Good run down of SLC.
http://wusa9.com/sports/college/basketball/article/173051/306/College-Basketball-Preview---Southland-ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
OUTLOOK: It is hard to imagine another year in which there was so much perceived parity in the Southland Conference. Many of last season's better teams have lost key contributors, and a few of the clubs that were mediocre or sub par in 2010-11 return a solid nucleus. For that reason, every team in the conference, perhaps with the exception of Central Arkansas, has to feel good about its prospects heading into this new season.
In the East, Lamar may very well be poised for a serious run after making a splash with a new head coach and by returning a significant amount of talent. The stiffest competition figures to come from Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana, a pair of clubs that finished above the .500 mark against conference foes a year ago. McNeese State and Nicholls State can beat anyone, but expecting a title run out of either may be a bit too optimistic. The aforementioned Central Arkansas is a long way from challenging for a league crown, but the attitude is in place for improvement.
Moving to the West, it certainly appears that Texas-San Antonio and Texas- Arlington are in tremendous position to make some noise, especially considering the plethora of standout performers back in place. Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State are capable of providing some solid competition, but both were hit fairly hard with departures. The same can be said of Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, both of which will be fortunate to approach the .500 mark in league play.
ONFERENCE CHAMPION: Nicholls State
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: EAST: 1. Lamar, 2. Northwestern State, 3. Southeastern Louisiana,4. McNeese State, 5. Nicholls State, 6. Central Arkansas. WEST: 1.Texas-San Antonio, 2. Texas-Arlington, 3. Stephen F. Austin, 4. Sam Houston State, 5. Texas State, 6. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:
EAST:
LAMAR: The Cardinals put the rest of the Southland on notice when they named Pat Knight head coach of the program, as the possibility of spotting his legendary father, Bob Knight, will keep some fans in the stands. Knight inherits 10 returning letterwinners, including four starters, from a team that finished 13-17 overall last season and 7-9 in conference. The Cardinals' strength is the backcourt, and one man to watch is senior point guard Anthony Miles. He enters the season just 21 points shy of 1,000 for his career, and the versatile threat paced the squad with 3.9 apg a year ago. Miles' is best when attacking the basket, fitting perfectly with Knight's philosophy. Fellow senior Mike James returns after leading the Cardinals in scoring with 12.5 ppg in 2010-11. James made headlines when he established a new Lamar single-game record of 52 points last year, and he looked outstanding in the team's three- game Canadian tour in August, averaging 26.0 ppg and 4.0 spg.
NORTHWESTERN STATE: The Demons were 18-14 last year, including a 10-6 second- place finish in the Southland Conference. Now in his 13th season as the leader of the program, Mike McConathy is confident that his team will be strong at the defensive end of the court, but it remains to be seen if the squad has adequate offensive punch. The top two scorers from a year ago, Will Pratt and Devon Baker, have moved on, and they accounted for 33 of Northwestern's 77 points per game. So who is left? Well, for starters, center William Mosley was the top shot blocker in the nation with 4.9 rejections per game in 2010-11, and there is no reason to believe that a decline is imminent. Louis Ellis, the top returning scorer at 8.8 ppg, Mosley (7.9 ppg), Shamir Davis (6.7 ppg, 2.7 apg) and James Hulbin (5.8 ppg) will be counted on the lead the club. Also keep an eye on Demetrice Jacobs and Gary Roberson, a pair of newcomers who figure to log significant minutes right away.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA: A modest total of six letterwinners are back for Jim Yarbrough, who guided his team to a 15-14 overall record, including a 9-7 conference mark, a year ago. Brandon Fortenberry, DeShawn Patterson and Roosevelt Johnson are the most accomplished returning players, and Fortenberry is the only holdover of last season's top four scorers. He posted 11.9 ppg while also handing out 3.3 apg, numbers that he should at least be able to duplicate. Patterson started 24 of the club's 29 games a season ago but netted only 6.3 ppg and shot 35.7 percent from the floor. As for Johnson, he added 5.5 ppg, a solid output considering the fact that he played only 13.1 minutes per contest. Those three holdovers are joined by a group of newcomers that includes LSU transfer Daron Populist and Mississippi State transfer Elgin Bailey, both of whom are expected to contribute immediately.
MCNEESE STATE: The Cowboys won 11 games against league foes during the 2010-11 regular season, good enough to capture the Southland championship. They posted 21 victories overall, but the last two games of the season ended in defeat, depriving the program of momentum heading into the offseason. Now in his sixth campaign as McNeese State's head coach, Dave Simmons welcomes back only one starter to the mix, but he still feels confident that the club can contend for another crown. The lone returning starter happens to be all-conference performer Patrick Richard, and that is great news for fans of the Cowboys. He was the team's top scorer last year with 16.1 ppg and placed second in most other key statistical categories, including rebounds (6.4 rpg) and assists (2.5 apg). Two big additions are expected to be Rudy Turner and Will Brown, who each sat out last season. Turner is a transfer from ULM, where he was a three-year starter.
NICHOLLS STATE: The Colonels split their 16 conference games a year ago, and there is no reason to expect an improvement this season. The squad must replace its top two offensive performers in first-team all-conference selection Anatoly Bose and Fred Hunter. Bose has graduated, and Hunter suffered a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for most of the season. Dantrell Thomas, the third-leading scorer, returns to the fold. He played in all 28 of Nicholls' games last year and shot 55 percent from the field, but it remains to be seen if he can emerge as a go-to player. Overall, the Colonels have four players back from 2010-11, including redshirt senior Ben Martin. A three-point threat, Martin will have every opportunity to become a double- digit scorer. Add talented freshman Trevon Lewis to the mix and Nicholls State certainly has the talent to be on pace with last year's team, but a significant improvement seems unlikely.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Corliss Williamson did plenty of winning during his brilliant playing career at the University of Arkansas, so last season had to be difficult to endure for the then-first-year head coach of Central Arkansas. The Bears posted a 5-24 overall record, including a 1-15 mark versus Southland opponents. Five players with experience, including a trio of seniors, are back in the fold, but there isn't a single double-digit scorer among them, so expectations are again quite low. Mark Rutledge is UCA's top returning scorer after averaging 9.6 ppg and 4.2 rpg a year ago, and the standout did post 23 points in one game, proof of his scoring ability. Dewan Clayborn, who started 19 games at point guard, averaged 8.7 ppg, but he has room to develop. Two players who sat out the 2010-11 campaign are expected to be major contributors this season. Guard LaQuentin Miles and forward Jordan Harks will be given the opportunity by coach Williamson to shine.
WEST:
TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO: With 12 letterwinners, including four starters, returning from the defending Southland Conference Tournament championship team, Roadrunners' head coach Brooks Thompson has plenty of reasons to be excited about the 2011-12 season. The 2010-11 squad was the first in the last 19 years to post 20 wins for the school, and that group got off to a school-record 4-1 start and finished the campaign by winning six straight elimination games before falling to Ohio State in the NCAA Second Round. UTSA brings back 74 percent of its scoring and 79 percent of its rebounding, and the top two players to watch are Jeromie Hill and Melvin Johnson III. Johnson, a three- point marksman, drilled 80 shots from behind the arc en route to 14.9 ppg a year ago. He scored 25 points in the first half of a game, proof of his explosiveness. As for Hill, he posted 13.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg in his first season for the Roadrunners and is expected to be even better in 2011-12. Senior forward Stephen Franklin and senior center Larry Wilkins know their role and are key to the overall success.
TEXAS-ARLINGTON: The Mavericks closed the 2010-11 season with four consecutive losses to drop to 13-16 overall and 7-9 in conference. They are led by sixth- year head coach Scott Cross, who is the only man to lead the school to an NCAA Tournament berth. For UT-Arlington to finish better than a year ago, major contributions have to come from Bo Ingram, LaMarcus Reed and Kevin Butler. Reed led the club in scoring last season with 12.4 ppg, but he committed 80 turnovers against only 46 assists. Ingram netted 11.2 ppg overall, but his 12.4 ppg against conference opponents paced the team. He was tops on the boards with 5.1 rpg and shot the ball efficiently from the foul line. Butler is a 6-5 transfer from TCU who had to sit out last season, and he posted 5.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg as a sophomore for the Horned Frogs. The Southland as a whole seems to be wide open, and UT-Arlington may have what it takes to make a run.
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN: Having won no fewer than 18 games in four consecutive seasons, the Lumberjacks have been both consistent and successful. Head coach Danny Kaspar expects many more wins in 2011-12, especially with first-team all-conference center Jereal Scott in the fold. Stephen F. Austin led the nation in scoring defense a year ago (56.7 ppg), and Scott is the most obvious reason for the success. The big man netted 13.3 ppg on 60 percent shooting from the field, and his shot-blocking and rebounding numbers should be better this season than last year's modest figures. Eight new players are in the fold, and the program had to say goodbye to Eddie Williams and Jordan Glynn, a pair of standouts who will certainly be missed. Can Antonio Bostic improve his scoring with more minutes and touches? The answer to that question will go a along way toward determining the fate of the Lumberjacks this season.
SAM HOUSTON STATE: The Bearkats finished on top of the Southland's West Division last season, but an unexpected loss to UTSA in the conference tournament ended their season on a sour note. Now in his second season as head coach, Jason Hooten hopes the 2011-12 postseason will be a bit more fruitful, but the loss of his two best players creates a gaping void. Last season, Sam Houston State relied heavily on explosive scorer Gilberto Clavell, who poured in 19.5 ppg on 55.9 percent shooting from the floor. Clavell also led the squad with 7.3 rpg. Josten Crow netted 12.7 ppg in 2010-11, and the fact that he also grabbed 5.3 rpg, dished out 107 assists and record 55 steals was proof of his tremendous versatility. Without those two standouts, as well as the third and fourth-leading scorers from a year ago, Hooten must rely on unproven performers to emerge. Marcus James and Antuan Bootle are the only seniors on the roster, but neither is considered a star. There are nine newcomers in all, so a repeat of last season's success seems unlikely.
TEXAS STATE: The Bobcats boast nine newcomers and seven returnees, and they are set for their final season as Southland Conference members before moving to the WAC next year. There is no doubt that Texas State will lean heavily on the duo of Eddie Rios and Travis Jones this year. Rios is the team's top returning scorer, as he netted 9.0 ppg and handed out 60 assists with 31 steals as a part-time starter in 2010-11. As for Jones, he tallied 7.5 ppg, and both players are threats from three-point range. The Bobcats finished 10-6 last season against league foes, but duplicating that level of success without that team's four double-digit scorers with be tremendously difficult. Tony Bishop, Cameron Johnson, A.J. Stewart and Ryan White combined to score 48.2 ppg, and it just doesn't seem like head coach Doug Davalos has any breakout stars waiting in the wings.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI: Nothing seemed to go right for Texas A&M Corpus Christi last season, as the club finished 10-21 overall, including 5-11 in league play. A change was obviously needed, and long-time Rice head coach Willis Wilson was hired to be the new leader of the Islander program in March. Wilson spent 16 years at the helm of the Rice Owls and is the winningest coach in that program's history. With Demond Watt and Justin Reynolds gone, Texas A&M-CC is clearly in rebuilding mode. Watt and Reynolds combined to score 25.7 ppg of the team's minuscule average of 62.7 ppg a year ago. The hope is that guard Terence Jones is ready to emerge as a go-to guy at the offensive end of the court after netting 8.9 ppg a year ago. Clearly, however, his 35.3 percent shooting from the field wasn't good enough, nor was the fact that he finished with more turnovers than assists.
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