November 13, 2017 – The National Junior College Athletic Association has ranked the Davidson County Community College Men’s Basketball program in the Top 10 since 2007. Under the leadership of Head Coach Matt Ridge, the Storm has been ranked in the top 15 in the (NJCAA) polls 84 percent of the time. Now the 2017-2018 undefeated team is ranked fifth in the nation and last year’s Tar Heel Conference Regular Season Champions are determined to live up to their pre-season forecast.
“It’s always nice to be recognized by pre-season national polls. Being ranked fifth in the pre-season national poll is a big-time honor but it also puts a bull’s-eye on us for our opponents. We expect to get everyone’s A-game,” said Ridge. “It’s wonderful we have three returners back that played significant minutes in our post-season play last season during our run to the Elite 8.
Sophomores Brandon Rothrock, Marquise Wright, and Ty Hill should certainly be leaders on our 2017-2018 team.”
During the Storm’s ten-year history, the men’s basketball program at Davidson County Community College has become one of the elite junior college programs in the country. Under the leadership of Ridge, the Storm has won 268 games in 10 years, against just 54 losses. The 268 wins are the most wins by any National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III program in the nation over the 10-year span. His 83 percent winning percentage is also the highest winning percentage in the country during this time frame.
Ridge has directed the Storm to five outright regular season Tar Heel Conference Championships, while being Co-Champions in four seasons. He sees a bright future for the Storm. “If we improve on a daily basis and we consistently play hard, smart and together, we believe great things can happen for our 2017-2018 team. We have a lot of strength with our new players who can make plays, which should make for another exciting year of Storm Basketball,” he explained. Their next regular season home game is Nov. 21 against Mt. Zion Prep at Brinkley Gym at 7 p.m. Games are free for students with student ID and $5 for all others. Children 5 and under can attend for free.
For information visit, www.davidsonccc.edu.