February 24, 2011
Basketball: All-Panhandle Conference teams announced
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Three players on the Gulf Coast women’s basketball team and one from the men’s team were named first-team selections on the All-Panhandle Conference team announced Wednesday. GC sophomores Kyra Crosby and Porsha Harris and freshman Bre’Anna Lewis garnered first-team nods for the Lady Commodores. GC’s Ashley Rush was a second-team pick. Sophomore Travis Smith represented the Gulf Coast men as a first-team selection, and freshman Terrence Townes earned a second-team bid.
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February 19, 2011
Basketball: NWF men stamp Gulf Coast's season with a rout
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — One team needed a win. The other needs a break. Northwest Florida State overwhelmed Gulf Coast from the opening tip and flattened the Commodores in an 81-56 victory in a men’s basketball game at the Billy Harrison Field House. The Raiders built a 32-point lead by halftime and had little trouble improving to 22-6 overall and 7-5 in the Panhandle Conference. Gulf Coast’s season ended at 11-19, 1-11.
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February 12, 2011
Basketball: Chipola men turn back pesky Gulf Coast
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Playing Gulf Coast on the Commodores’ home floor this season has been a little like fighting a fruit gnat with a boat oar for the Chipola men’s basketball team. In other words, sometimes there are more efficient ways of dealing with things. Chipola played fundamentally sound basketball in the second half to break open a close game and exited the Billy Harrison Field House with a 73-59 victory in a Panhandle Conference men’s basketball game.
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February 5, 2011
Basketball: Commodore Men loose to Tallahassee
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - TALLAHASSEE — Terrence Townes pumped in 31 points to give Gulf Coast an offensive spark, but only four players scored for a Commodore team that failed to keep pace with host Tallahassee in the second half. GC (11-16, 1-8 conference) trailed 39-35 at halftime, but the Eagles (19-8, 5-4) outscored the Commodores 20-8 over the first 10 minutes of the second half to pull away. Townes made 13 of 27 shots from the floor for Gulf Coast, a squad that had been held to fewer than 20 points in the first half of each of its last two games. The Commodores scored 11 points through 20 minutes against Pensacola last Wednesday and followed that with a 19-point performance in the first half against Northwest Florida State on Saturday. Townes scored 14 points before halftime against the Eagles to keep his team within reach. Ultimately GC’s lack of balance undermined the effort against Tallahassee, which had four players scoring in double figures and another four who scored at least two points. Marterrace Brock tallied 16 points, and Derick Beltran, Rashard McGill and Carlyle Francis added 14 apiece for the Eagles. Travis Smith scored 13 points for Gulf Coast, and Jordan Payton had 10. The teams were tied at 16-16 before Tallahassee scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a 26-18 lead 7 minutes left in the first half. Even though Gulf Coast eventually wiggled within two points (37-35), the Commodores never regained the lead.
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February 5, 2011
Basketball: GC teams suffer lopsided losses to NWF
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - NICEVILLE — Panhandle Conference opponents have figured out where to attack the Gulf Coast women’s basketball team. Northwest Florida State forced the Lady Commodores into nearly as many turnovers as points scored in the first half, and Gulf Coast struggled shooting from the perimeter in an 87-63 road loss to the Lady Raiders in a conference matchup. Already assured that its 13-year streak of conference championships was over, Gulf Coast (13-9, 2-6 conference) now must win each of its remaining four games to have any shot at nabbing the Panhandle’s second seed at the state tournament. The Lady Raiders (20-4, 5-3) can eliminate GC from postseason contention with just one victory, and they maintained a one-game lead over third-place Chipola in the Panhandle standings.
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January 25, 2011
Basketball: Chipola men too much for Gulf Coast
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - MARIANNA — Chipola men 78, Gulf Coast 57: The Gulf Coast men got off to something less than a rolling start in both halves against the high-powered Indians. Chipola blasted Gulf Coast by scoring 12 of the game’s first 14 points, and then the Indians built an insurmountable lead by scoring the first 11 points of the second half. “I think the excitement of their gym and the hoopla kind of got to my guys a little bit,” GC coach Jay Powell said. “We did not have very good shot selection early, and we did not take care of the ball early. That allowed them to jump out on us.”
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January 22, 2011
Basketball: GC men fall with inconsistent performance
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY —- Consistent inconsistency again bit the Gulf Coast men’s basketball team Saturday night. The Commodores came out firing in the second half against Tallahassee before falling back into similar patterns in letting the Eagles escape with a 62-51 victory in a Panhandle Conference game at the Billy Harrison Field House.
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January 19, 2011
Smith leads GC men to first Panhandle Conference win
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Travis Smith picked the right game to enjoy a career night. Gulf Coast men’s basketball coach Jay Powell said “four or five” coaches interested in recruiting the Gulf Coast sophomore were in attendance, and Smith gave them something by which to remember him. Smith scored 27 points, and he made three free throws with 3 seconds left to rally Gulf Coast to a 74-73 victory over seventh-ranked Northwest Florida State in a Panhandle Conference showdown at the Billy Harrison Field House.
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January 15, 2011
Basketball: PSC completes sweep of Gulf Coast
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PENSACOLA — Gulf Coast led top-ranked Pensacola State College much of the game, but couldn’t hold off the unbeaten Lady Pirates and fell 92-84 on Saturday in Panhandle Conference women’s basketball. Pensacola made it a sweep with an 84-69 win in the men’s game. Darren Goodsen had 23 points for the Pirates (14-7, 2-2), who keep the Commodores (10-11, 0-3) winless in the conference. The Lady Commodores (12-5, 1-2) led 42-38 at halftime and built their lead as large as 14 points in the second half before Pensacola rallied. A basket by Najat Ouardad put PSC in the lead and the Lady Pirates pulled away in the final minutes.
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January 8, 2011
Chipola men turn back Gulf Coast rally
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — The Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball team is looking up at its opponents both on the floor and in the Panhandle Conference standings. Marcos Knight led all scorers with 22 points, and a bigger, badder Chipola team turned back Gulf Coast’s spirited effort in a 68-64 victory at the Billy Harrison Field House. The Indians improved to 14-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Gulf Coast slipped to 10-10 and 0-2.
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January 5, 2011
Basketball: Poor shooting downs Gulf Coast men
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - TALLAHASSEE — The men’s basketball team at Gulf Coast Community College can’t afford to have many shooting nights like this moving forward. The Commodores’ Panhandle Conference schedule began with a clang as Tallahassee held visiting Gulf Coast to a season low in points scored in a 65-46 victory at the Eagledome on Tuesday night. GC, which scored only 51 points in a loss to Cape Fear on Nov. 19, slipped to 10-9 overall with its second straight loss. Ranked seventh in the state, the Eagles enjoyed a win in their first conference game. They improved to 15-4 to give coach Eddie Barnes his 201st victory at Tallahassee.
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January 3, 2011
Powell remains patient with GC men entering Panhandle play
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — The Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball players may owe Kara Powell a debt of gratitude. Commodore head coach Jay Powell was livid after his players turned in a lackluster effort in a loss to Chattahoochee Valley last Thursday. That led to a hastily scheduled practice after the game in which Powell not-so-subtly reminded his players of his expectations.
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December 30, 2010
Gulf Coast men suffer deflating loss
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Jay Powell leaned over his desk with his eyes squeezed shut and measured his words carefully. Visibly agitated after watching his Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball team let a win slip through its hands Thursday, Powell wondered aloud how the Commodores can be on the verge of building a winning streak one day and then mourning a perplexing defeat the next.
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December 29, 2010
Basketball: Gulf Coast teams pick up victories
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Jay Powell is giving Nikko Acosta no choice but to get better. The men’s basketball coach at Gulf Coast Community College, Powell doesn’t need to issue ultimatums to the 6-foot-8 center or threaten him with time on the bench. The sink-or-swim method utilized Wednesday worked just fine.
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December 15, 2010
Losses help Commodores prepare for second-half tests
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — This was one practice Jay Powell didn’t mind delaying a few hours. With his Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball team preparing for final exams this week, Powell pushed Monday’s practice back three hours to accommodate some of his players trying to stay caught up in the classroom.
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December 4, 2010
Basketball: Gulf Coast teams post blowout victories
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - MARIANNA — Gulf Coast improved to 7-6 with a lopsided win over Southern Sports Academy in the Panhandle Classic hosted by Chipola College. Jordan Payton led the Commodores with 18 points and Nikko Acosta had 16. Terrance Townes and Autis Gibson each had seven rebounds. Gulf Coast plays in the Florida Juco Shootout in Ocala next weekend.

December 2, 2010
Basketball: Alabama Southern halts GC men's streak
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Alabama Southern avenged an 11-point defeat to Gulf Coast 10 days ago and snapped the Commodores’ three-game winning streak with an 84-71 victory Thursday at Billy Harrison Field House in men’s junior college basketball. Gulf Coast, 6-5, defeated Alabama Southern 80-69 on Nov. 22 in Monroeville, Ala. This time, 30 points by Terrance Townes were unable to prevent the winners from improving to 7-4. The Commodores played 4 p.m. today against Miami Dade in the Chipola Panhandle Classic in Marianna.
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November 27, 2010
Basketball: Gulf Coast men defeat Walters State
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY —- Pass fakes, shot fakes and dribble penetration. Gulf Coast Community College used those tools to thwart Walters State’s potent zone defense, and Travis Smith filled up the bucket with 25 points to pace the Commodores’ 80-71 win in the Commodore Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday at the Billy Harrison Field House.
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November 26, 2010
Basketball: Free throws, run help Commodores soar past Jets
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY —- It was a basketball game in which the officials may have been as short of breath as the players by the time the final buzzer sounded. Gulf Coast Community College attempted a whopping 51 free throw attempts, and the Commodores ripped off a 16-1 run in the second half to rally for an 82-70 victory over South Georgia Tech Friday night in the Commodore Thanksgiving Classic at the Billy Harrison Field House.
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November 22, 2010
GC men defeat Alabama Southern
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - MONROEVILLE, Ala. - Travis Smith scored 23 points, pulled down eight rebounds and had seven assists in Gulf Coast’s 80-69 win over Alabama Southern in a men’s junior college basketball game on Monday. Nikko Acosta scored 16 and Jordan Payton had seven rebounds for the Commodores (4-4), who host the GC Thanksgiving Classic starting on Friday.
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November 16, 2010
Six GC athletes sign with four-year schools
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Six Gulf Coast Community College athletes took advantage of the NCAA’s early signing period to further their collegiate careers after this school year. Signings were announced for men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. None were released for softball, as of Tuesday.
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November 15, 2010
Basketball: GC men pull away from Enterprise
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — The Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball team played into the strengths of Enterprise State’s zone defense throughout much of their showdown Monday night. The Commodores discovered a solution in the second half, however, and they consequently pulled away for a 98-81 victory at the Billy Harrison Field House. “The main difference,” GC coach Jay Powell said, “was we started making shots.”
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November 14, 2010
Basketball: GC men fall flat
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - AMERICUS, Ga. — Gulf Coast followed an opening-weekend sweep with its second loss in as many days, falling 60-55 Saturday against Waycross Community College in men’s junior college basketball. The Commodores, 2-2, got 15 points from Travis Smith and 12 from Jay Wade.
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November 12, 2010
Basketball: GC men fall for first time
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - Americus, GA — Gulf Coast lost for the first time when it couldn’t get off a shot in the final seconds of the second overtime in Americus, Ga. Coach Jay Powell said that the Commodores (2-1) needed defensive stops at the end of regulation and the first overtime to prolong the game. When they missed inside with about 5 seconds left in the second overtime, South Georgia Tech rebounded and Gulf Coast was forced to foul. SGT missed both free throws, but by the time the Commodores rebounded and moved downcourt the clock had expired.
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November 7, 2010
Basketball: GC men survive Aiken rally
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - AIKEN, S.C. — Autis Gibson made one of two free throws with 5.6 seconds left, and Jay Wade defended a shot at the buzzer as Gulf Coast held off Aiken Tech, 58-56, Saturday in men’s junior college basketball. The Commodores (2-0) led 29-16 at halftime, but the host team whittled the lead to one point in the closing seconds. Gibson made the first free throw with 5.6 seconds showing, but missed the second and Aiken rebounded.
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November 5, 2010
Basketball: GC men score 100, open with win
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - AIKEN, S.C. — Forget the injuries and youthful lineup. The Gulf Coast men’s basketball team didn’t need any excuses Friday night. The Commodores, trailing by 10 points in the first half, pulled away for an easy season-opening win over USC at Salkehatchie in the Aiken Technical College Classic. “They (USC) had a 10-point lead in the first half coming out of the gate,” said GC coach Jay Powell. “But we picked up the defensive pressure with about 12 minutes to go (in the first half) and we were able to make a run on them.”
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October 27, 2010
Panhandle basketball opens season with high marks
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - MARIANNA — The perceived strength of basketball in the Panhandle Conference has been recognized statewide. The Florida Community College Activities Association (FCCAA) released its men’s and women’s preseason coaches polls Wednesday, and Panhandle Conference teams occupy the top three spots in the men’s poll and top four places in the women’s rankings.
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October 19, 2010
Gulf Coast men's preview: Commodores battle turnover and injury
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — Roster turnover is a necessary evil in junior college basketball. Injuries aren’t necessary, but they certainly are evil, too. Gulf Coast Community College men’s basketball coach Jay Powell has to contend with both of those issues this year as he tries to direct the Commodores toward a Panhandle Conference championship. Powell learned two weeks ago that his top returning player, Javon Dawson, will miss the season after tearing a knee ligament, meaning Gulf Coast will have to replace virtually 100 percent of its scoring from a year ago. Dawson is a 6-foot-7, 261-pound forward who averaged 8.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a game last year. Powell said he will turn to three new players — sophomores Nikko Acosta and Daniel Thompson and freshman Agustin Ambrosino — to fill the hole left by Dawson’s absence.
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October 4, 2010
Basketball: GC hoops season opens Nov. 5
NEWS HERALD (By Jason Shoot ) - PANAMA CITY — The basketball teams at Gulf Coast Community College officially begin their respective seasons Nov. 5. The Lady Commodores head to Marianna to square off with Broward College in the season-opening Milton H. Johnson Classic at Chipola’s Milton Johnson Health Center. The Commodore men travel to Aiken, S.C., to play Aiken Technical College. The two teams will play three scrimmages before the season starts. Gulf Coast’s men will host a scrimmage Oct. 12 at the Billy Harrison Field House at 6 p.m. and also make trips for scrimmages in Tallahassee on Oct. 9 and Montgomery, Ala., on Oct. 23. The Lady Commodores will scrimmage in Mobile, Ala., on Oct. 16, Andalusia, Ala., on Oct. 23, and Tallahassee on Oct. 30.
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June 25, 2010
Former GC player Gilstrap gets summer b-ball invite
NEWS HERALD (By Josh Weinfuss) - While Marquis Gilstrap’s family and friends ate hot wings during a cookout Thursday in Covington, Ga., he watched the NBA Draft patiently as his phone lay silent. The former Iowa State and Gulf Coast Community College standout didn’t get the call he wanted during the two rounds of the draft, held Thursday in New York City. He had to wait until the end of the day for his phone to ring. On the other end was a surprise, even to Gilstrap. Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown invited Gilstrap to play on the Bobcats’ summer league team.
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