ALPHARETTA, Ga. - "Next year it would be nice to make the regional as a team, but if we want to compete with these schools we need to work together to get better as a group and lower our scores."

That's what University of South Alabama men's golfer Marc-Etienne Bussieres said after completing a final-round 71 that left him with a 1-under-par 212 54-hole score on May 16 a year ago at the NCAA Southeast Regional.  After a summer that included participating as an amateur in a Canadian Professional Golf Tour event and 11 collegiate tournaments in the fall and spring, it would be hard to blame the Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, resident for forgetting that statement.

"I remember that somewhat.  And we definitely worked better as a team this year, everybody has contributed," he stated Tuesday as the Jaguars arrived in advance of the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regional.  "It feels real good.  I wanted to come here with the team and play in the postseason with everybody."

Jaguar head coach Ben Hannan also commented that day that he thought the experience was good for Bussieres personally to measure himself against some of the best golfers in the country, and that he would be able to pass along what he observed and learned over the course of the event in Sorrento, Fla., to the rest of the squad.  So how does Hannan think he did?

"Marc did very well.  He's been a great leader for us all year and carried the banner well," he observed.  "As young as we are, really both he and Jack [Hiluta] have stepped up as upperclassmen and done a lot helping the less experienced guys get comfortable and learn."

And in that role as a team leader - after all, he is the only senior on the Jags' roster this spring - Bussieres didn't wait for his teammates to ask about his experiences last spring in the postseason.  Not only could he tell the rest of the team about NCAA postseason play, but he also had the opportunity to pass on his experiences from the Desjardins Montreal Open presented by Lexus, which he played in while the first week of fall semester classes got underway back on campus.

"They didn't ask me anything because I went straight to them and spoke about it," Bussieres recalled.  "The regionals vary a lot in the way that they are run. The one I went to last year was like a regular collegiate event, there wasn't anything special about it other than the fact that all the teams were good, the field was stronger than in the regular season. I think this one is going to be better, I just hope it isn't too intimidating.

"I remember when I played in the professional event and saw all the tents and the people around that I was impressed, but you have to remind yourself that all you have to do is play golf - that's all there is to it."

Last season, Bussieres earned an individual at-large invitation to the Southeast Regional after recording an average of 72.79 strokes per round following a third-place finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championships that netted him all-league honors for the first time in his career.  Hiluta placed fourth at the event to also be selected all-SBC, and with an average of 73.48, Hannan believed that he also was worthy of inclusion in the postseason field.  That didn't turn out to be the case, however, leaving Bussieres as the only member of the team with experience at an NCAA Regional.

Actually, Hiluta - a junior from Chelmsford, Essex, England - didn't argue with being left out of the competition.  In fact, it helped serve as motivation going into this fall so that he wouldn't be left out again.  "I didn't go because I didn't play well enough to earn an invitation," he stated.  "But we knew that if we earned a bid as a team this year there would be no questions about who gets to go."

Even though he didn't get to experience postseason play, Hiluta still has been able to draw from Bussieres' experiences - the two are roommates - to help provide leadership on a team that features six freshmen and sophomores.

"We didn't have a discussion about regionals specifically, but from Marc's experiences playing in professional events and being a leader, it has been good to learn from him," he commented.  "Living together, we learn a lot from each other."

Actually, the other three individuals competing for USA this week were not a part of the program last May when Bussieres participated in the regional.  Chris Piumelli transferred to the school after two years at South Carolina, while Blake Kelley and McLean Leberte were high school seniors last spring.  At USC, Piumelli was part of a team that qualified for postseason action, and even though he wasn't in the Gamecocks' lineup, he has played in enough high-level amateur events to believe that the lack of NCAA regional experience won't hurt the Jags this week.

"Any type of experience is good, the more the better," said the sophomore, who moved on to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open Monday.  "You can feed off of past successes you've had individually or with a team, and I think individually we can do that so that we play our best as a team this week."

Hannan agrees with that assessment.  "The more tournament golf you play, the more comfortable you get," he said.  "Obviously this is a little different feeling because the whole team is here, that's why it was so important to me for Marc to get here with his teammates.  There is an all-for-one, one-for-all mentality, which is a little different than your standard amateur golf.  At the end of the day it's an individual sport that plays as a team, and that, in and of itself, makes the mind-set a little different.

"But it's a special time, it's going to be a great event - Georgia Tech is a tremendous host.  The guys will relish this opportunity and play well."

Hiluta has faith in the newcomers as they join him in playing in their first NCAA event, recognizing that the team has inspired confidence going into the tournament with its performance throughout the year.

"Everybody realized it's not about trying to get one or two individuals playing well and in the top 10 - everyone has the ability to compete at that level," observed Hiluta.  "This is the first time in my three years here that we have depth all the way through our fifth player, we have five guys who can shoot under par at any time.  That's such a good feeling, to be on the course and know that you have a bit of breathing room - those first two years I felt like if I'm not under par and scoring well that we were going to be in trouble.

"It has taken a little bit of pressure off this season, I've been able to play a little more freely.  It's enjoyable when coach walks up and instead of hoping that you're playing well, he tells you that three other guys are under par."

Not only has it helped USA reach this point, it has motivated the upperclassmen to perform better according to Bussieres.  "We had two freshmen who have been in the lineup the second half of the spring, and they've posted some good scores - they've had some hiccups here and there too, but that happens, it's part of the learning curve," he commented.  "It's good to see they can shoot under par and help the team.  When your teammates are playing well, you want to play well also and be able to support them."

Despite the fact that only Bussieres has played in a regional, confidence is still running high in the program as the Jaguars near the start of Thursday's round - they will begin on the 10th tee of the Capital City Club Crabapple Course at 8:10 a.m.  Ask anyone in the travel party and you'll get a response that there's no need to divert from a plan that has worked over the last month of the season.

"I don't think we need to prepare any differently, we should do our best every time out," Piumelli said.  "The regionals are comprised of the best teams in the country, we have to prove that we are one of them to move on.  I think we're good to go this week - we have a good lineup, one that we've had for most of the spring, and as long as we just do our job we should be alright."

"This is a championship venue, thankfully we played a lot of very good golf courses to prepare for this," Hannan added.  "In my opinion, I think we need to get comfortable quickly.  There's going to be a different atmosphere, a different buzz.  Although we have seen a number of these teams in the field already this year, it's just a different feeling, so it's really about getting down to business, which is simply executing and hitting the shot in front of you.  If this team can get into that mind-set quickly from the first tee shot, then we will certainly play much better."

And as much as this experience means to the players, they see it as a fitting reward for their mentor, who is in his seventh season guiding the program.

"This means a great amount to me and the team.  I feel it's more important, though, that coach deserves to be here because of the amount of effort he puts in," commented Hiluta.  "He's one of the best coaches out there without a doubt.  I don't know that I've spoken to anyone with another school whose coach has such a good rapport with their players.  I really feel like it's time that we paid him back for his efforts, he deserves this."

So the stage has been set.  The Jaguars had one final opportunity to make final preparations with a practice round Wednesday before the competition begins.  One last chance for Bussieres to impart his wisdom from last year's NCAA Regional appearance, what to expect and what to shoot for this week.

"Everybody knows that if we do play well we can get to the national championships, and that obviously is our objective," he said.  "You can't do it by yourself, it has to be the entire team.  If we look at our results from this year, quite often the first round would set us too far back to have a chance to win or finish near the top of the tournament.  I really think if we do come out and play well tomorrow that we can put ourselves in a good position to move on.

"You can't win the tournament on the first day, but you can certainly lose it."

Spoken by a man who knows from experience.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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