Undermanned Bearkats look to improve
11/26/2011 7:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Between the overwhelming amount of inexperience on the roster and the strength of Sam Houston's nonconference schedule, the team hopes to only get better from here.
The players are itching for a win, so is head coach Jason Hooten. But the Bearkats (1-4) travel to Austin to face the Longhorns tonight in a matchup of the two winningest NCAA Division I men's basketball programs in the state since the start of the 21st century.
In the past four seasons, Sam Houston has played four games against Big 12 opponents, including last year's 84-50 loss to Texas. Only one Bearkat victory came in those four games, and it was against Texas Tech in 2007 when Bobby Knight was still coaching the Red Raiders.
Still, these are necessary moments for the young squad, as the players put it. Even while frustrated, starters such as first-year point guard Darius Gatson and leading scorer Konner Tucker are keeping the losses in perspective.
"It's times like this that will make you or break you," Gatson said before Friday's team film session and practice.
By his own admission, the CBE tournament was the most competitive streak of basketball Gatson has ever played.
Yet the junior transfer from Trinity Valley Community College has 18 assists against 13 turnovers on the season and is averaging 6.0 points a game.
"It's still early in the season and I feel like we got better (in the four losses)," Gatson added. "It could be easy to make excuses, but I'm not that type of guy."
Some of what may appear to be excuses are just the cold, hard facts for the Bearkats. Sam Houston's only returning starter, Antuan Bootle, went down with a broken foot before last week's loss to Notre Dame. Head coach Jason Hooten expects Bootle to miss another four weeks of action.
Transfer post player Steven Werner, who last week was named Southland Conference Player of the Week, went down with an injury to his left Achilles' heel against Mercer almost as soon as he checked into the game.
Werner is day-to-day, but unlikely to play today against Texas.
Hooten was hoping to at least have Kevin Schaffartzik, the German transfer guard from Odessa, at some point but the NCAA ruled him ineligible for the entire season due to his play with the German national team. Sam Houston plans to appeal the decision, Hooten said on Friday.
This leaves the Bearkats with a lot less depth than anticipated at the beginning of the season.
Senior Marcus James was expected to play on the wing this season, but due to the unexpected injuries to Bootle and Werner, he's helping out in the post.
James said the Bearkats have to do a better job of focusing on executing their own game plan against Texas instead of feeding into the hype of playing a Big 12 team or allowing any opposing team to dictate the pace of the game.
"The little things are what matter," James said. "We sometimes feed into playing the other team's game instead of playing our game."
James and Tucker are each averaging a little more than 10 points a game to lead the team.
Scoring has been the glaring weakness of this team. The Kats are shooting 36 percent from the field and haven't scored more than 60 points since the season opener.
With Tucker shooting just 22 percent from 3-point range and Werner sidelined, Sam Houston needs more offensive production from other players.
Hooten anticipates the improvement of two youngsters, sophomore guard DeMarcus Gatlin and true freshman big man Michael Holyfield.
Gatlin is averaging 6.2 points a game and is 2 of 18 from long range, while Holyfield is averaging a solid 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest.
The Bearkats need more, especially if they are to seriously compete against Texas tonight at the Frank Erwin Center.
Even though the Longhorns aren't nationally ranked as usual, they boast a 2-2 record with wins over Boston University and Rhode Island before close losses to Oregon State and North Carolina State.
Texas has four players averaging in double figures, something the Bearkats are longing for at this point in the season. The Longhorns are led by J'Couan Brown, who is averaging 26.3 points a game.
The idea for the Bearkats, with all of their inexperience from top to bottom, is to learn how to win at this level.
Sam Houston returns to Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Tuesday, November 29, to play host to Dallas Christian in a 7 p.m. contest.
Hillcrest Ford of Huntsville will be giving one Sam Houston State student the opportunity to win an F150 truck during the game.
The F150 truck is not the only prize up for grabs.Aberdeen and Brook Place Apartments have added great incentives to enter including an Apple IPA D, a Tom-Tom Navigation System and a Sam Houston t-shirt.
Wing Stop is joining in the fun of the "Hillcrest Toss for a Truck" contest as well. Wing Stop will be providing a $25 gift card as a prize and also will be presenting special discount Wing Stop coupons for the section represented by the first place contestant.
Students can sign up to participate at the Coliseum entrance prior to the game Tuesday. Former basketball players who played in high school or college are ineligible to participate.
A drawing will be held to pick the four contestants for the halftime bean bag toss. Registrants for the contests must be present at the game to be picked. Closest to the target wins an Apple IPAD plus the chance to shoot the halfcourt shot to win the Ford F-150.
Second place wins the Tom-Tom Navigation System, third place an Apple IPAD and four place a Wing Stop $25 gift card and a Sam Houston T-Shirt.
Randall Reed's Hillcrest Ford, Lincoln, Hyundai is located just off I-45 southbound side at IH-45 Exit #114. The hard-working team at Hillcrest Ford, Lincoln, Hyundai are there for all automatic needs. Sam Houston students can save "big bucks" at Hillcrest.
Tickets for all Sam Houston State men's basketball home games are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets . The Sam Houston athletic ticket office in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
