Season Opener Friday at UT-Pan American
11/7/2013 11:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
A characteristic of every team Sam Houston head men's basketball coach Jason Hooten puts on the floor is hard-nosed defense.
Last year's Bearkat squad ranked second in the Southland in scoring defense, allowing 61.2 points per game. Sam Houston was 16-5 in games in which the Bearkats limited opponents to 63 points or less.
Hooten looks for the 2013-14 team to have a similar mentality but rule changes for NCAA basketball this season have him concerned.
“There are some new rules this year about guarding the ball,” Hooten said. “We've worked on it in practice and had Southland Conference officials come out and explain to the guys what's going on. But there's going to be a period of adjustment early in the season. We certainly want to be as aggressive on defense as we have in the past.”
The Sam Houston men see their first regular season action Friday in Edinburg when they take on Texas-Pan American at 7 p.m.
The Bearkats hope to bring the momentum from last year's post-season play into the 2013-14 opener.
The SHSU men dazzled the 2013 Southland Conference tournament in Katy last March, upsetting No. 3 seed Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals after a first round victory over Central Arkansas. In the semifinals against eventual tournament winner Northwestern State, Sam Houston led most of the game before falling 55-52.
“With eight players back off that squad, we've certainly felt a lot of momentum from that performance,” Hooten said. “We think we've helped ourselves in recruiting and look to be a factor in this year's conference race.
James Thomas, 6-5 forward, returns as the team's “Most Valuable Player” last season. He was the only Bearkat to average in double figures in Southland play (11.0). Thomas came on strong late in the season to become a scoring threat. He posted a team season best of 26 points in SHSU's victory over Central Arkansas in Conway.
Freshman Paul Baxter was one of the league's top freshman performers. He was the team's third leading scorer,
Junior 6-11 post Michael Holyfield continued to make strides with 151 boards and 28 blocks last season.
Four other lettermen return for the Kats including junior guard Marquel McKinney, senior guard Will Bond, senior forward Nathanian Mason and senior post Terrance Motley. Guard Dakarai Henderson red-shirted as a true freshman last season.
Two freshmen bring size and depth to the team.
Aurimas Majauskas, a 6-8, 235-pound post player from Future College Prep in Carson, Calif., averaged 11.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists for a squad that set a national prep record with 52 victories during the 2012-13 season. He was team “Most Valuable Player.”
Jesse Lopez, a 6-6 forward who averaged 16.8 points and 13.4 rebounds at Bowie High School in El Paso, was a November early signing for the Bearkats.
Kaheem Ransom and Jabari Peters led Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas, to a 25-8 record. The Saints won the Jayhawk West Conference, Seward County's third consecutive conference title. Ransom, a point guard, earned first team all-conference and all-region honors after averaging 16.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season. Peters is a 6-3 shooting guard who added 13.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest to the Saints' efforts.
Sam Houston State will play host to Hillsdale Baptist Monday at 7 p.m. in the home opener for men's basketball at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Both individual single game tickets and season tickets for Bearkat men's and women's basketball are available online now at www.gobearkats.com.
Fans also may purchase tickets at the SHSU athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House. The ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
