SFA

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats" Interview Series: Stephen F. Austin's Danny Kaspar

Jon Teitel — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:24:33 -0800

In the most recent installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with current Stephen F. Austin head coach Danny Kaspar. Kaspar, who made the move to SFA after a successful run at Incarnate Word in San Antonio, led the Lumberjacks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. Stephen F. Austin is off to a 6-2 start this season and is expected to be a contender in the Southland Conference.

Jon Teitel: From 1983-1986 you were an assistant coach at SFA under Harry Miller, who was famous for who never missing a game or practice in all his years of college coaching. What made Miller such a durable presence on the sideline, and did you ever think you would return to SFA as head coach?

Danny Kaspar: I just think he was very committed and loyal to the game. When you ask players to give it their all, you have to give them your all as well. He won an NAIA title at Eastern New Mexico. He cared about the kids and was committed to the job. I thought there was a chance that I would return, as they asked me to apply back in 1990, but they game it to someone else and I was later told that politics played a big role in that. I did not return until 10 years later.

1980 NCAA Tournament (as an assistant under Billy Tubbs at Lamar):

JT: Mike Olliver scored a tournament school-record 37 points in a one-point win over Weber State. What made Olliver such a great scorer, and how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most?

DK: Mike had great confidence in himself, as he worked very hard and was constantly in the gym practicing his shot. Coach Tubbs allowed Mike to shoot so he also deserves some of the credit.

JT: BB Davis scored 18 points in a four-point win over Oregon State. What was the key to pulling off the upset, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus?

DK: That was a tremendous win, as most people did not think we could beat them. BB played a great game, but the unsung hero and key to the game was our PG Alvin Brooks. Oregon State pressed us a lot, but Alvin broke their press with great ease. BB was a tremendous scorer who showed up for big games.

JT: Larry Nance had 16 points and 11 rebounds in an eight-point win by Clemson. Was Nance just bigger than everyone else, and could you tell at the time how good a player he would become?

DK: You had a feeling that Larry would be great, as he had a physical presence on the court. His rebounding played a great role in their win. We were up by eight points with about 10 minutes to go, but just let it get away from us.

JT: You spent most of the 1990s coaching at Division II Incarnate Word, where you averaged about 25 wins per year and were often ranked in the Top 10. How were you able to come in and be successful from the start, and what allowed you to remain consistent throughout the decade?

DK: My programs are known for their defense and we just pressured the passing lanes and pressured the ball, which was the core of our success. We were able to get some good players out of the San Antonio area who had been overlooked. It is one of the biggest cities in the country, and we picked up some guys who could have played at the Division I level who could score for us. The first year was rough, as the program had been a perennial loser, but I converted my returning players into believing that we could win the next year.

JT: In 2000 you became coach at Stephen F. Austin. Why did you take the job, and were you concerned that it would take a while to rebuild a program that had lost 20+ games each of the prior two years?

DK: I took the job because I wanted to take a Division I team to the Big Dance. It was not a money issue, but the pay helped. My wife and I had been running several camps every summer, and we got a lot of income from that. We loved living in San Antonio, but it was a big difference to move to a college town of only 40,000 people. We knew it was a nice area, but I do not know if we would have made the move if we had not been there before (my wife as a student and me as an assistant coach). I grew up in Corpus Christi, so it was nice to be closer to home. My success at Incarnate Word instilled a lot of confidence in me that I would be successful at SFA, and we are the winningest college program in the entire state of Texas over the past three years. This place was really down when I got here, and a lot of people told me not to take the job, but we feel like we are in a good place now.

JT: In 2008 you won the conference title and were named Southland Coach of the Year. How big a deal was it to win the conference title, and what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

DK: We were 26-6. That was probably our best team. Our best player (Josh Alexander) got hurt in warm-ups before the last regular season game, and we ended up losing in the conference tourney. We had some great non-conference wins on the road that year, and I heard that we might have been a #12 seed if we had won the conference tourney.

JT: What are your memories of the 2008 NIT (Dante Milligan scored a career-high 24 points and had seven blocks in a UMass win)?

DK: I remember how the NCAA did us wrong. We learned of the game late on Sunday night, then had to play at UMass on Tuesday night in the first game of the NIT. The majority of our traveling party left Sunday night, and the rest left the following morning. We had to practice at 10PM Monday night, followed by a delicious dinner...at McDonald's. UMass had a good team, but they were not 20 points better than us. We were just exhausted, so I was frustrated.

JT: What are your memories of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, the first in school history (Jonny Flynn had 16 points in a win for #3-seed Syracuse)?

DK: When you go to the NCAA Tournament you are treated very well. I remember that Syracuse was huge, and Flynn was the key to their team. We tried to play them man-to-man, but Flynn was too good and picked us apart on the pick-and-roll. I remember our kids being nervous, and we missed a lot of shots that we normally did not miss. I told my wife on the plane ride to the game that I was more worried about us beating ourselves than Syracuse beating us.

JT: Your teams are known for being among the best in the country in points allowed. What is the key to having a good defensive team, and are you a firm believer in the saying that "defense wins championships"?

DK: I am a firm believer in that saying. I was a shooting guard in high school, and had some great shooting games and some poor shooting games while in college. I learned that the only way you can win when you are not shooting well is by playing great defense. We work on defense a lot, and I put a lot of emphasis on it. I think we teach it very well, and if a player is not going to play defense for us, then they are going to sit.

JT: Earlier this summer you brought in Kelvin Sampson's son Kellen to be an assistant coach. What do you think he will bring to your staff, and did he learn a lot from his dad?

DK: He played for his dad, so I am sure he learned a few things. Kellen was one of several names that came up, and when I talked to him on the phone I could tell that he is very personable/optimistic/energetic. First and foremost I needed some good recruiters, and I get the sense that Kellen will be a good recruiter even though he is only 25. I have several former assistants who have gone on to become assistants at other Division I schools or head coaches at Division II schools and JCs, so I have had some success in finding good assistants.

JT: What are your goals for this season, and how hard will it be to succeed with nobody on the roster taller than 6'7"?

DK: We have five returning players (including three full-time starters) and all five will probably start, so we will need several of our recruits to step up and play quality minutes. I do not think the rest of our league is very big this year, but I think it is more important to play big than to be big. If we do not get hurt and everyone can stay eligible, then I think we have a chance to win the conference.

Kaspar is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Southland history.

Central Arkansas: Don Dyer (1979-1993) 285-145, three conference titles, three-time conference COY

Lamar: Pat Foster (1980-1986) 134-49, two NCAA Tournament appearances, three conference titles

McNeese State: Ralph Ward (1952-1971) 282-194, six conference titles, one NAIA title

Nicholls State: Rickey Broussard (1990-2002) 150-183, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference titles

Northwestern State: Mike McConathy (1999-present) 172-177, two NCAA Tournament appearances, three conference titles, two-time conference COY

SE Louisiana: Billy Kennedy (1999-2005) 80-92, one NCAA Tournament appearance, two conference titles, one-time conference COY

Sam Houston State: Bob Marlin (1998-2010) 225-131, two NCAA Tournament appearances, four conference titles, three-time conference COY

Stephen F. Austin: Danny Kaspar (2000-present) 187-115, one NCAA Tournament appearance, two conference titles, one-time conference COY

Texas A&M CC: Ronnie Arrow (1999-2007) 134-91, one NCAA Tournament appearance, one conference title, one-time conference COY

Texas State: Mike Miller (1994-2000) 87-79, one NCAA Tournament appearance, two conference titles, one-time conference COY

Texas-Arlington: Eddie McCarter (1992-2006) 179-211, one conference title

UTSA: Tim Carter (1995-2006) 160-152, two NCAA Tournament appearances, one conference title, one-time conference COY

#89 Stephen F Austin: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:19:20 -0700

Overall Rank: #89

Conference Rank: #1 Southland Conference

2009-10: 23-9, 11-5

2009-10 postseason: none

Coach: Danny Kaspar (181-113 at Stephen F. Austin, 400-165 overall)

Despite a 23-9 overall record, Stephen F. Austin was left out of the postseason. Yet, the 2009-2010 campaign was the Lumberjacks third consecutive 20-win season and they show no signs of slowing down. Losing point guard Eric Bell and backcourt mate Walt Harris does not sound good, but this is a team that has plenty of options to step into their roles.

Key Losses: G Eric Bell, G Walt Harris, C Will Reinke, F Orren Tims

Key Newcomers:

Many of those options will come from a large list of talented newcomers. This group is backcourt heavy and junior college heavy. Antonio Bostic, Dion Prewster and Zac Downing are all junior college wings who bring a variety of different skills to the Lumberjacks. Without Harris, one of them will likely step into major minutes right away. Incoming freshmen Desmond Haymon and Amos Olatayo will try to out battle some of the more experienced player for quality minutes. Darius Gardner is the point guard of the future and will almost have to be the backup point guard this year. The lone newcomer up front is junior college transfer Brandon Cutler. The 6-6, 210 pound sophomore is the third tallest player on the team and will have to be ready to contribute.

Backcourt:

SFA only returns five players, but they also return four of their top five scorers. On top of that list of scorers is 6-2 senior Eddie Williams. There is not much that Williams does not do for this team. Besides leading the team with 13.3 points per game, he averaged 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals and even connected on nearly 41 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. If Williams is making plays and hitting shots, the Lumberjacks are tough to beat. Mark Gomillia did not play too much during his junior campaign, but was relatively productive in the scoring column when he was on the floor. Yet, with the influx of newcomers, especially from the junior college ranks, Gomillia could find it even more difficult to find minutes this year.

Frontcourt:

The frontcourt may not have size, but they have plenty of talent and experience with senior Jordan Glynn and junior Jereal Scott back. Those two were the only players on the team to start all 32 games a year ago. Glynn is the tough power forward. He is a decent interior scorer, but his ability to hit the glass is what makes him so dangerous. Scott is the better scorer and averaged an impressive 12.8 points per game. He is not as strong on the glass an Glynn, but those two do spearhead SFA’s defensive efforts. Scott is a decent shotblocker, but this is a team that usually plays pretty solid defense without blocking too many shots.

Who to Watch:

SFA lost their diminutive point guard in Bell to graduation, but there is a slightly taller diminutive point guard ready to take over. Denzel Barnes, a 5-7 senior, is a better scorer than Bell, but his turnover numbers need to improve drastically if the Lumberjacks want to return to the postseason. While it is nice that Barnes can shoot and score around the basket, there are plenty of other scorers on this team and Barnes needs to find them first and foremost.

Final Projection:

If the junior college transfers pan out as well as they are expected, Stephen F. Austin will easily have another 20 win season and should be right in the mix for a Southland Conference title. The five returning players are all experienced and should form a nice core for Coach Danny Kaspar to build around while the newcomers adjust to their roles. However, the newcomers have more than enough talent to overtake some of the starting minutes sooner or later and the sooner that happens the sooner the Lumberjacks will be the team to beat in the SLC.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Denzel Barnes, Senior, Guard, 5.6 ppg

Eddie Williams, Senior, Guard 13.3 ppg

Mark Gomillia, Senior, Forward, 3.1 ppg

Jordan Glynn, Senior, Forward, 8.6 ppg

Jereal Scott, Junior, Center, 12.8 ppg

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Poll: Who Will Win the Southland?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:12:17 -0700

SFA Head Coach Danny Kaspar: Tourney Talk Q&A

Jon Teitel — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:06:56 -0700

Collegehoops.net's Jon Teitel is in Philadelphia all week bringing you live coverage and interviews from one of the opening weekend's most intriguing venues.

NCAA Tournament Q&A

Coach Danny Kaspar, Stephen F. Austin

Q: Has it sunk in yet that you’re in the NCAA tourney, and do you think Syracuse might be tired after their 6-overtime game in the Big East tourney?
A: It did not take long to sink in. I am not an expert, but I have lots of postseason experience, although I am not sure if our players do. Syracuse has a great tradition, but the exhaustion factor doesn’t matter because any #3 seed is good. I think Syracuse will be rested.

Q: What did you learn from being an assistant for Coach Billy Tubbs at Lamar in 1980 during their run to the Sweet 16?
A: Tubbs was great at making players believe they could win, even if they have doubts that are fed by the public. Tubbs made everyone practice hard, but kept the players loose and relaxed, and just had them play their game.

Q: Was it frustrating to be the #1 seed in last year’s Southland conference tourney but not get to the NCAA tourney?
A: We had injuries at this time last year, as Josh Alexander got a hip pointer in our final regular season game. He played through the pain, but it affected his shooting. I thought we would have gone to NCAA tourney last year if he was healthy, and Eric Bell was only 80% as well.

Q: There are few teams who feature not 1 but 2 conference players of the year: do you need an all-around effort or can Alexander/Matt Kingsley do it themselves?
A: I think a total team effort is required, but we also need some players to step up and do an outstanding job. Eddie Williams stepped up last weekend to help us win our conference tourney final: we probably need 3-4 guys to score in double digits.

Q: Alexander hit 2 free throws with 7 seconds left to clinch the conference tourney semifinal win over Texas A&M CC: was it extra-special for you (being a Corpus Christi native)?
A: It’s funny you ask: it was extra-special because we held Kevin Palmer (the best player in our league) to 13 points on 2-of-11 shooting. I still run a camp in Corpus Christi, and interviewed for the coaching job there when it opened up. There was some vindication in beating them, as I thought their previous AD might have given me a token interview.

Q: What are your team’s strengths/weaknesses?
A: We have a lot of experience, and play good team defense. We have 9 guys (including 2 very good players) who play significant minutes, so we are very team-oriented, and do not commit a lot of turnovers. We are not very big in the backcourt (starting guards are 5’3” and 5’10”), and we could stand to shoot the ball better, and I would like to have a 10-man rotation for extra depth.

Q: What did you learn from your non-conference schedule?
A: We lost to Texas A&M, but could have won that game. We were down by 2 late in the game, and the same referee made 3 straight calls against us. We came away from that angry that we lost, but confident that we could play with teams like that. We caught Arkansas at the wrong time: they were hot, and our kids were thinking of heading home for Christmas the following Thursday. We beat Oklahoma last year, which gave us a lot of confidence.

Q: How did Kingsley blow up after playing only 1 year of varsity ball in high school?
A: He did not blow up: it was an evolution. At times in the past I was ready to send him packing: he was like a scared little pup coming out of high school, but eventually gained 25 pounds. He showed no signs of physical maturity until his junior year: he was a great kid, but had no confidence, and did not blossom until his senior year. He was a freshman redshirt, after growing from 6’6” in high school to 6’8½” in college. We tried to get him to walk on, but the NCAA rescinded a prior rule, and that allowed us to get 2 more scholarships: otherwise, we would not have got him, although he had no other D-1 offers.

Q: SFA only won 10 games in the 2 years before you were hired: how did you turn it around?
A: I originally coached here from 1983-1986 as an assistant, and met my wife here, before I was hired away by Baylor to be an assistant. We had 10 losing seasons in 12 years before I got here, but just finished our 4th 20-win season in 6 years. After I started, we lost a couple of conference tourney finals on our opponent’s home courts by just a few points, which was frustrating.

Q: What does the 1st NCAA tourney in SFA history mean to you, the program, and the school
A: This is my 9th year here, and it means a great deal to the school with free publicity and increased school spirit: we have had some very good home crowds this season. It is a tremendous boon in terms of recruiting, but will hurt us with scheduling, as fewer teams will want to play us. It raises everyone’s awareness of our program, and validates my coaching ability. The town is excited, and I am happy for our community, but happiest for our players who are also very excited. We were very hurt last year that we didn’t make it, and are happy to be here after seeing the level of talent in our conference go up this year.

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Stephen F Austin: 2009 NCAA Tournament

Joel Welser — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:08:46 -0700

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Southland (24-7, 13-3)

Seed: #14

South Region

RPI: 75

Big Wins: 12/12 vs North Dakota State (112-111), 12/19 vs Austin Peay (93-54), 2/28 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (71-66)

Bad Losses: 11/25 at Louisiana Monroe (58-60), 1/21 at Texas Arlington (52-67), 2/14 at McNeese State (59-56)

Last NCAA Appearance: none

Coach: Danny Kaspar (First NCAA appearance)

Probable Starters:

Eric Bell, Junior, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 3.6 apg

Girod Adams, Junior, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.5 apg

Josh Alexander, Senior, Forward, 14.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg

Nick Shaw, Senior, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg

Matt Kingsley, Senior, Forward, 16.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Benson Akpan, Senior, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Walt Harris, Junior, Guard, 3.9 ppg

Eddie Williams, Sophomore, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 2.6 apg

Why They Can Surprise:

Stephen F. Austin had another great showing in the Southland Conference due to their tough defense. Only Washington State allows fewer points per game than the Lumberjacks and Coach Danny Kasper’s squad only allows the opposition to shoot a mere 37.2 percent from the floor. The low point total is in part due to the rebounding presence at SFA. When the opposition finally gets a shot off, you can be sure the Lumberjacks will not make it easy for them to get another opportunity any time soon.

The frontcourt trio of Josh Alexander, Nick Shaw and Matt Kingsley do a great job of crashing the boards. Alexander, who is an undersized 6-4 forward, is also a superb shooter and a dynamic scorer. He will hit over two long balls per contest and also use his size to get to the basket. Shaw is not as effective of a scorer, but he can stretch the defense with his outside shooting. Kingsley has turned into one of the most efficient big men in the nation and leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. At 6-9 and 225 pounds, Kingsley has the body to be a force in the paint against teams that sport bigger centers than he usually saw in the Southland Conference.

Why They Can Disappoint:

If SFA begins to slip behind in a game, they usually have a difficult time coming back. The team as a whole does not make, or shoot, a lot of three pointers. Alexander is pretty much the lone outside shooting threat. Eddie Williams is the usual starter at the two guard spot and he is certainly not a shooter. In fact, he struggled late in the season and lost his starting job for a while. Girod Adams did an admirable job trying to replace him, and is definitely a more consistent outside shooter, but that weapon may be better utilized to spark the offense off of the bench.

Who To Watch:

The other advantage of Adams’ game is his ability to handle the ball. When he is on the floor with point guard Eric Bell, a team that rarely turns the ball over anyway, is even more efficient. Bell, a 5-3 junior, had a slow start to the year due to an injury, but he is back in full force now. His tenacious defense and ability to find his way through the big guys make him a very effective player despite his diminutive stature. Bell will have a difficult time finishing around the basket because of his size and he rarely scores many points, but he will hit the occasional outside shot when necessary.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 66.3 (197^th in nation, 9^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 55.8 (2, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.3 (142, 6)

Field-Goal Defense: 37.2 (3, 1)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.6 (226, 7)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.8 (234, 7)

Free-Throw Percentage: 63.5 (301, 11)

Rebound Margin: 1.2 (151, 9)

Assists Per Game: 13.2 (155, 8)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (46, 1)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Syracuse

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Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Southland?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:25:58 -0800

Southland Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:17:58 -0800

Conference Rank: 21st

10 year average: 27th

Southland Conference Page

All-Southland Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Devin Gibson	Texas-SA	So
G	Josh Alexander	SFA	Sr
G	Kenny Dawkins	Lamar	Sr
F	Anthony Vereen	Texas-Arlington	Sr
F	Matt Kingsley	SFA	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Josh Alexander Devin Gibson		Points: Josh Alexander 16.0 Rebounds: Brandon Bush (Tex St) 7.2 Assists: Eric Bell (SFA) 5.7

Southland Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

84	Stephen F. Austin	Southland	1	NCAA
133	Lamar	Southland	2
150	Texas Arlington**	Southland	3
187	Sam Houston St	Southland	4
230	McNeese State	Southland	5
242	Northwestern St	Southland	6
250	Texas San Anton	Southland	7
257	SE Louisiana	Southland	8
272	TAMU CC	Southland	9
277	Texas State	Southland	10
294	Nicholls State	Southland	11
312	Central Arkansas	Southland	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Southland? (soon)

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Rise & Fall: Southland

State of 08: Texas

State of '08: Texas

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:15:15 -0700

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

TEXAS

TEXAS - Easy one here. Texas has made ten straight NCAA Tournaments under Rick Barnes, and have reached the Sweet Sixteen or better fives times.

TEXAS A&M - From 1988 to 2004, A&M was a horrendous BCS program that managed justt one NIT appearance. But thanks to Billy Gillispie, A&M has won at least 20 games and made the postseason in four straight seasons. The future of the program is a bit less certain under Mark Turgeon.

TEXAS TECH - In Bob Knight's six full seasons, the Red Raiders made 4 NCAA Tournaments and reached the NIT semifinals. Last year's team was destined to miss the postseason regardless of who the coach was, and its hard to project what type of coach Pat Knight will be.

BAYLOR - Scott Drew took over a broken program at the start of the 03-04 season, but has managed to turn things around. Last year the team won 21 games and reached the Big Dance. Many pundits expect a Top 25 squad this year. Not bad considering the 21-53 record from '04 to '07.

UTEP - Since 2004, a year after Billy Gillispied took over, UTEP has made two NCAA Tournaments and the CBI. The Niners should once again make a postseason push (probably NIT or CBI) in 2009.

6. HOUSTON - Its been over 15 years since Houston last made the NCAA Tournament, but Tom Penders teams have been consistently competitive. His four teams have all won at least 9 games in Conference USA, and 3 made the postseason (2 NITS and the CBI last year).

7. NORTH TEXAS - Johnny Jones has quietly transformed UNT from a consistent loser into a consistent winner. The Mean Green made the Big Dance in 2007 after rolling through the Sun Belt Tournament, and were solid last year, going 17-11 against D1 teams. Once again in 2008, North Texas should be dangerous in league play.

8. SAM HOUSTON STATE - Last year's Bearkats fizzled out after a great start, and late-season SLC tournament success has been hard to come by recently. But overall, this has been the most consistently solid SLC team over the last decade, and one of the only league teams capable of knocking off big-name non-conference opponents.

9. RICE - The program finally parted ways with 16-year coach Willis Wilson, whose teams varied from good to horrible and anywhere in between. From '03 to '05, the Owls finished in the RPI Top 100, but have gone steadily downhill since. Last year's 3-27 finish was an unfortunate end to Wilson's tenure.

10. STEPHEN F AUSTIN - SFA's great 26 win season, which included wins over Oklahoma and Top 100 San Diego, came out of nowhere considering the Lumberjacks were a sub-200 RPI team the previous three seasons. SFA is the 2009 favorite to accomplish what they couldn't last year, winning the Southland tournament.

11. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI - Ronnie Arrow did a masterful job in his tenure at TAMU-CC, turning a green D1 program into a 20-win program. But after making the Dance in 2007, Arrow left, and its hard to tell whether the program can regain a decent level of success under Perry Clark.

12. TCU - In six seasons under Neil Dougherty, TCU never finished over .500 in either the CUSA or MWC, although the 2005 team did sneak into the NIT. Former Kent State coach Jim Christian was hired in the off-season to turn things around.

13. LAMAR - In the last 7 seasons, Lamar has finished .500 or better in the SLC six times, but have never really been able to put together a dangerous postseason run.

14. UT-ARLINGTON - After making the NCAAs last year, UTA is once again one of the league favorites. In the previous 9 seasons though, the Mavs won just a single SLC Tourney game.

15. SMU - The last time SMU was any good was 2003, and the last time SMU was Tournament good was 1993. Matt Doherty was brought in to turn things around, but his teams have gone 7-25 in CUSA play.

16. UTSA - Once one of the more consistently solid Southland teams, UTSA simply hasn't been good the past few seasons. A 2009 .500 finish in the league would be a step in the right direction.

17. UTPA - Considering they've been stuck as an independent for a decade now, UTPA's minimal success isn't that bad. They've been able to beat a good amount of the in-state Southland members over the years, but haven't beaten a Top 200 team since December of 2004.

18. TEXAS STATE - In '06 & '07, this was one of the worst programs in the country, with just 8 D1 wins. That makes last year's 10-16 D1 record shockingly good.

19. TEXAS SOUTHERN - After winning the SWAC in 2003, there hasn't been much to cheer about at Texas Southern. The team has hovered around 300 in the RPI.

20. PRAIRIE VIEW - Like Texas Southern above, Prairie View hasn't been good since 2003.. but unlike Texas Southern who has at least been decent in SWAC play, the Panthers have been atrocious.

*Houston Baptist will also join D1 this season

Last: Tennessee - Next: Utah

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

2008-09 Stephen F. Austin Preview: #84

Joel Welser — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:39:43 -0700

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Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Overall Rank: #84

Conference Rank: #1 Southland

2007-08: 26-6, 13-3, 1^st West

2007-08 postseason: NIT

Stephen F. Austin did not get the accolades they deserved last year. This is a team that went 26-6 and beat the likes of Oklahoma and San Diego. An upset in the Southland Conference Tournament kept the Lumberjacks on the outside of the national radar, but that should fuel the fire for the 2008-2009 campaign. With six of the top seven scorers returning, SFA and Coach Danny Kasper should dominate the conference once again. Now they just have to keep that success going in March.

Who’s Out:

Gerald Fonzie is the only departing Lumberjack who played a significant role on last year’s squad. Fonzie was one of the team’s sharpshooters and knocked down over two three-pointers per game and finding another shooter to replace that production would be very beneficial. Austin Falke, Kyle Jacobs, Dean Pele, Jason Rogers and Scott Weaver have also graduated or transferred. Weaver and Jacobs, both forwards, were the only two to even average over five minutes per game.

Who’s In:

Despite returning six quality players, SFA needs the newcomers to provide some depth. A trio of junior college transfers supply more than enough. Unlike any other forward on the roster, Aaron Smith has the outside shooting touch that can stretch out the opposing defense. At 6-8 and 220 pounds, the former Idaho Vandal also has the size to mix it up inside. The other two junior college transfers, Girod Adams and Walt Harris, will do more than just provide depth on the perimeter. Adams is a pure point guard who should play a huge role this year either off the bench or in a starting role. Harris has enough talent to take over for Fonzie without any drop off in production. He is a solid defender, a decent scorer and, at 6-5, has a ton of size for a shooting guard in the Southland Conference. Redshirt freshman forward Jereal Scott and incoming freshmen Jarrod McDaniel and Zach Williams will also join the team this year. McDaniel has a shot to earn some minutes as a backup point guard and Williams, a 6-4 forward, is one of the mostly highly recruited players to come to SFA in quite some time.

Who to Watch:

The scorer on the perimeter is Josh Alexander. The 6-4 wing led the team with 16.1 points and 5.9 rebounds last year and is an extremely prolific shooter. Alexander hit an amazing three three-pointers per game. Most of his shots will come from beyond the arc, but his ability to get to the basket makes him a dynamic scorer. Eric Bell will get the scoring options the ball. The senior point guard averaged 5.7 assists per game and just 2.3 turnovers. That is not a bad ratio and it should get better. Eddie Williams, yet another senior, was the sixth man last year and will likely play that role once again.

Final Projection:

What Alexander does for the backcourt, Matt Kingsley does to the frontcourt. The 6-9 forward was just a touch behind Alexander in the scoring and rebounding categories. With Kingsley and Alexander leading the way, the Lumberjacks have a couple superb scorers. Finding a consistent third scoring threat is the new goal. Power forward Nick Shaw is one of the options after averaging 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds last year. Benson Akpan can do some scoring, but his ability to play defense and block shots off the bench will be a big asset yet again. Akpan, Alexander, Kingsley and Shaw are all seniors and this is the year for Stephen F. Austin to not just have a great regular season, but to continue their success into the postseason.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Eric Bell, Junior, Guard, 5.8 points per game

Walt Harris, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Josh Alexander, Senior, Guard, 16.1 points per game

Nick Shaw, Senior, Forward, 6.2 points per game

Matt Kingsley, Senior, Forward, 15.7 points per game

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2008 NIT Capsule: Stephen F Austin

Joel Welser — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:55:29 -0700

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Southland (26-5, 13-3)

Big Wins: 12/8 at Oklahoma (66-62), 12/15 at San Diego (56-50), 2/21 Sam Houston State (79-57)

Bad Losses: 1/10 at Nicholls State (57-58), 1/24 at Sam Houston State (56-58), 3/1 Texas Arlington (65-75)

Last NCAA Appearance: 1987,

Coach: Danny Kaspar

Probable Starters:

Eric Bell, Sophomore, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 5.7 apg

Gerald Fonzie, Senior, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg

Josh Alexander, Junior, Guard, 16.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg

Nick Shaw, Junior, Forward, 6.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg

Matt Kingsley, Junior, Forward, 15.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Eddie Williams, Freshman, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 1.4 apg

Scott Weaver, Senior, Forward, 2.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg

Benson Akpan, Junior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Stephen F. Austin won a share of the Southland Conference crown with tough defense. Only Wisconsin allows fewer points per game than the Lumberjacks and Coach Danny Kaspar’s squad only allows the opposition to shoot 39.1 percent from the floor. The low point total is in part due to the rebounding presence at SFA. When the opposition finally gets a shot off, you can be sure the Lumberjacks will not make it easy for them to get another opportunity any time soon.

The best rebounder, and player for that matter, on the team is Josh Alexander. Not only does Alexander crash the boards, he also hits over three shots per game from beyond the arc and averages 16.0 points per game. Forward Nick Shaw and center Matt Kingsley are solid on the glass, but it is Kingsley ability to score in the paint that makes him special. At 6-9 and 225 pounds, Kingsley has the body to be a force in the paint against teams that sport bigger centers than he usually saw in the Southland Conference.

Why They Can Disappoint:

If SFA begins to slip behind in a game, they usually have a difficult time coming back. The team as a whole does not shoot a lot of three’s, although Alexander and Gerald Fonzie are certainly big time threats from long range. Yet, this is a not a quick offense that will score in bunches. With their less than stellar free-throw shooting, every point seems hard to come by. However, that is not always the case and as long as Alexander and Kingsley are feeling it, the Lumberjacks are dangerous.

Who To Watch:

Last year at this time Eric Bell was running the point at McLennan Community College. Now the 5-3, yes 5-3, DeSoto, Texas native is leading his team into the postseason. Bell averages 6.0 points per game, but it is his tenacious defense and ability to find his way through the big guys that makes him so dangerous. Stephen F. Austin has plenty of size and depth up front with Scott Weaver and Benson Akpan. Weaver started 28 games last year before being relegated to the bench this season and having experienced and talented big men on the bench is never a bad thing.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 67.5 (202^nd in nation, 7^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 55.2 (2, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.4 (110, 4)

Field-Goal Defense: 39.1 (14, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (165, 4)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.5 (73, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.9 (237, 3)

Rebound Margin: 3.3 (66, 6)

Assists Per Game: 13.2 (167, 8)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (22, 1)

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