A New Season Begins Friday
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game 1: Stephen F. Austin (RV) (0-0) vs. Mississippi College (0-0)
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 14 • 7 p.m.
Site: William R. Johnson Coliseum
Live Stats | SFA All Access
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Team Information
Stephen F. Austin
Head Coach: Brad Underwood (Kansas State, 1986)
Career Record: 32-3 (2nd Season), Record at SFA: Same
Mississippi College
Head Coach: Don Lofton (Mississippi College, 1978)
Career Record: 178-91 (11th season), Record at MC: Same
STORY LINES
The 2013-14 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team will forever be remembered as the Cinderella story of the 2014 NCAA Tournament after knocking off fifth-seeded VCU 77-75 for the program's first-ever win in the big dance. Among all the highlights during the team's win streaks, both at home and on the road, that brought national acclaim to then first-year head coach Brad Underwood and SFA, it will be Desmond Haymon's four-point play to tie Shaka Smart's havoc-run VCU squad and send the game into overtime that will live on as part of the definition of what has become known as March Madness.
The 2014-15 `Jacks now enter their second campaign under Underwood, the 2014 Joe B. Hall Award recipient, given to the nation's top first-year coach, as the two-time defending Southland Conference champions.
SFA will open its season inside William R. Johnson Coliseum, hosting Mississippi College at 7 p.m. on Friday.
NOTES
• Dominant Senior Class Moves On - After last season, SFA saw the departure of one of the most dominant senior classes to ever come through Nacogdoches in Haymon (starter), Nikola Gajic (starter) and Deshaunt Walker (sixth-man). Haymon left SFA as the program's all-time winningest player at the Division I level with 97 victories, tied for the fourth winningest class overall in program history, while Gajic and Walker were the program's winningest players in a two-year span with 59 wins. Gajic and Walker also became the first two players in program history to close their careers undefeated at home, posting 30 wins inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
• Returners - The `Jacks returns three of their starters from last season in senior forward Jacob Parker, junior forward Thomas Walkup and junior guard Trey Pinkney.
Parker averaged 14. 2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a junior, recording 10 double-doubles. The native of Bixby, Okla., ended the season ranked among the conference leaders in several statistical categories, including fifth in offensive rebounds (2.5), seventh in rebounding (7.1) and free throw percentage (.799), eighth in field goal percentage (.538), 11th in defensive rebounds (4.6), 12th in scoring (14.2) and 14th in steals (1.4).
Parker boasts a plethora of accolades from last season. He was tabbed a Lou Henson All-American, a Lou Henson Award Finalist (top mid-major player), the Southland Conference Player of the Year, a first team All-Southland Conference selection, a NABC District 23 First Team member, USBWA All-District VII honoree and TABC University Men's Player of the Year.
Walkup, the sixth-man for SFA as a redshirt freshman, made a major impact in his transition into the starting lineup. The native of Pasadena, Texas, was named SLC Tournament MVP and third team All-SLC, also garnering SLC All-Defensive Team honors. Walkup led the team and ranked fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.568), ranking third in the league in conference-only games (.629). Walkup also led the team and ranked 11th the league in average offensive rebounds (2.3) and conference-only scoring average (14.7), finishing third on the team and 18th in the SLC in scoring (460). Walkup recorded four double-doubles, with two coming in the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Pinkney, who started every game at point guard as a sophomore, averaged 3.5 assists, 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. A native of Katy, Texas, Pinkney led the team and finished fifth in the SLC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0) and 10th in assists (121). Pinkney tallied four assists or more in 12 games, including a career-high nine, which he set against Incarnate Word (2/1) and later tied against Northwestern State (3/14) in the conference tournament.
The `Jacks also return Connor Brooks (Sr., G/F), Tanner Clayton (Sr., F), Dallas Cameron (So., G), Justin Dotson (So., SG) and Jason Martin (So., G).
• Newcomers - Underwood welcomes six newcomers from his early signing class in Ty Charles (Fr., G), Demetrious Floyd (Jr., G), Clide Geffrard (Jr., F), Jared Johnson (Jr., G), Jaxon Holden (Fr., G) and Caleb Johnston (Fr., G/F), along with Bobby King, a senior transfer from Florida A&M.
• Win Streaks - SFA will enter the 2014-15 season with several national win streaks still intact - consecutive home, true road and conference wins. The `Jacks are tied with No. 3/4 Duke for the nation's longest active home win streak at 33 games. SFA has not dropped a game inside William R. Johnson Coliseum since a 51-47 loss to Texas-Arlington (2/15/12) during the 2011-12 season. The `Jacks also boast a 12-game true road win streak that is tied with No. 11 Wichita State for the nation's lead, while their 14 overall road wins led the country.
In conference play, SFA sits third nationally, behind No. 7 Florida and Wichita St., with a 20-game win streak. The `Jacks finished a perfect 18-0 last season, becoming just the 18th team to go unbeaten in a league schedule of 18 games or more in NCAA history.
• SFA vs. Mississippi College - The `Jacks and Choctaws have met two times on the hardwood entering Friday's tilt. The all-time series is split 1-1. MC took the first meeting 65-56 in the 1885-86 season, before SFA claimed a 58-54 edge the following year.
• Vote of Confidence - SFA is receiving one vote in the AP Top 25 Poll entering the season. The `Jacks are also ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
• Picked To 3-Peat - SFA, the two-time defending SLC regular-season and reigning tournament champion, was named the preseason favorite to repeat in a vote by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Wednesday, Oct. 29. The `Jacks received 11 first-place votes from the coaches for 143 total points while picking up 10 first-place nods from the SIDs and 144 total points.
• Parker, Walkup Named Preseason All-SLC - SFA's Parker and Walkup were named to the 2014-15 Preseason All-SLC teams, the league office announced on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Parker was tabbed to the first team for the `Jacks, while Walkup earned second team recognition.
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