BURN THE HORSE
With the 2011-2012 season in the books, it’s time to start
looking ahead to 2012-2013.
UALR doesn’t have as much to replace as it did last summer,
but there are two giant holes to fill with the departure of point guard D’Andre
Williams and forward Courtney Jackson. UALR will also miss role players Tramar
Sutherland and Marlon Louzeiro, who came up big in spot duty several times last
season.
We’ll assume everyone on the roster who is not a senior will
be back next season. But that starts us out at one over the NCAA limit of 13.
That means somebody who is here now won’t be in August.
Point guard
Williams is gone, leaving the point guard position wide open
for someone to take. Senior Eric Lawton got the backup minutes last season, but
never was able to provide enough comfort to allow Williams an extended rest
during games. UALR could move junior Chuck Guy to the point. He has played the
point some, more as a freshman than sophomore. Two incoming freshman also
figure to get a pretty good look. Josh Hagins is a 6-3 point guard from the
Shreveport area and John Gillon is a 5-11 point from the Houston area. Hagins
is probably more of a traditional point guard, while Gillon is more of a
scoring point.
Shooting guard
Providing he’s not stationed at the point, Guy and sophomore
Ben Dillard return to this spot next season. Guy didn’t shoot it as well in his
sophomore year, but hit some big shots throughout the season. Dillard played
well in spurts and became one of the team’s best outside options. Two more
freshmen could figure into this position as well. Strong’s Stetson Billings and
Mareik Isom of Austin, Texas, are both 6-5, 2/3 combo-type players. Both are
reported to be above average shooters. And freshman walk-on Casey Wilmath could
be another option here. Wilmath is a shooter who spent this season as a
redshirt.
Off guard/small forward
UALR has a ton of options in this spot. Junior Will
Neighbour will see duty at the 3, 4 and 5 positions and figures to get some
time here. Sophomore Taggart Lockhart played well at times as a freshman and
figures to be right in the mix. And redshirt freshman James White, who is 6-7,
also figures to get a look here. White has put on some weight during his
redshirt year and reportedly shoots it well enough to play here. Senior Reggie
Fondren didn’t play much, but he came up big in the Sun Belt opener against North
Texas. Billings and Isom could also get looks at the 3.
Power forward
Jackson’s departure will be a huge area of concern. But UALR
has options at the 4. Neighbour, White and sophomore Gus Leeper, who redshirted
last season, all figure to see time here.
Post
Sophomore Michael Javes is the incumbent at the 5. Leeper
was the incumbent before getting hurt last summer. Both figure to be in the mix
here along with Neighbour. Freshman Andrew Poulter will give the Trojans
additional bulk on the inside if he’s ready to play.
Besides Wilmath, UALR had two additional walk-ons to close
last season in freshman Tre’von Wilkerson and senior Ted Crass. Wilkerson is
quick as a point guard and Crass is a shooter who will work as hard as anybody
to be successful.
Height won’t be an issue for this group. We could get a bit
of time next season with the 6-10 Neighbour, the 6-9 Leeper and the 6-10 Javes
all on the court at the same time.
And we don’t know who else is still out there. The UALR
coaching staff appears to still be recruiting for both the April and November
signing classes.
Stay tuned.
