New Faces On The Perimeter For Kats In 2015-16
11/12/2015 9:10:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston vs. SMU On ESPN Link
When Sam Houston steps on to the floor at Moody Coliseum versus No. 20 SMU Saturday on ESPN3, there will be some new faces in the back court for the Bearkats.
The past two years, the Bearkats have posted 50 victories in back-to-back 20-plus win seasons thanks to a talented group on the perimeter than accounted for 31.5 of Sam Houston's 74 points per game.
DeMarcus Gatlin, Kaheem Ransom and Jabari Peters each earned All-Southland Conference honors. But all three were graduating seniors. To fill the void left by that trio and the loss of all-league post player 6-11 Michael Holyfield, head coach Jason Hooten has brought in several talented new players.
“We do have a new team,” Hooten said. “We lost four really good starters. They were all guys had been here in our program and had a lot to do with establishing a winning tradition. We're very excited about the players we've brought in. We had 28 days of hard work in practice and are anxious to get started.”
The new transfers who will be seeing action on the perimeter for the Bearkats this season are 6-4 Jalin Barnes from Barton County Community College, 6-5 Torry Butler from Three Rivers Community College, 6-4 Cameron Delaney from the University of Denver, 6-4 Ameer Jackson from Dodge City Community College and 6-0 Jovante' Spivey from South Georgia State College.
“We're definitely not a finished product right now, but we've been pleased with the work ethic and the toughness of the group,” Hooten said. “We've had two scrimmages against other teams. We definitely can be a stronger team offensively this year. Our biggest concern is defense.
"In these early games, we'll be mixing up a number of line-ups looking for the right chemistry. The important thing for us will be to carry over what we've been working on in practice into game situations. We want to get better every game."
Barnes is a combo guard who averaged 13.6 points per game at Barton County last year. He was team captain of a 24-win team and earned Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference honorable mention all-league honors.
“Jalen can play multiple positions and defend the way we want to defend,” Hooten said. “He can be an effective scorer with his strength and athleticism.”
Butler is another athletic player who can play multiple positions. He averaged 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds as a sophomore to earn NJCAA first team all-region honors on a 23-8 team.
“We envision Torry in the same kind of role Demarcus Gatlin filled last season,” Hooten said. “He can rebound, defend and has a great feel for the game.”
Delaney joins his brother Josh who red-shirted as a freshman last year. Both played for Harker Heights. Cameron played in 18 games at Denver last year, starting six times.
“Cameron brings a lot to the table,” Hooten said. “We feel like we could have even better depth this year than last season.”
Jackson averaged 14.6 points and shot 46.1 percent from the floor at Dodge City last year. He hit 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
“Ameer is a physically gifted athlete who can play anywhere on the perimeter,” Hooten said. “He will take on whatever role we ask to help us succeed.”
Spivey was a first team All-America selection at South Georgia State. He played in the 2015 National Junior College All-America All-Star game in Las Vegas.
“Javonte' is a player who can come in and contribute immediately,” Hooten said. “He is an outstanding young man who will fit into our culture here.”
The newcomers join returning starter Paul Baxter and top reserve Dakarai Henderson in the Bearkat backcourt.
“With the challenging non-conference schedule we face in the coming month, we're certainly going to get to know a lot about ourselves here early,” Hooten said. “This is one of the toughest schedules we've ever played. Hopefully that will help us grow up and get us used to this level. Competition against teams like SMU will give us an opportunity to get better”.
Sam Houston's first home game will be Tuesday, November 17, when the Bearkats play host to the University of Saint Thomas at 6:30 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. The Kats will also duel with Southern Illinois University on Saturday afternoon.
Tickets for Sam Houston men's and women's basketball are available online at www.gobearkats.com or at the athletic ticket office located on the west side of Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
