BURN THE HORSE
The UALR men’s basketball team begins final preparations for the 2010-2011 season when official practice begins at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. The Trojans have four weeks to prepare for the season opener Nov. 12 at Southern Methodist.This season opens much the same as last season with question marks surrounding the roster. Like last year, there are some proven commodities and some unproven ones that will have to be effective to reverse last year’s fortunes.
No one will ever know how last season could have went if senior forward Mike Smith didn’t get injured in mid-December. But that Trojan team had fought through a tough nonconference schedule and showed signs of lift as it entered Sun Belt Conference play.
Without Smith’s presence in the locker room, at practice and on the court during games, the Trojans imploded and finished 8-22 overall and 4-14 in the Sun Belt Conference?
Even with Smith, it’s unclear how well that Trojan team would have done. They struggled to get defensive stops and were a terrible rebounding team. That was evident from the time they played their first closed scrimmage against Tennessee Tech and continued with an exhibition loss to Harding.
While some schools have continued to play two exhibition games to force their fans to buy the tickets as part of the season ticket package, most others have determined that it’s much more beneficial to play the closed scrimmages. :UALR will do this for the first time this season. And UALR has upped its competition in these scrimmages this year, playing Texas-Arlington and Stephen F. Austin. These are typically like-styled teams that should provide an early indication to the coaching staff about the Trojans’ ability to play tough defense and rebound.
The newcomers added to this year’s roster are the type of physical players Coach Steve Shields has won with in the past. And that toughness has been one of the most important aspects in Shields’ teams that have won Sun Belt Conference division championships in four of his seven seasons.
One
Newcomer D’Andre Williams is believed to be the pass first point guard the Trojans have been searching for since the departure of Brandon Patterson (and really Zack Graber). His ability to take over the point guard responsibilities could clear the way for senior guard Solomon Bozeman to move to the 2 guard position. Bozeman can still play some point and there could be some minutes here for freshman guard Daylon Guy if he proves he can handle the pressure and run the offense.
Two
If Williams works out at point, Bozeman could see considerable minutes at the 2. Bozeman led the Trojans at 14.3 points per game last season and shot 33 percent from three-point range, a number that tailed off at the end of the season. Senior guard Matt Mouzy also returns after averaging nearly 10 points per game. He shot 39 percent from three-point range last season. Guy and freshman guard Reggie Sonnier could also figure into the mix at the 2.
Three
Options were not always plentiful at this position last year with senior guard Alex Garcia-Mendoza forced to play some at forward. That shouldn’t be an issue this year. Garcia-Mendoza got better throughout his junior season and should be an impact player for the Trojans. Shields also wanted a lock-down defender that could play the 2 or 3 and believes he’s found one in junior Tramar Sutherland. He’ll have some catch-up to do as he’s not yet been medically cleared to play. That should happen sometime next week.
Four
Junior forward Courtney Jackson showed improvement throughout last year, but struggled to stay on the court because of foul trouble. Jackson scored effectively when he could stay in the game. When he couldn’t UALR had to move smaller players into this role. Junior Eric Kibi should provide some insurance at this spot. Kibi is a slasher who will play defense and rebound, something missed last season. And with his ability to shoot, UALR could also play a bigger front line by moving junior Marlon Louzeiro to this spot.
Five
Senior Derrick Bails finally became the player many Trojan fans had hoped for late last season. Will it continue? This is one of the big question marks going into the season. Bails has the size and skills to be an all-Sun Belt player. But he, like Jackson, needs to play without getting into foul trouble. There appear to be more options at the 5 this year. Senior Montrell Thornton, Louzeiro and freshman Gus Leeper will be in the mix for playing time.
What does it mean?
On paper it looks like a much-improved lineup and a lineup that features more of the type of players Shields has won with in the past. If it remains injury free, this is a team that has the ability to move to the upper half of the Sun Belt Conference again.
