SFA Picked To Finish Second In Men's Basketball
10/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 21, 2003
PLANO, Texas - The University of Texas at Arlington has competed for more Southland Conference men's basketball titles than any other league team, starting its pursuit in 1964. To this point, the championship has proved elusive, but the head coaches of the league predict this to be the year of the Mavs. UTA edged Stephen F. Austin State University by three points in this year's preseason poll while the two tied for the top spot in the annual predictions of the league's sports information directors.
UTA head coach Eddie McCarter hopes the year in which the Southland Conference celebrates 40 years of existence is also the year the Mavs celebrate a league championship. UTA has had four second-place showings over the years and surprised many a year ago with a third-place standing at season's end. The Mavs were picked eighth by the league's head coaches heading into the 2002-03 campaign.
UTA, which posted a 16-13 overall record and 13-7 in league play, returns four starters. Included are three double-digit scorers and the league's second-best assist man. Derrick Obasohan and Keith Howell lead the charge, bringing back their 11.3 point scoring averages. In addition, Roy Johnson returns his 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while Josh Daniel is back after averaging 4.6 assists to go along with 5.9 points as a junior. The Mavs garner two first-place votes from the head coaches and accumulated 86 points.
Stephen F. Austin State, a team which advanced to last year's postseason tournament game, received the most first-place votes from the coaches in this year's poll. Despite the four first-place votes, the Lumberjacks' had three less total points than UTA in the balloting to land second in the predicted order with 83 points.
The Lumberjacks took Sam Houston State University to overtime in last year's postseason tournament championship game. Returning from that squad are starters B.J. Banks and Jasen Gast along with top reserves Marcus Clark and Antonio Burks.
A clear-cut champion does not appear to exist as is evidenced by SFA receiving more first-place votes than the favored UTA. In addition, the top five teams in the coaches' predicted order received at least one first-place vote. The University of Texas at San Antonio (78 points) and Texas State University (77 points), picked third and fourth, respectively, each received two first-place nods. Fifth-place University of Louisiana at Monroe (63 points) received one first-place tally.
Southeastern Louisiana University landed in sixth place behind the Indians with 61 points. McNeese State University landed in seventh with 48 points and Northwestern State University is expected to finish eighth as it collected 38 points.
Lamar University head coach Billy Tubbs hopes to return that program to its glory days as he returns to the sideline, but finds his Cardinals picked to finish ninth in the 11-team league.
Defending regular-season champion Sam Houston State University finds itself 10th in the preseason coaches' poll. The departure of player of the year Donald Cole and the loss of 6-11 Eddy Fobbs to an off-season knee injury has the Bearkats searching for replacements.
The top eight teams in the final regular-season standings will advance to the Southland Conference postseason tournament.
2003-04 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Polls
Coaches Poll (1st-place votes) Points 1. Texas-Arlington (2) 86 2. Stephen F. Austin (4) 83 3. Texas-San Antonio (2) 78 4. Texas State (2) 77 5. Louisiana-Monroe (1) 63 6. Southeastern Louisiana 61 7. McNeese State 48 8. Northwestern State 38 9. Lamar 35 10. Sam Houston State 24 11. Nicholls State 12
Sports Information Directors Points 1. Stephen F. Austin (6) 105 Texas-Arlington (2) 105 3. Texas State 91 4. Texas-San Antonio (1) 78 5. Louisiana-Monroe (2) 76 6. McNeese State 61 7. Lamar 54 8. Northwestern State 52 9. Southeastern Louisiana 46 10. Sam Houston State 44 11. Nicholls State 14
