JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven Blazers Men's Basketball team is set to begin the 2014-15 campaign under first year head coach Jonathan Vines this Wednesday when the Green and Gold travel to Xavier University (La.) for a 7 p.m. tip in New Orleans.
 
Belhaven returns five letter winners from the 2013-14 squad, which made a NAIA Postseason Tournament appearance after finishing the season with an 18-15 overall record
 
Vines, who takes the reigns of the Blazers program after serving as the primary assistant at Birmingham Southern College, will have four senior guards returning in 2014-15, including the Blazers leading scorer last season, Jordan Bedford.
 
Bedford, a 6'0 guard from Covington, La, led the Blazers in scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game. Bedford, who was named to the SSAC All-Conference team, was 11th in the SSAC in total points (496) and was one of the league's top three-point shooters with 70 triples on the season. In addition to his outstanding offensive numbers, Bedford recorded 121 rebounds and accumulated 26 steals.
 
Datodrick Pinkston is also a key returner for Vines' squad. Pinkston played in 31 games last season, including 12 starts and averaged 9.5 points per contest. The Forest, Miss. native was a 50.3 percent shooter from the field and averaged 22.9 minutes per game. The senior also averaged 3.0 rebounds per game with 2.5 assists and had 39 steals on the season.
 
Seniors Jerrial Dawson and Dycus Juste also return for Belhaven in 2014-15. The duo played in 33 and 30 games, respectively, last season as key reserves and averaged 4.6 and 2.6 points per game. Both guards look to feature heavily for Vines this season.
 
The Green and Gold will also feature a lot of junior college transfers this season, including Delah Mayers (Hinds Community College) and Will Sheriff (Meridian Community College), both of whom are expected to log heavy minutes for Vines this season.
 
Last season, as a sophomore at Hinds, Mayers averaged 27.1 minutes and 12.0 points per contest, while averaging 6.7 rebounds per contest and making an appearance in the MACJC All-Star Game. As a freshman, the Oak Grove, La. native averaged 4.3 points per game for the Eagles, playing 12.5 minutes per contest.
 
In Sheriff's sophomore season, the Terry, Miss. native averaged 6.9 points per game in 22 games played. He also averaged 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his second season with the Eagles.
 
Belhaven will have a very tough non-conference schedule, which includes a pair of games against Wednesday's opponent Xavier, who has made the NAIA Tournament in 10 of the last 12 seasons. The schedule also features a game against NCAA Division I program Arkansas State in early December and Belhaven will also join Jackson State, Delta State, and Tougaloo in the City With Soul Classic held in Jackson in early November.