Kats to play in oldest holiday tournament
7/10/2015 12:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston will join UC Irvine and Norfolk State along with host UTEP in the 2015 WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational.
The oldest holiday tournament in college men's basketball, the Sun Bowl event will be held Dec. 21-22, 2015 at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso.
"This year's tournament will feature the deepest field we have had since 1999,” said tournament director Barry Kobren. “Any one of the teams could win it. All four teams won more than 20 games last year and went on to postseason play. They all finished second in their respective conferences and finished the season with high RPI rankings. We are looking forward to four really great basketball games."
Sam Houston State and UC Irvine will open the 54th edition of the invitational with a 5 p.m. tip-off on Monday, Dec. 21, to be followed by UTEP vs. Norfolk State at 7 p.m. The third place game is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 5 p.m. prior to the championship game at 7 p.m.
“To receive an invitation to play in a holiday event with such a great history as the Sun Bowl Tournament is a great compliment to our men's basketball program here at Sam Houston,” Bearkat Head Coach Jason Hooten said. “It will be an outstanding experience for our student-athletes. The competition in El Paso will match us up against at field that will help us prepare for the challenges of Southland Conference play as well.”
UC Irvine will be making their first appearance in the event, while Sam Houston and Norfolk State will both be returning for their second trip to the nation's oldest holiday tournament.
Compiling 50 victories during the past two seasons including 26 wins last year, Sam Houston has earned post-season berths in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament and reached the finals of the Southland Tournament both in 2014 and 2015.
Senior guard Paul Baxter returns as the Kats' lone starter from last year's team but four other returning seniors and a host of talented newcomers are ready to keep Sam Houston in the thick of the conference race.
Sam Houston's first round opponent UC Irvine is coming off a 21-13 season that included a Big West Conference Tournament Championship leading the Anteaters to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The conference tournament title and the NCAA Tournament bid were the first in program history.
The Anteaters return three starters from last year's team, 7'6” junior center Mamadou Ndiaye, 6'1” senior point guard Alex Young, and 6'3” junior guard Luke Nelson.
Norfolk State will head to El Paso following a 20-14 season under the direction of third-year head coach Robert Jones. Their 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament appearance marked the fourth consecutive postseason appearance for the Spartans and the second under Jones' tutelage.
UTEP, 80-22 all-time in the tournament claiming 31 titles, returns Omega Harris, Earvin Morris, Hooper Vint and Matt Willms from last year's 22-11 squad that tied for second place in Conference USA and played in the postseason NIT.
