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LOCATION: Lake Charles, LA
CONFERENCE: Southland
LAST SEASON: 13-15 (.464)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-7 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 1/4
NICKNAME: Cowboys
COLORS: Blue & Gold
HOMECOURT: Burton Coliseum (8,000)
COACH: Ron Everhardt (Virginia Tech '85)
record at school 64-74 (5 years)
career record 64-74 (5 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Carl Klein (McNeese State '95)
Jason Hamm (South Alabama '98)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 11-15-18-7-13
RPI (last 5 years) 236-188-180-286-213
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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McNeese State was the team nobody wanted to play down the stretch last season. The Cowboys won their final seven games of the regular season, then knocked off Nicholls State in the first round of the SLC Tournament before falling to regular-season champion Southwest Texas State in overtime in the semifinals. "We're going to be pretty much like last year's team," McNeese State coach Ron Everhardt said. "We'll have to rely on our young kids, so it may take us a while to jell. But I think we can be one of the teams to challenge Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) and Texas-San Antonio." Demond Mallet (17.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 71 assists, 65 steals) is one of the main reasons for Everhardt's optimism. The 6-1 senior is the league's most explosive backcourt scorer, a shooting guard in a point guard's body. After leading the SLC in scoring as a sophomore, Mallet finished second to Texas-San Antonio's Devin Brown last season. He was also second in the league in free-throw shooting (.853) and three-point field goals (2.7 per game). Mallet, a two-time All-SLC pick, honed his point-guard skills for a U.S. national team that played four games against international competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this summer. The U.S. team, which included Anthony Glover and Lavar Postell of St. John's, Jacob Jaacks of Iowa, Jason Floyd of Georgia Tech and Marc Salyers of Samford, faced stiff competition from European professional powers Real Madrid of Spain and Benneton of Italy. "It was great experience for Demond," said Everhardt, who coached the team. "He sacrificed his scoring to run the team. He was one of our best players, and I look for him to have an outstanding senior season." Mallet, however, is free to gun in Lake Charles because the point-guard spot is in the capable and quick hands of Chauncey Bryant (4.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 26 steals). The 5-9 sophomore sparked the Cowboys late after gaining eligibility at the mid-semester break. The former Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony's standout did not play until the 12th game of the season but started nine games down the stretch when McNeese hit high gear.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT B- INTANGIBLES B
Ron Everhardt might be one front line stud away from winning his first Southland Conference championship. The run-and-shoot, Jekyll-and-Hyde Cowboys again will be one of the most dangerous teams in the league. Are they the team that blitzed league opponents by an average of 15.5 points a game in the final eight-game winning streak, or the team that lost at home to Norfolk State and Sam Houston State? Attrition has hurt this team in recent years. The Cowboys had nine newcomers last season and only three of them returned. If Fred Gentry and Adrian Johnson can provide enough consistent punch up front to keep teams honest against Mallet, then McNeese could challenge Louisiana-Monroe and Texas-San Antonio for league supremacy. Most likely, their lack of frontcourt firepower will doom them to a spot just below the elite. |
Tierre Brown (5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 53 assists, 32 steals), a 6-2 junior, suffered through a sophomore slump after injuring his knee early in the year. Brown is healthy again, and Everhardt thinks he can return to his freshman form when he averaged 13.3 points. Brown shot just .361 from the field last season. Three newcomers will add depth. Alvin Posey, a 6-4 freshman, is a tremendous all-around athlete who could swing to forward if needed. Posey played at Slidell (La.) High School with fellow Cowboys recruit Chris Farrell and LSU signee Torris Bright. Posey, a prototype Louisiana slasher, averaged 19.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Jason Coleman (22.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg) also played at a high school powerhouse, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln. Coleman, a 6-4 freshman, is a strong driver and legitimate perimeter threat. Corey Route, a 6-3 freshman swingman from Baton Rouge, averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds at the Winchendon (Mass.) School. The team's top recruit, Edward Garriet, a 6-0 point guard, is a partial qualifier who averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists at Beaumont (Texas) Central High. Everhardt is hoping that his eventual replacement for Mallett can gain academic eligibility after the fall semester. Up front, the Cowboys return two of the league's most promising young talents but must replace swingman Franklin Paul (13.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg). The Cowboys were hurt by two other defections. Adrian Floyd (11.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg), a 6-7 forward, and Quasean Nicholson (2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg), a 6-5 swingman, were lost to academic problems. But there is plenty left to keep Everhardt optimistic. Fred Gentry (7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 32 blocked shots), a raw and powerful 6-8 junior, is one of the best athletes in a league of athletes. A workout warrior in the weight room, he has caught the eye of professional football scouts on their visits to Lake Charles. After sitting out his first collegiate season as a nonqualifier, Gentry made great strides down the stretch. He will man the post and must improve his rebounding for McNeese to challenge the front lines of Louisiana-Monroe and Texas-San Antonio. "Fred has an NFL body and can run with our guards," Everhardt said. "He came on light years last season. I think he's the most improved player in the league." Adrian Johnson, a 6-6 sophomore, mirrored Gentry's progress. A breathtaking leaper, Johnson (5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg) was one of the league's top freshmen and should take up some of the slack from Paul's departure. "Adrian and Fred are the keys to our team this season," Everhardt said matter-of-factly. Behind Gentry and Johnson, there are mostly question marks. Kirill Yakolev (2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg), a 6-9 junior forward, played sparingly after gaining eligibility at the semester break. He provides scoring punch from the perimeter but does not help much inside. Everhardt is encouraged by Yakolev's work over the summer. Paul Beik, a 6-6 freshman forward, sat out last season as a medical redshirt while recuperating from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Beik was recruited by several Southeastern Conference schools out of Lake Mary (Fla.) High School after averaging 24.0 points and 7.5 rebounds as a senior. But that was before his injury. Everhardt believes he can add some versatility and toughness to the frontline. Farrell (12.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg) is a freshman project who will back up Gentry. At 6-10, he brings much-needed size to the post. Paul's loss will hurt most on the boards. He was the leading rebounder on a team that was outrebounded by an incredible nine boards a game.
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