College athletes usually make a home away from home at the institutions they chose to attend, but a trio of area basketball players decided to stick around.
Three area graduates joined Lenoir Community College’s basketball team this season, lacing the Lancers roster with four total local guys: Josh Hill of Kinston was the only returner on the team this year.
Kinston’s Jeremiah Lanier, Bethel Christian’s Seth Katzenberger and Jones Senior’s Eric Dudley Jr., began their young college ball careers when LCC tipped off its 2013-14 season on Nov. 6.
The Lancers, with only a pair of sophomores on their roster, are undefeated to start the year.
While Lanier’s, Katzenberger’s and Hill’s journey to LCC all differ, they’ve provided area representation to their hometown squad.
Jeremiah Lanier: 20-years old, guard, Kinston High Class of 2011
Lanier played one year of varsity basketball with the Vikings. In the 2010-11 season, Kinston was one step shy of the championship game. Northwood beat Kinston 56-42 in the regional finals.
“The experience was great,” Lanier said of his time playing Kinston basketball. “I knew my friends there, but I became great teammates with them. It was a great year and a great run, and I thought we should have won the championship.”
Packing high school basketball memories with him, Lanier headed for Raleigh’s Wake Technical Community College to pursue his baseball career.
But last year, he elected to return to Kinston.
“It wasn’t that many schools that were looking at me,” the freshman point guard said, “so I just decided to come to LCC, my hometown school.”
In school’s most recent victory, a 103-68 blowout over Mt. Olive College’s JV team, Lanier was instrumental in the Lancers’ successful ball movement. He had four points, four rebounds and a team-high three assists.
“He’s a tough defender,” LCC coach Bobby Dawson said. “Jeremiah is a very aggressive, very athletic, hard-nosed young man. And we definitely need that type of young man at that point position.”
Seth Katzenberger: 19-years old, forward, Bethel Christian Academy Class of 2012
The 19-year old forward has played basketball since he was a preteen, playing at both South Lenoir and Bethel for two years, respectively.
“From South Lenoir to Bethel, they’re a whole lot faster, and then from high school to college, they’re a whole lot faster,” Katzenberger said jokingly. “When you come out here, you have more competition, so it’s a little harder.”
Katzenberger didn’t originally plan on playing basketball, although LCC was always in his future. He was going to study engineering two years before transferring to N.C. State, he said. But Dawson persuaded him to join the team.
He already has a few games under his belt and is trying to heed his coaches’ advice.
“I think that we played well (in the first game of the season), but we could have done a lot better than we did,” said Katzenberg, who had two points and a pair of rebounds in Saturday’s victory at home. “The most (the coaches) have told me is to, ‘Get bigger and get faster.’ ”
You can’t miss his size, but Dawson is looking to see Katzenberger develop as a basketball player in the next couple of years.
“Once we get him to where he can play a little more aggressively and with some defense, I think we’re going to have a nice young man.”
Joshua Hill: 19-years, guard, Kinston Class of 2012
Hill played two years of junior varsity basketball at Kinston his ninth and 10th grade years before an ankle injury ended his 11th-grade campaign.
As the only returner for LCC, he said his role hasn’t changed much from last year.
“Coach is really our leader,” Hill said. “He hasn’t asked me to do too much that he hasn’t asked me to do last year. It’s all on me just to go out there and do what he asks me to do.”
In Saturday’s game, Hill had 12 points. Last season, he was named an All-Region player.
“With him, we’re going to have leadership,” Dawson said of Hill. “I think that he has really improved his ball handling and shooting this year, (and) I think his intensity level is good.”
Hill studies physical education at LCC and is toying with the idea of pursuing business administration.
He plans to transfer to a four-year university to continue his education as well as basketball. Hill said his mom influenced him to stay in Kinston, and he’ll be here at least through this school year.
Additionally, he’s noticed the changes in the team from last season to the current one.
“We weren’t as much of a team,” he said about 2012-13. “This year, we have little bumps in the road, but it feels like we’re more together.”
With the new class of players, Dawson said LCC has been able to add a “little bit of everything.”
“It’s a very young team in which we do have some size,” he said. “What’s probably going to be our Achilles tendon is our ball handling and defense, but hopefully we’ll get better and better as we go.
“I’m pleased with the intensity.”
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.