Seniors look to give Kats edge in tournament
3/11/2014 6:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Four Bearkats played in their last game at Johnson Coliseum on Saturday, when Sam Houston State made light work of Southland Conference newcomer New Orleans.
Seniors James Thomas, Terrance Motley, Will Bond and Nathaniel Mason were honored before the game. All four players will play important roles in whatever happens for the Bearkats in the Southland Conference tournament this week.
The quartet, who allcame to Huntsville as junior college transfers two years ago, have thrived under head coach Jason Hooten's system. Bond and Mason are both jump shooters who bring energy off the bench. Mason has even filled in admirably as a stretch post player this season.
Thomas has been a starter since he arrived, but it's his willingness to do the little things like rebounding and committing to defense that has made him stand out. He was even given the nickname “junkyard dog” for his tenacious approach to the game.
Motley has been both a starter and a reserve player in his career at Sam Houston, but it's always been clear that he's one of the best players on the floor whenever he's on it.
“All four of those guys all gave us exactly what we needed from them and what we wanted when we recruited them,” Hooten said after Saturday's 80-61 victory over New Orleans. “You're looking at guys who won 38 games in two years. That's 19 games per year and that's pretty good. They've got a chance to add to that this weekend in the tournament. They've been special.”
The Bearkats appeared to overachieve last season when they beat third-seed Oral Roberts in the conference semifinals as a No. 6 seed. The Kats have been frontrunners this season with the expectation of reaching the NCAA tournament by the end of the week.
It won't be an easy road for Sam Houston. Awaiting the Bearkats on Thursday will be either McNeese State or Oral Roberts. If they survive that bout, the league's surprise story Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the No. 2 seed, will be up next in the semifinals.
These games could go either way, but Sam Houston has something in its corner that hasn't existed much since Hooten's first season, when Gilberto Clavell, Josten Crow and Lance Pevehouse were still left over from the 2009-10 Southland Conference championship squad — senior leadership.
Add to the mix Sam Houston's depth, it is just as competitive a group as any.
The first four games of the men's tournament will be streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including Southland.org and the league's iPhone and Android Apps available at southland.org/apps.
The semifinals will be available solely on ESPN3, while the championship game will be covered exclusively ESPN2 Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with the championship trophy presentation to be carried live on ESPN3.
The winner of the tournament will receive the Southland's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The selection show is Sunday, March 16 at 5 p.m., CT, on CBS.
Tickets to the 2014 Southland Conference basketball tournament are available now online at www.gobearkats.com or by calling the SHSU ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
This is the seventh consecutive year for the event to be played in Katy. For complete information about the tournament, visit www.Southland.org/katy.
The complete men's tournament schedule:
Wednesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 5 Nicholls, 5 p.m. (SLCDN)
Game 2: No. 7 McNeese State vs. No. 6 Oral Roberts, 7:30 p.m. (SLCDN)
Thursday, March 13
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. No. 4 Northwestern State, 5 p.m. (SLCDN)
Game 4: Winner Game 2 vs. No. 3 Sam Houston State, 7:30 p.m. (SLCDN)
Friday, March 14
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. No. 1 Stephen F. Austin, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. No. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
Saturday, March 15
Championship Game, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
