The Bowling Green Hornets are making their home at Russellville’s Jim Young Gymnasium again this season, and they’re coming home Saturday for their fourth game of their second season.
The Hornets, who are owned by Waseem Moorad, will play the River City Panthers at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
Russellville High School Athletic Director Nathan Thompson, who was the top assistant coach last year, is head coach this season. He succeeds Otis Key, who coached the Hornets to the league finals last year after winning a championship in another league in his first coaching stint.
Thompson has the Hornets playing competitively, although they have three close losses on their record to start this season. He is being assisted by Andrae Woodard of Todd County, who was a member of the Hornets last year. Former local players Derrion Calloway and Nicholas Scarbrough are student assistants.
Four Hornets return from last year’s inaugural season. They are RHS Hall of Famer Squeaky Hampton, leading scorer Justin Taylor, Keon Grant and Michael Stone.
The Hornets’ website lists the following members of the current roster:
Maurice ‘Squeaky’ Hampton: 6-2, 180, age 29; played for Russellville High School and Austin Peay State University
Kalen Kimberland: 6-0, 165, age 23; from Columbia, Ky.; played for Lindsey Wilson College
Michael Stone: 6-2, 200, age 23; from Lexington, played for Transylvania University;
Justin Taylor: 6-3, 200, age 27; from Lexington; played for Tennessee Tech
Michael Gardner: 6-5, 210, age 24; from Lexington, played football for the University of Kentucky and basketball at Southwestern Illinois
Marcus Vasquez: 6-1, 200, 23; from Bowling Green, played football four years for WKU and the basketball for the Toppers
Brandon Williams: 6-0, 170, age 23; from Charlotte, Va.; played for University of Evansville
DaQuan Brown: 6-0, 160, age 24; from Hopkinsville, played for University Heights Academy and Drury University
Quinton Horton: 5-10, 175, age 29; from Elizabethtown, played for Northern Kentucky University
Chase Spreen: 6-6, 215, age 24; from Bedford, Ind., played for Lindsey Wilson College
DeAntra Scott: 6-4, 180, age 23; from Gosnell, Ariz.; played for Lindsey Wilson College
Wesley Hanspard: 6-7, 215, age 23; from Oakland, Calif.; played for Lindsey Wilson College
Keon Grant: 6-3, 190, age 27; from Hopkinsville; played for Hopkinsville High School and West Texas A&M
John Paul Nyadaro: 6-9, 210, age 23; from Nairobi, Kenya; played for Trevecca Nazarine University
Also from the website comes this description of the team:
The Bowling Green Hornets, representing the Bowling Green, Kentucky community, completed their first season last year, with a 4-4 record, including falling short in the Championship Game against St. Louis. As the league Runner-Ups, the Hornets compiled a formidable roster, including four former Western Kentucky University basketball players (Jamal Crook, Kahlil McDonald, Teeng Akol, & Boris Siakam), one former University of Kentucky player (Brandon Stockton), and the 2013 NAIA Player of the Year from Georgetown College (Vic Moses).
The team also boasted seven former and current international professional basketball players, including Maurice "Squeaky" Hampton (Israel, Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Scotland), Tony Key (Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico), Justin Taylor (Portugal), Jamal Crook (Canada), Vic Moses (England), Daniel Price (Mexico), and Boris Siakam (Bahrain). The success of this talented Hornets roster contributed to three Hornets players being named on the league's All-Star team last season, including Justin Taylor and Tony Key on the 1st-team All-Star squad, and Jamal Crook on the 2nd-team All-Star squad.
The Hornets look to build on their organizational success in the 2014 CBA season, but with a completely new roster under a new coaching staff. Former Hornets Assistant Coach, Nathan Thompson, took over the Head Coaching position from former Harlem Globetrotter, Otis Key, during the offseason; and the team will have only four returning players from last season's squad.
The Hornets currently play in Russellville, Kentucky, which is approximately twenty minutes outside of Bowling Green. Russellville is the hometown for two of the Hornets players, as well as the Hornets current and former coaching staff, and has been long considered fertile soil for producing local basketball players. The venue is specifically is at Russellville High School, located at 1101 W. 9th St, Russellville, KY 42276
Remaining Schedule
Saturday, March 15, 6 p.m., at RHS, River City Panthers
Saturday, April 5, 6 p.m., at Fisk University in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Storm
Saturday, April 12, 6 p.m., at RHS, Memphis Soul Kings
Sunday, April 13, 3 p.m., at Vashon High School in St. Louis, St. Louis Hawks
Friday, April 18, 7 p.m., at RHS, Chattanooga Rail Runners
Friday, April 26, 6 p.m., at RHS, Fort Wayne Flite
Sunday, May 4, 3 p.m., at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Flite