Bearkats Looking For The Right Mix
12/9/2015 1:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The first month of the 2015-16 basketball season has been a challenging one for the Sam Houston men's basketball team.
First, the Bearkats have faced a rugged schedule that has taken them to California, Las Vegas, Lubbock and Dallas to face teams that have combined for a 23-4 record this season in SMU, Southern Illinois, California and Texas Tech. Added to that, Sam Houston has lost both its point guards to injuries.
Senior Paul Baxter, the only returning starter from last year's 26-9 team, and Ameer Jackson, an outstanding junior college transfer, both are out with foot and knee injuries, respectively.
“This first semester our schedule has been really brutal and then we're playing without a point guard,” Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten said. “We're having to change things on the fly and putting different guys in there and trying different things.”
The Kats stand 3-5 for the season and are taking a welcome break this week for finals. Following a 109-61 victory over Sul Ross Sunday afternoon, Sam Houston does not take the floor again until next Monday, December 14, when the team plays host to LeTourneau at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
After a first half that saw four lead changes and three ties, the Bearkats broke loose to outscore the Lobos 72 to 29 in the second twenty minutes. Sam had four players score in double figures.
“We picked up our defensive intensity and put a lot of pressure on them that really took them out of their offense in the second half,” Hooten said. “Maybe we found a little something Sunday that we can run with. We tried it in the second half at Texas Tech and we did it again Sunday, so we're going to keep working and see how it turns out.”
Three players who were top reserves last year are filling starting roles now. They have been the scoring leaders for the Bearkats. Junior guard Dakarai Henderson has scored in double figures in six of the eight games including a season high of 27 points against Saint Thomas. Henderson is averaging 15.5 points per game.
Junior center Aurimas Majauskas adds 12.6 points and 4.8 boards per games. Majauskas scored 21 against Saint Thomas and 20 in the victory over Bethune-Cookman in Las Vegas. Sophomore guard Jamal Williams owns a 6.1 scoring average and has 23 assists this season.
Junior transfer Torry Butler leads the team on the boards with 7.8 rebounds per contest. He adds 8.1 points per game to the offensive effort. Jalin Barnes leads the squad with 26 assists.
“For the most part, the guys have shown some resiliency but we still need to get tougher,” Hooten said. “Our versatility has been great for us. We've been able to throw a lot of different guys into different positions, trying to find the right mix and right chemistry.”
The rest of the December non-conference schedule doesn't get any easier for the Kats. Following the LeTourneau game next Monday, Sam Houston travels to face LIU-Brooklyn in New York December 18. Next up is the prestigious Sun Bowl Classic in El Paso December 21-22 where UC-Irving, Norfolk State and UTEP make up the rest of the field.
The non-conference schedule ends with North Texas in Denton on December 29. Sam Houston's first two Southland Conference games both are on the road as well as they face Incarnate Word in San Antonio on January 2 and Northwestern State in Natchitoches on January 4.
“We definitely have a long ways to go and a lot of work to do,” Hooten said. “We're trying to search for a point guard that can be the guy who can run our team. Without Paul and Ameer it's difficult. We just have to find the right mix.”
Sam Houston's first Southland Conference home game at Johnson Coliseum will be Saturday, January 9, against New Orleans.
“We were pleased with the intensity in the second half Sunday against Sul Ross,” Hooten said.. “I told our guys before the game that we're two in the hole right now because we lost two home games against a really good Southern Illinois team and Wiley. We had that game against an SIU team that's now 6-1 in our grasp and let it slip away. When you are two in the hole you have to go find a couple on the road somewhere. Right now, we've got to hold serve at home and go find some wins on the road to get out of that hole.”
Tickets for all Sam Houston men's and women's basketball home games are on sale online at www.gobearkats.com and at the Bearkat athletic ticket office located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
