Basketball tips off season Friday night
11/7/2012 11:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The 2012-13 Bearkat men's basketball team opens its season Friday night at Arkansas. The squad is looking to get better every day.
"We've just got to take it a day at a time," Sam Houston senior point guard Darius Gatson said Tuesday. "After today, coach (Jason Hooten) told us that practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
"I think the practices leading up to the game are more important than the day of the game because leading up to the game, you have to scout the team and you have to have good practices. I think the way you practice is the way you play.
"I think that's the biggest key for us, just taking it a day at a time and getting better every day. That's going to be real important for us."
Over the past few weeks, the Bearkats men's basketball team has been busy getting accustomed to a new game plan as well as a few new teammates.
"We've had 24 practices and two scrimmages," Hooten said. "Twenty-four days is not very long when you've got seven new guys. We need more time, but we don't have it. We start Friday night and we've got to get prepared and get as much in as we can.
"We're real excited about the season. We have a different team than we did last year. We shoot the ball really well. I think that will be the strength of our team. Hopefully, we're as good defensively as we were last year. We were 28th in the country in defense last year. I'm hoping we can have that same type of mentality, defensively, and then shoot the ball. Usually those two equal out to wins."
Part of the reason for Sam Houston's struggles was because of injuries and also youth. Of the five Bearkats who saw the most playing time, three were newcomers.
Demarcus Gatlin and Gatson were thrown into the fire and were responsible for 10.4 and 6.7 points per game, respectively. With even more experience, including that of sophomore post Michael Holyfield (4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds), the Kats are expecting even more from those three mainstays.
"We plan on improving just like we improve every day in the offseason," Holyfield. "I think all of us have gotten better, whether it's shooting or me on the block with my left hand or right hand. I think it's good that we've got returners now. I know at this time last year, I didn't have this kind of confidence."
Gatlin, Gatson and Holyfield represent a small percentage of the Sam Houston squad (five returners) that are back for another season, which is something Hooten wants to cultivate with the men's basketball program.
"You've got to have some of that and we haven't had much since I've become the head coach. That's what we're trying to do," the coach said. "Even though this is just my third year, we haven't had carryover yet. The way you do that is build guys with high school kids - we felt like we did that with Mike - and now we've got Paul Baxter. We're starting to feel like we're getting those high school kids filtered in to where we can have more carryover than what we've had."
Along with the players returning, the Kats have eight new additions, including Baxter, Jeremy McKay and Terrance Motley, who are expected bring even more of a punch on offense. They will be looked upon to fill a void as losses account for 38.6 points per game that the Bearkats will have to find a way to make up for.
"Last year, I was a new guy and I learned from the older guys," Gatson said. "We lost a lot of scoring, but I think coaches did a good job of recruiting.
"Last year, I think we were short of depth due to injuries. This year, we have a lot of weapons off the bench and in the starting five. I think we'll be great this year. We won't lose much."
Sam Houston kicks off the 2012-13 season with several early challenges. The season opener will be on the road Friday in Fayetteville, Ark., as the Kats will take on Arkansas. After returning home next Tuesday to take on Hardin-Simmons, the Bearkats will be take on the road later in the week to take on the preseason No. 1 team in the country, Indiana.
"When we go play those big teams, we play to compete and play to win," Holyfield added. "We're not just going up there for a game."
Both season tickets and individual game tickets for Bearkat basketball are available now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the SHSU Athletic Ticket Office.
The ticket office is located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
