Augusta U tips off new season at Wichita State at 3:00 on ESPN3

In this AugustaJags.com press release, which gives the details for "watch parties" in Augusta for today's ESPN3 broadcast of Augusta University's exhibition game against Division I powerhouse Wichita State, coach Dip Metress noted that in 51 years of hoops history Augusta U has "never played in a basketball environment such as Koch Arena." Expecting a capacity crowd of more than 10,000 Shockers fans, coach Metress further explained after his team's practice in Wichita Friday night what will be different about the atmosphere during Augusta's season opening game:





Coach Metress isn't the only person on Augusta's staff with a story about playing at Wichita State. Lennie Carlson was an assistant at Indiana State, a longtime Missouri Valley Conference opponent of the Shockers, during the early 1980's when future NBA stars Xavier McDaniel, Antoine Carr, Cliff Levingston, and Greg Dreiling comprised the Shockers' front line:





If Augusta is able to shock the Shockers Saturday, it will likely be in large part due to the play of senior leader Keshun Sherrill, who has gathered every imaginable award and had a hand in countless wins during his first three seasons.

Click here for a playlist of videos showing some of my favorite Keshun Sherrill moments.

Two Augusta raised Jaguars who I believe will make further improvements this season are junior Tamyrik Fields (Aquinas, class of 2014) and sophomore Jashawn Brooks (Laney, class of 2015). Fields made a major leap last season, increasing his average points per game from 2.5 to 11. And Brooks sparked at least two Augusta wins with his offense. They talked to me about their outlook for the new season Friday after practice:





Follow @AugBball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram along with @AugustaJags on Twitter and Instagram, for updates from Saturday's game. And don't forget to watch it on ESPN3 at 3:00 P.M.