SENATOBIA - Fans of Northwest basketball have a lot to look forward to this season.

After guiding the Rangers to a 16-10 overall record and into the semifinals of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament last year, head coach Shane Oakley has restocked his team with a healthy mix of returning sophomores, Division I transfers and highly touted incoming freshmen.

"I thought our guys played well and they improved as the season went on," Oakley said, recalling last season's success. "We had a big postseason win against a ranked Northeast team that had beaten us twice in the regular season, but then we ran into an overwhelmingly talented Jones College team that ended our season. (But) with it being the first time in a while being that deep in the postseason, all in all, I was pleased with what we accomplished. It's a nice step in the right direction."

Although Oakley and assistant coach Nick Williams will most certainly miss the talents and leadership of R.J. Duhart (Appalachian State) and first team All-MACJC selection Jakobi Pearson (USC Aiken), the Rangers do welcome back returning starters James Richards III and Kavonte Tunstall.

A native of Southaven, Richards averaged 11.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a guard and finished third on the team in scoring (267) and rebounds (101). He also raked in a team-best 82 assists last season and 35 steals, only second in that category behind Pearson.

As for Tunstall, the guard/forward combo finished fourth in scoring (200 points) and rebounds (89), while averaging 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The Byhalia native reached double figures in nine games last season, including a career-best 18 points in a 99-96 victory against SAU Tech on December 4, 2019. 

"James played a lot of minutes for us as a freshman," Oakley said. "He was one of those guys we always had in there at crunch time when the game was on the line. He's quick in transition and a good on-ball defender. Kavonte also logged a lot of minutes and he's a good wing. He has a lot of valuable experience in this league and he can shoot the ball. There were times he wasn't consistent last season, but he has put in a lot of work in the offseason and he's getting better, so we hope he can take that next step forward this season."

Coupled with the return of Richards and Tunstall are key reserves Mario Fenner, Jr. and Deveon Miller. A forward/center combo from Como, Fenner averaged 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game off the bench, while Miller collected seven blocks, three assists and three steals off the bench as a forward.

"He is an athletic guy that can play various positions," Oakley said, on Fenner. "He does whatever it takes and is a glue guy for us. He gets the gritty rebounds and the loose balls and that's what we need."

Northwest also brought in a slew of newcomers during the offseason, including a pair of Division I transfers, Carlos Curry (Ole Miss) and DeAntoni Gordon (Wichita State). Although both players have yet to see the court in a Ranger uniform, the duo shined at the All-American JUCO Showcase in Atlanta last August and caught the attention of four-year schools across the nation.

Curry, a native of Albany, Ga., has nearly 20 Division I offers entering the season from Maryland, Oregon State, West Virginia, East Tennessee State, Houston, St. John's and Coastal Carolina, among others. Originally from Mobile, Ala., Gordon has also received interest from several schools, including Kent State, UAB and Old Dominion.

"Those guys have played a lot of high-level basketball," Oakley said. "So we are hoping to get a lot of leadership out of them. Both were big-time players coming out of high school and with Carlos, we are hoping his length and size can solidify the five spot for us. He's a dynamic player at his size and he's a shot-blocker on defense. DeAntoni is a high-major Division I athlete. He's long and he can fly. We're hoping to see him shoot the three better, but his mid-range game and his ability to run the floor are really good."

Aside from Curry and Gordon, the Rangers also welcome several freshmen including Forte Prater (Starkville), Jaylon Sanders and Tyler Lang (Mobile, Ala.). Prater arrives to Northwest as one of the state's most sought-after guards, while Sanders also turned heads as a guard at Collierville High School. Lang also comes in from prominent Mobile-area hoops program LeFlore High School.

"I think Forte is probably the best point guard in the state," Oakley said. "He really passes the ball well and sets guys up in position to score. Jaylon is a long athletic guard that can score in a variety of ways and get buckets in a hurry. Tyler has recovered well from knee issues in high school and he can shoot. We think he will be a valuable asset for us this season."

While the MACCC North Division slate is never an easy one to navigate, Northwest will face the additional challenge of opening the season with divisional opponents instead of a handful on non-division contests. The Rangers start on the road at East Mississippi on January 21 before opening up their home schedule on January 25 with a matchup against Itawamba.

Although Oakley certainly wouldn't mind another postseason run, his main goal remains focused on playing through the COVID-19 pandemic.

"My number one goal is to allow our team an opportunity to play," Oakley said. "It has been difficult for everyone with the pandemic continuing to occur and we as a conference just needed to get games in however we could. Now the time is here and there are going to be teams in and out that will have to pause with the virus, and so we have to be ready to go. That's going to be our challenge, night in and night out. Ultimately, we all want to win, but first we have to make sure we have the discipline to stay as healthy as we can and take all the precautions necessary to allow this season to continue. In a time like this, we just want to give our players a chance to play, be seen and be recruited."

Coverage for the Rangers' opener at EMCC can be found at emccathletics.com/video/YouTubeLive with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. in Scooba. All Northwest home games can be streamed along with live stats at nwccrangers.com. 

Any schedule changes that occur throughout the season will be announced on nwccrangers.com and on Twitter (@NWCC_MBK and @NWCC_Rangers).