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| John Gillon |
Playing one of the youngest rosters in NCAA Division I, UALR finished
with a 17-15 record and tied for fourth in the Sun Belt Conference. UALR has no
scholarship seniors and could return everyone. That should be a reason for
tremendous optimism.
But, considering where this team was in January, the finish is
completely disappointing. UALR was on pace for a second place finish before a
four-game collapse that saw the Trojans have to scrap in the final week just to
get a tournament bye.
It wasn’t a bad season. UALR finished above where they were predicted.
But an early exit from the conference tournament for the second consecutive
year will leave a sour taste throughout the summer.
The biggest positive was the play of the freshmen point guards. They
weren’t always consistent, but Josh Hagins and John Gillon developed nicely
throughout the year. Both showed they could run the team and score a little
more than expected. If both return, as expected, they could develop into the
league’s best point guard tandem.
The 2 guard spot is probably the most perplexing. We’ve seen positive
moments from sophomore Ben Dillard and freshman Kemy Osse. But it remains to be
seen if either will develop into the type of scorer needed from that spot. The
type of scorer that torched UALR several times this season.
Junior Leroy Isler was a positive at the 3 spot. He played good defense
and scored a bit more than expected. There is a major question mark after that.
Sophomore Taggart Lockhart didn’t have a great season statistically, but when
he went down with a concussion the Trojans slide began. Perhaps Lockhart was bringing
intangibles to the court that were sorely missed when he went out. With his
concussion, you have to wonder if Lockhart will return next season. Concussions
are a serious deal and can’t be taken lightly. Freshman Stetson Billings is
also a question mark here. He didn’t get a lot of opportunity, but he didn’t
take advantage of what time he did get.
A big question going into the season was how junior Will Neighbour
would respond after shoulder surgery sidelined him all summer and throughout
the fall. Clearly, Neighbour’s shot wasn’t sharp. But opponents also figured
out that they could take Neighbour out by applying constant pressure on him.
And, far too often, they were able to do that without getting hurt by others on
the UALR roster.
Freshman James White is another question mark. White started out so
positively and looked like he might even contend for Sun Belt freshman of the
year. But White hit a wall in January. His production went down. Then his
minutes went down. Was he hurt? Did he just hit the freshman wall? He got
plenty of chances throughout February and just didn’t perform.
Sophomore Michael Javes showed tremendous improvement at the 5 spot.
But Javes has a major flaw in his game. He struggles from the free throw line.
As a result, he couldn’t be used late in games. If Javes could even get to 60
percent from the free throw line, he’d be a monster.
Sophomore Gus Leeper is another question mark. Leeper never regained
the form he showed in the 2010 Sun Belt Tournament.
There were three redshirts this season. Shooting guard Mareik Isom
would have definitely got a chance this season if he wasn’t hurt. Isom is a
good shooter who can provide size on the perimeter. It remains to be seen if he’s
the missing piece on the perimeter. Big man Andrew Poulter will provide more
size inside. If Poulter can become an above average rebounder, he’d be a major
asset. And combo guard Jalen Washington also sat out. Washington is quick and
could add to the mix.
The Sun Belt will change a bit next season. But UALR won't be the only team returning much of its roster. Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Kentucky and Arkansas State also played young teams this season.
