The North Charleston Lowgators finished the 2002-03 regular season in second place with a 26-24 record. The team featured three NBA “call-ups” and two former College of Charleston stars. The Lowgators up-tempo style of basketball was not only exciting to watch, but highly effective. The Lowgators led the league in scoring, averaging 88.8 points per game. They were also first in field goals, field goal attempts and steals.

The season was filled with spectacular dunks by Corey Benjamin and Damone Brown, great block shots from Karim Shabazz, clutch three-pointers stroked by Sedric Webber and unbelievable drives to the basket by Tierre Brown.

2002-03 In Review

After losing in the NBDL Finals in their inaugural season, the Lowgators entered the 2002-03 campaign with a new head coach and only one returning player. Doug Marty, promoted after one year as an assistant to Alex English, brought an up-tempo, transition style of basketball to the Lowgators. With Sedric Webber the only holdover from the previous season, Marty filled his roster with versatile athletic bodies ready and willing to run the floor. Three of which, had spent time in the NBA and were itching to get back. All three did.

Corey Benjamin was one of three NBA "call-ups" from North Charleston this season.
Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

The Toronto Raptors made Damone Brown, with the Sixers in 2001-02, the first Lowgator to get “called-up” in mid-January. Corey Benjamin, a three-year Chicago Bulls veteran, followed signing a pair of 10-day contracts with the Atlanta Hawks a week later. Tierre Brown, arguably the NBDL’s best player, inked a 10-day deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in early March and then signed with the Cavs for the remainder of season a few weeks later.

The Lowgators jumped out of the gate with three straight victories to begin the season. In fact, the team won four of their first five contests. However, the end of November proved to be a tough portion of the month as North Charleston dropped four games in a row and was 4-5 after a loss at Columbus on December 3. The final month of 2002 saw the Lowgators win every other game they played until rattling off two straight victories at home against Huntsville on the 20th and at Roanoke the following day. North Charleston was lucky enough to have the holidays off and then went back to work at home on the 28th but was defeated by Fayetteville.

The new year brought little change to the team’s winning percentage with the Lowgators going 7-6 in the month of January. The team did put together quite a home-winning streak though, as they won eight straight at the North Charleston Coliseum from New Year’s Day to February 27. During that span, North Charleston had a five-game winning streak and finished February with an overall record of 22-19.

Despite a stretch of losing five out of six in March, the Lowgators won the final two games of the season. The team clinched a playoff birth with a victory over Greenville at home on March 19, and earned home court advantage in the NBDL Semi-Finals with a win at Huntsville in the regular season finale on the 22nd.

The Lowgators finished the year with a 26-24 record earning the second seed in the NBDL playoffs and faced a tough Mobile team. The teams were 5-5 against each other in the regular season and played very different styles of basketball. North Charleston was the athletic transition team and the Revelers were the tough rebounding squad featuring hard nosed inside players. The Lowgators dropped the first contest in the best of three series at Mobile 88-79. Isaac Fontaine led the Revelers with 24 points. With their backs against the wall, North Charleston was eliminated from the playoffs losing 81-69 at home two days later. Corey Benjamin scored 20 points off the bench but only one other player was in double-digits.

Although the Lowgators might have fell short of winning the NBDL championship, head coach Doug Marty said, “Overall it was a very positive and successful season in many ways. From a team perspective we competed well, made the playoffs and finished second in the regular season. In terms of developing players, a lot of them improved. I think we helped them in terms of instruction and gave them an opportunity get better as basketball players.”