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LOCATION: Huntsville, TX
CONFERENCE: Southland
LAST SEASON: 10-16 (.385)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 7-11 (9th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 0/5
NICKNAME: Bearkats
COLORS: Orange & White
HOMECOURT: Johnson Coliseum (5,600)
COACH: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State '81)
record at school 10-16 (1 year)
career record 133-51 (5 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Darby Rich (Alabama '93)
Neil Hardin (West Florida '95)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 7-11-8-9-10
RPI (last 5 years) 285-231-260-265-258
1998-99 FINISH: Failed to qualify for conference tournament.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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When you have haven't had a winning season in the 1990s and have never won a postseason game, your goals are modest. Sam Houston State, the perennial doormat of the Southland Conference, has set both of those marks squarely in its cross hairs this season. Five starters return from a team that went 10-16, only the second double-digit victory season since the program entered Division I competition in 1990. The Bearkats were a wildly unpredictable team in 1998-99, good enough to hand Clyde Drexler the first home loss of his collegiate coaching career at Houston and bad enough to lose to 6-20 Southeastern Louisiana by 12 points. They were good enough to beat league powers Northeast Louisiana and Texas-San Antonio. And bad enough to score 123 points and lose, 125-123, to Texas-Arlington in triple overtime. "We might not have been very talented, but we were exciting," said second-year coach Bob Marlin, the former head coach at Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College who didn't take over in Huntsville until Aug. 4, only three months and eight days before the season opener. The Bearkats' 67-63 victory at Houston was a program-turner. It boosted the team's confidence in itself and the new staff. That chemistry seemed to grow as the season progressed. "You can talk all you want, but eventually you need some proof," Marlin said. "After that win, the players bought into what we were teaching them."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH C-
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES B+
Coach Bob Marlin has changed attitudes in Huntsville. No program in the league has more momentum than Sam Houston. Texas A&M and Houston backed out of contract commitments to play the Bearkats this season, Marlin said. With five returning starters, including all-league candidates Boney Watson, David Amaya and Jeremy Burkhalter, the Bearkats have realistic expectations for a first-ever top-five league finish. Meanwhile, all five of the recruits Marlin's staff targeted for official visits signed with the Sam Houston State. "Sam Houston is a real dark horse," Nicholls State coach Rickey Broussard said. "They're one of the few teams in our league that returns really good players at point and the post. Boney Watson is an excellent guard, and I love David Amaya." Like so many of their league brethren, the Bearkats are strong on the perimeter but lack the consistent interior play to challenge Northeast Louisiana and Texas-San Antonio. The Bearkats are experienced and motivated. If Sammy Giles or Rosmel Blanco can make an impact up front, a winning season, first-division finish, and first-ever SLC Tournament victory are well within reach. |
Marlin can count on senior leadership as a strength. Five seniors return. Boney Watson (10.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 147 assists, 42 steals), a 5-11 senior, is a 155-pound greyhound at point. He makes up for his slight build with a stout heart. He led the league in assists (5.7 apg) for the second straight season. Watson is a true pass-first, shoot-second floor leader. "He's a winner and a tremendous competitor," Marlin said. "I wouldn't trade him for any other point guard in the league." Watson is an adequate shooter, as evidenced by his 31-point night in the triple-overtime loss to Texas-Arlington. But Watson worked diligently during the off-season to improve his perimeter shot even more. "He hit 45 jumpers in a row during one of our drills," Marlin said. Watson's main mission is not to shoot but to find shooting guard Jeremy Burkhalter, the 1997-98 SLC Freshman of the Year who avoided the sophomore slump. The 6-4 junior will move to the backcourt full-time this year after playing a swingman spot for most of his first two seasons. Burkhalter (16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 38 assists) finished seventh in the league in scoring. He is not a pure outside shooter. He made only 32 percent of his 156 three-point shots. But his offensive game is complete enough that he can score from the perimeter or off penetration into the lane. "He's a natural 'two,' " Marlin said. "He's a good athlete who can really shoot it and put it on the floor." Demetrius Smith (10.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 44 assists) started 20 games in his first season after transferring form Frank Phillips (Texas) JUCO. Smith is a fine all-around player whose playing time will likely decrease as Marlin switches to a more traditional center-power forward-small forward frontline. Smith will probably serve as the team's sixth-man sparkplug. Depth will also come from 6-1 senior Bobby Willis (1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.2 apg), who played in 20 games last season. Marlin signed two high school point-guard prospects to bolster the backcourt depth. Eddy Barlow, a 6-0 freshman from Houston Yates High, can play either guard spot. Barlow (14.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 8.2 apg) is a streaky shooter who will supply depth on the wing and at point. He was a third-team All-Greater Houston pick and first-team All-District 18-AAAAA selection. Marlin went to his hometown of Tupelo, Miss., to sign Dennis Buse, a quick and heady 6-0 guard. Buse was a first-team All-Mississippi pick by The Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger after averaging 19.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.4 steals as a senior at Tupelo High. Buse helped lead Tupelo to a 32-2 record and No. 1 ranking in Mississippi Class 5A. "Dennis, like Eddy Barlow, can play either guard position," Marlin said. "We're very excited to have both of these young men as part of our program for the next four years." No matter how strong Sam Houston's backcourt is, the Bearkats' fortunes lie in the frontcourt. Two starters and two lettermen return, while three top-flight recruits were signed to bolster the team's athleticism. The first option inside is burly 6-7 senior David Amaya (16.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Amaya is not particularly strong or athletic but is smart and resourceful in the paint. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-70 loss to Texas A&M. The second-team All-SLC pick has started for three seasons and is only 11 points shy of becoming the 14th player in school history to top the 1,000-point mark. Ricky Fernandez (7.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 63 assists, 35 steals) was the team's second leading rebounder in his first season as a starter. The 6-7 senior is a great passing big man who uses his smarts and fundamentals to overcome average athletic ability. Two sophomores, 6-7 Brian Jordy (2.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and 6-8 Nick Christopher (0.8 ppg, 0.4 rpg) should see more playing time in their second seasons. Jordy played in all 26 games and started one. Junior Keith Heinrich (2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg), a 6-7 junior walk-on who plays tight end for the Bearkats' football team, supplies bulk and effort inside. Marlin is high on his three frontcourt recruits and expects at least one of them to push for a starting spot. Senecca Wall, a 6-4 junior, is a prototype SLC slasher and is the front-runner to start at small forward. The Fort Worth native started two seasons at McLennan (Texas) Community College. He averaged 17.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.5 steals as a sophomore. As a freshman, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for a 27-8 team that reached the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. "Senecca is an outstanding athlete who can get to the basket," Marlin said. "He can play a number of positions." Some league coaches think Sammy Giles (13.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg), not Wall, is the Bearkats' top impact talent. Giles, a 6-7 junior, is a major-league athlete from Lon Morris (Texas) Junior College. He will compete for time at power forward. The final signee, 6-8, 240-pound center Rosmel Blanco, will not become eligible until mid-semester. The Venezuela native will miss seven games but should make an impact when he hits the court. Blanco averaged 9.4 points and 8.9 rebounds as a sophomore at Bossier Parish (La.) CC, where he played for first-year Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy. Blanco played for the Venezuelan Junior National Team. "Rosmel is a true center," Marlin said. "He'll be a better player in Division I than in JUCO."
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