By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Just one more game in the familiar Eblen Center remains for the senior members of the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team, as the Golden Eagles set their sights on the Bruins of Belmont Saturday evening for a 7:30 p.m. CST match-up in Ohio Valley Conference play.
One last time four young men will take to the court, three as players and one as a manager, awaiting the final whistle to signal play and one last opportunity to leave it all on the floor. It's Senior Night.
The Golden Eagles will honor its senior members in a ceremony between the start of the men's game and immediately following the women's contest against the Bruins, which is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip. For additional information or ticket information for the remainder of the season, please call (931) 372-3940.
Tennessee Tech (12-15, 4-9) vs. Belmont (9-5, 17-10)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015
7:30 p.m. CST
Eblen Center (9,250) – Cookeville, Tenn.
The Broadcasts
TV: None
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle (Roger Ealey)
Webcast: Golden Eagle Sports Network on the OVC Digital Network (Dylan Vazzano)
A SENIOR SENDOFF
Saturday marks the final time that three current Golden Eagles, plus a Tech manager, take the court in the Eblen Center. Senior players Dwan Caldwell, Jordan Johnson and Javon McKay, not to mention manager Garrison Boyd, will all be honored prior to Tech's final regular season home game in a Senior Day ceremony. Here's a quick glance at those being honored:
Dwan Caldwell: Adopted into the Golden Eagle family as a 25-year-old, junior college transfer last season, Caldwell quickly established his name as one of the better low post presences in the Ohio Valley Conference. As a junior, the Los Angeles native took part in every single Tech contest, including 27 starts at center. He led the team with 10.7 points per game and ranked second in the league with a 53.9 field goal percentage. This year he has partnered with junior Charles Jackson to form arguably the most devastating frontcourt in the league, averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds as a forward. In 60 games of action, Caldwell has battled constant injury and fatigue to score over 650 points, collect over 325 rebounds and reject over 45 shots. This season, he recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 31 points and a total of 10 rebounds against Lipscomb in December, and then proceeded to tally two more throughout the year. Caldwell is on pace to graduate with his degree in interdisciplinary studies.
What Dwan had to say: "Tech has been exactly what I thought it was when I came here. It's a very family-oriented place and my team has become a second family to me. Tech has really shown me how to be a man and helped me with time management and how to get a lot of different things done at once."
"Tech stood by me when no other program would. I know this is a place I can always call home."
Jordan Johnson: Entering the Golden Eagle locker room as a heralded shooter from the junior college ranks just last season, Johnson has brought more than just a spark to the Tech squad since his first season in the purple and gold. He has shown desire to work hard and show up when his team needs him most. After leading the NJCAA in 3-pointers made with 122 in the 2012-13 season, Johnson transplanted his shooting skills to Cookeville, where he drained 41 of his attempts as a junior in 33 games of action. He tallied 25 steals his first season and got hotter from beyond the arc as the season went on. This year, he has hit from downtown at a more consistent pace, draining 37 percent of his 3-point attempts on his way to chipping in 4.9 points per game off the bench in limited action. A native of Hinesville, Ga., he enters tonight's game with exactly 300 career points and over 75 rebounds. He tallied a career-high 19 points against Morehead State in January. Johnson is on pace to graduate with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
What Jordan had to say: "Playing in my last game at the Eblen Center is going to be bittersweet. It's one of the best places to play in the OVC and the crowd is alway encouraging. We have great fans. Being a Golden Eagle has been such a humbling experience. Playing Division I baseketball is a stage everyone wants to play on, and I've been fortunate enough to do it in Cookeville. It defines how far I've come as a player and helped me realize you have to work hard for everything you get. I have a lot of pride in being a Golden Eagle."
Javon McKay: In five seasons as a Golden Eagle, McKay has seen a lot of change and a lot of action. Tonight he plays in his 118th career game, scoring nearly 500 points and pulling in over 300 rebounds over the span of his career. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2010-11, the Atlanta, Ga. native played in at least 29 games each of his first three years, and remains on pace to do that once again this season. Not many guards in Tech history have made as big an impact as McKay has on the defensive side of the ball, totaling 70 steals and more impressively, rejecting 49 shots in his career. His 49 blocks currently rank 13th all-time in program history, just six behind Stephen Kite and DeAntoine Beasley for a tie for 11th. A career 44 percent shooter from the field, he notched a career-best mark of 16 points earlier this season against tonight's opponent, the Belmont Bruins. With 78 career starts, he makes his way onto the Eblen Center court for the final time tonight. McKay is on pace to graduate with his degree in interdisciplinary studies.
What Javon had to say: "I started out her as just a boy, but over the past five years I've grown into a man. I've really just learned so much about life and basketball and I'm just trying to continue to use what I've learned to keep maturing and become successful after my time here."
"I've learned a lot about tradition and about caring about others. We haven't had the best season, but people are still coming out and supporting us, and it's really taught me how good our fan base is. Since I've been here I've seen this program and our fans just continue to get better."
Garrison Boyd: For two years Boyd has spent his life behind the scenes of the Golden Eagle basketball program, helping everything run like clockwork in a not-so-simple world. Despite long hours and late nights, this senior manager has taken advantage of his work with the Tech basketball team, learning the ins and outs of what it takes to coach and make everything run like a well-oiled machine. A native of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., Boyd is on pace to graduate with his degree in marketing.
What Garrison had to say:"I've just been so blessed to have this and several opportunities in my time here at Tech. I'm just so grateful to have been given the chance to get involved with the basketball program and learn under Coach Payne how a Division I program is run from the inside. I've learned a lot and really just created really good, long-lasting friendships."
What Coach Payne had to say: "We've had a good run with them and their careers. Javon's had a lot of success here and seen some really good teams and players come through. He's always been the epitome of what a Tennessee Tech basketball player should be. He's a hard-working, tough kid that is also a great teammate."
"Po [Dwan] and Jordan have been here two years. We had a good run at it last year and we'll see what happens this year, but both of them have had success since joining the program. We're just looking forward to following them as they finish up their academic careers, graduate from Tennessee Tech and move on with their careers."
"I say this all the time, but it's true. We have the best managers in the game, and that does not stop short at Garrison. It would be near impossible to get done what we get done without these fantastic young gentlemen, and Garrison will certainly be missed over the next few years. We wish him and all of our players the very best and can't wait to see how high they soar when they have moved on into their post-collegiate lives."
