Bearkats Bobcats Battle
3/4/2011 10:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Gilberto Clavell, Josten Crow and Lance Pevehouse will be recognized in a special ceremony 15 minutes before Sam Houston's 7 p.m. contest with Texas State Saturday.
The trio have been an integral part of the past two Bearkat men's teams that have rolled up a 38-20, brought home both Southland Conference regular season and tournament championship trophies and led SHSU to its second NCAA "March Madness" appearance.
"To have three outstanding seniors as our team captains really has been an advantage for our staff," first-year Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten said. "Gilberto, Josten and Lance are three tremendous young men. They are leaders on the floor and in the class room. Everyone on the team looks up to and respects them. Not every coach has a trio like this to lead his team,"."
Clavell, a 6-7 forward from Mayaquez, Puerto Rico, comes into Saturday's game ranked 18th among all-time leading scorers at Sam Houston with 1,108 points. He is the first junior college transfer to score more than 1,000 points in his Bearkat career.
Last season, as a member of Sam Houston's Southland Conference championship team, his honors included first team All-Southland Conference, Southland Conference All-Tournament, league Newcomer of the Year and NCAA All-Region honors. This year, he ranks second in the league in scoring, eighth in rebounding and is a five-time Southland "Player of the Week" award winner.
"Gilberto is that special, the kind of player who just wants to get better every day," Hooten aid. "This year, he has taken his game to another level."
Pevehouse, a 6-2 guard from League City, has been a perimeter scoring threat for Sam Houston the past three years. Playing in his 91st game as a Bearkat, he has scored 690 career points. His heroics in last year's Southland tournament helped paved the wave to a conference title and a trip to NCAA "March Madness."
He completed his finance degree in three years with a 3.42 overall grade point average and posted a perfect 4.0 in his first semester of work on his MBA.
"Lance brings so much to the table," Hooten said. "The players know that he is a guy they can depend on. Lance is the definition of student-athlete."
Pevehouse and Crow, a 6-4 forward from Houston, are two of only five NCAA Division I players from universities in Texas, Arkansas Louisiana and Mississippi to be selected to the 2011 NCAA Academic All-Region Team. Both players earned their bachelor's degrees in three years and are now working on MBA degress.
Crow is the only four-year letterman on the 2011 Sam Houston roster. A starter the past two years, he is appearing in his 112th game as a Bearkat and totaled 767 career points and 460 rebounds.
He has been part of Sam Houston teams that have rolled up more than 80 victories the past four years, winning two West Division titles, the 2010 Southland regular season and tournament titles and advancing to the NCAA last year.
"Josten is one of the most underrated players in the Southland Conference," Hooten said. "The coaches in the league certainly recognize his talents. He is the kind of player you love to have on your team. Everything about him is good -- defense, rebounding and he has worked hard to become a better scorer each year."
Sam Houston clinched its berth in the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Tournament with its victory at Stephen F. Austin Wednesday night.
Depending on the outcome of Saturday's games, the Bearkat men could be seeded anywhere between No. 2 and No. 6. Complete seedings and the bracket will be announced Sunday.
Tickets to the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament are on sale now in the SHSU athletic ticket office. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets, by calling the ticket office at 936-294-1929 on in person at the Ron Mafrige Field House.
