MBB 2016-17 Preseason Preview: Guards
11/3/2016 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
This is the first of a two-part series, highlighting the Sam Houston State 2016 men's basketball team. The Bearkats return their top-seven scorers from last season, including their five starters.
Sam Houston was selected as the preseason favorite in the Southland in both the SID and Coaches' polls and will open their season Nov. 12 at home against LeTourneau.
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Returners: Albert Almanza, Dakarai Henderson, Jovante' Spivey, Josh Delaney, Jamal Williams, Paul Baxter
Newcomers: Cameron Delaney, John Dewey III
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State basketball might have stretched thin at the guard position a year ago, but entering the 2016-17 campaign, that doesn't look to be the case.
The Bearkats boast a roster this season with six returners at the guard position and two new additions, hoping to make the most use of their depth.
“A strength of ours is in the guard area,” head coach Jason Hooten said. “In a perfect world, I wish I had a seven-footer running around that could help us right now. We're not going to be tall, but there are a lot of teams that have been in our league that have gone on. SFA last season is an example.”
One of the biggest names turning heads is the return of Paul Baxter who was forced to sideline what would have been his senior season last year due to a foot injury. Baxter has played in 103 of the Bearkats' 104 games from 2012-13 to 2014-15 and makes his return to the court after being named preseason All-Southland Conference last year.
“Every coach – no matter how long your career is – you'd miss out if you didn't coach a guy like Paul Baxter,” Hooten said. “I think sometimes when you get hurt and you settle there and watch things, I think it helps you maturation wise to see the game slow down a bit. He'll play the point for us… He's continued to improve his jump shot, his decision making and of course he'll be the best defensive player in our conference.”
Senior Dakarai Henderson comes back for his senior season after tying for the team-lead in scoring last season with 14.2 points per game and being named to the All-Southland Conference second team. Hooten described Henderson as a scorer who doesn't lose focus or concentration when he misses a shot, but he hopes to see Henderson improve on his field goal percentage.
“Our challenge to him is to keep scoring those points but to get his percentages to where they need to be,” Hooten said. “I think he needs to get accustomed to knowing he's going to be the guy on everybody's scouting report. Another great thing is he has a lot of talent around him now and that will only make him better.”
Junior Jamal Williams led the team in minutes played last season, averaging 30 minutes per game. After transitioning into the Kats' point guard last season, Williams finished the season eighth in the conference in assists with 4.2 per game and looks to play another vital role for Hooten's squad, who is challenging Williams to have a killer instinct and be more aggressive offensively than previous seasons.
“Jamal went from starting at the four last year for us and then ended up being our point guard,” Hooten said. “That's the greatest thing about Jamal: his versatility... Jamal could very well be our best player and that's the type of player he is.”
Albert Almanza also returns after playing in all 34 games - starting the final 16 - as a redshirt freshman. Hooten loves the versatility Almanza brings as someone who can play either at the guard or forward spot. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the year, and saw those numbers go up as a starter.
He shot 39.8 percent from beyond the 3-point arc last year and had a deadly eye in the Southland Conference Tournament, going 6-for-8 from 3-point range for the tournament and scoring 17 points in the tournament semifinals against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
"The thing that excites me the most about Albert is that he's only a sophomore now because we redshirted him a year," Hooten said. "He probably exceeded our expectations in what he did for us last year. With that experience and confidence, we expect him to be even more of a presence for us this year.”
Fourth in the team in scoring a season ago, senior Jovante' Spivey comes into this season as a now veteran for the Bearkat squad. Hooten said some of the pressure Spivey had last year to score points like he did every night will be relieved some this season with Baxter's return and the new additions to the team.
“I think he's going to be a guy who can fit a role, and that role – like I told him the other day – that role he fits on this team will have a lot of say on how well we do and where we go,” Hooten said. “It'll be guys like him that will help us really excel and take off to another level.”
Sophomore Josh Delaney averaged 15.2 minutes per game last season, playing a bigger role than expected entering freshman season. Hooten said Delaney will play a little more off the ball than he did before because he's become one of the team's best shooters.
“Josh is probably one of the bigger leaders on our team,” Hooten said. “He's probably just going to be a role player for us this year, and that just shows how much respect he has from his teammates and how much respect he has from me.”
Hooten's squad has two new faces. Cameron Delaney has been with the program for a year, but this will be his first season of eligibility after transferring from the University of Denver. He played in 18 games and started in six during his true freshman season. He is the twin brother of Josh Delaney.
“Cameron brings a lot of physical attributes to our team,” Hooten said. “He's a big, strong guard that's pretty versatile. He can play two-to-three positions… He's continued to improve as a three-point shooter but the thing I think he does really well right now is rebound the ball at his size and his position.”
John Dewey III joins the program following a season at Blinn where he ranked four nationally in assists for junior college basketball. He averaged 13.2 points and 7.5 assists per game.
“He's probably got a chance to be the most talented point guard that I've coached in 24 years,” Hooten said. “And that's saying a lot because I've been very blessed to be around a lot of really good point guard… He's a tremendous passer. His court vision is unbelievable.”
