Lumberjacks Set to Open Season
11/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Season Opener: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks are set to open the 2006-07 season Saturday afternoon with a home game against San Diego. The contest is scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. from the William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA returns three starters and seven lettermen a year after going 17-12 with nine newcomers and just three returning letterwinners. The Lumberjacks finished the year tied for fourth in the Southland Conference and reached the semifinals of the SLC Tournament. SFA is 3-3 in six season openers under head coach Danny Kaspar and is 5-5 in its last 10 season openers.
Last Season at a Glance: A young Lumberjack squad struggled early in the 2005-06 campaign and stumbled to an 0-3 start in Southland Conference play. But SFA rallied down the stretch to win seven of its last nine contests and finish the season tied for fourth in the SLC standings. By virtue of league tiebreaker rules, the Lumberjacks earned the No. 4 seed in the SLC Tournament and defeated McNeese State, 72-70, at home in the first round. That win completed a season and post-season sweep of the Cowboys, as the Lumberjacks defeated McNeese all three times the teams met in 2005-06. SFA then saw its season end with a 78-72 defeat at rival Sam Houston State in the tournament semifinal round. It was the third time in four years for the Lumberjacks to reach the SLC semifinals.
vs. San Diego: The Lumberjacks are 1-1 all-time against the Toreros. The teams first met in 1989 with SFA winding up on the wrong end of a 71-45 road loss. The 'Jacks turned the table in 1991, when they knocked off San Diego, 70-47, in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
The Toreros: San Diego returns three starters and seven lettermen from last year's 18-12 team. The Toreros went 6-8 in West Coast Conference play, finishing fifth in the league. San Diego was 6-7 on the road.
The Coaches: Danny Kaspar enters his seventh season as the head basketball coach at SFA. Kaspar is 93-76 (.550) through six seasons with the Lumberjacks. He is 312-128 (.709) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach. San Diego is coached by Brad Holland. Holland is 182-162 (.529) in 12 seasons with the Toreros. He is 205-193 (.515) in 14 seasons overall.
Up Next: The Lumberjacks will play a pair of tough road games next week, starting on Tuesday, when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip. SFA will then head to Fayetteville, Ark., for a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Nov. 18. The contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
