Bearkats Chosen As SLC Preseason Favorite
10/27/2016 11:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Full Release From Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – The Sam Houston State Bearkats have been chosen as the preseason pick to claim this year's Southland Conference men's basketball title in polls by both the league's coaches and sports information directors released by the conference office on Thursday.
The Kats received six of 13 first-place votes in the coaches' poll and seven in the SID poll, coming in just ahead of four-time defending league champion Stephen F. Austin as the preseason favorite.
“I think it'll be different. I'm not sure that while I've been head coach we've been picked first,” head coach Jason Hooten said. “I don't know how it's going to feel having those type of expectations of being the team who's supposed to be the team to beat. Hopefully it's something that we take head on and will be something that will continue to drive us.”
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi claimed one first-place vote in each poll and is picked to finish third, while Northwestern State and Houston Baptist hold the next two spots in each poll.
Additionally, a league-high three Bearkats were named to the preseason all-conference team with no other school having more than one player on the squad. Aurimas Majauskas was a first-team choice, while guards Dakarai Henderson and Paul Baxter were each named to the second team.
Majauskas was a preseason first-team selection after being named to the all-SLC second team as a junior after averaging 14.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 2015-16.
Henderson was tied with Majauskas for the team lead and ranked 10th in the league with 14.2 points per game a year ago while his 75 3s were the fourth most in the Southland.
Meanwhile, Baxter is back with the Kats after sitting out the 2015-16 season with a foot injury despite being a preseason all-Southland choice prior to the start of the year. For his three-year career he has averaged 8.4 points and 2.9 assists per game and will need just 137 more points to reach 1,000 for his career.
“Having Paul back is a big part of our season,” Hooten said. “I knew for us to be where we were last year despite his injury was going to pay big dividends to our team this season. He's a special guy and someone who doesn't come along all of the time. You know every day what he's going to bring to the team, both individually and collectively.”
The Bearkats return each of their top seven scorers from last season, in addition to Baxter and eight newcomers. They will kick off the 2016-17 season on Nov. 12 at the renovated Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum against LeTourneau.
