alfred Jordan had tears in his eyes when he sat under that basket. He just sat there and took in the scene. In only his second season as a head coach, both as the leader of the basketball program at his alma mater, Jordan led the Panthers back to SIAC glory. The Panthers defeated defending SIAC tournament champion Miles College 65-55 on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers were headed back to the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time since Jordan was an assistant coach under former Panthers head coach and current University of Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Darrell Walker in 2018.
“This is something I prayed for and what God has for you no man can ever take it away,” Jordan, who was named conference coach of the year, said after the team was awarded the conference tournament trophy and cut down the nets. “CAU basketball is back.”
Ahead by eight points at halftime, the Panthers’ lead would balloon to as much as 17 points with 11 minutes remaining in the second half following a pair of free throws and a midrange jumper from graduate student point guard Jalen Nesmith (15 points and six rebounds). Miles College would fight back to trim their deficit to as little as four points with two minutes on the clock behind the stellar play of senior guard Alvin Miles. The 5-foot-11 Memphis native would drive the ball to the basket time after time in order to keep his team in the game. Miles was named to the SIAC All-Tournament team along with teammate sophomore forward Corey Trotter.
Conference player of the year Chris Martin, a fellow graduate student transfer and team leader for the Panthers, played the same role for his team that Miles played for his. Both took charge late in the game, with Martin (5-17 FG, 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals) scoring five of the Panther’s last 10 points.
The tournament’s most valuable player was not a senior or graduate transfer. It was a sophomore Division I transfer that saved his best game of the season for the biggest game of the season. Panthers forward Shemani Fuller scored a team-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, and a pair of blocks. One of those blocks came on a drive by Alvin Miles with the score 58-52 and Clark Atlanta in a scoring slump. Fuller ended the scoring for Clark Atlanta with a windmill dunk
“When you have veterans it makes the game that much easier,” said Jordan of the multiple graduate-student players on the Panthers roster, including twin guards Andrew and Elijah Stewart.
Earlier this season Jordan called his team “a work in progress” after a 6-2 start that included losing consecutive conference road games following an undefeated start. The goal then was to win the national championship, Jordan proclaimed. Sitting under the basket while his players jumped up and down, Jordan shook his head. “Sometimes experience can overshadow talent, but having both is a blessing,” he said.
That goes for the players on his team and for the head coach, a former Panthers guard himself. Next week, on “Selection Sunday,” Jordan and the rest of Clark Atlanta Panthers nation will find out who and where they will continue their journey in the Division II NCAA tournament.
For now, they will have to settle for being the SIAC men’s champions. CAU basketball is indeed back.
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