GETTING INSIDE
Jackson State was still looking for its first victory of the season midway through December, having dropped its first seven contests.
Losses to Memphis, Alabama and Baylor on the road were to be expected. Not so expected were home losses to Stephen F. Austin and Southeastern Louisiana.
The 11-point Stephen F. Austin loss was especially troubling, considering the Tigers had lost by just one to the same team on the road two weeks earlier.
Rather than getting better, JSU seemed to get worse.
Coach Tevester Anderson attempted to change the tide for the Tigers by inserting three new starters into the starting lineup against Baylor on Dec. 15. The result was a 30-point setback to the Bears.
Although the losses are piling up, Anderson, like most SWAC coaches, is merely working toward getting things in order for the conference season, preferring to focus on that over trying to get non-conference victories that are few and far between.
JSU is still hopeful that its tough non-conference slate—which still included a trip to Tulsa and games in the Las Vegas Invitational—can teach their kids some winning ways before the January start of the league schedule.
NOTES, QUOTES
—The Tigers have struggled on the boards in the early part of the season, ranking last in the SWAC in the category through Dec. 14 action with an average of just 30.5 per game. JSU has been able to hold opponents off the boards as well, ranking third in the league by allowing just 35.7 rebounds by its foes.
—Jackson State has also struggled shooting from beyond the arc, averaging a league-low 3.3 three-pointers per game. The next closest teams—UAPB and Grambling State—each hit 4.2 threes per contest.
KEY EARLY-SEASON CONFERENCE GAME: vs. Alabama A&M, Jan. 4—The league opener sees the Tigers in a nationally-televised tilt on ESPNU. Coach Tevester Anderson’s club would love to get off on a winning note in SWAC play, especially with six of its first eight league contests at home.
LAST YEAR’S CONFERENCE RECORD: 15-3, second place in Southwestern Athletic Conference.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “When we’re on the road, we bonded a little bit better and have their attention a little bit better. There’s not the distractions out there on the road.”—JSU coach Tevester Anderson told the Clarion-Ledger about the Tigers playing better on the road.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
WHAT WE LEARNED IN NOVEMBER: The Tigers still need to get better if they hope to stay among the elite in the SWAC. JSU is getting outrebounded by nearly every opponent and had yet to win a game through Dec. 15. Getting a winning feeling heading into January is needed to get the Tigers in gear.
DECEMBER AT A GLANCE: Trips to Tulsa and Nebraska won’t be easy, as well as two games in the Las Vegas Invitational prior to Christmas. The Tigers finally return home for a Dec. 30 date with Spring Hill, giving JSU a chance to get a victory on its resume heading into the SWAC season.
PLAYER ROTATION: Usual starters—G Rod Melvin, G Cason Burk, G Garrison Johnson, G/F Tyrone Hanson, C Gertavin Blake. Key subs—G De’Suan Dixon, G Phillip Williams, F/C Raymond Gregory, C Oliver Jefferson.
ROSTER REPORT:
—Through Dec. 14, G Garrison Jackson ranked No. 2 in the SWAC in scoring at 16.8 points per game. Jackson also led the league in minutes played with 35.3 per game through the Tigers’ first six contests.
—G Rod Melvin has emerged as one of the top point men in the SWAC, averaging 2.5 assists per game. Melvin ranked third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio through Dec. 14, dishing out 1.3 assists for every turnover he committed.
—G Cason Burk has been good at getting to the glass on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 1.8 offensive boards per game. That average tied Burk for ninth in the SWAC in the category through Dec. 14 action.
