Men's basketball hosts Jarvis Christian
1/1/2012 8:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Bearkats and Bulldogs tip off at 7 p.m. Monday night at Johnson Coliseum, giving the Sam Houston men one more chance to prepare for the team's Southland Conference opener with UTSA Sunday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m.
After a rash of injuries limited the Bearkats to just six scholarship players as Sam Houston went 1-5 in November's early season play, the SHSU men have bounced back to go 4-3 including victories over Northern Arizona and Samford in the Kats' last two home games.
Five of the Bearkats' six scorers are newcomers. Konner Tucker (11.3 points per game), Steven Werner (9.5), Demarcus Gatlin (9.3) and Darius Gatson (7.9) are transfers and Michael Holyfield (6.1) is a true freshman.
Marcus James, who is scoring 8.8 points per contest, is the only returning letterman in the starting lineup.
"Except for Konner who had some Division I experience at Wake Forest, all these guys have played 13 games or less at the Division I level," SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said. "We got 37 points out of our back court with Demarcus and Darius against Samford. The guys have been working hard and improving every week. Monday's game gives us one more chance to get better before we begin Southland play."
Jarvis Christian brings a 2-6 record into the contest. The Red River Conference members hold victories over Dillard University and Huston-Tillotson.
Carlton Dean, a 6-1 forward from Oklahoma City, Okla., leads the Bulldogs with 13.25 points per game. Three other players - 6-7 Marcus Okey (12.6), 5-11 Cedrick Richardson (10.6) and 6-8 Jacoby Joseph (10.0) - average in double figures.
Tickets for all Sam Houston State men's basketball home games at Johnson Coliseum are available on line at www.gobearkats.com/tickets .
