Lumberjack Basketball Adds Two
4/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 12, 2007
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin men's basketball coach Danny Kaspar announced Thursday the addition of two student-athletes to the Lumberjacks' 2007 signing class. Collegiate transfers Eric Bell and Jason Rogers have each signed to play basketball and continue their education at SFA. The pair of players bring this year's signing class total to six student-athletes -- three prep recruits and three junior college transfers.
Bell is a point guard who comes to Nacogdoches from DeSoto, Texas, by way of McLennan Community College in Waco. As a freshman in 2006-07, Bell helped lead the Highlanders to the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference co-championship with a 23-7 record. Along the way, Bell averaged 4.3 assists per game and had a 3-1 assist-turnover ratio. For his performance, Bell was named the NTJCAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-NTJCAC Second Team.
"Eric is an excellent ball-handler, leader and defender," Kaspar said. "We think he is the point guard that we've been looking for. He's not very big, but he has a big heart and is a proven winner and leader."
Bell is a 5-5, 150-pound product of a strong DeSoto High School program. He averaged 11 points, eight assists and four steals as a high school player and perennially led his team in both assists and steals. Bell was an academic all-district selection all four years of his high school career. Having played only one season at McLennan, Bell will have three years of eligibility remaining at SFA.
Rogers is a shooting guard out of Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas. The 6-4, 215-pound Dallas native was named to the NJCAA All-Region V team in 2006-07. He led his team to a share of the Western Junior College Athletic Conference championship this past season. Frank Phillips finished with a 21-9 overall record and a 13-3 mark in a very tough junior college conference. The third-place team from the WJCAC -- Midland College -- went on to win the NJCAA National Championship.
"Jason is an excellent shooter," Kaspar said. "He is a very athletic player who can also rebound and defend. With the loss of Chaz (Dykes) and Will (Johnson) to graduation, we needed some immediate help at that position, and we feel that Jason can provide that."
A solid scorer with plenty of range on his jumper, Rogers was fifth in the conference in scoring with 15.5 points per game. He hit 40 percent from the field, and his 3.19 3-point field goals per game were tops in the league. Rogers was named First-Team All-WJCAC.
The Lumberjacks signed four players in November during the early signing period. Bell and Rogers join the likes of Nick Shaw, a forward from Collin County Community College, as well as high school signees Jereal Scott (forward, LaPorte, Texas), Preston Davis (point guard, Mansfield, Texas) and Dean Pele (guard, Austin, Texas).
SFA is coming off a 15-14 season in 2006-07. The Lumberjacks went 8-8 in Southland Conference play. SFA will lose four players -- Dykes and Johnson, as well as guard Keith Hardaway and center Antuane Miller -- to graduation this spring.
-- SFA --
