Senior Night Monday at Johnson Coliseum
3/1/2015 3:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Six seniors who have played major roles in leading the Sam Houston State men's basketball program to 76 victories, four consecutive Southland Conference tournament berths and the university's first post-season national playoff win at the NCAA Division I level during the past four years will be honored in a pre-game ceremony Monday.
DeMarcus Gatlin, Michael Holyfield, Marquel McKinney, Jabari Peters, Kaheem Ransom and Kyle McLeroy have combined to score 3,241 points for the Bearkats in the past four seasons. The group's total starts included 317 games.
The six seniors have paced Sam Houston to a 22-6 record this season, a mark that stand as Sam Houston's eighth 20-win team at the NCAA Division I level.
Gatlin, McKinney and Holyfield have been members of the Bearkat men's basketball program since the 2011-12 season.
Holyfield, a 6-11 center from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has seen the most action for the Kats, playing in 124 games and starting 103 times in the past four years. The Manzano High School product comes into Monday's contest with career totals of 673 points, 710 rebounds. His 173 career blocks stands as the second-highest total in school men's basketball history.
Gatlin joined the Kats in the fall of 2011 as a sophomore transfer from Navarro Junior College and has been a top scorer for Sam Houston ever since. His 823 points for a 10.0 career average ranks among the top 10 all-time for players that joined the SHSU men's basketball program as transfers. The Houston, Texas, Bush High School product is the team's leading scorer this season with an 11.1 average.
McKinney, a versatile athlete who has played in many roles for the Kats during the past four seasons, has appeared in 119 games. A talented defensive player, the Houston Cy Springs High School graduate has produced career totals of 347 points, 228 rebounds, 77 assists and 41 steals. He has been a top player for the bench for the SHSU men during the 2015 campaign.
Peters and Ransom both joined the Bearkat men's basketball program last year as transfers from Seward County Community College. The pair made an immediate impact on the SHSU men's program, leading the team to a 24-victory season and post-season play in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The pair both earned All-Southland Conference honors and All-Tournament recognition after leading Sam Houston to the finals in Katy a year ago. Both have started all 63 of their games at Sam Houston.
Peters has scored 704 career points while Ransom has posted a two-year total of 694 points.
McLeroy has contributed to the Bearkats' success as a 6-1 guard from Cypress Ranch High School and important member of the men's basketball scout team each day in practice.
Monday's rematch with Central Arkansas is a crucial game for the Bearkats. The battle for the top two seeds and the byes into the semifinal round at the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy continues. Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston currently stand in first and second place, respectively. But Northwestern State (11-4) and A&M-Corpus Christi (11-5) are still in the picture.
The SHSU men close out the final week of regular season action with a home game Monday versus Central Arkansas then road tilts at Lamar Thursday and SFA on Saturday.
