Men's Basketball Home Opener Tuesday
11/16/2015 4:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
With a host of new faces suiting up, the Sam Houston men's basketball team makes its home debut Tuesday when the Bearkats play host to the Saint Thomas Celts at 6:30 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The Kats lost 85-50 to nationally-ranked SMU, the defending American Athletic Conference champions, in front of a capacity crowd at Moody Coliseum in Dallas last Friday.
“We won't face many defenses as good as SMU's this year,” Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten said. “They're really good. We're excited to come play before the home fans Tuesday night. We have a lot of things to work on and we'll be looking to improve every game.”
Junior guard Dakarai Henderson led Sam Houston with 17 points Friday. Three of Henderson's basketball were from beyond the three point arc. Ameer Jackson, a transfer from Dodge City Community College, added nine points.
Jackson is one of five new transfers on the roster this year who saw action in Friday's contest.
Torry Butler, a 6-5 forward from Three Rivers Community College, pulled down 11 records including six under the Kats' basket.
“Torry can rebound,” Hooten said. “We definitely will look for him to help us on the boards.”
Jalin Barnes, a 6-1 guard from Barton County Community College, and Jackson both were starters at SMU Friday. Barnes saw 25 minutes of action.
Jovante' Spivey, a 6-0 guard from South Georgia State, and Andre Sands, a 6-8 big man from Casper Junior College, both saw 11 minutes of action off the bench. Freshman Mark Fortin also saw action for the Kats.
The Celts come into Tuesday's game with a 1-1 record. Saint Thomas lost to Dillard 76-70 in their opener but followed up with a 94-61 victory over Sul Ross.
“We will be mixing up the line-ups during these early games, looking for the right chemistry,” Hooten said. “The important thing is being able to see how the players apply in game situations what we've been working on in drills in practice. These guys are hard workers and are going to strive to get better.”
Henderson was one of three returning players from last year's 26-9 team to start at SMU. Junior 6-8 center Aurimas Majauskas and sophomore 6-4 guard Jamal Williams also moved into the starting rotation after playing last year as reserves.
The Bearkats currently are without their only returning starter from the 2014-15 team. Senior Paul Baxter, a pre-season all-Soutland Conference selection, is sidelined with a foot injury.
The Saint Thomas contest is the first of two home games this week for the Bearkats. Sam Houston will play host to Southern Illinois Saturday at 1 p.m. Tickets are available online now at www.gobearkats.com or at the athletic ticket office located on the west side of the Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
