Ransom & Peters Look To Finish Strong
3/10/2015 7:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jason Hooten knows that Liberal, Kansas, is a hard place to get to from Huntsville, Texas.
“Located a few miles north of the panhandle of Oklahoma, the best way to get to Liberal is to fly to Amarillo and drive about three hours north,” Sam Houston men's basketball head coach Jason Hooten recalls.
But a recruiting trip two years ago to the home of Seward Country Community College definitely has proven to be a boon for the Sam Houston program.
Looking to add offensive punch to a squad that already was one of the top two defensive teams in the Southland Conference, Hooten visited Liberal to convince Seward County star performers Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom to become Bearkats.
The two were in the midst of a 2013 season that saw them lead the Saints to a Jayhawk West Conference title in 2013.
“We had seen Kaheem play a few times his freshman year and really liked him,” Hooten recalled. “Some other teams were looking at him but didn't want to offer both Kaheem and Jabari. But we thought the two of them together really filled a need for us. They came from an outstanding junior college program and know what it takes to win.”
At Seward Country, Ransom earned first team all-conference and all-region honors after averaging 16.1 points and 2.4 assists. The Wichita, Kansas, product received junior college All-America honorable mention and was a six-time conference “player of the week” selection during his two seasons in Kansas.
Peters, a native of Brooklyn, NY, added 13.2 points a game and hit 48 three-pointers last year, scoring in double figures 25 times for the Saints. He earned second team all-conference and all region honors.
The pair signed with the Bearkats in April, 2013, and their play was an immediate a shot in the arm for the Bearkat offense.
Both got their NCAA Division I careers off to a good start leading Sam Houston to a 77-73 road win over Texas-Pan American in the 2013-14 season opener. Peters and Ransom scored 24 and 23 points, respectively. Peters followed up scoring 29 in a 108-103 overtime victory at Prairie View A&M. Ransom totaled 19 in the contest.
A come-from-behind victory over national power James Madison at a tournament early in their junior season was an eye-opener. Down eight points with five minutes to play, the Bearkats fought back to win 77-76. Peters netted the game-winning three-point shot with 14 seconds to play.
“That was a big win for us,” Peters said. “It showed what we could do if we play together as a team. Playing at the Division I level has been exciting. It makes a big difference being surrounded by really good players who help you become better every day in practice.”
Peters and Ransom both earned All-Southland Conference third team honors as juniors. Peters was the Southland “Newcomer of the Year” after scoring in double figures in 22 games. After winning both their quarterfinal and semifinal games at the Southland Tournament in Katy to reach the finals, both also were named all-tournament.
Again in 2014-15, the pair has led Sam Houston to another 24-victory season. This year Peters is a second team all-league selection while Ransom was a third team honoree again. The pair has started every game the past two seasons as the Bearkats have gone 48-18.
“Our time here at Sam Houston has been great,” Ransom said. “We've had a lot of success. That's what we wanted to do. We learned a lot here.”
Peters has scored 739 points (11.2 per game) while Ransom as totaled 716 (10.8 per contest) in the past two years. The pair have combined to produced 60 games in double figures as Bearkats.
Their success has been no surprise to their forward coach at Seward.
“Both are quality young men,” Saints head coach Bryan Zollinger said. “We're excited to see them finding success at Sam Houston. Kaheem worked hard every single day and turned himself from a high school player who averaged eight points a game into one of the best guards in Seward history. Jabari was a difference maker for us as well. He could score and was a leader on defense.”
The time has gone quickly for both players.
“It feels like we just yesterday we got here,” Ransom said. “We're looking forward to the tournament in Katy this weekend.”
As the number two seed in the Southland Tournament in Katy, Sam Houston earned a bye into the semifinals Friday at 7:30 p.m. A victory Friday puts the Kats into the championship game Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
