No respect for UALR; Sun Belt coaches pick Trojans sixth

Sun Belt Conference coaches showed little respect for UALR with the release of the preseason predictions and all conference teams.

UALR was picked to finish sixth in the 10-team Sun Belt Conference, well behind the top five.

This year marks the start of a new era in Sun Belt Conference basketball. With basketball membership down to 10 teams the divisional format was scrapped. All 10 teams will compete in one standings and play a full 18-game round robin schedule.

Gone from the conference are Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Florida Atlantic and Florida International. They are replaced this season by Texas-Arlington, Texas State and Georgia State.

Western Kentucky was picked first followed by South Alabama and Arkansas State. Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette tied for fourth with 73 points while UALR was sixth at 48 points.

Senior forward Will Neighbour was the only UALR player on the 15-man preseason all-conference teams. Neighbour, who averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, landed on the second team.

The first team all-conference unit was Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter, Louisiana-Lafayette’s Shawn Long, Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elfrid Payton, South Alabama’s Augustine Rubit and Western Kentucky’s T.J. Price. Rubit was the preseason player of the year.

UALR returns most of last year’s team that finished 17-15 overall and 11-9 in Sun Belt Conference play. That includes seniors Neighbour and Leroy Isler (7.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg).

More than 71 percent of last year’s scoring returns, including sophomores Josh Hagins (8.1 ppg) and James White (7.2 ppg).

College of Southern Idaho guard James Reid commits to UALR

College of Southern Idaho shooting guard James Reid announced via Twitter on Monday that he will sign with UALR  next month.

Reid, a 6-3 guard originally from Mountain View High School in Bend, Ore., averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season. He shot 37 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line. CSI finished 20-12 last season.

In high school, Reid led Mountain View to three league championships and the state tournament all four years. His school finished second in the state during his sophomore year. He broke 11 records in high school and averaged 22 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists as a senior.

Here is Reid's highlight tape from his senior season:

A look at UALR's recruiting roster through 2016-17

If all three commits sign and make it to campus, UALR will be one over the NCAA allowable total of 13 scholarship players. But as it stands right now, UALR has the potential to have 11 juniors or seniors on next year's team.

UALR lands big commitment from CSI guard James Reid

We tweeted earlier this morning that we were hearing about a big recruiting commitment for UALR. We can now confirm it.

College of Southern Idaho sharpshooter James Reid has committed to sign with UALR during the early signing period.

More to come in a bit.

Keeping head above water important for UALR in nonconference season

The challenge for UALR early in the season will be to stay above .500.

With one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, one loaded with tough road games, the Trojans will need to win some games to create some momentum headed into Sun Belt Conference play.

The bottom line is this: Anything better than 6-6 in nonconference play would be an amazing start to the season. What will they have to do to get to seven nonconference victories?

Win the home games. UALR has to beat North Florida, Southern Arkansas, Arkansas-Fort Smith and Grambling at home. That would get them to 4.

Win 2 of 3 road games against Middle Tennessee, Southern and Tulsa. That will be extremely tough but would get them to 6.

Split the two games at the BVI Tropical Shootout in the British Virgin Islands. UALR plays Jacksonville State in the first game and either Southern Miss in the second game. A split would get them to 7.

UALR also has tough road games at Florida, Memphis and Oklahoma.

Anything 7-5 or better would be a great start. A 6-6 start wouldn’t be the end of the world. With all the road games, 5-7 might be realistic. But it would also be disappointing considering this year’s expectations.

Scrimmages complete; UALR begins prep for North Florida

UALR's two closed scrimmages are in the books. The Trojans scrimmaged Tennessee Tech last weekend in Jackson, Tenn., and scrimmaged Ole Miss yesterday at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

Now things start to get a little more serious. It's 14 days until the season opener against North Florida.

ESPN's Jimmy Dykes visits UALR practice

ESPN's Jimmy Dykes, a one-time UALR assistant coach, stopped by to speak to the current UALR Trojans before Practice on Wednesday.

New block/charge rule benefits teams willing to drive

In talking with UALR Coach Steve Shields this week, he believes the new block/charge rule change is going to have a significant effect on the way college basketball is played.

In the past, the defensive player could slide over in front of an offensive player driving to the basket and take the charge. As long as the defensive player was outside of the no-charge circle, he had a very good chance of getting that call.

This year, the defender has to be set before the offensive player goes into his motion to shoot the ball.

Shields believes 90 percent of charge calls from previous seasons would now be called blocks.

"It will be interesting to see how it goes the first few weeks of the season," said Shields, who has had officials at practice several times over the past couple of weeks to try and prepare his players for the changes. There's also a new rule preventing hand checking. "We want to have as many days with officials in practice as we can so our guys are ready for the new rules when the season starts."

But that's only if officials call it that way. We've seen some rule changes in the past where officials are all over them in November. Then they start to slack in December and January. And by the time February and March arrives, it seems like we're right back where we started.

But this change means offensive players who can slash to the basket should be at a major advantage. Think about the quickness of a guy like sophomore guard Josh Hagins for UALR. Hagins, who is also a very good free throw shooter, should be able to use his quickness to get to the lane. Getting Hagins to have the driving mindset as opposed to a jump shooting mindset has been a focus in practice.

The new rule should also allow offensive players who have perfected that Euro step to thrive.

Recruiting sites report pair of teammates commit to UALR

We had the news of the visit of College of Southern Idaho shooting guard James Reid on Twitter over the weekend.

Now a couple of verbal commitments have surfaced via Twitter. We heard about both last week but hadn't seen them officially listed anywhere until now.

A pair of junior college teammates have pledged to sign with UALR in November.  Southwest Tennessee Community College's Jerron Washington and Andre Brown are being reported as UALR commits by recruiting sites Verbal Commits, Juco Junction and Rivals.

Washington is a 6-4 shooting guard originally from Kirby High School in Memphis.

Brown is a 6-6 forward from Northwest High School in Clarksville, Tenn.

Southwest Tennessee has an interesting team this year. They are coached by former Arkansas State guard Jerry Nichols. You might remember him as the guy who wouldn't wear Adidas while in Jonesboro. Anyway, Nichols coached most of this group last year at Motlow State. In the offseason, he moved to Southwest Tennessee and most of his team moved with him. He's got other Division I signees, including Charles Waters, a 6-7 forward, committed to Arkansas State, DeVante Jones, a 5-10 point guard, committed to Middle Tennessee and Chris Hawkins, a 6-5 forward, committed to Memphis.

According to the NJCAA stats (which aren't always accurate or updated) both Washington and Brown played limited minutes as freshmen. Washington averaged 2.3 points and 0.9 rebounds while Brown averaged 4.2 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Those numbers may or may not be accurate. Still hunting down some official stats.

Rebounding improvement desired as UALR preps for second scrimmage

Twenty days and six hours from now, we'll be watching UALR's season opener against North Florida.

Things should start to intensify at UALR practice this week. Over the weekend, UALR traveled to a neutral site to take on Tennessee Tech in a closed scrimmage. This week, UALR will work out the kinks from that scrimmage and prepare for scrimmage No. 2 against Ole Miss.

NCAA rules prohibit UALR Coach Steve Shields from talking about the results of the scrimmage games. We asked him at this point what the biggest deficit his team has at this point.

"Definitely rebounding," Shields said.

There are some capable rebounders on the roster. But there doesn't appear to be a guy who has the mindset to go and get the ball every time it hits the rim. There just isn't a Rashad Jones-Jennings on this year's roster.

Since JJ isn't walking through that door, UALR's going to have to do better from a team rebounding standpoint. That means getting a body on body to block out on the defensive end. And having a little more desire to hunt the ball after a missed shot on the offensive end.

In the three games in Canada, junior Gus Leeper led UALR with 18 rebounds (6.0 per game), while senior Will Neighbour had 17 rebounds (5.7 per game). Sophomore James White had 15 (5.0 per game) and freshman Maurius Hill had 10 (3.3 per game). Those are all forwards and they should be getting rebounds. But what about the guards?

Sophomore Josh Hagins had 16 (5.3 per game). But no other guard reached double figures in rebounding for the three games combined. That's not enough help from the guard spot.

Offseason work has UALR's Osse primed for more PT

LITTLE ROCK – Sophomore Kemy Osse averaged 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds while appearing in all 32 games as a freshman in 2012-13. The UALR coaching staff will be looking for Osse to make a jump in production and playing time in his second season, as offseason work on his all-around game and conditioning have him in position to make an impact this year.

“I got to learn a lot,” said Osse of his first season with the Trojans. “By being on the bench and getting the minutes that I got, I got to learn the tempo of the game and how hard I had to work to be successful on the court.”

Osse’s numbers in his freshman season increased as the year progressed. His minutes played went up to 15.7 per game in Sun Belt play, and he earned starts at shooting guard in two of the season’s final three games.

“I think one of the things that slowed Kemy a year ago is that he’d taken a year off of basketball before he got here,” said assistant coach Robert Lee. “So there was a process of catching back up to the speed of the game and how hard he needed to play.”

READ MORE AT UALR ATHLETICS

Mailbox Mondays: Where will UALR finish in the Sun Belt this year?

Where do you think UALR will finish in the Sun Belt Conference this year?

First? OK homer pick.

The real answer is likely somewhere between first and sixth. With the departure of Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Florida International and Florida Atlantic, the Sun Belt Conference figured to have a dropoff this year. The reality is that isn't going to happen. At least not this year.

At this point I think you could pick the winner out of a hat including the expected top six in the league: Western Kentucky, South Alabama, UALR, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia State. Throw those six into a hat and draw them out. I don't believe there is a clear-cut favorite. All six appear to be poised for a big season.

Here's where it gets interesting. Expect one of those six to falter (see North Texas last year). And I expect someone not in that top six will make a move. Texas-Arlington was pretty good last year. Texas State has a new, and very good, coach who will make them better. Troy has a new coach that should make them better. And Louisiana-Monroe should be finally getting out of their NCAA sanctions. They could improve.

I expect the Conference RPI to take another step forward this year. And if these teams don't beat up on each other, I think this could be one of the best seasons this conference has seen in a while.

New look, new spot for UALR's Josh Hagins

Sophomore Josh Hagins enjoyed a strong freshman season at UALR, averaging 8.1 points and a team-high 3.1 assists while serving as the team’s starting point guard in 19 of 31 contests. This season Hagins’ roll looks to evolve, as the addition of two new point guards could allow him to play off the ball and showcase a scoring prowess he showed in spurts as a freshman.

“It was a new experience, jumping from high school to college – such a high level,” said Hagins of his freshman season with the Trojans. “The speed of the game, it picks up, so you’ve got to pick up your decision making on the fly. But I think I did a pretty decent job.”

Hagins reached double figures in scoring 13 times in his freshman season, including 10 times over a 12-game span. In Sun Belt Conference play, he ranked sixth in the league in assists (3.3 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) while ranking in the top 15 of the conference in field goal percentage (47.3) and three-point field goal percentage (36.1).

“I think he had a good freshman year,” said assistant coach Charles Cunningham. “I think one of the things that comes with maturity and experience is good decision making, and I think until they stop playing, that’s always an area point guards can improve in. It’s paramount that they make good decisions because the ball is in their hands most of the time. “

READ MORE FROM UALR ATHLETICS

Two UALR opponents land in preseason top 25

The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25 is out and UALR opponents Florida and Memphis are ranked. Here's what they said about both:

8. Florida (29-8)
Points: 550. Previous ranking: 9. Outlook: At full strength, the Gators will be well positioned to advance to their fourth consecutive Elite Eight (or beyond), but their autumn has been shrouded in uncertainty. Scottie Wilbekin was suspended indefinitely because of unspecified team violations, and Rutgers transfer Eli Carter and Will Yeguete continue to recover from injuries. Florida last season was one of only two teams — Louisville the other — to finish in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Gone are the top three scorers, but Billy Donovan has enough depth and experience for another deep tournament run. Opens: Nov. 8 vs. North Florida.

13. Memphis (31-5)
Points: 334. Previous ranking: 18. Outlook: Having departed Conference USA, the Tigers' path to a league title will be much more treacherous in the American Athletic. But this is the deepest team in Josh Pastner's tenure, which enters its fifth season. A masterful recruiter, Pastner hauled in a banner class that includes frontcourt gem Austin Nichols. Add returning guards in seniors Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford, and it's time for Memphis to advance deep in the NCAAs. Opens: Nov. 8 vs. Christian Brothers.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE TEAMS

Added strength, defensive mindset figures to get Billings on court for UALR

Sophomore Stetson Billings saw action in 31 of 32 games as a freshman in 2012-13, averaging 6.5 minutes per contest. Billings views his freshman season as a learning experience, giving him a chance to observe the habits of older, more experienced players, which he applied to his summer workouts.

“I got a chance to learn a lot,” said Billings of his freshman season at UALR. “I didn’t play a lot but I took advantage of that. I took notes from the older guys to see what I needed to improve on to get more playing time. But overall, it was an exciting experience, my first year around, and I got to learn a lot, and I’m thankful for that.”

Assistant coach Joe Kleine spoke on Billings’ attitude and work ethic through his first year at UALR, which continues to stand out.

“Stetson is an everyday guy,” said Kleine. “He brings energy every day. You never have to question where his mind is. When he’s practicing, he’s here, he’s into it and he’s getting after it.”

READ MORE AT THE UALR ATHLETICS WEB SITE

Catching up with former UALR Trojan Shane Edwards

The UALR Athletics Department caught up with former UALR Trojan Shane Edwards who continues to play professionally.

Could J.T. Thomas be another late recruiting gem for UALR?

Could junior J.T. Thomas be this year’s version of Leroy Isler for UALR?

Early indications are yes.

When UALR snagged Leroy Isler last summer, it was late in the recruiting game. Isler proved more than solid as a junior becoming both a defensive stopper and a competent offensive player.

In the same way, UALR snagged Thomas this year.

UALR had a scholarship to give after the departure of John Gillon to Colorado State. Coach Steve Shields had already signed one point guard in juco transfer Devonte Smith (which led to Gillon leaving). Knowing he could use sophomore Josh Hagins at both point and shooting guard, UALR signed Thomas.

I’ll admit it. When they signed Thomas I wasn’t sure. His numbers weren’t out of this world at Chipola JC where he averaged 4.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists. That was two seasons ago. He didn’t play last year.

But Thomas’ story goes much, much deeper. He was a highly recruited high school player out of New Orleans. He went to Toledo in 2010 but was injured most of the year as he averaged 4.5 points.

He wasn’t in basketball shape yet when UALR traveled to Calgary, Canada, to play three exhibition games this summer. Again, his numbers won’t blow you away. Thomas played a team-high 72 minutes, averaging 4.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

But it’s Thomas’ role in non-statistical aspects of the game that makes things work. And as the three games in Canada took place, it became more and more apparent that Thomas was a guy the UALR coaching staff had to have on the floor.

“He’s a complete team-first guy,” Shields said of Thomas. “Those guys are hard to find.”

And much like Isler, UALR appears to have found a late gem.

A couple of UALR injury updates

A couple of injury updates from UALR.

• James White is back practicing again.
• Kemy Osse is supposed to get the cast off his hand this week. He should resume full workouts at that point and we'd expect him to be in the mix for playing time.
• Andrew Poulter remains out and likely will be until mid-December. The hope is that they can have his backup post minutes available to add depth in Sun Belt Conference play. It’s unfortunate because the kid has some size and ability but has been snake bitten by injuries.

UALR Meet the Trojans Nov. 4; improvement to program neded

UALR has officially announced its Meet The Trojans event.

It will be held Monday, Nov. 4 at the Jack Stephens Center. Admission is free and doors open at 5:30 p.m. There will be free 2013-2014 schedule posters and cards. Fans are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to contribute to the Reach 13,000 Food Drive.

There will be three-point shooting contests, the UALR dance team and a dunk contest. There will also be free Pepsi products, hot dogs and popcorn. Players will be available for autographs and pictures in the mezzanine area at 6:30.

Last year, I made 10 suggestions after the event. Hopefully UALR will take some of these, and others, and vastly improve this year's event. Let's revisit them. UALR folks, listen up:

1. Start time. While moving this year's event from 5 p.m. to 5:45 is a slight improvement, it's still way too early. How about doors open at 6 and event at 6:30? Give folks a chance to get off work, pick up their families and come. It seems like your trying to time it so that you don't have to work late.

2. Have the players and coaches stand on the same side of the arena as the fans. Last year it felt like they were miles away when they were being introduced.

3. Separate the men's and women's three-point shooting contests. I couldn't tell you who was shooting for the women last year. It's impossible to watch both. By holding them simultaneously, it made fans have to choose. Not fair to either team. Separate them and crown a men's champ and women's champ. It would have only added 10 minutes to last year's program.
4. The band wasn't mentioned in UALR's info. Why? The band is a part of the college basketball atmosphere. Bring the band and let them set the mood as people are arriving.
5. Turn the media lights on. I admit it, I'm selfish. There's no way to take photographs in that dark gymnasium. Last year's photos look like I shot ghosts in a haunted house.

6. Build some momentum by playing last year's highlight videos. Do we still even do those? They used to be awesome.

7. Instead of having the coaches introduce players, intro them game style with the PA announcers, green screen intros and music. Make it feel like something legit.

8. After the introductions, introduce the coaches and let the head coach speak for a minute.

9. Get some TV/media types and/or former players to judge the slam dunk contest. They might even get it on the evening news as a bonus.

10. Do more interviews like the one Ray Tucker did with Will Neighbour last year. Let us get to know some of the players we'll be rooting for. It won't lengthen the program much. In fact, it will make it seem more worthwhile.

Just so we're clear about where I stand on UALR

Just so we're clear about where I stand on some issues:

1. No one tells me what to write or what not to write. Opinions are my own. (It's OK for people to have differing opinions from your own). I write how much and how often I choose.

2. Practice is closed because fans abused the privilege of going. It is my opinion that fans don't belong. They just provide distractions. If you want that policy changed, I'd suggest you meet with Athletic Director Chris Peterson and try to convince him otherwise.

3. The fact that a "fan" "doesn't care for the tone in that article" is laughable. This is the same guy who at the 2011 Senior Night Ceremony stood up and clapped for all seniors except Solomon Bozeman. He then sat down and crossed his arms when Solo was introduced (eyes don't lie). He then vowed he wouldn't attend UALR's Sun Belt Tournament games. Karma then bit him in the ass when the Trojans won four consecutive games. Those were quite possibly the four most enjoyable sports nights of my life. If something really made me as miserable as it does you, I'd do something else.

4. I support UALR for a number of reasons. First, it's my alma mater. Second, I like basketball. Third, I like and support Coach Steve Shields. If that makes me a homer, so be it. Go Trojans!!!

5. I support Coach Steve Shields because I think he's a good coach, a good person and someone who deeply cares about the players on his team. That means more to me than any win or loss.

6. I like to watch a winning team. I even like division championships. Sometimes I think people believe Coach Shields invented the division title to make himself look good. Would I like UALR to win the NCAA bid ever year? Absolutely. But in a one-bid league that's not a reasonable expectation. I like having the team I root for near the top of the league most years. And UALR has been near the top in the majority of seasons.I'm OK with that.

7. I think Chris Peterson has done a great job raising money as athletic director. However, I wish he would embrace marketing and promotion quite a bit more. I love to watch basketball so I don't need the other stuff to keep me interested. But my kids don't really care. And when they come to UALR games their heads are buried in iPads. They are bored to death. It's not just about basketball. UALR needs to do better in this area.

8. Attendance is crappy nearly everywhere. It should be a concern for every program in America. It should be a bigger priority at UALR.

9. I don't care about style of play. I realize some do. And that's OK. I don't. As long as the team I root for ends up with more points than the other team I'm satisfied.

10. UALR is much, much more respected and appreciated outside the state than it is inside the state. I used to travel quite a bit. This has been the case for years. Not really sure how to change that perception.

11. I think Mike Newell was a great coach, the best in UALR history. But he couldn't sustain it. He is responsible for the crash and burn that occurred in the early 1990s. And Newell got a number of other opportunities to coach and never got the magic back that he had at UALR when he was operating with a blank check.

12. My favorite Trojans to cover include: Jake Yancey, Brandon Freeman, Nick Jones, Zack Graber, Zack Wright, John Fowler, Shane Edwards, Solomon Bozeman, Matt Mouzy, D'Andre Williams and Will Neighbour. EDIT. I knew I'd forget some. Alex Garcia-Mendoza and Rashad Jones-Jennings are tremendously high up on my list. Both were great to cover.

13. Not everyone is negative about everything. I prefer to see the glass half full.

Mailbox Monday: Why aren't practices open?

Why aren’t practices open to the public? And if they can’t be open, why can’t the coaches put the practice films on the Internet so that fans can watch practice? What are they trying to hide?

Seriously? There are more than 300 NCAA Division I programs playing men’s basketball. I’m pretty confident in saying that none of those teams would even consider this. Oklahoma Coach Lon Kruger put practice live on the Internet last year. Apparently he didn’t think that was such a great move. This year, they scrapped it in favor of a couple of taped practice specials. It helps when you have a TV contract.

I’ve never understood what the infatuation in this market is with wanting to go to practice. I’ve been a fan of the University of Missouri since birth and have never even considered going to watch practice. When I used to cover UALR for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, I used to attend practice 3-4 times per week. It wasn’t because I like watching practice. Most of the time it was like watching paint dry. I used to work on my weekly stories while I watched. I didn’t go because it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. It was because it gave me some insight as to what they were trying to do on game days. Fans don’t need that insight. This insight is needed as a media member when you’re challenged with writing a number of stories throughout the year.

The reality is, this time of year, that coaches aren’t hiding anything at practice. They just don’t want distractions. And spectators at practice are the definition of distraction. It’s the reason the majority of Division I practices are closed. At UALR, practices were closed by the Athletic Director. Had folks attending practices not abused the privilege of being there, they might still be open.

The reality is that 25 years ago there wasn’t the risk that’s involved with letting people in to watch practice. They weren’t posting on message boards and they weren’t all carrying video cameras (almost every phone is a video camera).

UALR fans get the same preseason access to their team as most everyone else. UALR no longer plays a maroon-silver game. But they do have Meet The Trojans. UALR, like many other schools, plays two closed scrimmages instead of exhibition games. Why? You can play better competition in an environment that lets you experiment without repercussions. 

Stay patient. You'll get plenty of opportunities to see UALR's players this year.

UALR closed scrimmages against Tennessee Tech, Ole Miss

Burn The Horse has learned that UALR will once again play two closed scrimmages instead of public exhibition games this season.

UALR is scheduled to scrimmage Tennessee Tech on Oct. 19 at a neutral site. UALR and Tennessee Tech have done something similar several times in recent years.

UALR will also scrimmage Ole Miss later in the month. UALR and Ole Miss previously scrimmaged prior to the 2011-2012 season.

In accordance with NCAA rules, these scrimmages are closed to all but essential team personnel. Coaches and players are prohibited from discussing results from the scrimmage, which could include multiple games and situational sets.

Shields encouraged by energy at UALR practice

In previous years, tonight would have marked the start of "official" practice for the UALR Trojans. Instead, tonight will be the ninth "official" practice as the Trojans prepare for their season opener one month from today against North Florida.

How has it gone so far?

"I'm really encouraged," UALR Coach Steve Shields told Burn The Horse Friday morning.
UALR got a little bit of a head start to the season over the summer with 10 official practices and a three-game trip to Canada. That carried over into fall individual and small group workouts and into official practice.

Shields is obviously encouraged about the potential ability of his team. But it seems like he's most excited about their togetherness and the way they talk on the court. Some of that comes from added maturity. Some of it comes from the addition of junior college point guards J.T. Thomas and Devonte Smith.

Shields said both Thomas and Smith have "team first approaches" and foster communication among the players on the court, something that at times lacked last season.

"There were times last year that we didn't have that energy. It really helps in practices," Shields said.

Stay tuned. BTH back soon.

We haven't gone away. We've just been a little preoccupied. But stay with us. Burn The Horse is coming back bigger and better than ever very soon.