2017-18 SFA Men's Basketball Season Preview: Junior Class
11/8/2017 4:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Two returners and two newcomers make up 'Jacks' four-man junior class
The 2017-18 Stephen F. Austin men's basketball season is set to begin on Saturday afternoon when the 'Jacks travel to Longwood, Va., to tangle with Big South Conference foe Longwood. In preparation for the campaign, SFAJacks.com is taking a class-by-class look at the team on a daily basis leading up to the season opener. The third part of that series focuses on SFA's four-man junior class.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Some of the major storylines for the 2016-17 edition of the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team revolved around the number of players lost from previous seasons and the sheer number of injuries that the Lumberjacks were forced to suffer through. Plugging in a starting five and finding a suitable bench rotation would have been a difficult enough assignment for any coach, let along one in his first year at an NCAA Division I program, but with players constantly being juggled between the court and the trainer's room at an alarming paceKyle Keller and staff quickly had to figure out who the most reliable performer would be on any given night.
"It's no secret that we were not operating at full strength for a good part of last season," admitted Keller, SFA's second-year head man. "When you take everyone on our roster at the start of that season and look at the end of the season, we missed over 80 combined games due to injuries. Even with that, we are still competing for a possible conference title in the last week of the regular season. That speaks volumes about the quality of our players and how much growing up some of them had to do."
Many nights, consistency for the 'Jacks came in the form of then-sophomore TJ Holyfield. One of the two major holdovers from the 'Jacks' 2016 NCAA Tournament run, the 6'7 forward emerged as the team's best player beginning with a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double in SFA's home opener - a 66-60 victory over Longwood on ESPN2. From then on, it was largely Holyfield and SFA's group of nine newcomers who did much of the heavy lifting for a team fighting injuries and trying to find its identity. Now, as a junior, Holyfield and the rest of his third-year teammates - Shannon Bogues, Jovan Grujic and Harrison Perkins - have their sights set on a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
For his efforts last season, Holyfield earned a spot on the All-Southland Conference Second Team upon the conclusion of the 'Jacks' regular season in 2016-17 and before he has even played one minute as a junior the Albuquerque, N.M., product collected a Preseason All-Southland Conference First Team choice.
"Last year TJ scored so many of his points around the basket and while he's certainly effective in that area we have the personnel to be quicker on offense and get the ball to players where they can help us the most," commented Keller. "He has to be one of our top scorers this year and in order to make that happen it's up to get him the ball where he can be the most effective."
A double-digit scorer in 23 of the 32 games he took part in during his sophomore campaign, Holyfield amassed a team-best seven double-doubles and exceeded the 20-point mark on two occasions. As he enters his junior season, Holyfield is within range of a number of impressive statistical milestones. Most notable, he stands on the cusp of taking over as the program's all-time leader in blocked shots as he needs just 44 more to exceed the 132 former SFA great Taylor Smith recorded during his playing career which spanned from 2011-13. The coveted 1,000-point milestone is not outside the realm of possibility, either, as Holyfield sits 370 points away from arriving at that statistical plateau heading in to 2017-18.
Not only was Holyfield the 'Jacks' top scorer last season as a sophomore, his rebounding average of 7.2 per game proved to be the best on the team as well. That made him the first underclassman to lead the 'Jacks in both scoring and rebounding since Matt Kingsley did so over a decade ago and with 128 more rebounds Holyfield will reach an even 500 for his career. Throughout SFA's NCAA Division I history, only seven players have scored 1,000 or more points and grabbed 500 or more rebounds and Holyfield has the talent necessary to join that club as a junior in 2017-18.
The physical attributes of Grujic, who begins his inaugural season as an upperclassman, are apparent as the Pancevo, Serbia, product brings a 7'0 frame to the 'Jacks' rotation for the third time in as many years. As his usage increased during 2016-17, as did the numbers for SFA's front court player who made three starts and averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
Throughout the 'Jacks' off-season and preseason work, Grujic has improved as a leader both vocally and on the floor as he will certainly challenge to a good deal of playing time in the 'Jacks' front court.
The eldest of SFA's five newcomers, Bogues' sheer athleticism no doubt caught the eye of many an NCAA Division I coach who followed the Highlanders' run as one of the top teams at the NJCAA level during the 2016-17 campaign. Aided by 18.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game from the future Lumberjack, the Highlanders went 29-2 and for his efforts Bogues hauled in the hardware which included an NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American citation before his junior college record concluded.
"When he really figures things out, Shannon could turn into a defensive stopper," commented Keller. "He has elite speed, quickness and length. At the junior college level he was a proven scorer but he has all of the tools to become a special kind of player at SFA."
Back in his hometown for the 2017-18 campaign, Perkins started his post-secondary career at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he competed on the Norse's junior varsity squad as a freshman. Perkins played his high school ball at Central Heights HS and captured a spot on the 'Jacks' squad as a walk-on.
"Our juniors are part of a great group of veterans that have done a great job in making sure our newcomers know all about our defense first culture," Keller finished. "When we welcomed this team back, everyone was so fresh and the crew had a great attitude. Just doing that - being in the right mindset and embracing the right kind of attitude - can carry individuals and teams a long way come the dog days of January and February when you're really battling through that conference schedule."
To purchase season tickets for the 2017-18 SFA men's basketball season, fans can contact the SFA athletics ticket office at 936-468-JACK (5225). The 'Jacks' 2017-18 campaign begins on Saturday, Nov. 11, in Farmville, Va., when SFA takes on Longwood at 2:00 p.m.
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