Dalton State Coach Tony Ingle has announced the first step in the reloading process as he looks to replace four starters and even more key contributors from last season’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championship team. The Roadrunners looked to Savannah and came away with Malik King.
The 6’5” scoring guard for Windsor Forest High School led Region 4-AAAA in scoring during the 2014-2015 school year. “Malik is tall, athletic and can play multiple positions on the basketball court including point guard,” said Ingle.
“He also has a great attitude in the classroom.”
During his senior season for the Knights, King played in 24 games with a 17.5 points per game average. His reason for choosing Dalton State? “Coach (Tony) Ingle. He is a great man, a great coach. He has developed a relationship and has shown that he cares about his players.”
Dalton State has only one starter returning from the 2015 NAIA National Championship team. He is tournament most valuable player Jordan Bowling.
The Roadrunners lost first team All-American and an NAIA rebounding leader Ladaris Green. Green finished the season ranked No. 1 in D-1 in Defensive Rebounds per Game (8.917) and No. 2 in Total Rebounds per Game (11.611) and Total Rebounds (418). He was also No. 2 in Total Blocks (81).
Third team All-American Sean Tate is also through with his DS career. Tate’s free throw shooting (85.1 %), leadership and willingness to take punishment made him a fan favorite. He was the team’s assist leader an average of 3.42 per game). Also gone are playmaking senior Anthony Hilliard and two-year starter Preston Earle. The 2014 Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club College Player of the Year made 87 shots from beyond the arch during the 2014-2015 season. He also led the team in steals with 1.36 per contest.
Earle joined returning starter Jordan Bowling on the NAIA Championships All-Tournament Team. Bowling was the tournament’s most valuable player.