Clayton State men play host to Martinique Golden Star in final preseason exhibition
 Lakers aim to redeem themselves after 34-point defeat last week at Georgia

MORROW, Ga. - November 7, 2007 – Clayton State men’s head basketball coach Gordon Gibbons first visited the French Caribbean Island of Martinique in the summer of 1985 when he took an Under-15 American traveling team on a trip there.

It was a culture shock. There was no true gymnasium on the island, and soccer was head-over-heels the big sport in Martinique at the time.

However, as the old saying goes – "how times have changed."

"It’s grown and you can feel the interest in basketball there," said Gibbons, who has had an association with basketball in Martinique over the last 22 years. "The sport has become extremely popular on the island."

Martinique will have a chance to show how far it’s come on the hardwood when its top club organization – the Golden Star – squares off against Clayton State in a preseason exhibition on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Athletics and Fitness Center. It will be the conclusion of a week-long tour for the Golden Star against area collegiate programs and prep schools.

It’s the second preseason exhibition for the Lakers, who dropped a 90-56 decision at NCAA Division I Georgia last Friday.

Gibbons has had a long relationship with the Golden Star Club, located in the Martinique capital city of Fort-de-France. In addition to the American tour for the Golden Star Senior Men’s team to the Atlanta area, he also runs a camp for the Martinique juniors during the summer both at Clayton State and in Fort-de-France.

In the last 16 years, three Golden Star players have been signed by Gibbons at both Clayton State and Florida Southern.

"The Golden Star organization is managed by an outstanding group that’s made an impact on the lives of many young men and women," said Gibbons. "My association with the club has been a highlight of my career."

For Clayton State, this will be a chance to build off the performance at Georgia, where the Lakers shot only 36 percent from the field, including only 14 percent (2-for-14) from 3-point range. Newcomer Bernard Fields paced Clayton State with 14 points, while Brian Kelly and Ricky Garrett each added 11 points.

"Georgia was very interesting, and I felt if we’d played a week later, we would’ve been better prepared." Gibbons said. "Our biggest lesson to come out of it is if we play together within our system, we will be very good. We’ve responded well from it, and our guys will make a quicker jump into the season by playing a game like that."