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LOCATION: San Marcos, TX
CONFERENCE: Southland
LAST SEASON: 19-9 (.679)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 13-5 (1st)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 4/1
NICKNAME: Bobcats
COLORS: Maroon & Gold
HOMECOURT: Strahan Coliseum (7,200)
COACH: Mike Miller (East Texas State '87)
record at school 75-62 (5 years)
career record 75-62 (5 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Jim Elgas (Illinois State '93)
Mike VandeGarde (Illinois State '94)
Dionne Phelps (Texas Lutheran '89)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 12-11-16-17-19
RPI (last 5 years) 221-250-175-154-138
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference final.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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No team in the league lost more talent than defending champion Southwest Texas. First-team All-SLC performers Jeff Foster (14.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 43 assists, 27 blocked shots), an NBA draft pick, and Donte Mathis (17.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 79 assists, 55 steals, .752 FT) are gone. So are steady role-players DaVvon Bethea (5.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 36 assists, 31 blocked shots) and Clifton Ellis (4.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 91 assists). They combined for 58 percent of Southwest Texas' scoring and 61 percent of its rebounding. But don't mention the 'R' word around Bobcats coach Mike Miller. "I hope it's not a rebuilding year; I don't anticipate it being that," Miller said. "This will be a real test as to what kind of program we have. We have a lot of question marks, but I hope we can be a little like Nicholls State (in 1998-99). They lost a lot of players but were right in the mix last year, only a game out of first." Miller might have lost personnel, but the Bobcats' fundamental style, hustle and in-your-face defense remain. They succeed by doing the little things right. Southwest committed just 14.6 turnovers a game, held opponents to 63.1 points per game and .373 field-goal shooting and outrebounded them by almost seven a game, all league bests. The Bobcats don't have a lot of quality returning, but they will make up for it with quantity. Seven lettermen return, including four players with starting experience.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
Mike Miller is one of the most respected coaches in the conference, and he'll be tested this season without the services of Jeff Foster and Donte Mathis. The Bobcats will be tough as nails at Strahan Coliseum. Look for the crafty Miller to employ a slightly more wide-open attack to play to the strength of his wing-heavy roster. Without Foster, Southwest lacks the hammer in the middle to slug it out consistently in a halfcourt game. The Bobcats have finished first or second in the SLC for three straight seasons. But with so many new faces and so much attrition, a middle-of-the-pack finish is more likely this time around. Still, no one will want to play this team down the stretch. |
"We've got five open spots," Miller said. "It could be a year where we keep shuffling the starting lineup. We think it will keep things competitive." There's no dominant player like Mathis, but the Bobcats have six interchangeable bodies who can rotate around the perimeter. Swingman Wesley Williams (8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and guard Michael Lane should settle into starting spots on the wing after splitting time a year ago. Williams, a strong, 6-3, 212-pound senior, is Southwest's best athlete and long-range shooter. He started the final three weeks of the season. Williams, a former track and football standout in high school, hit a team-best 42 three-point shots last season. "He can be explosive," Miller said. Lane averaged 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in only 17 minutes a game. The 6-2 junior should be a double-digit scorer and the Bobcats' second option on offense. Jasper Smith, a 6-0 senior, and Clay Click, a 6-3 sophomore, will provide depth at shooting guard. Smith is the kind of athletic combo guard that Miller loves. The former Jacksonville Baptist College transfer averaged 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in his 10 minutes a game. Click is a spot-up shooter who averaged 2.9 points and 0.7 rebounds in 27 games as a freshman. Miller has added two point guards the believes can contribute right away. Manny Flores, a 6-0 junior from Cochise (Ariz.) Junior College, is the leading candidate to replace Ellis at the point. "He's more athletic than what we've had at point guard," Miller said. "He's a hard-nosed kid who handles the ball well. He has to make an impact." Miller loves Brady Richeson, a 5-11 freshman point guard from Mesa (Ariz.) Mountainview High. Richeson is the consummate floor leader who helped lead Mountainview to back-to-back state titles. "He's a good shooter, and he's played in and decided big games," Miller said. Foster is the most significant loss in the league. The do-it-all 6-11 standout is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who was so good that the Indiana Pacers traded two first-round draft picks in order to acquire him from Golden State last June. Without Foster, the Bobcats will be smaller, quicker and more athletic up front. Jason Blair was Southwest's best freshman last season. A former high school teammate of Michael Bibby, he should establish himself as one of the league's best young frontcourt talents this year. The 6-6 sophomore led the Bobcats with a .583 field-goal percentage. He should double his averages of 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. Two of Blair's classmates will also have to take a step forward after cameo roles as freshmen. Byron Hobbs (2.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg), a 6-7 forward, is a strong offensive rebounder. Daryl Hamilton (0.8 ppg, 0.4 rpg), a raw 6-9 athlete, is still maturing. Of Miller's four frontcourt signees, Gerald Scott has the best chance to contribute right away. The powerful 6-8, 240-pound sophomore from South Plains (Texas) Junior College will likely step into Foster's spot and provide a physical presence in the paint. Two 6-5 wings, junior Brendon Polyblank and freshman David Sykes, should add depth and versatility up front. Polyblank was raised in Wellington, New Zealand and played for Northern Arizona's 1997-98 Big Sky Conference championship team before transferring to Northland Pioneer (Ariz.) Junior College. "He has an idea of how to play," Miller said. "He's strong and can shoot it." The same can be said of Sykes, who played on Duncanville (Texas) High's state championship team last season. He is a versatile "jack-of-all-trades," said Miller. Sykes will help up front and in the backcourt. Aaron Flick, a 6-7 freshman forward, averaged 11 rebounds at North Garland (Texas) High. Miller said Flick has similar skills to Foster at the same stage of his career. "We should be solid at guard, and will need some of the guys we brought in to make an impact," Miller said. "I don't know that we have one or two guys like Foster or Mathis, but we have eight to 10 guys that we feel good about."
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