GETTING INSIDE

With a pair of games left before Southland Conference play begins for Central Arkansas, there is guarded optimism that 2010 won’t bring with it the same last-place, 3-13 league record of a year ago.

On the one hand, the team has put in the rearview mirror the brutal early-season schedule that netted the program $150,000 to serve as a punching bag for the likes of Kansas, Memphis and Summit League favorite Oakland.

Another plus is the play of junior college transfer Tadre Sheppard, whose December surge included a conference Player of the Week selection and seemed to feature setting new career scoring highs game after game.

On the other hand, guard Mike Pouncy, second on the team in scoring and starter in the Bears’ first six games of the season, is out indefinitely with a recurring foot injury. His 12.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds will be missed in league play.

And as good as the Bears have looked in flashes, especially during a four-game winning streak from Dec. 4-15, they’re still facing the reality of being no better than .500 entering league play.

A year ago, when they finished with the worst record in the Southland, Central Arkansas entered league play with a similar 7-6 record without as difficult a nonconference slate.

NOTES, QUOTES

• When the Bears next take the court on Jan. 2 against Central Methodist, it will be just the fifth home game of the season for the team. Central Arkansas has gone 2-2 at home this season and 1-5 in true road games (they are 2-0 in neutral-site games, bringing their record to 3-5 in games outside Conway, Ark.).

• The shots just don’t seem to be dropping for the Bears. Considering they have the Southland Conference’s lowest field-goal percentage (.403, and .283 from 3-point range), it’s no wonder they also score the fewest points per game (63.4 points per game) of any team in the league.

January At A Glance:   Central Arkansas is getting some scoring from a lot of different places, but the recent emergence of junior college forward Tadre Sheppard could help the team in league play throughout January. While it’s nice to have balance—five Bears players average between 10.8 and 13.8 points per game this season—league play could bring with it several close games. Whether it’s the team’s leading scorer, Chris Poellnitz (13.8), or Sheppard (11.2) may vary from game to game, but one or both will likely have to establish himself as the team’s late-game go-to guy in order for the Bears to win the close ones in conference play.

Quote To Note:   “We looked like a team that had been on a five-day road trip.”—Central Arkansas coach Rand Chappell, after his team lost its second consecutive road game Dec. 22 at Western Illinois.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Season Recap:   A four-game winning streak for Central Arkansas was just what the Bears needed after a rough 1-5 start. Getting to .500 by mid-December had to help the confidence, as could the opportunity to be at .500 heading into league play. Unfortunately, the Bears also had several losses against teams they should have been more competitive against, including two double-digit losses to Western Illinois and another double-digit loss to Missouri-Kansas City.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—G Jared Rehmel, G Imad Qahwash, G Chris Poellnitz, F Tadre Sheppard, F Mitch Reuter. Key Subs—C Carlos Dos Santos, G Dewan Clayborn.

Game Review:  

Central Arkansas 72, Harris-Stowe 55

Umkc 78, C  entral Arkansas 67

Western Illinois 55, Central Arkansas 44

Game Preview:  

vs. Central Methodist, Saturday, Jan. 2

vs. Ecclesia, Tuesday, Jan. 5

vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Saturday, Jan. 9

at Stephen F. Austin Wednesday, Jan. 13

at Texas State, Saturday, Jan. 16

In Focus:   Central Arkansas has two nonconference games left to try and pull up to .500 before Southland play begins Jan. 9. The Bears’ first test comes against one of the better NAIA programs, Central Methodist. Fortunately for Central Arkansas, the Eagles don’t have much size, but they have a pair of players who can fill it up in 6-foot G Matt Sherman (15.6 points per game) and 6-6 F Lucas Dahl (14.5).

Roster Report:  

• Junior college transfer Tadre Sheppard stepped up nicely in early December, averaging 14.8 points and nine rebounds per game in a four-game stretch and earning Southland Player of the Week honors. He went for 21 and 16 in a Dec. 12 win over Tennessee-Martin. He leads the conference in offensive rebounding (3.9 per game).

• After spending much of the 2008-09 season sideline with a foot injury, it appears senior G Mike Pouncy’s college hoops career might be over due to the same injury. Pouncy started the first six games of this season, and he averaged 12.2 points.

• Balance can be good, but Central Arkansas has no player show up in the conference’s top 10 of several key categories, including scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals, defensive rebounding, 3-point field-goal percentage or 3-pointers made.