Season Preview
11/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team wrapped up an impressive two-year stretch last season with the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks' run over the last two seasons included 50 wins, two straight Southland Conference championships and back-to-back postseason appearances.
"It was a very special season," head coach Danny Kaspar said of the 2008-09 campaign. "We set high goals of a conference regular-season championship, a postseason tournament championship and an NCAA tournament appearance. We also said we'd need to win 24 games to get a decent seed. We accomplished every goal. I will always remember and cherish the focus, dedication and effort of our players. It was a very special group."
When the `Jacks finished the 2008-09 campaign, they did so with four seniors and a team that had returned four starters from the previous season. With eight newcomers and just two starters back for the 2009-10 season, this year's version bears little resemblance to the team of a year ago.
What's easy to overlook, though, is that the current SFA squad has something in common with the team that won the program's first Southland Conference championship in 2007-08. The Lumberjacks enter the 2009-10 season with eight newcomers on the roster, the same number they put on the court for the season opener two years ago. So, Kaspar, now in his 10th year in charge at SFA, knows the formula for helping integrate a large group of first-year players.
"My returning veterans are helping me coach [the newcomers]," Kaspar said. "I've seen some leadership from players like Eric Bell, Eddie Williams and Walt Harris. I think this is a big key to us having another good year. Internal leadership is a must for any successful program."
The guard trio of Bell, Williams and Harris comprises the bulk of SFA's returning experience. The three have combined for 82 starting appearances with a total of 155 games played over the last two years.
Williams, a junior, is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 7.4 points per game a year ago. Bell, the starting point guard for both championship teams, is within striking distance of a new school record for career assists in his senior year. Harris is fully recovered from the preseason injury that cost him two games and a potential spot in last year's starting lineup.
All three players will start for the `Jacks when they tip off the season Monday at Minnesota. But that's where SFA's returning experience ends and the question marks begin. The other three returning lettermen - Jereal Scott, Aaron Smith and Austin Falke - combined for 35 appearances last season, and none of them averaged double-digit minutes. That means an early season learning curve and an adjustment of sorts in the goal-setting department.
"Our goals will be the same, in terms of winning a regular-season conference championship," Kaspar said. "I will not set a goal on a specific number of victories, but we will not change our past goals. When you have a team like we did in 2009, your goals can be more specific. When you lose players the caliber of the guys we lost, you have to adjust your expectations, but you don't change your goal of winning championships. That always has to be a top-tier goal of our program."
If that goal is to be met, some Lumberjack newcomers will have to step up and make it happen. With the departure of SFA's entire starting frontcourt due to graduation, the first order of business is to develop some consistent offense in the low post and establish a presence on the boards.
Scott, a redshirt sophomore, will get the starting nod at center. He played in 17 contests last season and averaged 3.5 points with 2.4 rebounds in limited minutes.
The power forward spot will be handled by committee with Smith and newcomers Orren Tims and Jordan Glynn all shouldering some of the load. Glynn figures to be the starter. He was a two-time all-conference selection at McLennan Community College and averaged 13.2 points with a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Tims is expected to split time between the power forward and small forward spots. Another McLennan product, the 6-5, 210-pounder can play on the perimeter and score on the block.
Smith saw action in 14 games last season, averaging 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Two other new additions who should figure into any success the `Jacks can manage are junior transfers Denzel Barnes and Mark Gomillia.
Barnes is a point guard from Howard College who Kaspar has deemed Bell's "greatest challenge" in his time at SFA. He finished third in the nation in steals a year ago.
Gomillia is a 6-5 wing who was named the Jayhawk Conference East Division Player of the Year last season. He finished his career at Neosho County Community College No. 6 on the school's scoring list with 1,087 points.
The bottom line for Kaspar's squad in 2009-10 is that the `Jacks will need a balanced effort to put together another strong campaign.
"I don't know if there are any conference MVPs on this team," Kaspar said, "but I do think we have a few all-conference-type players, and we have to evenly distribute the scoring responsibilities to be successful."
-- SFA --
