Circumstances are pointing toward a promising season as Davidson County Community College is about to embark on its third season of men’s basketball.

The Storm will host Wytheville (Va.) Community College at 3 p.m. Sunday at Brinkley Gym.

DCCC coach Matt Ridge welcomes back three starters and a solid recruiting class. On top of that, the Tarheel Conference tournament will be held at Brinkley Gym, a place where the Storm are 27-1 the last two years.

“Our goal is to win a championship and go to the regionals,” Ridge said. “We want to do that and play in the national tournament in New York.”

The Storm won’t have to contend with Catawba Valley Community College, the team that beat them in the conference tournament finals the last two years, anymore. CVCC is now an NJCAA Division II school.

That doesn’t mean DCCC is getting a free pass.

“We’ve got a target on our backs,” Ridge said. “Everybody is going to be gunning for us.”

But the Storm are quite capable of firing back. Returning to start are last year’s leading scorer Roderick Geter, a 6-1 guard; tenacious 6-4 forward Eric Potts and defensive-minded 6-1 guard Phillip Williams.

“Those guys are the heart and soul of our team,” Ridge said. “We’re counting on them to provide leadership all year and help the underclassmen to be winners.”

Jeter, who at one point hit 31 consecutive free throws last season, has been slowed by injury but Ridge thinks he will be able to play Sunday.

Ridge’s initial classes had a heavy local flavor, but the third-year coach has managed to expand his horizons and get players from other areas of the state. In some cases, he gets a player from a particular school and then gets others. Potts comes from Trinity and he’ll be joined by 6-5 Zack Williams, who figures prominently in the seven-man rotation.

“Zack Williams is a typical Tim Kelly type of hard nosed player,” Ridge said. “If we can keep getting 6-4, 6-5 players like that from Trinity, that’s something I’d like to continue every year.”

Williams comes from Riverside in Durham, another top flight program. And now Ridge has snagged a second player from Riverside, 6-5 forward Kimani Hunt.

“He does a lot of things very well,” Ridge said.